Within-Cohort Age-Related Differences in Cognitive Functioning

PubMed Central

Salthouse, Timothy A.

2013-01-01

It is widely accepted that the level of cognitive functioning can be influenced by characteristics of the environment that change over time. Many developmental researchers have referred to these influences as cohort effects, and have used year of birth as the basis for determining cohort membership. Furthermore, age-related differences in cognitive functioning are sometimes assumed to be primarily attributable to cohort differences, which implies that differences between birth cohorts should be much larger than differences within birth cohorts. Comparisons of composite scores for five cognitive abilities in different people tested at different ages in different years revealed that within-cohort differences across ages were often as large as between-cohort differences across ages. These results lead to questions about the practice of relying on birth cohort to represent influences on cognitive functioning associated with temporal shifts in characteristics of the environment. PMID:23319401

Shoulder function and anatomy in complete obstetric brachial plexus palsy: long-term improvement after triangle tilt surgery

PubMed Central

Karicherla, Priyanka; Mahmooduddin, Faiz

2010-01-01

Purpose Untreated complete obstetric brachial plexus injury (COBPI) usually results in limited spontaneous recovery of shoulder function. Older methods used to treat COBPI have had questionable success, with very few studies being published. The purpose of the current study was to examine the results of triangle tilt surgery on shoulder function and development in COBPI individuals. Methods This study was conducted as a retrospective chart review. Inclusion criteria were COBPI patients that had undergone the triangle tilt procedure from 2005 to 2009 and were between the ages of 9 months and 12 years. COBPI was defined as permanent injury to all five nerve roots (C5–T1), with significant degradation in development and function of the hand. Twenty-five patients with a mean age of 5 (0.75–12) years were followed up clinically for more than 2 years. Results The triangle tilt procedure resulted in demonstrable clinical enhancements with appreciable improvements in shoulder function, glenoid version, and humeral head congruity. There was a significant increase in the overall Mallet score (2.4 points, p < 0.0001) following surgical correction in patients that were followed up for more than 2 years. Conclusions The results of this study demonstrate that COBPI patients who develop SHEAR and medial rotation contracture deformities can benefit from the triangle tilt surgery, which improves shoulder function and anatomy across a range of pediatric ages. Despite these patients presenting late for surgery in general (5 years), significant improvements were observed in their glenohumeral (GH) dysplasia and their ability to perform shoulder and arm movements following surgery. PMID:20473676

Functional Groups Based on Leaf Physiology: Are they Spatially and Temporally Robust?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foster, Tammy E.; Brooks, J. Renee; Quincy, Charles (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The functional grouping hypothesis, which suggests that complexity in function can be simplified by grouping species with similar responses, was tested in the Florida scrub habitat. Functional groups were identified based on how species in fire maintained FL scrub function in terms of carbon, water and nitrogen dynamics. The suite of physiologic parameters measured to determine function included both instantaneous gas exchange measurements obtained from photosynthetic light response curves and integrated measures of function. Using cluster analysis, five distinct physiologically-based functional groups were identified. Using non-parametric multivariate analyses, it was determined that these five groupings were not altered by plot differences or by the three different management regimes; prescribed burn, mechanically treated and burn, and fire-suppressed. The physiological groupings also remained robust between the two years 1999 and 2000. In order for these groupings to be of use for scaling ecosystem processes, there needs to be an easy-to-measure morphological indicator of function. Life form classifications were able to depict the physiological groupings more adequately than either specific leaf area or leaf thickness. THe ability of life forms to depict the groupings was improved by separating the parasitic Ximenia americana from the shrub category.

Does the Direction and Magnitude of Cognitive Change Depend on Initial Level of ability?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salthouse, Timothy A.

2012-01-01

Longitudinal change in five cognitive abilities was investigated to determine if the direction or magnitude of change was related to the individual's ability level. Adults between 18 and 97 years of age performed three versions of 16 cognitive tests on two occasions separated by an average of 2.7 years. In order to control for influences…

The First National Assessment of Musical Performance, Report 03-MU-01.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Commission of the States, Denver, CO. National Assessment of Educational Progress.

The report summarizes results of a survey of musical performance abilities of Americans of various ages. During 1971 and 1972 a national assessment program was conducted to measure the musical abilities of nine-year-olds, 13-year-olds, 17-year-olds, and young adults from 26-35 years of age. Exercises were divided into five groups: singing familiar…

Preschoolers' Social Interest toward a Child with ASD and Their Theory of Mind Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zakai-Mashiach, Mati; Ziv, Margalit; Dromi, Esther

2017-01-01

This study examined the Theory of Mind (ToM) abilities of typically developing preschoolers in three age groups: three- to four-, four- to five- and five- to six-years-old (n = 110), who differed in their spontaneous social interest toward included children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Social interest was assessed by administering a…

Intellectual Ability in Young Adulthood as an Antecedent of Physical Functioning in Older Age

PubMed Central

Poranen-Clark, Taina; von Bonsdorff, Mikaela B.; Törmäkangas, Timo; Lahti, Jari; Wasenius, Niko; Räikkönen, Katri; Osmond, Clive; Salonen, Minna K.; Rantanen, Taina; Kajantie, Eero; Eriksson, Johan G.

2016-01-01

Objectives Low cognitive ability is associated with subsequent functional disability. Whether this association extends across adult life has been little studied. The aim of this study was to examine the association between intellectual ability in young adulthood and physical functioning during a 10-year follow-up in older age. Methods 360 persons of the Helsinki Birth Cohort Study (HBCS) male members, born between 1934- 1944 and residing in Finland in 1971, took part in The Finnish Defence Forces Basic Intellectual Ability Test during the first two weeks of their military service training between 1952- 72. Their physical functioning was assessed twice using the Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire at average ages of 61 and 71 years. A longitudinal path model linking Intellectual Ability Test score to the physical functioning assessments was used to explore the effect of intellectual ability in young adulthood on physical functioning in older age. Results After adjustments for age at measurement, childhood socioeconomic status and adult BMI (kg/m2), better intellectual ability total and arithmetic and verbal reasoning subtest scores in young adulthood predicted better physical functioning at age 61 years (P-values < 0.021). Intellectual ability total and arithmetic and verbal reasoning subtest scores in young adulthood had indirect effects on physical functioning at age 71 years (P-values < 0.022) through better physical functioning at age 61 years. Adjustment for main chronic diseases did not change the results materially. Conclusion Better early life intellectual ability helps in maintaining better physical functioning in older age. PMID:27189726

Inhibitory Motor Control at Five Years as a Function of Prenatal Cocaine Exposure

PubMed Central

BENDERSKY, MARGARET; GAMBINI, GIORGIA; LASTELLA, ANNA; BENNETT, DAVID S.; LEWIS, MICHAEL

2006-01-01

This study examined children’s (n = 140, age 5 years) ability to inhibit a motor response as a function of prenatal cocaine exposure. We hypothesized that cocaine-exposed children would perform worse than unexposed children on the Contrary Tapping task. Results indicated that cocaine exposure, high environmental risk, male gender, and low child IQ each were related to poorer inhibitory control. An interaction indicated that cocaine effects were specific to children who lived in relatively low-risk environments. Cocaine-exposed children made an error sooner than unexposed children if they lived in low-risk environments but not if they lived in high-risk environments. Potential underlying mechanisms and the importance of examining cocaine exposure effects in the context of children’s existing environment are discussed. PMID:14578695

Gonadal status and reproductive function following treatment for Hodgkin's disease in childhood: The Stanford experience

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ortin, T.T.; Shostak, C.A.; Donaldson, S.S.

To ascertain the impact of therapy on gonadal function and reproductive outcome among children treated for Hodgkin's disease, we reviewed the experience at Stanford University Medical Center during the years 1965-1986. There were 240 children 15 years of age or younger, 92 girls and 148 boys; with median follow-up of 9 years, maximum follow-up was 26 years. Of this cohort, data on gonadal function were available on 20 boys, 5 of whom were considered prepubescent; they had no clinical evidence of sexual maturation and were less than 13 years of age. Evaluation of the boys included testicular biopsy, semen analysesmore » and the ability to procreate. Serum gonadotropin hormone levels (FSH, LH) were studied in 11 boys who also had semen analyses. Sexual maturation was attained in all boys without the need for androgen replacement. Among the eight boys treated with radiation alone, four were able to father a child (3 following 40-45 Gy pelvic radiation dose, 1 without pelvic radiation) from 3-19 years following treatment. Three others who received 30-44 Gy pelvic radiation were oligospermic when tested at 10 to 15 years post-treatment. Semen analyses in 10 of 12 (83%) boys who had been treated with six cycles of MOPP with or without pelvic radiation revealed absolute azoospermia with no evidence of recovery as along as 11 years of follow-up. Following prolonged azoospermia, 2 of the 12 boys (17%) had recovery of fertility, with normalization of sperm count and/or ability to procreate at 12 and 15 years following treatment. There was no correlation with serum gonadotropin levels and sterility. Data on menstrual history, pregnancy and offspring were available in 86 (92%) of the girls. Seventy-five of the 86 girls (87%) have normal menstrual function. However, none of the females who underwent pelvic radiation without prior oophoropexy has maintained ovarian function.« less

Awareness of Memory Ability and Change: (In)Accuracy of Memory Self-Assessments in Relation to Performance.

PubMed

Rickenbach, Elizabeth Hahn; Agrigoroaei, Stefan; Lachman, Margie E

2015-03-01

Little is known about subjective assessments of memory abilities and decline among middle-aged adults or their association with objective memory performance in the general population. In this study we examined self-ratings of memory ability and change in relation to episodic memory performance in two national samples of middle-aged and older adults from the Midlife in the United States study (MIDUS II in 2005-06) and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; every two years from 2002 to 2012). MIDUS (Study 1) participants (N=3,581) rated their memory compared to others their age and to themselves five years ago; HRS (Study 2) participants (N=14,821) rated their current memory and their memory compared to two years ago, with up to six occasions of longitudinal data over ten years. In both studies, episodic memory performance was the total number of words recalled in immediate and delayed conditions. When controlling for demographic and health correlates, self-ratings of memory abilities, but not subjective change, were related to performance. We examined accuracy by comparing subjective and objective memory ability and change. More than one third of the participants across the studies had self-assessments that were inaccurate relative to their actual level of performance and change, and accuracy differed as a function of demographic and health factors. Further understanding of self-awareness of memory abilities and change beginning in midlife may be useful for identifying early warning signs of decline, with implications regarding policies and practice for early detection and treatment of cognitive impairment.

The Benefits of Preschool: Do Children Who Attend Preschool Prior to Kindergarten Achieve Higher Test Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrington, Julie

2015-01-01

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine what, if any, impact that attending a four year old kindergarten program had on five year old kindergarteners reading ability as measured by Dominie testing, compared to those five year olds who did not attend a four year old program at Inman Elementary School. The significance of this study…

Dose-Response Effects of Exercise Duration and Recovery on Cognitive Functioning.

PubMed

Crush, Elizabeth A; Loprinzi, Paul D

2017-12-01

We examined the effects of different acute exercise durations and recovery periods on cognitive function in a counterbalanced, cross-over randomized controlled experiment. We placed 352 participants, aged 18 to 35 years into one of 16 experimental groups. Each participant visited the laboratory twice, separated by a 1-week washout period. Either Visit 1 or 2 consisted of an acute bout of moderate-intensity treadmill exercise (10, 20, 30, 45, or 60 minutes) followed by a period of rest (5, 15, or 30 minutes) before taking a set of five cognitive tests; the other visit consisted only of completing the cognitive tests (no exercise). Cognitive tests sampled multiple cognitive parameters, including reasoning, concentration, memory, attention, and planning. We found that a short recovery period (i.e., 5 minutes) may have a less favorable effect on planning ability but may be beneficial for memory. In addition, for various exercise durations and recovery periods, a Group × Time × Resting (nonexercise) A cognitive interaction effect was observed such that for both memory and inhibitory cognitive ability, acute exercise (vs. no exercise) had an enhancement effect for those with lower resting cognitive functioning. The length of the acute exercise recovery period and resting cognitive ability most influenced the association between exercise and cognitive function.

Participant characteristics and observed support in conversations involving people with communication disorders.

PubMed

Eriksson, Karin; Hartelius, Lena; Saldert, Charlotta

2016-10-01

Communication partner training is an increasingly common approach to improve the possibilities for people with communication disorders to participate in everyday interaction. So far, though, little is known about what conversation partner characteristics might influence the ability to be a supportive partner in conversation. The current study explored possible associations between the observed skill to support a person with communication difficulties in conversation and the following characteristics of the conversation partner; executive function, inference ability, age, education level and relationship to the person with communication disorder. The impact of the aetiology of the communication difficulties was also explored. Thirty-five dyads participated: 23 people with aphasia along with 18 significant others and five enrolled nurses and 12 people with Parkinson's disease along with 10 significant others and two enrolled nurses. Only tendencies of associations were found between observed skill to support conversation and executive function for the significant others and inference ability for the enrolled nurses. Although type of activity involved in the conversation may be a key factor, the results indicate that executive function and ability to make mental inferences may matter for the ability to support a person with communication disorder in conversation.

Early Postoperative Measures Predict 1- and 2-Year Outcomes After Unilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty: Importance of Contralateral Limb Strength

PubMed Central

Snyder-Mackler, Lynn

2010-01-01

Background Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has been shown to be an effective surgical intervention for people with end-stage knee osteoarthritis. However, recovery of function is variable, and not all people have successful outcomes. Objective The aim of this study was to discern which early postoperative functional measures could predict functional ability at 1 year and 2 years after surgery. Design and Methods One hundred fifty-five people who underwent unilateral TKA participated in the prospective longitudinal study. Functional evaluations were performed at the initial outpatient physical therapy appointment and at 1 and 2 years after surgery. Evaluations consisted of measurements of height, weight, quadriceps muscle strength (force-generating capacity), and knee range of motion; the Timed “Up & Go” Test (TUG); the stair-climbing task (SCT); and the Knee Outcome Survey (KOS) questionnaire. The ability to predict 1- and 2-year outcomes on the basis of early postoperative measures was analyzed with a hierarchical regression. Differences in functional scores were evaluated with a repeated-measures analysis of variance. Results The TUG, SCT, and KOS scores at 1 and 2 years showed significant improvements over the scores at the initial evaluation (P<.001). A weaker quadriceps muscle in the limb that did not undergo surgery (“nonoperated limb”) was related to poorer 1- and 2-year outcomes even after the influence of the other early postoperative measures was accounted for in the regression. Older participants with higher body masses also had poorer outcomes at 1 and 2 years. Postoperative measures were better predictors of TUG and SCT times than of KOS scores. Conclusions Rehabilitation regimens after TKA should include exercises to improve the strength of the nonoperated limb as well as to treat the deficits imposed by the surgery. Emphasis on treating age-related impairments and reducing body mass also might improve long-term outcomes. PMID:19959653

The Measurement of Translation Ability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stansfield, Charles W.; And Others

1992-01-01

Variables that constitute translation ability are discussed, based on a two-year development and validation study of job-related tests of translation ability for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The project involved the development of two parallel forms of the Spanish into English Verbatim Translation Exam (SEVTE). (five references) (LB)

The Development of Comprehensive Search Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wellman, Henry M.; And Others

1984-01-01

One experiment examined two and one-half, three and one-half and four and one-half year olds' ability to conduct nonredundant comprehensive searches of small lidded trash cans. A second experiment examined three , four, and five year olds' ability to find Easter eggs hidden on a large playground. Results were discussed in relation to developmental…

Ability Grouping in Schools: An Analysis of Effects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ireson, Judith; Hallam, Susan; Mortimore, Peter; Hack, Sarah; Clark, Helen

This paper presents preliminary findings from a large-scale study of ability grouping in English secondary schools. Forty-five secondary schools representing three levels of grouping took part in the research. Within these schools, data have been collected from a cohort of Year 9 pupils, aged 13-14 years. All these pupils took tests in English,…

Gender Differences in the Relationship of Nascent Conservation and Reading Abilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Day, H. D.; Hollingsworth, Shirley

1983-01-01

Researchers investigated the effects of sex differences on the relationship between conservation ability and the reading and linguistic awareness of five-year-old children. Findings of this study and others consistently support the hypothesis that conservation ability correlates more highly with reading in girls than in boys. (Author/PP)

Clinical and radiological outcomes of 5-year drug-free remission-steered treatment in patients with early arthritis: IMPROVED study.

PubMed

Akdemir, Gülşah; Heimans, Lotte; Bergstra, Sytske Anne; Goekoop, Robbert J; van Oosterhout, Maikel; van Groenendael, Johannes H L M; Peeters, André J; Steup-Beekman, Gerda M; Lard, Leroy R; de Sonnaville, Peter B J; Grillet, Bernard A M; Huizinga, Tom W J; Allaart, Cornelia F

2018-01-01

To determine the 5-year outcomes of early remission induction therapy followed by targeted treatment aimed at drug-free remission (DFR) in patients with early arthritis. In 12 hospitals, 610 patients with early (<2 years) rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or undifferentiated arthritis (UA) started on methotrexate (MTX) 25 mg/week and prednisone (60 mg/day tapered to 7.5 mg/day). Patients not in early remission (Disease Activity Score <1.6 after 4 months) were randomised (single blind) to arm 1, adding hydroxychloroquine 400 mg/day and sulfasalazine 2000 mg/day, or arm 2, switching to MTX plus adalimumab 40 mg/2 weeks. Treatment adjustments over time aimed at DFR. Outcomes were remission percentages, functional ability, toxicity and radiological damage progression after 5 years. After 4 months, 387 patients were in early remission, 83 were randomised to arm 1 and 78 to arm 2. After 5 years, 295/610 (48%) patients were in remission, 26% in sustained DFR (SDFR) (≥1 year) (220/387 (57%) remission and 135/387 (35%) SDFR in the early remission group, 50% remission, 11% SDFR in the randomisation arms without differences between the arms). More patients with UA (37% vs 23% RA, p=0.001) and more anticitrullinated protein antibody (ACPA)-negative patients (37% vs 18% ACPA-positive, p<0.001) achieved SDFR.Overall, mean Health Assessment Questionnaire was 0.6 (0.5), and median (IQR) damage progression was 0.5 (0-2.7) Sharp/van der Heijde points, with only five patients showing progression >25 points in 5 years. Five years of DFR-steered treatment in patients with early RA resulted in almost normal functional ability without clinically relevant joint damage across treatment groups. Patients who achieved early remission had the best clinical outcomes. There were no differences between the randomisation arms. SDFR is a realistic treatment goal. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Phonological awareness: explicit instruction for young deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

PubMed

Miller, Elizabeth M; Lederberg, Amy R; Easterbrooks, Susan R

2013-04-01

The goal of this study was to explore the development of spoken phonological awareness for deaf and hard-of-hearing children (DHH) with functional hearing (i.e., the ability to access spoken language through hearing). Teachers explicitly taught five preschoolers the phonological awareness skills of syllable segmentation, initial phoneme isolation, and rhyme discrimination in the context of a multifaceted emergent literacy intervention. Instruction occurred in settings where teachers used simultaneous communication or spoken language only. A multiple-baseline across skills design documented a functional relation between instruction and skill acquisition for those children who did not have the skills at baseline with one exception; one child did not meet criteria for syllable segmentation. These results were confirmed by changes on phonological awareness tests that were administered at the beginning and end of the school year. We found that DHH children who varied in primary communication mode, chronological age, and language ability all benefited from explicit instruction in phonological awareness.

Infant motor and cognitive abilities and subsequent executive function.

PubMed

Wu, Meng; Liang, Xi; Lu, Shan; Wang, Zhengyan

2017-11-01

Although executive function (EF) is widely considered crucial to several aspects of life, the mechanisms underlying EF development remain largely unexplored, especially for infants. From a behavioral or neurodevelopmental perspective, motor and general cognitive abilities are linked with EF. EF development is a multistage process that starts with sensorimotor interactive behaviors, which become basic cognitive abilities and, in turn, mature EF. This study aims to examine how infant motor and general cognitive abilities are linked with their EF at 3 years of age. This work also aims to explore the potential processes of EF development from early movement. A longitudinal study was conducted with 96 infants (55 girls and 41 boys). The infants' motor and general cognitive abilities were assessed at 1 and 2 years of age with Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Second and Third Editions, respectively. Infants' EFs were assessed at 3 years of age with Working Memory Span task, Day-Night task, Wrapped Gift task, and modified Gift-in-Bag task. Children with higher scores for cognitive ability at 2 years of age performed better in working memory, and children with higher scores for gross motor ability at 2 years performed better in cognitive inhibitory control (IC). Motor ability at 1 year and fine/gross motor ability at 2 years indirectly affected cognitive IC via general cognitive ability at 2 years and working memory. EF development is a multistage process that originates from physical movement to simple cognitive function, and then to complex cognitive function. Infants and toddlers can undergo targeted motor training to promote EF development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Does the Cambridge Automated Neuropsychological Test Battery (CANTAB) Distinguish Between Cognitive Domains in Healthy Older Adults?

PubMed

Lenehan, Megan E; Summers, Mathew J; Saunders, Nichole L; Summers, Jeffery J; Vickers, James C

2016-04-01

The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) is a semiautomated computer interface for assessing cognitive function. We examined whether CANTAB tests measured specific cognitive functions, using established neuropsychological tests as a reference point. A sample of 500 healthy older (M = 60.28 years, SD = 6.75) participants in the Tasmanian Healthy Brain Project completed battery of CANTAB subtests and standard paper-based neuropsychological tests. Confirmatory factor analysis identified four factors: processing speed, verbal ability, episodic memory, and working memory. However, CANTAB tests did not consistently load onto the cognitive domain factors derived from traditional measures of the same function. These results indicate that five of the six CANTAB subtests examined did not load onto single cognitive functions. These CANTAB tests may lack the sensitivity to measure discrete cognitive functions in healthy populations or may measure other cognitive domains not included in the traditional neuropsychological battery. © The Author(s) 2015.

Student's Booklet; To Accompany The Career Data Book: Results from Project TALENT'S Five-Year Follow-Up Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flanagan, John C.; And Others

The Student Booklet is a companion document to "The Career Data Book: Results from Project TALENT'S Five-year Followup Study" (CE 000 755). The booklet's purpose is to enable the high school student to compare his abilities, achievements, interests, and background with those of other young people who went into various occupations so he…

Comorbidities in Spondyloarthritis associate with poor function, work disability and quality of life: Results from the ASAS-COMOSPA study.

PubMed

Nikiphorou, E; Ramiro, S; van der Heijde, D; Norton, S; Moltó, A; Dougados, M; van den Bosch, F; Landewé, R

2017-11-10

Comorbidities add to the burden of disease and its complexity, and may prevent the achievement of treat-to-target goals. The objective of this study was to study the relationship between comorbidities and key disease outcomes in Spondyloarthritis, namely function, work ability and quality of life. Patients from the multi-national (22 countries), cross-sectional ASAS-COMOSPA study were included in the analysis provided they fulfilled the ASAS criteria. Data on comorbidities based on both self- and physician-report were collected through questionnaires and were subsequently used to compute the Rheumatic Disease Comorbidity Index (RDCI). Univariable and multivariable (adjusted for relevant confounders) multilevel (with country as a random effect) linear or logistic (as appropriate) regression analyses were conducted to investigate the relationship between the RDCI and: (1) functional ability; (2) work ability; (3) quality of life. In total, 3370 of 3984 (85%) patients recruited fulfilled the ASAS criteria: 66% were male, mean (SD) age was 43 (14) years, mean (SD) disease duration was 8.4 (9.5) years and mean (SD) RDCI was 0.7 (1.1). At least one comorbidity was reported in 51% of patients; 9% had ≥3 comorbidities. RDCI was independently associated with higher BASFI (β=0.37;95%CI [0.30,0.43]); lower EuroQol five dimensions questionnaire (EQ5D:β=-0.03; [-0.04,-0.02]); less work employment (OR=0.83; [0.76,0.91]); higher absenteeism (β=1.18; [1.04,1.34]) and higher presenteeism (β=1.42; [1.26,1.61]). Comorbidities in SpA adversely influence physical function, work ability and quality of life and are important to take into account in daily clinical practice. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Thinking around the Corner: The Development of Planning Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaller, Cristopher P.; Rahm, Benjamin; Spreer, Joachim; Mader, Irina; Unterrainer, Josef M.

2008-01-01

The ability to plan and search ahead is essential for problem solving in most situations in everyday life. To investigate the development of planning and related processes, a sample of four- and five-year-old children was examined in a variant of the Tower of London, a frequently used neuropsychological assessment tool of planning abilities. The…

Changes in Life-Style After Liver Transplantation

PubMed Central

Zitelli, Basil J.; Miller, Joanne W.; Gartner, J. Carlton; Malatack, J. Jeffrey; Urbach, Andrew H.; Belle, Steven H.; Williams, Laurel; Kirkpatrick, Beverly; Starzl, Thomas E.

2010-01-01

Sixty-five pediatric patients who received liver transplants between May 1981 and May 1984 were observed for as many as 5 years and examined for changes in lifestyle. Children were less frequently hospitalized, spent less time hospitalized, required fewer medications, and generally had excellent liver and renal function after hepatic transplantation as compared with their pre-transplantation status. Most children were in age-appropriate and standard school classes or were only 1 year behind. Cognitive abilities remained unchanged. Children improved in gross motor function and patients’ behavior significantly improved according to parents’ perceptions. Enuresis was more prevalent, however, than in the population of children who had not received liver transplants. Parental divorce rates were no greater than those reported for other families with chronically ill children. Overall, objective changes in life-style as well as parents’ perceptions of behavior of children appear to be improved after liver transplantation. PMID:3041361

Typical intellectual engagement, Big Five personality traits, approaches to learning and cognitive ability predictors of academic performance.

PubMed

Furnham, Adrian; Monsen, Jeremy; Ahmetoglu, Gorkan

2009-12-01

Both ability (measured by power tests) and non-ability (measured by preference tests) individual difference measures predict academic school outcomes. These include fluid as well as crystalized intelligence, personality traits, and learning styles. This paper examines the incremental validity of five psychometric tests and the sex and age of pupils to predict their General Certificate in Secondary Education (GCSE) test results. The aim was to determine how much variance ability and non-ability tests can account for in predicting specific GCSE exam scores. The sample comprised 212 British schoolchildren. Of these, 123 were females. Their mean age was 15.8 years (SD 0.98 years). Pupils completed three self-report tests: the Neuroticism-Extroversion-Openness-Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) which measures the 'Big Five' personality traits, (Costa & McCrae, 1992); the Typical Intellectual Engagement Scale (Goff & Ackerman, 1992) and a measure of learning style, the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ; Biggs, 1987). They also completed two ability tests: the Wonderlic Personnel Test (Wonderlic, 1992) a short measure of general intelligence and the General Knowledge Test (Irving, Cammock, & Lynn, 2001) a measure of crystallized intelligence. Six months later they took their (10th grade) GCSE exams comprising four 'core' compulsory exams as well as a number of specific elective subjects. Correlational analysis suggested that intelligence was the best predictors of school results. Preference test measures accounted for relatively little variance. Regressions indicated that over 50% of the variance in school exams for English (Literature and Language) and Maths and Science combined could be accounted for by these individual difference factors. Data from less than an hour's worth of testing pupils could predict school exam results 6 months later. These tests could, therefore, be used to reliably inform important decisions about how pupils are taught.

Physical activity and trajectories in cognitive function: English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

PubMed

Hamer, Mark; Muniz Terrera, Graciela; Demakakos, Panayotes

2018-06-01

There are limited data on physical activity in relation to trajectories in cognitive function. The aim was to examine the association of physical activity with trajectories in cognitive function, measured from repeated assessments over 10 years. We conducted a 10-year follow-up of 10 652 (aged 65±10.1 years) men and women from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a cohort of community dwelling older adults. Self-reported physical activity was assessed at baseline and neuropsychological tests of memory and executive function were administered at regular 2-year intervals. Data from six repeated measurements of memory over 10 years and five repeated measurements of executive function over 8 years were used. The multivariable models revealed relatively small baseline differences in cognitive function by physical activity status in both men and women. Over the 10-year follow-up, physically inactive women experienced a greater decline in their memory (-0.20 recalled words, 95% CI -0.29 to -0.11, per study wave) and in executive function ability (-0.33 named animals; -0.54 to -0.13, per study wave) in comparison with the vigorously active reference group. In men, there were no differences in memory (-0.08 recalled words, 95% CI -0.18 to 0.01, per study wave), but small differences in executive function (-0.23 named animals; -0.46 to -0.01, per study wave) between inactive and vigorously active. Physical activity was associated with preservation of memory and executive function over 10 years follow-up. The results were, however, more pronounced in women. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Functional Performance and Balance in the Oldest-Old.

PubMed

Kafri, Michal; Hutzler, Yeshayahu; Korsensky, Olga; Laufer, Yocheved

2017-06-01

The group of individuals 85 years and over (termed oldest-old) is the fastest-growing population in the Western world. Although daily functional abilities and balance capabilities are known to decrease as an individual grows older, little is known about the balance and functional characteristics of the oldest-old population. The aims of this study were to characterize balance control, functional abilities, and balance self-efficacy in the oldest-old, to test the correlations between these constructs, and to explore differences between fallers and nonfallers in this age group. Forty-five individuals living in an assisted living facility who ambulated independently participated in the study. The mean age was 90.3 (3.7) years. Function was tested using the Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument (LLFDI). Balance was tested with the mini-Balance Evaluation System Test (mini-BESTest) and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Balance self-efficacy was tested with the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale. The mean total function LLFDI score was 63.2 (11.4). The mean mini-BESTest score was 69.8% (18.6%) and the mean TUG time was 12.6 (6.9) seconds. The mean ABC score was 80.2% (14.2%). Good correlation (r > 0.7) was observed between the ABC and the function component of the LLFDI, as well as with the lower extremity domains. Correlations between the mini-BESTest scores and the LLFDI were fair to moderate (r's range: 0.38-0.62). Age and ABC scores were significant independent explanators of LLFDI score (P = .0141 and P = .0009, respectively). Fallers and nonfallers differed significantly across all outcome measures scores, except for TUG and for the "Reactive Postural Control" and "Sensory Orientation" domains of the mini-BESTest. The results of this study provide normative data regarding the balance and functional abilities of the oldest-old, and indicate a strong association between self-efficacy and function. These results emphasize the importance of incorporating strategies that maintain and improve balance self-efficacy in interventions aimed at enhancing the functional level of this cohort.

Neuropsychological assessment and perinatal risk: A study amongst very premature born 4- and 5-year old children.

PubMed

Sanchez-Joya, Mª Del Mar; Sanchez-Labraca, Nuria; Roldan-Tapia, Mª Dolores; Moral Rodríguez, Teresa; Ramos Lizana, Julio; Roman, Pablo

2017-10-01

Prematurity and its consequences are serious problems that can result in numerous neurosensory disabilities and cerebral cognitive dysfunctions. The Perinatal Risk Index (PERI) might provide a predictive measure of these problems. This study compared the cognitive development of prematurely born children at 4 and 5 years of age with age-matched peers born at term. The secondary objective was to determine whether a correlation exists between perinatal risk and performance on neuropsychological tests among premature children. A total of 54 children between four and five years of age were evaluated; 27 were born very premature (premature group; PG), and 27 were born at term (term group; TG). Executive function, attention, memory, language, visual perception, and spatial structuring were evaluated. Subtests from the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, the Rey Complex Figure Test, the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Test A, Trails A and B, the spatial structuring questionnaire from the Child Neuropsychological Maturity Questionnaire, and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children were used. A PERI score was also obtained for the PG. The PG showed significantly lower scores than the TG in all the studied cognitive domains. Visual-perceptive scores were significantly and negatively correlated with the PERI scores of the PG. The PG showed neurocognitive deficits compared with the TG. The PERI can be used to predict the development of visual-perceptive abilities in children between four and five years of age. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Thinking Abilities of Five-Year-Old White and Black Children in Relation to Certain Environmental Factors. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ball, Rachel S.

Preceded by three studies of preschool children, this research compared the thinking abilities of 5-year-old white and black children in relation to certain environmental factors. All of the 2413 children were chosen to conform with the earlier studies by having approximately one-fourth with mothers having graduated from college, one-half…

Evidence-based practice exposure and physiotherapy students' behaviour during clinical placements: a survey.

PubMed

Olsen, Nina Rydland; Lygren, Hildegunn; Espehaug, Birgitte; Nortvedt, Monica Wammen; Bradley, Peter; Bjordal, Jan Magnus

2014-12-01

Physiotherapists are expected to practice in an evidence-based way. Evidence-based practice (EBP) should be an integral part of the curriculum to ensure use of the five EBP steps: asking clinical questions, searching for and appraising research evidence, integrating the evidence into clinical practice and evaluating this process. The aim of this study was to compare self-reported EBP behaviour, abilities and barriers during clinical placements reported by five cohorts of final year physiotherapy students' with different EBP exposure across the 3-year bachelor programme. A cross-sectional study was conducted among five cohorts (2006-2010) with third year physiotherapy students at a University College in Norway. In total, 246 students were eligible for this study. To collect data, we used a questionnaire with 42 items related to EBP behaviour, ability and barriers. Associations were investigated using the Spearman's rho (r). In total, 180 out of 246 third year physiotherapy students, who had recently completed a clinical placement, filled out the questionnaire (73 %). The association between the level of EBP exposure and students' self-reported EBP behaviour, abilities and barriers was low for most items in the questionnaire. Statistically significant correlations were found for eight items, related to information need, question formulation, use of checklists, searching and perceived ability to search for and critically appraise research evidence. The strongest correlation was found between the level of EBP exposure and ability to critically appraise research evidence (r = 0.41, p < 0.001). An association between the level of EBP exposure and physiotherapy students' EBP behaviour was found for elements such as asking and searching, ability to search for and critically appraise research evidence, and experience of critical appraisal as a barrier. Further research need to explore strategies for EBP exposure throughout the curriculum, regarding content, timing, amount and type of training. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Daily Physical Activity and Cognitive Function Variability in Older Adults.

PubMed

Phillips, Christine B; Edwards, Jerri D; Andel, Ross; Kilpatrick, Marcus

2016-04-01

Physical activity (PA) is believed to preserve cognitive function in older adulthood, though little is known about these relationships within the context of daily life. The present microlongitudinal pilot study explored within- and between-person relationships between daily PA and cognitive function and also examined within-person effect sizes in a sample of community-dwelling older adults. Fifty-one healthy participants (mean age = 70.1 years) wore an accelerometer and completed a cognitive assessment battery for five days. There were no significant associations between cognitive task performance and participants' daily or average PA over the study period. Effect size estimates indicated that PA explained 0-24% of within-person variability in cognitive function, depending on cognitive task and PA dose. Results indicate that PA may have near-term cognitive effects and should be explored as a possible strategy to enhance older adults' ability to perform cognitively complex activities within the context of daily living.

Functional decline after incident wrist fractures—Study of Osteoporotic Fractures: prospective cohort study

PubMed Central

Song, Jing; Dunlop, Dorothy D; Fink, Howard A; Cauley, Jane A

2010-01-01

Objective To study the effect of an incident wrist fracture on functional status in women enrolled in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Baltimore, Minneapolis, Portland, and the Monongahela valley in Pennsylvania, USA Participants 6107 women aged 65 years and older without previous wrist or hip fracture recruited from the community between September 1986 and October 1988. Main outcome measure Clinically important functional decline, defined as a functional deterioration of 5 points in five activities of daily living each scored from 0 to 3 (equivalent to one standard deviation decrease in functional ability). Results Over a mean follow-up of 7.6 years, 268 women had an incident wrist fracture and 41 (15%) of these developed clinically important functional decline. Compared with women without wrist fractures, those with incident wrist fractures had greater annual functional decline after adjustment for age, body mass index, and health status. Occurrence of a wrist fracture increased the odds of having a clinically important functional decline by 48% (odds ratio 1.48, 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 2.12), even after adjustment for age, body mass index, health status, baseline functional status, lifestyle factors, comorbidities, and neuromuscular function. Conclusions Wrist fractures contribute to clinically important functional decline in older women. PMID:20616099

Choose and choose again: appearance-reality errors, pragmatics and logical ability.

PubMed

Deák, Gedeon O; Enright, Brian

2006-05-01

In the Appearance/Reality (AR) task some 3- and 4-year-old children make perseverative errors: they choose the same word for the appearance and the function of a deceptive object. Are these errors specific to the AR task, or signs of a general question-answering problem? Preschoolers completed five tasks: AR; simple successive forced-choice question pairs (QP); flexible naming of objects (FN); working memory (WM) span; and indeterminacy detection (ID). AR errors correlated with QP errors. Insensitivity to indeterminacy predicted perseveration in both tasks. Neither WM span nor flexible naming predicted other measures. Age predicted sensitivity to indeterminacy. These findings suggest that AR tests measure a pragmatic understanding; specifically, different questions about a topic usually call for different answers. This understanding is related to the ability to detect indeterminacy of each question in a series. AR errors are unrelated to the ability to represent an object as belonging to multiple categories, to working memory span, or to inhibiting previously activated words.

Relationships between critical thinking ability and nursing competence in clinical nurses.

PubMed

Chang, Mei Jen; Chang, Ying-Ju; Kuo, Shih-Hsien; Yang, Yi-Hsin; Chou, Fan-Hao

2011-11-01

To examine the relationships between critical thinking ability and nursing competence in clinical nurses. There are few evidance-based data related to the relationship between critical thinking ability and nursing competence of clinical nurses. A cross-sectional and correlation research design was used. A total of 570 clinical nurses at a medical centre in southern Taiwan were recruited into this study. Two self-report questionnaires, the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) and the Nursing Competence Scale (NCS), were used to collect data. The critical thinking ability of clinical nurses was at the middle level. The highest score for the subscales of the WGCTA was 'interpretation ability' and the lowest was 'inference ability'. The nursing competence of clinical nurses was at the middle level and above. The highest score for the subscales was 'caring ability' and the lowest was 'research ability'. Critical thinking ability had a significantly positive correlation with nursing competence. Critical thinking, working years, educational levels and position/title were the significant predictors of nursing competence, accounting for 32·9% of the variance. Critical thinking ability had a significantly positive correlation with nursing competence. The critical thinking ability of clinical nurses with a master's degree was significantly better than those with a bachelor's degree or a diploma and nurses with over five working years was significantly better than those with under five years. The findings of this study can further serve as a reference for nursing education to improve nursing curricula and teaching strategies for nurse preparation. It could also be a guideline for nursing administration personnel in on-the-job training and orientation programs for nursing staff. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Thyroid-specific questions on work ability showed known-groups validity among Danes with thyroid diseases.

PubMed

Nexo, Mette Andersen; Watt, Torquil; Bonnema, Steen Joop; Hegedüs, Laszlo; Rasmussen, Åse Krogh; Feldt-Rasmussen, Ulla; Bjorner, Jakob Bue

2015-07-01

We aimed to identify the best approach to work ability assessment in patients with thyroid disease by evaluating the factor structure, measurement equivalence, known-groups validity, and predictive validity of a broad set of work ability items. Based on the literature and interviews with thyroid patients, 24 work ability items were selected from previous questionnaires, revised, or developed anew. Items were tested among 632 patients with thyroid disease (non-toxic goiter, toxic nodular goiter, Graves' disease (with or without orbitopathy), autoimmune hypothyroidism, and other thyroid diseases), 391 of which had participated in a study 5 years previously. Responses to select items were compared to general population data. We used confirmatory factor analyses for categorical data, logistic regression analyses and tests of differential item function, and head-to-head comparisons of relative validity in distinguishing known groups. Although all work ability items loaded on a common factor, the optimal factor solution included five factors: role physical, role emotional, thyroid-specific limitations, work limitations (without disease attribution), and work performance. The scale on thyroid-specific limitations showed the most power in distinguishing clinical groups and time since diagnosis. A global single item proved useful for comparisons with the general population, and a thyroid-specific item predicted labor market exclusion within the next 5 years (OR 5.0, 95 % CI 2.7-9.1). Items on work limitations with attribution to thyroid disease were most effective in detecting impact on work ability and showed good predictive validity. Generic work ability items remain useful for general population comparisons.

Can we predict functional decline in hospitalized older people admitted through the emergency department? Reanalysis of a predictive tool ten years after its conception.

PubMed

De Brauwer, Isabelle; Cornette, Pascale; Boland, Benoît; Verschuren, Franck; D'Hoore, William

2017-05-12

In the Emergency Department (ED), early and rapid identification of older people at risk of adverse outcomes, who could best benefit from complex geriatric intervention, would avoid wasting time, especially in terms of prevention of adverse outcomes, and ensure optimal orientation of vulnerable patients. We wanted to test the predictive ability of a screening tool assessing risk of functional decline (FD), named SHERPA, 10 years after its conception, and to assess the added value of other clinical or biological factors associated with FD. A prospective cohort study of older patients (n = 305, ≥ 75 years) admitted through the emergency department, for at least 48 h in non-geriatric wards (mean age 82.5 ± 4.9, 55% women). SHERPA variables (i.e. age, pre-admission instrumental Activity of Daily Living (ADL) status, falls within a year, self-rated health and 21-point MMSE) were collected within 48 h of admission, along with socio-demographic, medical and biological data. Functional status was followed at 3 months by phone. FD was defined as a decrease at 3 months of at least one point in the pre-admission basic ADL score. Predictive ability of SHERPA was assessed using c-statistic, predictive values and likelihood ratios. Measures of discrimination improvement were Net Reclassification Improvement and Integrated Discrimination Improvement. One hundred and five patients (34%) developed 3-month FD. Predictive ability of SHERPA decreased dramatically over 10 years (c = 0.73 vs. 0.64). Only two of its constitutive variables, i.e. falls and instrumental ADL, were significant in logistic regression analysis for functional decline, while 21-point MMSE was kept in the model for clinical relevance. Demographic, comorbidity or laboratory data available upon admission did not improve the SHERPA predictive yield. Prediction of FD with SHERPA is difficult, but predictive factors, i.e. falls, pre-existing functional limitation and cognitive impairment, stay consistent across time and with literature. As accuracy of SHERPA and others existing screening tools for FD is moderate, using these predictors as flags instead of using composite scales can be a way to screen for high-risk patients.

Learning Anatomy Enhances Spatial Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vorstenbosch, Marc A. T. M.; Klaassen, Tim P. F. M.; Donders, A. R. T.; Kooloos, Jan G. M.; Bolhuis, Sanneke M.; Laan, Roland F. J. M.

2013-01-01

Spatial ability is an important factor in learning anatomy. Students with high scores on a mental rotation test (MRT) systematically score higher on anatomy examinations. This study aims to investigate if learning anatomy also oppositely improves the MRT-score. Five hundred first year students of medicine ("n" = 242, intervention) and…

Music training, cognition, and personality.

PubMed

Corrigall, Kathleen A; Schellenberg, E Glenn; Misura, Nicole M

2013-01-01

Although most studies that examined associations between music training and cognitive abilities had correlational designs, the prevailing bias is that music training causes improvements in cognition. It is also possible, however, that high-functioning children are more likely than other children to take music lessons, and that they also differ in personality. We asked whether individual differences in cognition and personality predict who takes music lessons and for how long. The participants were 118 adults (Study 1) and 167 10- to 12-year-old children (Study 2). We collected demographic information and measured cognitive ability and the Big Five personality dimensions. As in previous research, cognitive ability was associated with musical involvement even when demographic variables were controlled statistically. Novel findings indicated that personality was associated with musical involvement when demographics and cognitive ability were held constant, and that openness-to-experience was the personality dimension with the best predictive power. These findings reveal that: (1) individual differences influence who takes music lessons and for how long, (2) personality variables are at least as good as cognitive variables at predicting music training, and (3) future correlational studies of links between music training and non-musical ability should account for individual differences in personality.

Identifying patterns of motor performance, executive functioning, and verbal ability in preschool children: A latent profile analysis.

PubMed

Houwen, Suzanne; Kamphorst, Erica; van der Veer, Gerda; Cantell, Marja

2018-04-30

A relationship between motor performance and cognitive functioning is increasingly being recognized. Yet, little is known about the precise nature of the relationship between both domains, especially in early childhood. To identify distinct constellations of motor performance, executive functioning (EF), and verbal ability in preschool aged children; and to explore how individual and contextual variables are related to profile membership. The sample consisted of 119 3- to 4-year old children (62 boys; 52%). The home based assessments consisted of a standardized motor test (Movement Assessment Battery for Children - 2), five performance-based EF tasks measuring inhibition and working memory, and the Receptive Vocabulary subtest from the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence Third Edition. Parents filled out the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Preschool version. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to delineate profiles of motor performance, EF, and verbal ability. Chi-square statistics and multinomial logistic regression analysis were used to examine whether profile membership was predicted by age, gender, risk of motor coordination difficulties, ADHD symptomatology, language problems, and socioeconomic status (SES). LPA yielded three profiles with qualitatively distinct response patterns of motor performance, EF, and verbal ability. Quantitatively, the profiles showed most pronounced differences with regard to parent ratings and performance-based tests of EF, as well as verbal ability. Risk of motor coordination difficulties and ADHD symptomatology were associated with profile membership, whereas age, gender, language problems, and SES were not. Our results indicate that there are distinct subpopulations of children who show differential relations with regard to motor performance, EF, and verbal ability. The fact that we found both quantitative as well as qualitative differences between the three patterns of profiles underscores the need for a person-centered approach with a focus on patterns of individual characteristics. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Information Processing from Infancy to 11 Years: Continuities and Prediction of IQ

PubMed Central

Rose, Susan A.; Feldman, Judith F.; Jankowski, Jeffery J.; Van Rossem, Ronan

2012-01-01

This study provides the first direct evidence of cognitive continuity for multiple specific information processing abilities from infancy and toddlerhood to pre-adolescence, and provides support for the view that infant abilities and form the basis of later childhood abilities. Data from a large sample of children (N = 131) were obtained at five different time points (7, 12, 24, 36 months, and 11 years) for a large battery of tasks representing four cognitive domains (attention, processing speed, memory, and representational competence). Structural equation models of continuity were assessed for each domain, in which it was assumed that infant abilities → toddler abilities → 11-year abilities. Abilities at each age were represented by latent variables, which minimize task-specific variance and measurement error. The model for each domain fit the data. Moreover, abilities from the three age periods predicted global outcome, with infant, toddler, and contemporaneous 11-year measures, respectively, accounting for 12.3%, 18.5%, and 45.2% of the variance in 11-year IQ. These findings strengthen contentions that specific cognitive abilities that can be identified in infancy show long-term continuity and contribute importantly to later cognitive competence. PMID:23162179

A modest start, but a steady rise in research use: a longitudinal study of nurses during the first five years in professional life

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Newly graduated nurses are faced with a challenging work environment that may impede their ability to provide evidence-based practice. However, little is known about the trajectory of registered nurses' use of research during the first years of professional life. Thus, the aim of the current study was to prospectively examine the extent of nurses' use of research during the first five years after undergraduate education and specifically assess changes over time. Method Survey data from a prospective cohort of 1,501 Swedish newly graduated nurses within the national LANE study (Longitudinal Analyses of Nursing Education and Entry in Worklife) were used to investigate perceived use of research over the first five years as a nurse. The dependent variables consisted of three single items assessing instrumental, conceptual, and persuasive research use, where the nurses rated their use on a five-point scale, from 'never' (1) to 'on almost every shift' (5). These data were collected annually and analyzed both descriptively and by longitudinal growth curve analysis. Results Instrumental use of research was most frequently reported, closely followed by conceptual use, with persuasive use occurring to a considerably lower extent. The development over time showed a substantial general upward trend, which was most apparent for conceptual use, increasing from a mean of 2.6 at year one to 3.6 at year five (unstandardized slope +0.25). However, the descriptive findings indicated that the increase started only after the second year. Instrumental use had a year one mean of 2.8 and a year five mean of 3.5 (unstandardized slope +0.19), and persuasive use showed a year one mean of 1.7 and a year five mean of 2.0 (unstandardized slope +0.09). Conclusion There was a clear trend of increasing research use by nurses during their first five years of practice. The level of the initial ratings also indicated the level of research use in subsequent years. However, it took more than two years of professional development before this increase 'kicked in.' These findings support previous research claiming that newly graduated nurses go through a 'transition shock,' reducing their ability to use research findings in clinical work. PMID:22429884

Association between the older adults' social relationships and functional status in Japan.

PubMed

Watanabe, Kumi; Tanaka, Emiko; Watanabe, Taeko; Chen, Wencan; Wu, Bailiang; Ito, Sumio; Okumura, Rika; Anme, Tokie

2017-10-01

Previous studies have shown that social relationships positively contribute to the functioning of older adults. However, the particular aspects of social relationships that are most predictive remain unknown. Consequently, the current study aimed to clarify what elements of social relationships impacted the maintenance of functioning among older adults. The present study used baseline data collected in 2011, and follow-up surveys were carried out 3 years later. Participants included individuals aged 65 years or older who lived in a suburban community in Japan. A total of 434 participants met inclusion criteria for the study and were included in analysis. The Index of Social Interaction measure consists of five subscales (independence, social curiosity, interaction, participation and feeling of safety), and was used to assess the multiple elements of social relationships. After controlling for age, sex, disease status and mobility in 2011, the results showed that the social curiosity subscale was significantly associated with functional status after 3 years (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.02-1.63). Other Index of Social Interaction subscales were non-significant. The current study suggests that interaction with environment and multifaceted social relationships have the strongest impact on functional ability for older adults in Japan. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1522-1526. © 2016 Japan Geriatrics Society.

A 12-Week Vigorous Exercise Protocol in a Healthy Group of Persons over 65: Study of Physical Function by means of the Senior Fitness Test

PubMed Central

Todde, Francesco; Melis, Franco; Mura, Roberto; Pau, Massimiliano; Fois, Francesco; Magnani, Sara; Ibba, Gianfranco; Crisafulli, Antonio; Tocco, Filippo

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of vigorous exercise on functional abilities by means of a Senior Fitness Test (SFT) in a group of elderly adults. Twenty healthy and inactive people performed vigorous exercise (VE: 12 men and 8 women, aged 69.6 ± 3.9 years). At the beginning of the study (T0) and after 3 months (T1), each subject's functional ability was tested for muscular strength, agility, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and balance. The VE was designed with continuous and interval exercise involving large muscle activities. Functional exercises were performed between 60% and 84% of heart rate reserve (HRR) for a duration of 65 minutes. Five out of the 6 SFTs performed were found significantly improved: Chair Stand (T0 12.4 ± 2.4, T1 13.5 ± 2.6, p < 0.01), Arm Curl (T0 14.2 ± 3.6, T1 16.6 ± 3.6, p < 0.01), 2 min step (T0 98.2 ± 15.7, T1 108.9 ± 16.2, p < 0.01), Chair Sit-and-Reach (T0 −9.9 ± 7.7 cm, T1 1.7 ± 6.3 cm, p < 0.01), and Back Scratch (T0 −15.8 ± 10.9 cm, T1 −8.4 ± 13.1 cm, p < 0.01). Our results suggest that a high intensity protocol and functional exercises can improve functional mobility and muscle endurance in those over 65 years of age. SFTs are an effective method for assessing improvements in the functional capacity of elderly adults. PMID:27243035

Differential item functioning analysis with ordinal logistic regression techniques. DIFdetect and difwithpar.

PubMed

Crane, Paul K; Gibbons, Laura E; Jolley, Lance; van Belle, Gerald

2006-11-01

We present an ordinal logistic regression model for identification of items with differential item functioning (DIF) and apply this model to a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) dataset. We employ item response theory ability estimation in our models. Three nested ordinal logistic regression models are applied to each item. Model testing begins with examination of the statistical significance of the interaction term between ability and the group indicator, consistent with nonuniform DIF. Then we turn our attention to the coefficient of the ability term in models with and without the group term. If including the group term has a marked effect on that coefficient, we declare that it has uniform DIF. We examined DIF related to language of test administration in addition to self-reported race, Hispanic ethnicity, age, years of education, and sex. We used PARSCALE for IRT analyses and STATA for ordinal logistic regression approaches. We used an iterative technique for adjusting IRT ability estimates on the basis of DIF findings. Five items were found to have DIF related to language. These same items also had DIF related to other covariates. The ordinal logistic regression approach to DIF detection, when combined with IRT ability estimates, provides a reasonable alternative for DIF detection. There appear to be several items with significant DIF related to language of test administration in the MMSE. More attention needs to be paid to the specific criteria used to determine whether an item has DIF, not just the technique used to identify DIF.

Young Children's Understanding of Conflicting Mental Representation Predicts Suggestibility.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welch-Ross, Melissa K.; And Others

1997-01-01

Examined the relation between developmental suggestibility effects and preschoolers' emerging ability to reason about conflicting mental representations. Subjects were 42 three- to five-year-olds. Found in the children significant initial encoding and ability to retrieve event details. Also found an integration between children's theory of mind…

Sex Differences in Phonological Awareness and Reading Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chipere, Ngoni

2014-01-01

A study was conducted to measure possible sex differences in phonological awareness and reading ability among children in early primary school. A subset of the "Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills" (DIBELS) was administered to 140 children in kindergarten through to second grade (mean ages five to seven years). Independent…

Early Language and Communicative Abilities of Children with Periventricular Leukomalacia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feldman, Heidi M.; And Others

1992-01-01

Ten two-year-old children with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), a brain injury associated with prematurity, were evaluated using language samples. The five children with delayed cognitive ability produced significantly fewer lexical tokens and spontaneous verbal utterances than did chronological age-matched nondelayed PVL children. (Author/DB)

Young Children's Trust in Overtly Misleading Advice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heyman, Gail D.; Sritanyaratana, Lalida; Vanderbilt, Kimberly E.

2013-01-01

The ability of 3- and 4-year-old children to disregard advice from an overtly misleading informant was investigated across five studies (total "n" =212). Previous studies have documented limitations in young children's ability to reject misleading advice. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that these limitations are primarily…

Motor outcome at the age of one after perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

PubMed

van Schie, P E M; Becher, J G; Dallmeijer, A J; Barkhof, F; Weissenbruch, M M; Vermeulen, R J

2007-04-01

The aim of this report is to describe the motor outcome in one year-old children who were born at full-term with perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Relationships between motor ability tests and neurological examination at one year, and between these tests and neonatal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were investigated. 32 surviving children, born full-term with perinatal HIE, are included in this report. All children had a neonatal MRI. At one year, motor ability was assessed with the Alberta Infant Motor Scale and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (2nd version). Neurological examinations included the neurological optimality score (NOS). At one year, 14 children (44%) had normal motor ability, nine (28%) had mildly delayed, and nine had significantly delayed motor ability. The NOS ranged from 14.6-27 points. All children with normal motor ability had (near) optimal NOS, however, not all children with high NOS had normal motor ability. Eleven children (34%) had normal neonatal MRI; at one year, six of them had normal, and five had mildly delayed motor ability. Eight children with normal motor ability showed abnormalities on neonatal MRI. Neonatal brain MRI does not predict motor outcome at one year. Motor ability tests and neurological examinations should be used in a complementary manner to describe outcome after HIE.

The association of early childhood cognitive development and behavioural difficulties with pre-adolescent problematic eating attitudes.

PubMed

Richmond, Rebecca C; Skugarevsky, Oleg; Yang, Seungmi; Kramer, Michael S; Wade, Kaitlin H; Patel, Rita; Bogdanovich, Natalia; Vilchuck, Konstantin; Sergeichick, Natalia; Smith, George Davey; Oken, Emily; Martin, Richard M

2014-01-01

Few studies have prospectively investigated associations of child cognitive ability and behavioural difficulties with later eating attitudes. We investigated associations of intelligence quotient (IQ), academic performance and behavioural difficulties at 6.5 years with eating attitudes five years later. We conducted an observational cohort study nested within the Promotion of Breastfeeding Intervention Trial, Belarus. Of 17,046 infants enrolled at birth, 13,751 (80.7%) completed the Children's Eating Attitude Test (ChEAT) at 11.5 years, most with information on IQ (n = 12,667), academic performance (n = 9,954) and behavioural difficulties (n = 11,098) at 6.5 years. The main outcome was a ChEAT score ≥ 85th percentile, indicative of problematic eating attitudes. Boys with higher IQ at 6.5 years reported fewer problematic eating attitudes, as assessed by ChEAT scores ≥ 85th percentile, at 11.5 years (OR per SD increase in full-scale IQ = 0.87; 0.79, 0.94). No such association was observed in girls (1.01; 0.93, 1.10) (p for sex-interaction = 0.016). In both boys and girls, teacher-assessed academic performance in non-verbal subjects was inversely associated with high ChEAT scores five years later (OR per unit increase in mathematics ability = 0.88; 0.82, 0.94; and OR per unit increase in ability for other non-verbal subjects = 0.86; 0.79, 0.94). Behavioural difficulties were positively associated with high ChEAT scores five years later (OR per SD increase in teacher-assessed rating = 1.13; 1.07, 1.19). Lower IQ, worse non-verbal academic performance and behavioural problems at early school age are positively associated with risk of problematic eating attitudes in early adolescence.

Evaluation of the longer-term use of the David Hart Walker Orthosis by children with cerebral palsy: a 3-year prospective evaluation.

PubMed

Wright, F Virginia; Jutai, Jeffrey W

2006-06-01

To evaluate a walking device, the David Hart Walker Orthosis (HW), that was designed to allow children with severe cerebral palsy to ambulate with hands-free support. A pre-/post-test prospective one-group study evaluated outcomes three years after receiving the HW. Physical therapy assessment, parent interview and satisfaction questionnaire provided details on outcomes. The HW remained the sole walking device for 13 of 20 children at 3 years. Six of seven children who discontinued use were over 12-years-old and had outgrown its maximum size. Twelve of 13 children who still used the HW were assessed. GMFM Stand and Walk Dimension mean score increases of about 3% points for the 1- 3-year follow-up were not significant (P > 0.16). Timed walk scores were unchanged. Steering ability gains were demonstrated on a directional mobility assessment (from 12.0 to 27.9% [P= 0.02]). Despite its eventual height limitations, parents considered HW use to be worthwhile (mean satisfaction = 8.2/10). Sixty-five percent of the children continued to use the HW as their sole walking device, and demonstrated improved ability overall to manoeuvre it during functional ambulation. The primary reason for discontinuation was inability to accommodate taller children.

A five year prospective investigation of anterior pituitary function after traumatic brain injury: is hypopituitarism long-term after head trauma associated with autoimmunity?

PubMed

Tanriverdi, Fatih; De Bellis, Annamaria; Ulutabanca, Halil; Bizzarro, Antonio; Sinisi, Antonio A; Bellastella, Giuseppe; Amoresano Paglionico, Vanda; Dalla Mora, Liliana; Selcuklu, Ahmed; Unluhizarci, Kursad; Casanueva, Felipe F; Kelestimur, Fahrettin

2013-08-15

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been recently recognized as a common cause of pituitary dysfunction. However, there are not sufficient numbers of prospective studies to understand the natural history of TBI induced hypopituitarism. The aim was to report the results of five years' prospective follow-up of anterior pituitary function in patients with mild, moderate and severe TBI. Moreover, we have prospectively investigated the associations between TBI induced hypopituitarism and presence of anti-hypothalamus antibodies (AHA) and anti-pituitary antibodies (APA). Twenty five patients (20 men, five women) were included who were prospectively evaluated 12 months and five years after TBI, and 17 of them also had a third-year evaluation. Growth hormone (GH) deficiency is the most common pituitary hormone deficit at one, three, and five years after TBI. Although most of the pituitary hormone deficiencies improve over time, there were substantial percentages of pituitary hormone deficiencies at the fifth year (28% GH, 4% adrenocorticotropic hormone [ACTH], and 4% gonadotropin deficiencies). Pituitary dysfunction was significantly higher in strongly AHA- and APA-positive (titers ≥1/16) patients at the fifth year. In patients with mild and moderate TBI, ACTH and GH deficiencies may improve over time in a considerable number of patients but, although rarely, may also worsen over the five-year period. However in severe TBI, ACTH and GH status of the patients at the first year evaluation persisted at the fifth year. Therefore, screening pituitary function after TBI for five years is important, especially in patients with mild TBI. Moreover, close strong associations between the presence of high titers of APA and/or AHA and hypopituitarism at the fifth year were shown for the first time.

Age- and gender-related variations of emotion recognition in pseudowords and faces.

PubMed

Demenescu, Liliana R; Mathiak, Krystyna A; Mathiak, Klaus

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: The ability to interpret emotionally salient stimuli is an important skill for successful social functioning at any age. The objective of the present study was to disentangle age and gender effects on emotion recognition ability in voices and faces. Three age groups of participants (young, age range: 18-35 years; middle-aged, age range: 36-55 years; and older, age range: 56-75 years) identified basic emotions presented in voices and faces in a forced-choice paradigm. Five emotions (angry, fearful, sad, disgusted, and happy) and a nonemotional category (neutral) were shown as encoded in color photographs of facial expressions and pseudowords spoken in affective prosody. Overall, older participants had a lower accuracy rate in categorizing emotions than young and middle-aged participants. Females performed better than males in recognizing emotions from voices, and this gender difference emerged in middle-aged and older participants. The performance of emotion recognition in faces was significantly correlated with the performance in voices. The current study provides further evidence for a general age and gender effect on emotion recognition; the advantage of females seems to be age- and stimulus modality-dependent.

Does objectively assessed sleep at five years predict sleep and psychological functioning at 14 years? - Hmm, yes and no!

PubMed

Brand, Serge; Hatzinger, Martin; Stadler, Christina; Bolten, Margarete; von Wyl, Agnes; Perren, Sonja; von Klitzing, Kai; Stadelmann, Stephanie; Holsboer-Trachsler, Edith

2015-01-01

We tested the hypothesis that objectively assessed sleep at kindergarten level predicts sleep and psychological functioning in adolescence. Thirty-seven adolescents aged 14 years (SD = 1.3), of 67 participants assessed as preschoolers, took part in a follow-up study nine years later. Participants completed a series of questionnaires related to sleep and psychological functioning. Sleep-EEG clusters of poor, normal and good sleepers assessed as children nine years earlier were used as predictors for subjective sleep and psychological functioning in adolescence. At the age of 14, those who were normal and good sleepers rather than poor sleepers at the age of five had more positive psychological functioning on dimensions including mental toughness, peer relationship, self-esteem, and perceived stress, but did not differ in current sleep patterns. Objectively assessed sleep patterns at the age of five are predictive of aspects of psychological functioning during adolescence. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neocortical Maturation during Adolescence: Change in Neuronal Soma Dimension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rabinowicz, Theodore; Petetot, Jean MacDonald-Comber; Khoury, Jane C.; de Courten-Myers, Gabrielle M.

2009-01-01

During adolescence, cognitive abilities increase robustly. To search for possible related structural alterations of the cerebral cortex, we measured neuronal soma dimension (NSD = width times height), cortical thickness and neuronal densities in different types of neocortex in post-mortem brains of five 12-16 and five 17-24 year-olds (each 2F,…

Functional Groups Based on Leaf Physiology: Are they Spatially and Temporally Robust?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foster, Tammy E.; Brooks, J. Renee

2004-01-01

The functional grouping hypothesis, which suggests that complexity in ecosystem function can be simplified by grouping species with similar responses, was tested in the Florida scrub habitat. Functional groups were identified based on how species in fire maintained Florida scrub regulate exchange of carbon and water with the atmosphere as indicated by both instantaneous gas exchange measurements and integrated measures of function (%N, delta C-13, delta N-15, C-N ratio). Using cluster analysis, five distinct physiologically-based functional groups were identified in the fire maintained scrub. These functional groups were tested to determine if they were robust spatially, temporally, and with management regime. Analysis of Similarities (ANOSIM), a non-parametric multivariate analysis, indicated that these five physiologically-based groupings were not altered by plot differences (R = -0.115, p = 0.893) or by the three different management regimes; prescribed burn, mechanically treated and burn, and fire-suppressed (R = 0.018, p = 0.349). The physiological groupings also remained robust between the two climatically different years 1999 and 2000 (R = -0.027, p = 0.725). Easy-to-measure morphological characteristics indicating functional groups would be more practical for scaling and modeling ecosystem processes than detailed gas-exchange measurements, therefore we tested a variety of morphological characteristics as functional indicators. A combination of non-parametric multivariate techniques (Hierarchical cluster analysis, non-metric Multi-Dimensional Scaling, and ANOSIM) were used to compare the ability of life form, leaf thickness, and specific leaf area classifications to identify the physiologically-based functional groups. Life form classifications (ANOSIM; R = 0.629, p 0.001) were able to depict the physiological groupings more adequately than either specific leaf area (ANOSIM; R = 0.426, p = 0.001) or leaf thickness (ANOSIM; R 0.344, p 0.001). The ability of life forms to depict the physiological groupings was improved by separating the parasitic Ximenia americana from the shrub category (ANOSIM; R = 0.794, p = 0.001). Therefore, a life form classification including parasites was determined to be a good indicator of the physiological processes of scrub species, and would be a useful method of grouping for scaling physiological processes to the ecosystem level.

Trade-off of cerebello-cortical and cortico-cortical functional networks for planning in 6-year-old children.

PubMed

Kipping, Judy A; Margulies, Daniel S; Eickhoff, Simon B; Lee, Annie; Qiu, Anqi

2018-08-01

Childhood is a critical period for the development of cognitive planning. There is a lack of knowledge on its neural mechanisms in children. This study aimed to examine cerebello-cortical and cortico-cortical functional connectivity in association with planning skills in 6-year-olds (n = 76). We identified the cerebello-cortical and cortico-cortical functional networks related to cognitive planning using activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis on existing functional imaging studies on spatial planning, and data-driven independent component analysis (ICA) of children's resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI). We investigated associations of cerebello-cortical and cortico-cortical functional connectivity with planning ability in 6-year-olds, as assessed using the Stockings of Cambridge task. Long-range functional connectivity of two cerebellar networks (lobules VI and lateral VIIa) with the prefrontal and premotor cortex were greater in children with poorer planning ability. In contrast, cortico-cortical association networks were not associated with the performance of planning in children. These results highlighted the key contribution of the lateral cerebello-frontal functional connectivity, but not cortico-cortical association functional connectivity, for planning ability in 6-year-olds. Our results suggested that brain adaptation to the acquisition of planning ability during childhood is partially achieved through the engagement of the cerebello-cortical functional connectivity. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Changes in Neuropsychological Status during the Initial Phase of Abstinence in Alcohol Use Disorder: Neurocognitive Impairment and Implications for Clinical Care.

PubMed

Mulhauser, Kyler; Weinstock, Jeremiah; Ruppert, Phillip; Benware, Jeffrey

2018-05-12

Neuropsychological deficits are common in individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and impact daily functioning and AUD treatment outcomes. Longitudinal studies demonstrate that extended abstinence improves neuropsychological functioning. The effects of short-term abstinence are less clear. This study examined changes in neuropsychological functioning after acute detoxification over a 10-day period at the beginning of residential AUD treatment. Notably, this study evaluated cognitive functioning according to diagnostic classifications for neurocognitive disorder according to DSM-5. Using a within-subjects design, neuropsychological functioning of participants (N = 28) undergoing a 14-day residential AUD treatment program was assessed at two time points over 10 days (i.e., treatment entry, prior to treatment discharge). Tests of immediate memory, visuospatial abilities, attention, language abilities, delayed memory, and executive functioning were administered. After completing acute detoxification, almost all participants (93%) were clinically impaired in at least one of the five cognitive domains at residential treatment entry, with one third of the sample impaired on ≥3 domains. Ten days later, 71% remained clinically impaired in at least one of five cognitive domains, with 29% of the sample impaired on ≥3 domains. Significant improvement over the 10-day period was observed for immediate memory, visuospatial abilities, and overall cognitive functioning. Clinical significance of these changes is also reported. Conclusions/Importance: The results from this study help to characterize cognitive functioning in terms of neurocognitive impairment. A brief period of abstinence begins to ameliorate neuropsychological deficits, but many individuals remain cognitively impaired throughout treatment. Implications for treatment are discussed.

The contribution of early language development to children's emotional and behavioural functioning at 6 years: an analysis of data from the Children in Focus sample from the ALSPAC birth cohort.

PubMed

Clegg, Judy; Law, James; Rush, Robert; Peters, Tim J; Roulstone, Susan

2015-01-01

An association between children's early language development and their emotional and behavioural functioning is reported in the literature. The nature of the association remains unclear and it has not been established if such an association is found in a population-based cohort in addition to clinical populations. This study examines the reported association between language development and emotional and behavioural functioning in a population-based cohort. Data from 1,314 children in the Children in Focus (CiF) sample from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) were analysed. Regression models identified the extent to which early language ability at 2 years of age and later language ability at 4 years of age is associated with emotional and behavioural functioning at 6 years while accounting for biological and social risk and adjusting for age and performance intelligence (PIQ). A series of univariable and multivariable analyses identified a strong influence of biological risk, social risk and early and later language ability to emotional and behavioural functioning. Interestingly, social risk dropped out of the multivariate analyses when age and PIQ were controlled for. Early expressive vocabulary at 2 years and receptive language at 4 years made a strong contribution to emotional and behavioural functioning at 6 years in addition to biological risk. The final model accounted for 11.6% of the variance in emotional and behavioural functioning at 6 years. The study identified that early language ability at 2 years, specifically expressive vocabulary and later receptive language at 4 years both made a moderate, but important contribution to emotional and behavioural functioning at 6 years of age. Although children's language development is important in understanding children's emotional and behavioural functioning, the study shows that it is one of many developmental factors involved. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. © 2014 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

A comprehensive scoping review of ability and disability in ADHD using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY).

PubMed

de Schipper, Elles; Lundequist, Aiko; Wilteus, Anna Löfgren; Coghill, David; de Vries, Petrus J; Granlund, Mats; Holtmann, Martin; Jonsson, Ulf; Karande, Sunil; Levy, Florence; Al-Modayfer, Omar; Rohde, Luis; Tannock, Rosemary; Tonge, Bruce; Bölte, Sven

2015-08-01

This is the first in a series of four empirical investigations to develop International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The objective here was to use a comprehensive scoping review approach to identify the concepts of functional ability and disability used in the scientific ADHD literature and link these to the nomenclature of the ICF-CY. Systematic searches were conducted using Medline/PubMed, PsycINFO, ERIC and Cinahl, to extract the relevant concepts of functional ability and disability from the identified outcome studies of ADHD. These concepts were then linked to ICF-CY by two independent researchers using a standardized linking procedure. Data from identified studies were analysed until saturation of ICF-CY categories was reached. Eighty studies were included in the final analysis. Concepts contained in these studies were linked to 128 ICF-CY categories. Of these categories, 68 were considered to be particularly relevant to ADHD (i.e., identified in at least 5 % of the studies). Of these, 32 were related to Activities and participation, 31 were related to Body functions, and five were related to environmental factors. The five most frequently identified categories were school education (53 %), energy and drive functions (50 %), psychomotor functions (50 %), attention functions (49 %), and emotional functions (45 %). The broad variety of ICF-CY categories identified in this study underlines the necessity to consider ability and disability in ADHD across all dimensions of life, for which the ICF-CY provides a valuable and universally applicable framework. These results, in combination with three additional preparatory studies (expert survey, focus groups, clinical study), will provide a scientific basis to define the ICF Core Sets for ADHD for multi-purpose use in basic and applied research, and every day clinical practice.

Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning-Preschool (BRIEF-P) Applied to Teachers: Psychometric Properties and Usefulness for Disruptive Disorders in 3-Year-Old Preschoolers.

PubMed

Ezpeleta, Lourdes; Granero, Roser; Penelo, Eva; de la Osa, Núria; Domènech, Josep M

2015-06-01

We provide validation data on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning-Preschool version (BRIEF-P) in preschool children. Teachers of a community sample of six hundred and twenty 3-year-olds, who were followed up at age 4, responded to the BRIEF-P, and parents and children answered different psychological measures. Confirmatory factor analysis achieved adequate fit of the original structure (five-first-order-factor plus three-second-order-factor model) after excluding four items. The derived dimensions obtained satisfactory internal consistency, moderate convergent validity with psychopathology and temperament, and good ability to discriminate between children with ADHD. BRIEF-P scales were not associated with a performance-based measure of attention. The teacher's BRIEF-P adds significant clinical information for the diagnosis of ADHD (ΔR(2) from 5.3 to 15.3) when used with other instruments for the assessment of psychopathology, functional impairment, or performance-based attention. The BRIEF-P may be useful in the identification of preschool children, specifically those with ADHD, who might have a dysfunction in executive functioning. © 2012 SAGE Publications.

Effects of Infant Starvation on Learning Abilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Pnina S.

Explored were the effects of starvation during infancy on the learning abilities of 50 children when evaluated between 5 and 14 years of age. All Ss had suffered from pyloric stenosis, a condition which prevents passage of food from the stomach, in infancy for periods ranging from 2 days to 3 weeks. Ss were given five tests of various learning…

The Development of Children's Ability to Fill the Gaps in Their Knowledge by Consulting Experts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aguiar, Naomi R.; Stoess, Caryn J.; Taylor, Marjorie

2012-01-01

This research investigated children's ability to recognize gaps in their knowledge and seek missing information from appropriate informants. In Experiment 1, forty-five 4- and 5-year-olds were adept in assigning questions from 3 domains (medicine, firefighting, and farming) to corresponding experts (doctor, firefighter, or farmer). However, when…

The Role of Language Ability in Young Children's Cooperation during Play and Collaborative Interactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vriens-van Hoogdalem, Anne-Greth; de Haan, Dorian M. P.; Boom, Jan

2016-01-01

Language and metacommunication are assumed to be important for accomplishing a high level of cooperation in social play. Research to date, however, does not address the relationship of language ability and metacommunication to the complexity of cooperation. This study investigated this relationship by observing 24 four- and five-year-old…

Outcome Assessments in Children with Cerebral Palsy, Part II: Discriminatory Ability of Outcome Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bagley, Anita M; Gorton, George; Oeffinger, Donna; Barnes, Douglas; Calmes, Janine; Nicholson, Diane; Damiano, Diane; Abel, Mark; Kryscio, Richard; Rogers, Sarah; Tylkowski, Chester

2007-01-01

Discriminatory ability of several pediatric outcome tools was assessed relative to Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level in patients with cerebral palsy. Five hundred and sixty-two patients (400 with diplegia, 162 with hemiplegia; 339 males, 223 females; age range 4-18y, mean 11y 1mo [SD 3y 7mo]), classified as GMFCS Levels I to…

The Development of Requests by L2 Learners of Modern Standard Arabic: A Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Gahtani, Saad; Roever, Carsten

2015-01-01

This study examined the development of requests made by second language (L2) learners of Modern Standard Arabic at four levels of L2 ability. The study used longitudinal and cross-sectional data collection to investigate how learners' performance of requests developed over a five-month period and differed as a function of ability level. The…

Summit Conference on Environmental Education, Report and Recommendations. Conference Developed Under the Auspices of the Environmental Education Association of Illinois. Document No. 79/25.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buckman, Emily

This report documents the recommendations derived from conference attention to five areas of concern: (1) responsibility of all sectors to enhance the individual's ability to make informed decisions on environmental issues; (2) the responsibility of all sectors to share information leading to enhanced ability to function in an environmentally…

Does pre-school improve cognitive abilities among children with early-life stunting? A longitudinal study for Peru

PubMed Central

Cueto, Santiago; León, Juan; Miranda, Alejandra; Dearden, Kirk; Crookston, Benjamin T.; Behrman, Jere R.

2017-01-01

Several studies in developing countries have found that children who experience growth faltering in the first years of life show lower cognitive abilities than their peers. In this study, we use the Young Lives longitudinal dataset in Peru to analyze if attending pre-school affects cognitive abilities at age five years, and if there is an interaction with HAZ at age one year. Using instrumental variables we found, for receptive vocabulary, a positive effect of attending Jardines (formal) pre-schools; the effect of attending PRONOEI (community-based) pre-schools was not significant. More years attending Jardines was more beneficial for children who were better nourished. We suggest working to improve the quality of PRONOEIs, and with teachers on targeting children of lower nutritional status. PMID:28428683

Independent effects of bilingualism and socioeconomic status on language ability and executive functioning.

PubMed

Calvo, Alejandra; Bialystok, Ellen

2014-03-01

One hundred and seventy-five children who were 6-years old were assigned to one of four groups that differed in socioeconomic status (SES; working class or middle class) and language background (monolingual or bilingual). The children completed tests of nonverbal intelligence, language tests assessing receptive vocabulary and attention based on picture naming, and two tests of executive functioning. All children performed equivalently on the basic intelligence tests, but performance on the language and executive functioning tasks was influenced by both SES and bilingualism. Middle-class children outperformed working-class children on all measures, and bilingual children obtained lower scores than monolingual children on language tests but higher scores than monolingual children on the executive functioning tasks. There were no interactions with either group factors or task factors. Thus, each of SES and bilingualism contribute significantly and independently to children's development irrespective of the child's level on the other factor. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cognitive correlates of financial abilities in mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Okonkwo, Ozioma C; Wadley, Virginia G; Griffith, H Randall; Ball, Karlene; Marson, Daniel C

2006-11-01

To investigate the cognitive correlates of financial abilities in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Controlled, matched-sample, cross-sectional analysis regressing five cognitive composites on financial performance measures. University medical and research centers. Forty-three persons with MCI and 43 normal controls. The Financial Capacity Instrument (FCI) and a comprehensive neurocognitive battery. Patients with MCI performed significantly worse than controls on cognitive domains of executive function, memory, and language and on FCI domains of financial conceptual knowledge, bank statement management, and bill payment. Patients with MCI also needed significantly more time to complete a multistep financial task and were significantly more likely than controls to make errors on this task. Stepwise regression models revealed that, within the MCI group, attention and executive function were significant correlates of FCI performance. Although impaired memory is the cardinal deficit in MCI, the neurocognitive basis of lower functional performance in MCI appears to be emergent declines in abilities to selectively attend, self-monitor, and temporally integrate information. Compromised performance on cognitive measures of attention and executive function may constitute clinical markers of lower financial abilities and should be evaluated for its relationship to functional ability in general. These cognitive domains may be appropriate targets of future intervention studies aimed at preservation of functional independence in people with MCI.

Introducing assistive technology into the existing homes of older people: feasibility, acceptability, costs and outcomes.

PubMed

Tinker, Anthea; Lansley, Peter

2005-01-01

We examined how far, and at what cost, the housing stock could be modified to accommodate the assistive technology (AT) necessary to enable older people to remain in their own homes. A multidisciplinary team devised seven hypothetical user profiles for 10 case study areas, with five local authorities and five housing associations in England and Wales. Each profile was considered at two times, five years apart, with the users' functional abilities deteriorating in between. In addition, in-depth interviews were carried out with a sample of 67 older people in the case study areas about their use and experience of a wide range of AT. The interviews showed the need to listen to older people and that they welcomed AT when it addressed a perceived need. The results showed that the extent of adaptation required of buildings to accommodate a user's needs varied greatly. It was also found that there was confusion about the terminology of AT, including the idea of the 'smart house'. The study shows that the adaptability of the housing depends on a range of factors and costs.

Loss of ability to work and ability to live independently in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Jasinska-Myga, Barbara; Heckman, Michael G; Wider, Christian; Putzke, John D; Wszolek, Zbigniew K; Uitti, Ryan J

2012-02-01

Ability to work and live independently is of particular concern for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). We studied a series of PD patients able to work or live independently at baseline, and evaluated potential risk factors for two separate outcomes: loss of ability to work and loss of ability to live independently. The series comprised 495 PD patients followed prospectively. Ability to work and ability to live independently were based on clinical interview and examination. Cox regression models adjusted for age and disease duration were used to evaluate associations of baseline characteristics with loss of ability to work and loss of ability to live independently. Higher UPDRS dyskinesia score, UPDRS instability score, UPDRS total score, Hoehn and Yahr stage, and presence of intellectual impairment at baseline were all associated with increased risk of future loss of ability to work and loss of ability to live independently (P ≤ 0.0033). Five years after initial visit, for patients ≤70 years of age with a disease duration ≤4 years at initial visit, 88% were still able to work and 90% to live independently. These estimates worsened as age and disease duration at initial visit increased; for patients >70 years of age with a disease duration >4 years, estimates at 5 years were 43% able to work and 57% able to live independently. The information provided in this study can offer useful information for PD patients in preparing for future ability to perform activities of daily living. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nutritional intervention as part of functional rehabilitation in older people with reduced functional ability: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled studies.

PubMed

Beck, A M; Dent, E; Baldwin, C

2016-12-01

Nutritional intervention is increasingly recognised as having an important role in functional rehabilitation for older people. Nonetheless, a greater understanding of the functional benefit of nutritional interventions is needed. A systematic review and meta-analysis examined randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published between 2007 and 2014 with the aim of determining whether nutritional intervention combined with rehabilitation benefited older people with reduced functional ability. Six electronic databases were searched. RCTs including people aged 65 years and older with reduced physical, social and/or cognitive function were included. PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were followed, and gradepro computer software (http://gradepro.org) was used for the quality assessment of critical and important outcomes. Included studies considered to be clinical homogenous were combined in a meta-analysis. Of the 788 studies screened, five were identified for inclusion. Nutritional intervention given with functional rehabilitation improved energy and protein intake, although it failed to provide any improvement in final body weight, hand-grip strength or muscle strength. There was no difference between groups in the critical outcomes; balance, cognition, activities of daily living and mortality at long-term follow-up. Nutritional intervention given with functional rehabilitation was associated with an increased likelihood of both mortality (odds ratio = 1.77; 95% confidence interval = 1.13-2.76) and hospitalisation (odds ratio = 2.29; 95% confidence interval = 1.10-4.79) during the intervention. Meta-analysis of the baseline data showed that, overall, the intervention cohort had a lower body weight and cognition. This meta-analysis highlights concerns regarding the quality of the randomisation of participants at baseline. Future high-quality research is essential to establish whether older people with loss of functional abilities can benefit from nutritional intervention. © 2016 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.

People with stroke living in the community: Attention deficits, balance, ADL ability and falls.

PubMed

Hyndman, D; Ashburn, A

2003-08-05

To describe levels of attention deficits among people with stroke living in the community and explore relationships between attention, balance, function and falls. Forty-eight mobile community-dwelling people with stroke (30 men, 18 women, mean age 68.4 +/- 11.2) were recruited to this cross-sectional investigation through General Practitioners. Twenty-six participants had a right, 21 a left hemisphere infarction and one had a brain stem lesion; mean time since stroke was 46 months (range five to 204). Participants' were interviewed about fall-events; attention, balance and function were assessed using standardised tests. Visual inattention was identified in five participants (10%), deficits of sustained attention in 15 (31%), auditory selective attention in nine (19%), visual selective attention in 17 (35%) and divided attention deficits in 21 participants (43%). Sustained and divided attention scores correlated with balance, ADL ability and fall-status (p < 0.01). The balance and function of subjects with normal attention were better than those with abnormal scores (p < 0.01). Analysis of variance revealed differences between repeat-fallers and non-fallers with no near-falls for divided attention, balance and ADL ability (p < 0.01). Attention deficits were common among this sample; sustained and divided attention deficits correlated with functional impairments and falls, highlighting that attention deficits might contribute to accident prone behaviour and falling.

A retrospective 3- to 5-year study of the reconstruction of oral function using implant-supported prostheses in patients with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia.

PubMed

Zou, Duohong; Wu, Yiqun; Wang, Xu Dong; Huang, Wei; Zhang, Zhiyong; Zhang, Zhiyuan

2014-10-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate oral function rehabilitation in patients with hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED) using implant-supported prostheses based on bone augmentation. From September 2005 and March 2009, 25 HED patients were chosen for clinical data analysis in this study. The criteria for patient selection included the following: the display of clinical features of HED, the number of congenitally missing teeth (>5), the patient age (>16 years), the patient's willingness, and the patient's tolerance for bone graft surgery and implant placement. Follow-up evaluations were initiated from the time of implant prosthetic placement and scheduled annually for 3-5 years. The effects of oral function reconstruction were assessed based on the cumulative survival and success rates of implants, the health of the peri-implant area, and the degree of patient satisfaction. Twenty-five HED patients received 169 conventional implants and 10 zygomatic implants (179 total implants). During 3-5 years of post-loading evaluations, 5 of the 179 implants failed and 3 implants were removed. The 3-year success and cumulative survival rates were 97.2% and 98.3%, respectively. Furthermore, periodontal probing and radiographic assessments showed that the 3-year incidence of peri-implantitis was 4.5%. Finally, HED patients expressed high degrees of satisfaction with their facial contours, masticatory function, pronunciation ability, and comfort with the implant-supported prostheses. The results of this 3- to 5-year retrospective study indicate that the oral function of HED patients can be effectively reconstructed using bone augmentation and implant-supported prostheses; however, longer term results are warranted in the future.

PROSPECTIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE CLINICAL, RADIOGRAPHIC AND FUNCTIONAL EVOLUTION OF TREATMENT FOR UNSTABLE TROCHANTERIC FRACTURES OF THE FEMUR USING A CEPHALOMEDULLARY NAIL

PubMed Central

Borger, Richard Armelin; Borger, Frederico Araújo; Pires de Araújo, Rodrigo; Pereira, Thiago Ferreira Nunes; Queiroz, Roberto Dantas

2015-01-01

To assess the clinical, radiological and functional evolution of osteosynthesis using a cephalomedullary nail, in unstable trochanteric fractures of the femur, over a one-year postoperative follow-up. Methods: Fourteen men and 23 women of mean age 77.7 years were evaluated. Twenty-seven of them had fractures classified as AO/ASIF 31A2 and ten as 31A3. The patients were evaluated clinically, radiologically and functionally one week, two weeks, one month, two months, six months and one year after the operation. Results: The clinical complications comprised five cases of death, one case of calcaneal ulcer, one case of acute arterial obstruction and two cases of deep vein thrombosis. The radiographic evaluation showed that the mean cervicodiaphyseal angle in the immediate postoperative period was 132.5°. The mean tip-apex index was 22.8 mm. After one year, the mean cervicodiaphyseal angle was 131.7°. Fracture consolidation was seen in all the patients six months after the operation, except in one case that presented cut-out. There were no cases of fracture below the implant. The functional evaluation using the Harris score after one year showed a mean of 69.3 points. The evaluation of walking progress showed that after one year, 40.6% of the patients had the same ability to walk that they had before the fracture. The visual analogue pain scale showed that a significant decrease in pain complaints occurred, going from 5.19 in the first week to 2.25 after 1 year. Conclusion: Osteosynthesis using a cephalomedullary nail resulted in low rates of clinical and mechanical complications and adequate functional outcomes. PMID:27027025

PROSPECTIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE CLINICAL, RADIOGRAPHIC AND FUNCTIONAL EVOLUTION OF TREATMENT FOR UNSTABLE TROCHANTERIC FRACTURES OF THE FEMUR USING A CEPHALOMEDULLARY NAIL.

PubMed

Borger, Richard Armelin; Borger, Frederico Araújo; Pires de Araújo, Rodrigo; Pereira, Thiago Ferreira Nunes; Queiroz, Roberto Dantas

2011-01-01

To assess the clinical, radiological and functional evolution of osteosynthesis using a cephalomedullary nail, in unstable trochanteric fractures of the femur, over a one-year postoperative follow-up. Fourteen men and 23 women of mean age 77.7 years were evaluated. Twenty-seven of them had fractures classified as AO/ASIF 31A2 and ten as 31A3. The patients were evaluated clinically, radiologically and functionally one week, two weeks, one month, two months, six months and one year after the operation. The clinical complications comprised five cases of death, one case of calcaneal ulcer, one case of acute arterial obstruction and two cases of deep vein thrombosis. The radiographic evaluation showed that the mean cervicodiaphyseal angle in the immediate postoperative period was 132.5°. The mean tip-apex index was 22.8 mm. After one year, the mean cervicodiaphyseal angle was 131.7°. Fracture consolidation was seen in all the patients six months after the operation, except in one case that presented cut-out. There were no cases of fracture below the implant. The functional evaluation using the Harris score after one year showed a mean of 69.3 points. The evaluation of walking progress showed that after one year, 40.6% of the patients had the same ability to walk that they had before the fracture. The visual analogue pain scale showed that a significant decrease in pain complaints occurred, going from 5.19 in the first week to 2.25 after 1 year. Osteosynthesis using a cephalomedullary nail resulted in low rates of clinical and mechanical complications and adequate functional outcomes.

The influence of attention deficits on functional recovery post stroke during the first 12 months after discharge from hospital.

PubMed

Hyndman, D; Pickering, R M; Ashburn, A

2008-06-01

Attention deficits have been linked to poor recovery after stroke and may predict outcome. We explored the influence of attention on functional recovery post stroke in the first 12 months after discharge from hospital. People with stroke completed measures of attention, balance, mobility and activities of daily living (ADL) ability at the point of discharge from hospital, and 6 and 12 months later. We used correlational analysis and stepwise linear regression to explore potential predictors of outcome. We recruited 122 men and women, mean age 70 years. At discharge, 56 (51%) had deficits of divided attention, 45 (37%) of sustained attention, 43 (36%) of auditory selective attention and 41 (37%) had visual selective attention deficits. Attention at discharge correlated with mobility, balance and ADL outcomes 12 months later. After controlling for the level of the outcome at discharge, correlations remained significant in only five of the 12 relationships. Stepwise linear regression revealed that the outcome measured at discharge, days until discharge and number of medications were better predictors of outcome: in no case was an attention variable at discharge selected as a predictor of outcome at 12 months. Although attention and function correlated significantly, this correlation was reduced after controlling for functional ability at discharge. Furthermore, side of lesion and the attention variables were not demonstrated as important predictors of outcome 12 months later.

Selection of Mother Wavelet Functions for Multi-Channel EEG Signal Analysis during a Working Memory Task

PubMed Central

Al-Qazzaz, Noor Kamal; Hamid Bin Mohd Ali, Sawal; Ahmad, Siti Anom; Islam, Mohd Shabiul; Escudero, Javier

2015-01-01

We performed a comparative study to select the efficient mother wavelet (MWT) basis functions that optimally represent the signal characteristics of the electrical activity of the human brain during a working memory (WM) task recorded through electro-encephalography (EEG). Nineteen EEG electrodes were placed on the scalp following the 10–20 system. These electrodes were then grouped into five recording regions corresponding to the scalp area of the cerebral cortex. Sixty-second WM task data were recorded from ten control subjects. Forty-five MWT basis functions from orthogonal families were investigated. These functions included Daubechies (db1–db20), Symlets (sym1–sym20), and Coiflets (coif1–coif5). Using ANOVA, we determined the MWT basis functions with the most significant differences in the ability of the five scalp regions to maximize their cross-correlation with the EEG signals. The best results were obtained using “sym9” across the five scalp regions. Therefore, the most compatible MWT with the EEG signals should be selected to achieve wavelet denoising, decomposition, reconstruction, and sub-band feature extraction. This study provides a reference of the selection of efficient MWT basis functions. PMID:26593918

Selection of Mother Wavelet Functions for Multi-Channel EEG Signal Analysis during a Working Memory Task.

PubMed

Al-Qazzaz, Noor Kamal; Bin Mohd Ali, Sawal Hamid; Ahmad, Siti Anom; Islam, Mohd Shabiul; Escudero, Javier

2015-11-17

We performed a comparative study to select the efficient mother wavelet (MWT) basis functions that optimally represent the signal characteristics of the electrical activity of the human brain during a working memory (WM) task recorded through electro-encephalography (EEG). Nineteen EEG electrodes were placed on the scalp following the 10-20 system. These electrodes were then grouped into five recording regions corresponding to the scalp area of the cerebral cortex. Sixty-second WM task data were recorded from ten control subjects. Forty-five MWT basis functions from orthogonal families were investigated. These functions included Daubechies (db1-db20), Symlets (sym1-sym20), and Coiflets (coif1-coif5). Using ANOVA, we determined the MWT basis functions with the most significant differences in the ability of the five scalp regions to maximize their cross-correlation with the EEG signals. The best results were obtained using "sym9" across the five scalp regions. Therefore, the most compatible MWT with the EEG signals should be selected to achieve wavelet denoising, decomposition, reconstruction, and sub-band feature extraction. This study provides a reference of the selection of efficient MWT basis functions.

Improving the Quality and Scope of EIA Data

EIA Publications

2011-01-01

Section 805(a) of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), Public Law 110-1401 requires the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) to establish a five-year plan to enhance the quality and scope of its data collection necessary to ensure that the scope, accuracy, and timeliness of the information needed for efficient functioning of energy markets and related financial operations. This report is in response to section 805(b) of EISA which calls on EIA to submit to Congress the plan established under subsection (a), including a description of any improvements needed to enhance the ability of the Administrator to collect and process energy information in a manner consistent with the needs of energy markets.

Rotator cuff tear measurement by arthropneumotomography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kilcoyne, R.F.; Matsen, F.A. III

1983-02-01

Five years of experience with a method of shoulder arthrography using upright tomography in cases of suspected or known rotator cuff tears has demonstrated its effectiveness. The value of the procedure lies in its ability to demonstrate the size of the cuff tear and the thickness of the remaining cuff tissue. This information provides the surgeon with a preoperative estimate of the difficulty of the repair and the prognosis for a good functional recovery. In 33 cases, there was good correlation between the upright thin-section tomogram findings and the surgical results. The tomograms provided better information about the size ofmore » the tear and the quality of the remaining cuff than did plain arthrograms.« less

The Developmental Process of Vowel Integration as Found in Children in Grades 1-3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bentz, Darrell; Szymczuk, Mike

A study was designed to investigate the auditory-visual integrative abilities of primary grade children for five long vowels and five short vowels. The Vowel Integration Test (VIT), composed of 35 nonsense words having all the long and short vowel sounds, was administered to students in 64 schools over a period of two years. Students' indications…

An Investigation on the Scientific Thinking Ability of Fourth Year University Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boo, Hong-Kwen; Toh, Kok-Aun

1998-01-01

Fourth-year university students (n=12) in a secondary-science-education degree program in Singapore were interviewed after demonstrations of five familiar chemical reactions. The majority of interviewees used perceptually-dominated rather than conceptually-dominated thinking and were unable to use scientific concepts consistently across the five…

Investigating Key Psychometric Properties of the French Version of the Early Years Evaluation-Teacher Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laurie, Robert; Sloat, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

This research investigates key psychometric properties of the French Early Years Evaluation-Teacher Assessment measure designed to systematically assess kindergarten children across five social and academic developmental domains: awareness of self and environment, social skills and behaviour, cognitive abilities, language and communication, and…

Pilot Study of Adding Vincristine, Topotecan, and Cyclophosphamide to Interval-Compressed Chemotherapy in Newly Diagnosed Patients With Localized Ewing Sarcoma: A Report From the Children's Oncology Group.

PubMed

Mascarenhas, Leo; Felgenhauer, Judy L; Bond, Mason C; Villaluna, Doojduen; Femino, Joseph Dominic; Laack, Nadia N; Ranganathan, Sarangarajan; Meyer, James; Womer, Richard B; Gorlick, Richard; Krailo, Mark D; Marina, Neyssa

2016-03-01

The combination of topotecan and cyclophosphamide is active in relapsed Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT). The feasibility of adding these agents combined with vincristine (vincristine-topotecan-cyclophosphamide [VTc]) to standard five-drug chemotherapy with vincristine-doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide (VDC) and ifosfamide-etoposide (IE) administered in an interval-compressed (2-week instead of 3-week intervals) schedule was investigated. Newly diagnosed patients with localized ESFT < 31 years, with good performance status and adequate organ function were eligible. Seventeen alternating cycles of chemotherapy with VTc, VDC, and IE were administered at 2-week intervals. Local control (LC) of the primary tumor occurred following six cycles. Primary endpoints were the ability to deliver chemotherapy in an interval-compressed schedule, and the rate of grade 3 or greater nonhematologic toxicity and grade 4 hematologic toxicity, which delayed chemotherapy by ≥2 weeks. Secondary endpoints were event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS). Thirty-five patients with a median age of 11 years were enrolled. The mean time to last dose of chemotherapy prior to LC was 12.6 ± 1.4 weeks and 45.5% of patients received intended chemotherapy without any delay prior to LC. There were no toxic deaths or unexpected toxicities. Five-year EFS was 79.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 61.8-89.7%) and 5-year OS was 88% (95% CI: 71.4-95.3%). The addition of VTc to standard therapy was tolerable with sufficient interval compression compared to historical standard 3-week cycles. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

75 FR 4046 - Marine Mammals; File No. 14676

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-26

... ability of these animals to adapt to environmental change. Over the course of five years, up to twenty... lions, 500 harbor seals (Phoca vitulina), 1,000 northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris), and...

The Development of Facial Gender Categorization in Individuals with and without Autism: The Impact of Typicality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strauss, Mark S.; Newell, Lisa C.; Best, Catherine A.; Hannigen, Sarah F.; Gastgeb, Holly Zajac; Giovannelli, Joyce L.

2012-01-01

While much research has examined the development of facial recognition abilities, less is known about the ability of individuals with and without autism to categorize facial gender. The current study tested gender categorization abilities in high-functioning children (5-7 and 8-12 years), adolescents (13-17 years), and adults (18-53 years) with…

The Development of Experimentation and Evidence Evaluation Skills at Preschool Age

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piekny, Jeanette; Grube, Dietmar; Maehler, Claudia

2014-01-01

Researchers taking a domain-general approach to the development of scientific reasoning long thought that the ability to engage in scientific reasoning did not develop until adolescence. However, more recent studies have shown that preschool children already have a basic ability to evaluate evidence and a basic understanding of experimentation. Data providing insights into when exactly in the preschool years significant gains in these abilities occur are scarce. Drawing on a sample of 138 preschool children, this longitudinal study therefore examined how children's ability to evaluate evidence and their understanding of experimentation develop between the ages of four and six. Findings showed that the ability to evaluate evidence was already well developed at age four and increased steadily and significantly over time as long as the pattern of covariation was perfect. In the case of imperfect covariation, the proportion of correct answers was low over the period of observation, but showed a significant increase between the ages of four and five. If the data did not allow relationship between variables to be inferred, the proportion of correct answers was low, with a significant increase between the ages of five and six. The children's understanding of experimentation increased significantly between the ages of five and six. The implications of these findings for age-appropriate science programs in preschool are discussed.

Irritable bowel syndrome and functional abdominal pain in five-year-old children are related to lifestyle.

PubMed

Uusijärvi, Agneta; Alm, Johan; Lindblad, Frank; Olén, Ola

2016-08-01

Abdominal pain of functional origin is very common in childhood, and environmental factors are thought to be of aetiologic importance. The anthroposophic lifestyle has dietary and lifestyle characteristics that may influence child health, and this study aimed to assess the effect of such lifestyles on abdominal pain of functional origin. A prospective Swedish lifestyle cohort (n = 470) was followed from birth to five years of age. Family lifestyles were characterised through questionnaires. Abdominal pain was defined as irritable bowel syndrome or functional abdominal pain according to the Rome III criteria and measured with parental questionnaires and interviews at the age of five. The prevalence of abdominal pain was 15%. Children were more likely to have abdominal pain at five years of age if their family had a partly anthroposophic lifestyle, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 2.61 (95% CI 1.15-5.93), or an anthroposophic lifestyle, with an adjusted OR of 2.34 (95% CI 0.96-5.70). A family lifestyle with anthroposophic characteristics was associated with an increased risk of abdominal pain in five-year-old children. The mechanisms for this increase were unclear, but we speculate that there may have been different prerequisites for coping with stressors. ©2016 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Abacus Training Affects Math and Task Switching Abilities and Modulates Their Relationships in Chinese Children

PubMed Central

Yao, Yuan; Weng, Jian; Hu, Yuzheng; Chen, Feiyan

2015-01-01

Our previous work demonstrated that abacus-based mental calculation (AMC), a traditional Chinese calculation method, could help children improve their math abilities (e.g. basic arithmetical ability) and executive function (e.g. working memory). This study further examined the effects of long-term AMC training on math ability in visual-spatial domain and the task switching component of executive function. More importantly, this study investigated whether AMC training modulated the relationship between math abilities and task switching. The participants were seventy 7-year-old children who were randomly assigned into AMC and control groups at primary school entry. Children in AMC group received 2-hour AMC training every week since primary school entry. On the contrary, children in the control group had never received any AMC training. Math and task switching abilities were measured one year and three years respectively after AMC training began. The results showed that AMC children performed better than their peers on math abilities in arithmetical and visual-spatial domains. In addition, AMC group responded faster than control group in the switching task, while no group difference was found in switch cost. Most interestingly, group difference was present in the relationships between math abilities and switch cost. These results implied the effect of AMC training on math abilities as well as its relationship with executive function. PMID:26444689

Abacus Training Affects Math and Task Switching Abilities and Modulates Their Relationships in Chinese Children.

PubMed

Wang, Chunjie; Geng, Fengji; Yao, Yuan; Weng, Jian; Hu, Yuzheng; Chen, Feiyan

2015-01-01

Our previous work demonstrated that abacus-based mental calculation (AMC), a traditional Chinese calculation method, could help children improve their math abilities (e.g. basic arithmetical ability) and executive function (e.g. working memory). This study further examined the effects of long-term AMC training on math ability in visual-spatial domain and the task switching component of executive function. More importantly, this study investigated whether AMC training modulated the relationship between math abilities and task switching. The participants were seventy 7-year-old children who were randomly assigned into AMC and control groups at primary school entry. Children in AMC group received 2-hour AMC training every week since primary school entry. On the contrary, children in the control group had never received any AMC training. Math and task switching abilities were measured one year and three years respectively after AMC training began. The results showed that AMC children performed better than their peers on math abilities in arithmetical and visual-spatial domains. In addition, AMC group responded faster than control group in the switching task, while no group difference was found in switch cost. Most interestingly, group difference was present in the relationships between math abilities and switch cost. These results implied the effect of AMC training on math abilities as well as its relationship with executive function.

Work ability index among healthcare personnel in a university hospital in Tehran, Iran.

PubMed

Mehrdad, R; Mazloumi, A; Arshi, S; Kazemi, Z

2016-03-09

Work ability is an important issue from a social point of view, as it is essential for workers health and welfare. This study aimed to determine work ability among healthcare personnel and to investigate its relationship with demographic and lifestyle-related factors. Data were collected using the Work Ability Index (WAI) questionnaire among 517 personnel of a hospital in Tehran, Iran. Findings showed a mean WAI of 40.3 (±5.2) for the study population. Work ability was significantly lower in the older personnel and higher for men. A significant correlation was observed between BMI and exercise activity and WAI score. Moreover, employees with experience of less than five years had significant higher work ability than those with 16-20 years of service. Considering the young study population, it seems the mean WAI is not as desirable. The use of lifestyle promoting programs, besides workplace interventions, can be an effective strategy to increase work ability among healthcare workers.

Visual and cognitive predictors of driving safety in Parkinson's disease patients

PubMed Central

Amick, M.M.; Grace, J.; Ott, B.R.

2012-01-01

This study assessed the clinical utility of contrast sensitivity (CS) relative to attention, executive function, and visuospatial abilities for predicting driving safety in participants with Parkinson's disease (PD). Twenty-five, non-demented PD patients completed measures of contrast sensitivity, visuospatial skills, executive functions, and attention. All PD participants also underwent a formal on-road driving evaluation. Of the 25 participants, 11 received a marginal or unsafe rating on the road test. Poorer driving performance was associated with worse performance on measures of CS, visuospatial constructions, set shifting, and attention. While impaired driving was associated with a range of cognitive and visual abilities, only a composite measure of executive functioning and visuospatial abilities, and not CS or attentional skills, predicted driving performance. These findings suggest that neuropsychological tests, which are multifactorial in nature and require visual perception and visual spatial judgments are the most useful screening measures for hazardous driving in PD patients. PMID:17851032

Visual and cognitive predictors of driving safety in Parkinson's disease patients.

PubMed

Amick, M M; Grace, J; Ott, B R

2007-11-01

This study assessed the clinical utility of contrast sensitivity (CS) relative to attention, executive function, and visuospatial abilities for predicting driving safety in participants with Parkinson's disease (PD). Twenty-five, non-demented PD patients completed measures of contrast sensitivity, visuospatial skills, executive functions, and attention. All PD participants also underwent a formal on-road driving evaluation. Of the 25 participants, 11 received a marginal or unsafe rating on the road test. Poorer driving performance was associated with worse performance on measures of CS, visuospatial constructions, set shifting, and attention. While impaired driving was associated with a range of cognitive and visual abilities, only a composite measure of executive functioning and visuospatial abilities, and not CS or attentional skills, predicted driving performance. These findings suggest that neuropsychological tests, which are multifactorial in nature and require visual perception and visual spatial judgments are the most useful screening measures for hazardous driving in PD patients.

Kinematic analysis of articulatory coupling in acquired apraxia of speech post-stroke.

PubMed

Bartle-Meyer, Carly J; Goozée, Justine V; Murdoch, Bruce E; Green, Jordan R

2009-02-01

Electromagnetic articulography was employed to investigate the strength of articulatory coupling and hence the degree of functional movement independence between individual articulators in apraxia of speech (AOS). Tongue-tip, tongue-back and jaw movement was recorded from five speakers with AOS and a concomitant aphasia (M = 53.6 years; SD = 12.60) during /ta, sa, la, ka/ syllable repetitions, spoken at typical and fast rates of speech. Covariance values were calculated for each articulatory pair to gauge the strength of articulatory coupling. The results obtained for each of the participants with AOS were individually compared to those obtained by a control group (n = 12; M = 52.08 years; SD = 12.52). Comparisons were made between the typical rate productions of the control group and the typical and fast rate productions of the participants with AOS. In comparison to the control group, four speakers with AOS exhibited significantly stronger articulatory coupling for alveolar and/or velar speech targets, during typical and/or fast rate conditions, suggesting decreased functional movement independence. The reduction in functional movement independence might have reflected an attempt to simplify articulatory control or a decrease in the ability to differentially control distinct articulatory regions.

Linguistic ability in early life and cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease in late life. Findings from the Nun Study.

PubMed

Snowdon, D A; Kemper, S J; Mortimer, J A; Greiner, L H; Wekstein, D R; Markesbery, W R

1996-02-21

To determine if linguistic ability in early life is associated with cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease in late life. Two measures of linguistic ability in early life, idea density and grammatical complexity, were derived from autobiographies written at a mean age of 22 years. Approximately 58 years later, the women who wrote these autobiographies participated in an assessment of cognitive function, and those who subsequently died were evaluated neuropathologically. Convents in the United States participating in the Nun Study; primarily convents in the Milwaukee, Wis, area. Cognitive function was investigated in 93 participants who were aged 75 to 95 years at the time of their assessments, and Alzheimer's disease was investigated in the 14 participants who died at 79 to 96 years of age. Seven neuropsychological tests and neuropathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease. Low idea density and low grammatical complexity in autobiographies written in early life were associated with low cognitive test scores in late life. Low idea density in early life had stronger and more consistent associations with poor cognitive function than did low grammatical complexity. Among the 14 sisters who died, neuropathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease was present in all of those with low idea density in early life and in none of those with high idea density. Low linguistic ability in early life was a strong predictor of poor cognitive function and Alzheimer's disease in late life.

A Study of Concept Development and Communication Abilities in Children Aged Five Through Eight Using Leaf Morphology as the Vehicle.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillespie, James Pittard

Ninety-six children, divided by age (five, six, seven, and eight years) and sex into equal groups, were administered tests of discrimination between leaves, association of leaves with pictures of leaves, sorting leaves into generic groups, and communication of concepts of leaf structure. No sex differences or interactions were found, but there was…

A mechanized gait trainer for restoring gait in nonambulatory subjects.

PubMed

Hesse, S; Uhlenbrock, D; Werner, C; Bardeleben, A

2000-09-01

To construct an advanced mechanized gait trainer to enable patients the repetitive practice of a gaitlike movement without overstraining therapists. DEVICE: Prototype gait trainer that simulates the phases of gait (by generating a ratio of 40% to 60% between swing and stance phases), supports the subjects according to their ability (lifts the foot during swing phase), and controls the center of mass in the vertical and horizontal directions. Two nonambulatory, hemiparetic patients who regained their walking ability after 4 weeks of daily training on the gait trainer, a 55-year-old woman and a 62-year-old man, both of whom had a first-time ischemic stroke. Four weeks of training, five times a week, each session 20 minutes long. Functional ambulation category (FAC, levels 0-5) to assess gait ability and ground level walking velocity. Rivermead motor assessment score (RMAS, 0-13) to assess gross motor function. Patient 1: At the end of treatment, she was able to walk independently on level ground with use of a walking stick. Her walking velocity had improved from .29m/sec to .59m/sec. Her RMAS score increased from 4 to 10, meaning she could walk at least 40 meters outside, pick up objects from floor, and climb stairs independently. Patient 2: At end of 4-week training, he could walk independently on even surfaces (FAC level 4), using an ankle-foot orthosis and a walking stick. His walking velocity improved from .14m/sec to .63m/sec. His RMAS increased from 3 to 10. The gait trainer enabled severely affected patients the repetitive practice of a gaitlike movement. Future studies may elucidate its value in gait rehabilitation of nonambulatory subjects.

Combined Microwave Ablation and Cementoplasty in Patients with Painful Bone Metastases at High Risk of Fracture

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pusceddu, Claudio, E-mail: clapusceddu@gmail.com; Sotgia, Barbara, E-mail: barbara.sotgia@gmail.com; Fele, Rosa Maria, E-mail: rosellafele@tiscali.it

2016-01-15

PurposeTo retrospectively evaluate the effectiveness of computed tomography-guided percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) and cementoplasty in patients with painful bone metastases at high risk of fracture.Materials and MethodsThirty-five patients with 37 metastatic bone lesions underwent computed tomography-guided MWA combined with cementoplasty (polymethylmethacrylate injection). Vertebrae, femur, and acetabulum were the intervention sites and the primary end point was pain relief. Pain severity was estimated by visual analog scale (VAS) before treatment; 1 week post-treatment; and 1, 6, and 12 months post-treatment. Functional outcome was assessed by improved patient walking ability. Radiological evaluation was performed at baseline and 3 and 12 months post-procedure.ResultsIn all patients, painmore » reduction occurred from the first week after treatment. The mean reduction in the VAS score was 84, 90, 90 % at week 1, month 1, and month 6, respectively. Improved walking ability occurred in 100 and 98 % of cases at the 1- and 6-month functional outcome evaluations, respectively. At the 1-year evaluation, 25 patients were alive, and 10 patients (28 %) had died because of widespread disease. The mean reduction in the VAS score and improvement in surviving patients’ walking ability were 90 and 100 %, respectively. No patients showed evidence of local tumor recurrence or progression and pathological fracture in the treated sites.ConclusionOur results suggest that MWA combined with osteoplasty is safe and effective when treating painful bone metastases at high risk of fracture. The number of surviving patients at the 1-year evaluation confirms the need for an effective and long-lasting treatment.« less

Mathematical ability of first year undergraduate paramedic students-A before and after study.

PubMed

Eastwood, Kathryn; Boyle, Malcolm; Kim, Visal; Stam, Nathan; Williams, Brett

2015-11-01

An ability to accurately perform drug calculations unassisted is an essential skill for all health professionals, with various occupational-specific stressors exacerbating mathematical deficiencies. The objective of this study was to determine the unaided mathematic ability of first year undergraduate paramedic students before and after mathematical and drug calculation tutorials. Students were administered a questionnaire containing demographic, drug calculation and arithmetic questions during week one of the semester before the tutorials. During the semester students participated in three 2-hour tutorials which included both mathematical and drug calculation questions without assistance of computational devices. At the end of semester was a summative drug calculation examination of which five key questions were compared to similar questions from the first questionnaire. Descriptive statistics describe the demographic data with a paired t-test comparing the questionnaire and exam results. Drug calculation and mathematical ability was markedly improved following the tutorials, mean score of correct answers before 1.74 (SD 1.4) and after 4.14 (SD 0.93), p<0001. When comparing the correct results for the same question type, there were statistically significant differences in four of five different drug calculations: volume of drug drawn up 10 v 57 p<0.0001, infusion rate 29 v 31 p=0.717, drip rate 16 v 54 p<0.0001, volume from a syringe 30 v 59 p<0.0001, and drug dose 42 v 62 p<0.0001. Total errors reduced from 188 to 45. First year undergraduate paramedic students initially demonstrated a poor ability to complete mathematical and drug calculations without the assistance of computational devices. This improved significantly following appropriate education and practice. Further research is required to determine the retention of this ability over time. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cognitive, emotion control, and motor performance of adolescents in the NCANDA study: Contributions from alcohol consumption, age, sex, ethnicity, and family history of addiction

PubMed Central

Sullivan, Edith V.; Brumback, Ty; Tapert, Susan F.; Fama, Rosemary; Prouty, Devin; Brown, Sandra A.; Cummins, Kevin; Thompson, Wesley K.; Colrain, Ian M.; Baker, Fiona C.; De Bellis, Michael D.; Hooper, Stephen R.; Clark, Duncan B.; Chung, Tammy; Nagel, Bonnie J.; Nichols, B. Nolan; Rohlfing, Torsten; Chu, Weiwei; Pohl, Kilian M.; Pfefferbaum, Adolf

2015-01-01

Objective To investigate development of cognitive and motor functions in healthy adolescents and to explore whether hazardous drinking affects the normal developmental course of those functions. Method Participants were 831 adolescents recruited across five United States sites of the National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA): 692 met criteria for no/low alcohol exposure, and 139 exceeded drinking thresholds. Cross-sectional, baseline data were collected with computerized and traditional neuropsychological tests assessing eight functional domains expressed as composite scores. General additive modeling evaluated factors potentially modulating performance (age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and pubertal developmental stage). Results Older no/low-drinking participants achieved better scores than younger ones on five Accuracy composites (General Ability, Abstraction, Attention, Emotion, and Balance). Speeded responses for Attention, Motor Speed, and General Ability were sensitive to age and pubertal development. The exceeds-threshold group (accounting for age, sex, and other demographic factors) performed significantly below the no/low-drinking group on Balance accuracy and on General Ability, Attention, Episodic Memory, Emotion, and Motor speed scores and showed evidence for faster speed at the expense of accuracy. Delay Discounting performance was consistent with poor impulse control in the younger no/low drinkers and in exceeds-threshold drinkers regardless of age. Conclusions Higher achievement with older age and pubertal stage in General Ability, Abstraction, Attention, Emotion, and Balance suggests continued functional development through adolescence, possibly supported by concurrently maturing frontal, limbic, and cerebellar brain systems. Whether low scores by the exceeds-threshold group resulted from drinking or from other pre-existing factors requires longitudinal study. PMID:26752122

Toddler Teath

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiley, Kristina

2008-01-01

Tooth decay in children is on the rise in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tooth decay rose 4 percent in the two-to five-year-old age group in the last four years. These statistics are disturbing to dental professionals because of the ability to prevent approximately 85 percent of tooth decay.…

Antidepressant use and cognitive decline in community-dwelling elderly people - The Three-City Cohort.

PubMed

Carrière, Isabelle; Norton, Joanna; Farré, Amandine; Wyart, Marilyn; Tzourio, Christophe; Noize, Pernelle; Pérès, Karine; Fourrier-Réglat, Annie; Ritchie, Karen; Ancelin, Marie Laure

2017-04-19

Cognitive impairment is very common in late-life depression, principally affecting executive skills and information processing speed. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of antidepressant treatment on cognitive performances over a 10-year period. The community-based cohort included 7381 participants aged 65 years and above. Five cognitive domains (verbal fluency, psychomotor speed, executive function, visuospatial skills and global cognition) were assessed up to five times over 10 years of follow-up. Treatment groups included participants under a specific antidepressant class at both baseline and the first follow-up and their follow-up cognitive data were considered until the last consecutive follow-up with a report of antidepressant use of the same class. Linear mixed models were used to compare baseline cognitive performance and cognitive decline over time according to antidepressant treatment. The models were adjusted for multiple confounders including residual depressive symptoms assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale. At baseline, 4.0% of participants were taking antidepressants. Compared to non-users, tricyclic antidepressant users had lower baseline performances in verbal fluency, visual memory and psychomotor speed, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor users in verbal fluency and psychomotor speed. For the two other cognitive abilities, executive function and global cognition, no significant differences were found at baseline irrespective of the antidepressant class. Regarding changes over time, no significant differences were observed in comparison with non-users whatever the cognitive domain, except for a slight additional improvement over the follow-up in verbal fluency skills for tricyclic antidepressant users. In this large elderly general population cohort, we found no evidence for an association between antidepressant use and post-treatment cognitive decline over 10 years of follow-up in various cognitive domains.

Age-related commonalities and differences in the relationship between executive functions and intelligence: Analysis of the NAB executive functions module and WAIS-IV scores.

PubMed

Buczylowska, Dorota; Petermann, Franz

2017-01-01

Data from five subtests of the Executive Functions Module of the German Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (NAB) and all ten core subtests of the German Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) were used to examine the relationship between executive functions and intelligence in a comparison of two age groups: individuals aged 18-59 years and individuals aged 60-88 years. The NAB subtests Categories and Word Generation demonstrated a consistent correlation pattern for both age groups. However, the NAB Judgment subtest correlated more strongly with three WAIS-IV indices, the Full Scale IQ (FSIQ), and the General Ability Index (GAI) in the older adult group than in the younger group. Additionally, in the 60-88 age group, the Executive Functions Index (EFI) was more strongly correlated with the Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) than with the Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI). Both age groups demonstrated a strong association of the EFI with the FSIQ and the Working Memory Index (WMI). The results imply the potential diagnostic utility of the Judgment subtest and a significant relationship between executive functioning and crystallized intelligence at older ages. Furthermore, it may be concluded that there is a considerable age-independent overlap between the EFI and general intelligence, as well as between the EFI and working memory.

Intramodal and Intermodal Functioning of Normal and LD Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heath, Earl J.; Early, George H.

1973-01-01

Assessed were the abilities of 50 normal 5-to 9-year-old children and 30 learning disabled 7-to 9-year-old children to recognize temporal patterns presented visually and auditorially (intramodal abilities) and to vocally produce the patterns whether presentation was visual or auditory (intramodal and cross-modal abilities). (MC)

Health-Related Quality of Life and Functional Ability of Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Study from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Thailand.

PubMed

Munchey, Ratree; Pongmesa, Tipaporn

2018-05-01

To assess the health-related quality of life and functional ability of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using the Thai EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D) and the Thai Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and to analyze correlations between the scores from both questionnaires. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 221 patients with RA aged 18 years or older at a tertiary care hospital in Thailand. Data collection methods included individual patient interviews and data gathering from medical records. The correlations between the EQ-5D and HAQ scores were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. Most patients were female (78.3%), aged 41 to 60 years (57.0%), having had RA for 12 to 60 months (43.0%), and being in an active disease state (60.6%). From the EQ-5D, most patients reported no problems in each dimension, except for mobility and pain/discomfort. For the HAQ, most patients reported no difficulty for almost all activities, except for arising. The medians (interquartile ranges) for the EQ-5D utility, EuroQol visual analogue scale (EQ VAS), and HAQ scores were 0.65 (0.55-0.73), 70 (50-80), and 0.25 (0.00-0.81), respectively. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were 0.42 for the EQ-5D utility and EQ VAS scores (P = 0.01), -0.65 for the EQ-5D utility and HAQ scores (P < 0.001), and -0.39 for the EQ VAS and HAQ scores (P < 0.001). The health-related quality of life and functional ability of most patients in our study were partially affected by the disease. The EQ-5D and HAQ scores significantly correlated at a moderate to strong level. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The associations between personality traits, education, occupation and the occurrence of eczema in adulthood.

PubMed

Cheng, Helen; Treglown, Luke; Montgomery, Scott; Kornilaki, Ekaterina N; Tsivrikos, Dimitrios; Furnham, Adrian

2017-06-01

There were 5834 participants with complete data on parental social class at birth, childhood cognitive ability tests scores at 11 years, educational qualifications at 33 years, the Big Five-Factor personality traits, occupational levels and eczema (measured at age 50 years). Results showed that eczema in childhood, educational achievement and occupational levels were significantly associated with the occurrence of reported eczema in adulthood. Emotionally Stable people (non-neurotic) were less likely to have eczema, but those with high Agreeableness and Openness more likely to have eczema. Childhood cognitive ability was significantly and positively associated with eczema in adulthood.

Semantic associative relations and conceptual processing.

PubMed

Di Giacomo, Dina; De Federicis, Lucia Serenella; Pistelli, Manuela; Fiorenzi, Daniela; Passafiume, Domenico

2012-02-01

We analysed the organisation of semantic network using associative mechanisms between different types of information and studied the progression of the use of these associative relations during development. We aimed to verify the linkage of concepts with the use of semantic associative relations. The goal of this study was to analyse the cognitive ability to use associative relations between various items when describing old and/or new concepts. We examined the performance of 100 subjects between the ages of 4 and 7 years on an experimental task using five associative relations based on verbal encoding. The results showed that children are able to use the five semantic associative relations at age 4, but performance with each of the different associative relations improves at different times during development. Functional and part/whole relations develop at an early age, whereas the superordinate relations develop later. Our study clarified the characteristics of the progression of semantic associations during development as well as the roles that associative relations play in the structure and improvement of the semantic store.

Founding a new dental school at Nova Southeastern University.

PubMed

Melnick, A; Oliet, S

2001-03-01

The dental school arose from the premise that a dental school would round out the university and add prestige to the burgeoning Health Professions Division with its five schools and eight health programs. The school was founded in light of the following circumstances. Patient Pool Evaluation of community facilities and services revealed that there was an increasing patient pool, without disturbing the present mix. There was evidence of a need for dental care for large numbers of unserved or underserved people. Financial Considerations Proforma and cash flow budget projections showed financial stability of this project. The university was recognized to have the ability to absorb initial capital costs. HPD had a history of the success in functioning with tuition-dependent budgets. University Factors The university has had success in establishing and operating five health professions schools. A complete and experienced infrastructure has existed for sixteen years in the University and in the Health Professions Division. The university would provide unconditional administrative support.

Fronto-Parietal Network Reconfiguration Supports the Development of Reasoning Ability

PubMed Central

Wendelken, Carter; Ferrer, Emilio; Whitaker, Kirstie J.; Bunge, Silvia A.

2016-01-01

The goal of this fMRI study was to examine how well developmental improvements in reasoning ability can be explained by changes in functional connectivity between specific nodes in prefrontal and parietal cortices. To this end, we examined connectivity within the lateral fronto-parietal network (LFPN) and its relation to reasoning ability in 132 children and adolescents aged 6–18 years, 56 of whom were scanned twice over the course of 1.5 years. Developmental changes in strength of connections within the LFPN were most prominent in late childhood and early adolescence. Reasoning ability was related to functional connectivity between left rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC) and inferior parietal lobule (IPL), but only among 12–18-year olds. For 9–11-year olds, reasoning ability was most strongly related to connectivity between left and right RLPFC; this relationship was mediated by working memory. For 6–8-year olds, significant relationships between connectivity and performance were not observed; in this group, processing speed was the primary mediator of improvement in reasoning ability. We conclude that different connections best support reasoning at different points in development and that RLPFC-IPL connectivity becomes an important predictor of reasoning during adolescence. PMID:25824536

The union of narrative and executive function: different but complementary

PubMed Central

Friend, Margaret; Bates, Raven Phoenix

2014-01-01

Oral narrative production develops dramatically from 3 to 5 years of age, and is a key factor in a child's ability to communicate about the world. Concomitant with this are developments in executive function (EF). For example, executive attention and behavioral inhibition show marked development beginning around 4 years of age. Both EF and oral narrative abilities have important implications for academic success, but the relationship between them is not well understood. The present paper utilizes a cross-lagged design to assess convergent and predictive relations between EF and narrative ability. As a collateral measure, we collected a Language Sample during 10 min of free play. Language Sample did not share significant variance with Narrative Production, thus general language growth from Wave 1 to Wave 2 cannot account for the predictive relations between EF and Narrative. Our findings suggest that although EF and Narrative ability appear independent at each Wave, they nevertheless support each other over developmental time. Specifically, the ability to maintain focus at 4 years supports subsequent narrative ability and narrative ability at 4 years supports subsequent facility and speed in learning and implementing new rules. PMID:24872811

The Relationship between Manual Ability and Ambulation in Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Majnemer, Annette; Shikako-Thomas, Keiko; Shevell, Michael; Poulin, Chantal; Lach, Lucyna; Law, Mary; Schmitz, Norbert

2013-01-01

This study examined the relationship between gross motor function and manual ability in 120 adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) (15.2, SD 2.1 years, 59.8% male). Adolescents were evaluated using the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and the Manual Ability Classification System (MACS). A neurologist classified CP subtype. Most…

[Physical fitness and motor ability in obese boys 12 through 14 years of age].

PubMed

Kim, H K; Matsuura, Y; Tanaka, K; Inagaki, A

1993-01-01

Excess body fat has generally been considered to be an influential factor to physical fitness and motor ability in obese boys. However, little information is available on the physical fitness and motor ability in obese boys. The purpose of this study was to clarify characteristics of physical fitness and motor ability in obese boys. The subjects were three hundreds and five boys aged 12-14 years. Nineteen physical fitness and motor ability items were tested and skinfold thickness was measured at six sites. Bioelectrical impedance was measured using a tetrapolar impedance plethysmograph (Selco SIF-891). Body density was calculated from the formula of Kim et al. The results of comparison clearly indicated that the obese group was significantly poorer in 1,500-m run, 5-min run, 50-m run, running long jump and many other variables, but was superior only in back strength. To analyze the factorial structure in boys, principal factor analysis was applied to the correlation matrix which was calculated with 19 variables, and then five factors were extracted. The obese group was significantly poorer in total body endurance and muscular endurance than the non-obese group. From these results, it was confirmed that the excess body fat could be one of the most important factors that affects the state of many physical fitness and motor ability elements in obese boys. However, the relationships between physical fitness, motor ability and the degree of fatness seem to be rather complicated. A great deal of data should be accumulated for more detailed analysis on the influence of the excess body fat in obese boys.

Driving Task: How Older Drivers' On-Road Driving Performance Relates to Abilities, Perceptions, and Restrictions.

PubMed

Koppel, Sjaan; Charlton, Judith L; Langford, Jim; Di Stefano, Marilyn; MacDonald, Wendy; Vlahodimitrakou, Zafiroula; Mazer, Barbara L; Gelinas, Isabelle; Vrkljan, Brenda; Eliasz, Kinga; Myers, Anita; Tuokko, Holly A; Marshall, Shawn C

2016-06-01

This study examined a cohort of 227 older drivers and investigated the relationship between performance on the electronic Driver Observation Schedule (eDOS) driving task and: (1) driver characteristics; (2) functional abilities; (3) perceptions of driving comfort and abilities; and (4) self-reported driving restrictions. Participants (male: 70%; age: M = 81.53 years, SD = 3.37 years) completed a series of functional ability measures and scales on perceived driving comfort, abilities, and driving restrictions from the Year 2 Candrive/Ozcandrive assessment protocol, along with an eDOS driving task. Observations of participants' driving behaviours during the driving task were recorded for intersection negotiation, lane-changing, merging, low-speed maneuvers, and maneuver-free driving. eDOS driving task scores were high (M = 94.74; SD = 5.70) and significantly related to participants' perceived driving abilities, reported frequency of driving in challenging situations, and number of driving restrictions. Future analyses will explore potential changes in driving task scores over time.

Improving executive function in childhood: evaluation of a training intervention for 5-year-old children

PubMed Central

Traverso, Laura; Viterbori, Paola; Usai, Maria Carmen

2015-01-01

Executive function (EF) refers to a set of higher order cognitive processes that control and modulate cognition under continuously changing and multiple task demands. EF plays a central role in early childhood, is associated and predictive of important cognitive achievements and has been recognized as a significant aspect of school readiness. This study examines the efficacy of a group based intervention for 5-year-old children that focuses on basic components of EF (working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility). The intervention included 12 sessions, lasted 1 month and used low-cost materials. Seventy-five children took part in the study. The results indicate that the children who attended the intervention outperformed controls in simple and more complex EF tasks. Specifically, these children exhibited increased abilities to delay gratification, to control on-going responses, to process and update information, and to manage high cognitive conflict. These results suggest the possibility that this intervention, which may be easily implemented in educational services, can promote EF during preschool period before the entrance in primary school. PMID:25983706

Improving executive function in childhood: evaluation of a training intervention for 5-year-old children.

PubMed

Traverso, Laura; Viterbori, Paola; Usai, Maria Carmen

2015-01-01

Executive function (EF) refers to a set of higher order cognitive processes that control and modulate cognition under continuously changing and multiple task demands. EF plays a central role in early childhood, is associated and predictive of important cognitive achievements and has been recognized as a significant aspect of school readiness. This study examines the efficacy of a group based intervention for 5-year-old children that focuses on basic components of EF (working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility). The intervention included 12 sessions, lasted 1 month and used low-cost materials. Seventy-five children took part in the study. The results indicate that the children who attended the intervention outperformed controls in simple and more complex EF tasks. Specifically, these children exhibited increased abilities to delay gratification, to control on-going responses, to process and update information, and to manage high cognitive conflict. These results suggest the possibility that this intervention, which may be easily implemented in educational services, can promote EF during preschool period before the entrance in primary school.

Functional outcomes in children and young people with dyskinetic cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Monbaliu, Elegast; De La Peña, Mary-Grace; Ortibus, Els; Molenaers, Guy; Deklerck, Jan; Feys, Hilde

2017-06-01

This cross-sectional study aimed to map the functional profile of individuals with dyskinetic cerebral palsy (CP), to determine interrelationships between the functional classification systems, and to investigate the relationship of functional abilities with dystonia and choreoathetosis severity. Fifty-five children (<15y) and young people (15-22y) (30 males, 25 females; mean age 14y 6mo, standard deviation 4y 1mo) with dyskinetic CP were assessed using the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), Manual Ability Classification System (MACS), Communication Function Classification System (CFCS), Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System (EDACS), and Viking Speech Scale (VSS), as well as the Dyskinesia Impairment Scale. Over 50 per cent of the participants exhibited the highest limitation levels in GMFCS, MACS, and VSS. Better functional abilities were seen in EDACS and CFCS. Moderate to excellent interrelationship was found among the classification scales. All scales had significant correlation (r s =0.65 - 0.81) with dystonia severity except for CFCS in the young people group. Finally, only MACS (r s =0.40) and EDACS (r s =0.55) in the young people group demonstrated significant correlation with choreoathetosis severity. The need for inclusion of speech, eating, and drinking in the functional assessment of dyskinetic CP is highlighted. The study further supports the strategy of managing dystonia in particular at a younger age followed by choreoathetosis in a later stage. © 2017 Mac Keith Press.

Effects of 2-Year Cognitive⁻Motor Dual-Task Training on Cognitive Function and Motor Ability in Healthy Elderly People: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Morita, Emiko; Yokoyama, Hisayo; Imai, Daiki; Takeda, Ryosuke; Ota, Akemi; Kawai, Eriko; Suzuki, Yuta; Okazaki, Kazunobu

2018-05-11

We aimed to examine the effect of 2-year cognitive⁻motor dual-task (DT) training on cognitive functions and motor ability of healthy elderly people without marked cognitive impairment. From the 25 participants of our 12-week DT trial conducted in 2014, we recruited 8 subjects who voluntarily participated in a new DT training program once a week for 2 years (exercise (EX) group). Their cognitive functions were evaluated by the Modified Mini-Mental State (3MS) examination and the Trail Making Test, and results were compared with those of the 11 subjects who discontinued the training and did not perform any types of exercise for 2 years (non-exercise (NO) group). Subjects in the NO group showed deterioration in the 3MS examination results, especially in the cognitive domain of attention. Meanwhile, participation in DT training maintained the scores in almost all domains of cognitive function, as well as the total 3MS scores. However, both groups had impaired quadriceps muscle strength and motor ability after the 2-year observation period. These results suggest that participating in exercise program comprising DT training for 2 years may be beneficial for maintaining the broad domains of cognitive function in healthy elderly people, although further verification is needed.

Family functioning is associated with depressive symptoms in caregivers of acute stroke survivors.

PubMed

Epstein-Lubow, Gary P; Beevers, Christopher G; Bishop, Duane S; Miller, Ivan W

2009-06-01

To determine whether family functioning is uniquely associated with caregiver depressive symptoms in the immediate aftermath of stroke. Cross-sectional data from the baseline assessment of an intervention study for stroke survivors and their families. Neurology inpatient service of a large urban hospital. Stroke survivors (n=192), each with a primary caregiver. The mean age of stroke survivors was 66 years, and most, 57%, were men (n=110). The mean age of caregivers was 57 years, and 73% (n=140) of the caregivers were women. Eighty-five percent of caregivers were white. Not applicable. Measures were chosen to assess caregivers' depressive symptoms (Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale), family functioning (Family Assessment Device), and additional factors such as health status (Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey) and stroke survivors' cognitive abilities (modified Mini-Mental State Examination) and functional impairments (FIM and Frenchay Activities Index). Depressive symptoms were mild to moderate in 14% and severe in 27% of caregivers. Family functioning was assessed as unhealthy in 34% of caregiver-patient dyads. In statistical regression models, caregiver depression was associated with patients' sex, caregivers' general health, and family functioning. Forty-one percent of caregivers experienced prominent depressive symptoms after their family member's stroke. Higher depression severity in caregivers was associated with caring for a man, and having worse health and poor family functioning. After stroke, the assessment of caregivers' health and family functioning may help determine which caregivers are most at risk for a depressive syndrome.

An Investigation of the Effects on Students' Attitudes, Beliefs, and Abilities in Problem Solving and Mathematics after One Year of a Systematic Approach to the Learning of Problem Solving.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higgins, Karen M.

This study investigated the effects of Oregon's Lane County "Problem Solving in Mathematics" (PSM) materials on middle-school students' attitudes, beliefs, and abilities in problem solving and mathematics. The instructional approach advocated in PSM includes: the direct teaching of five problem-solving skills, weekly challenge problems,…

Five-Year Tracking of Psychosocial Changes in People with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaplan, Steven P.

1993-01-01

Interviewed 25 individuals with severe brain injury and their significant others 1, 3, and 5 years after injury. Found trend of improvement in psychological and social functioning between one and five years. Physical capabilities were significantly improved between one and three years. Many participants continued to have deficits in certain…

Physical Activity, Functional Ability, and Obesity in Older Adults: A Gender Difference.

PubMed

Gretebeck, Kimberlee A; Sabatini, LeAnn M; Black, David R; Gretebeck, Randall J

2017-09-01

Disability, institutionalization, and loss of independence may be directly caused or exacerbated by physical inactivity and obesity. The purpose of the current cross-sectional survey was to explore the impact of gender and obesity on functional ability tasks, physical activity, and psychosocial factors in older adults. Participants comprised 964 University retirees (55% female, mean age = 75.3 years, SD = 6.7 years) with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 26.1 kg/m 2 (SD = 4.7 kg/m 2 ). Results revealed significant gender and BMI interaction effects. Women were less active than men and obese women were most functionally impaired, particularly in activities that target lower extremity function, regardless of weight status. These findings suggest that physical activity interventions for older adults should focus on exercises that improve functional ability and are tailored to meet individual needs while considering weight and gender. Type, intensity, frequency, and duration of exercises should be individualized to limit injuries and improve functional ability and physical activity adherence. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 43(9), 38-46.]. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Psychosocial Development of 5-year-old Children with Hearing Loss: Risks and protective factors

PubMed Central

Wong, Cara L.; Ching, Teresa YC; Leigh, Greg; Cupples, Linda; Button, Laura; Marnane, Vivienne; Whitfield, Jessica; Gunnourie, Miriam; Martin, Louise

2016-01-01

Objective The aims of this paper were to report on the global psychosocial functioning of 5-year-old DHH children and examine the risk and protective factors that predict outcomes. Design A cross-sectional analysis of data collected from a prospective, population-based longitudinal study. Study Sample Parents/caregivers of 356 children completed questionnaires on psychosocial development (CDI, SDQ), functional communication (PEACH) and demographic information. Children completed standardised assessments of non-verbal cognitive ability (WNV) and language (PLS-4). Results On average, global psychosocial functioning was within the range of typically developing children; however, variability was high and 12% of children had scores that were more than 2 SDs below the norm. Non-verbal cognitive ability, presence of additional disabilities, language and functional communication significantly predicted outcomes. In contrast, type of hearing device, severity of hearing loss and age at intervention did not. Conclusion The global psychosocial functioning of this cohort of 5-year-old DHH children fell within the range of typically developing children. . The findings suggest that spoken language ability and functional communication skills are vital for healthy psychosocial development. PMID:27541363

A comparative study of the five-times-sit-to-stand and timed-up-and-go tests as measures of functional mobility in persons with and without injection-related venous ulcers.

PubMed

Pieper, Barbara; Templin, Thomas N; Goldberg, Allon

2014-02-01

To provide information on the Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand (FTSTS) and Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) tests in persons with injection-related venous ulcers (VU+) and persons without venous ulcers (VU-). This continuing education activity is intended for physicians and nurses with an interest in skin and wound care. After participating in this educational activity, the participant should be better able to: To examine functional mobility using Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand (FTSTS) and Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) tests in persons with injection-related venous ulcers (VU+) and compare these findings to persons without venous ulcers (VU-). Cross-sectional, comparative design. Outpatient clinic.PARTICPANTS: Participants (n = 61) were 31 persons VU+ and 30 persons VU-; 57.4% men; mean age, 54 years; 93% African American. Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand, TUG, physical activity, quality of life, comorbidities, falls, and body mass index. Participants VU+ were 36.8% slower on completion of the TUG test (P = .012) and 26.5% slower on completion of the FTSTS test (P = .081). Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand and TUG were strongly correlated with each other, r = 0.93, 0.87, P < .001 for VU- and VU+, respectively. Test-retest reliabilities for the FTSTS and TUG tests were high (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.89-0.94) for the VU+ and VU-. Within each group, correlations of FTSTS and TUG were similar for each of the variables examined. Across groups, correlations showed that the time to complete FTSTS and TUG increased as a function of comorbidities in the VU+ group; the correlations in the VU- group were not significantly different from zero. The VU+ group exhibited poorer physical performance than the VU- group. The high correlation between FTSTS and TUG and the similarity of correlations with other variables suggest that these physical performance measures may be interchangeable in their ability to predict physical functioning in these clinical groups despite differences in test demands. Clinicians need easy-to-perform reliable clinical tests such as FTSTS and TUG to assess mobility of aging injection users with venous ulcers.

Preliminary Findings of the Brief Everyday Activities Measurement (BEAM) in Older Adults.

PubMed

Scharaga, E A; Holtzer, R

2015-11-01

Functional losses are common in healthy and cognitively impaired older adults. However, subtle declines in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) are not always detected in self-reports. Performance IADL measurements are financially and time burdensome, restricting their use in varied settings. To address these limitations, we developed the Brief Everyday Activities Measure (BEAM), a short (< 5 minutes) objective IADL measure that assesses medication and finance management. The BEAM was administered to 209 cognitively non-demented community-dwellers (ages 65 - 95 years). Participants completed standardized motor, neuropsychological, psychological, and self-report functional assessments. BEAM completion time ranged from 54.16 to 259.31 seconds. Interclass correlations (ICC) for total BEAM completion time was moderate (0.65, 95% CI [.43 -.78]). Accuracy for total BEAM performance was in the low-moderate range (Kappa = 0.38, p < .001, 95% CI [.18 -.54]). As predicted, lower accuracy and longer time to complete the BEAM were both associated with worse executive functions, attention, and processing speed. Medication and finance management can be efficiently assessed within five minutes. The BEAM may be a valuable screening tool to evaluate these functional abilities.

An Analysis of Excellent Early Educational Practices: Preliminary Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Burton L.

This document reports the first phase of a longitudinal research project designed to produce information on how to raise children so their basic abilities may develop optimally during the first six years of life. Although this Preschool Project has been in operation five years, the study is not yet completed because statements about the effects of…

Creative Abilities in Early Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prieto, Maria Dolores; Parra, Joaquin; Ferrando, Mercedes; Ferrandiz, Carmen; Bermejo, Maria Rosario; Sanchez, Cristina

2006-01-01

The aim of this study is to explore creativity in Spanish children during their early years and to explore differences regarding gender and age. We have used a sample of 285 children between five and seven years old. To measure their creativity we used the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (TTCT). We have used the test of figured expression that…

Functional basic reading skills in Williams syndrome.

PubMed

Brawn, Gabrielle; Kohnen, Saskia; Tassabehji, May; Porter, Melanie

2018-03-30

This study investigated whether individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) can attain a functional level of basic reading skills. The Study also investigated broader cognitive factors associated with reading ability in individuals with WS. Thirty individuals with WS participated in this study (mean chronological age 21 years and mean mental age 7 years 7 months). The results supported our hypotheses that: firstly, reading abilities would be heterogeneous in WS; secondly, at least some WS individuals are capable of achieving a functional basic reading level; and thirdly, on average, WS individuals would find reading of nonwords more difficult than reading of regular and irregular words. Moreover, higher reading ability was found to be associated with increased outcomes in adaptive functioning, in particular, Written and Expressive Communication skills and Community Living skills, highlighting the potential benefits of developing reading abilities in WS. Although Intelligence Quotient (IQ) was related to overall basic reading ability generally, it was not found to be a determining factor in reading subtypes. Several cognitive skills known to be related to reading ability in typically developing individuals were found to be associated with reading performance and reading subtypes. Implications for appropriate reading instruction are discussed.

The effect of an enrolled nursing registration pathway program on undergraduate nursing students' confidence level: A pre- and post-test study.

PubMed

Crevacore, Carol; Jonas-Dwyer, Diana; Nicol, Pam

2016-04-01

In the latter half of the 20th century, registered nurse education moved to university degree level. As a result, there has been a reduction in access for students to clinical experience. In numerous studies, nursing graduates have reported that they do not feel prepared for practice. The importance of maximising every learning opportunity during nursing school is paramount. At Edith Cowan University, a program was initiated that allows students to become enrolled nurses at the midway point of their degree to enable them to work and therefore gain experience in the clinical practice setting during their education. This study investigated the effect of the program on the nursing students' perception of their clinical abilities and explored their ability to link theory to practice. The research design for this study was a quasi-experimental, prospective observational cohort study. The study included 39 second-year nursing students not enrolled in the program (Group 1), 45 second-year nursing students enrolled in the program (Group 2), and 28 third-year nursing students who completed the program and are working as enrolled nurses (Group 3). Participants were asked to complete a Five Dimension of Nursing Scale questionnaire. The quantitative analyses showed that students in Group 1 had statistically significant higher pre-questionnaire perceived abilities across all domains, except in two dimensions when compared to Group 2. The post-questionnaire analysis showed that Group 1 had statistically significant lower perceived abilities in four of the five dimensions compared to Group 2. Group 1 also had significantly lower abilities in all dimensions compared to Group 3. Group 3 had a significantly higher perception of their clinical abilities compared to Group 2. This study highlights the value of meaningful employment for undergraduate nursing students by providing opportunities to increase confidence in clinical abilities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Computer task performance by subjects with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

PubMed

Malheiros, Silvia Regina Pinheiro; da Silva, Talita Dias; Favero, Francis Meire; de Abreu, Luiz Carlos; Fregni, Felipe; Ribeiro, Denise Cardoso; de Mello Monteiro, Carlos Bandeira

2016-01-01

Two specific objectives were established to quantify computer task performance among people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). First, we compared simple computational task performance between subjects with DMD and age-matched typically developing (TD) subjects. Second, we examined correlations between the ability of subjects with DMD to learn the computational task and their motor functionality, age, and initial task performance. The study included 84 individuals (42 with DMD, mean age of 18±5.5 years, and 42 age-matched controls). They executed a computer maze task; all participants performed the acquisition (20 attempts) and retention (five attempts) phases, repeating the same maze. A different maze was used to verify transfer performance (five attempts). The Motor Function Measure Scale was applied, and the results were compared with maze task performance. In the acquisition phase, a significant decrease was found in movement time (MT) between the first and last acquisition block, but only for the DMD group. For the DMD group, MT during transfer was shorter than during the first acquisition block, indicating improvement from the first acquisition block to transfer. In addition, the TD group showed shorter MT than the DMD group across the study. DMD participants improved their performance after practicing a computational task; however, the difference in MT was present in all attempts among DMD and control subjects. Computational task improvement was positively influenced by the initial performance of individuals with DMD. In turn, the initial performance was influenced by their distal functionality but not their age or overall functionality.

[Correlation Between Functional Groups and Radical Scavenging Activities of Acidic Polysaccharides from Dendrobium].

PubMed

Liao, Ying; Yuan, Wen-yu; Zheng, Wen-ke; Luo, Ao-xue; Fan, Yi-jun

2015-11-01

To compare the radical scavenging activity of five different acidic polysaccharides, and to find the correlation with the functional groups. Alkali extraction method and Stepwise ethanol precipitation method were used to extract and concentrate the five Dendrobium polysaccharides, and to determine the contents of sulfuric acid and uronic acid of each kind of acidic polysaccharides, and the scavenging activity to ABTS+ radical and hydroxyl radical. Functional group structures were examined by FTIR Spectrometer. Five kinds of Dendrobium polysaccharides had different ability of scavenging ABTS+ free radical and hydroxyl free radical. Moreover, the study had shown that five kinds of antioxidant activity of acidic polysaccharides had obvious correlation withuronic acid and sulfuric acid. The antioxidant activity of each sample was positively correlated with the content of uronic acid, and negatively correlated with the content of sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid can inhibit the antioxidant activity of acidic polysaccharide but uronic acid can enhance the free radical scavenging activity. By analyzing the structure characteristics of five acidic polysaccharides, all samples have similar structures, however, Dendrobium denneanum, Dendrobium devonianum and Dendrobium officinale which had β configuration have higher antioxidant activity than Dendrobium nobile and Dendrobium fimbriatum which had a configuration.

The greenhouse stakes of globalization

EPA Science Inventory

As 2012 approaches, twenty-five years have passed since the Brundtland report defining sustainable development as a progress that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (United Nations). Currently, the fight a...

Fronto-Parietal Network Reconfiguration Supports the Development of Reasoning Ability.

PubMed

Wendelken, Carter; Ferrer, Emilio; Whitaker, Kirstie J; Bunge, Silvia A

2016-05-01

The goal of this fMRI study was to examine how well developmental improvements in reasoning ability can be explained by changes in functional connectivity between specific nodes in prefrontal and parietal cortices. To this end, we examined connectivity within the lateral fronto-parietal network (LFPN) and its relation to reasoning ability in 132 children and adolescents aged 6-18 years, 56 of whom were scanned twice over the course of 1.5 years. Developmental changes in strength of connections within the LFPN were most prominent in late childhood and early adolescence. Reasoning ability was related to functional connectivity between left rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC) and inferior parietal lobule (IPL), but only among 12-18-year olds. For 9-11-year olds, reasoning ability was most strongly related to connectivity between left and right RLPFC; this relationship was mediated by working memory. For 6-8-year olds, significant relationships between connectivity and performance were not observed; in this group, processing speed was the primary mediator of improvement in reasoning ability. We conclude that different connections best support reasoning at different points in development and that RLPFC-IPL connectivity becomes an important predictor of reasoning during adolescence. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Assessment of executive function in adolescence: a comparison of traditional and virtual reality tools.

PubMed

Lalonde, Gabrielle; Henry, Mylène; Drouin-Germain, Anne; Nolin, Pierre; Beauchamp, Miriam H

2013-09-30

Paper-pencil type tests are traditionally used in the assessment of executive functions (EF); however, concerns have been raised as to whether these represent actual functioning in everyday life. Virtual reality (VR) environments offer a novel alternative for the assessment of cognitive function and therefore have the potential to enhance the evaluation of EF by presenting individuals with stimuli that come closer to reproducing everyday situations. The aims of this study were to (1) establish which traditional paper-pencil EF tests from the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) are associated with performance on a VR-Stroop task and (2) compare D-KEFS tests and the VR-Stroop task in their ability to predict everyday EF and behavior, as measured by the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Thirty-eight typically developing adolescents aged between 13 and 17 years completed the ClinicaVR: Classroom-Stroop, and five D-KEFS subtests (Trail Making, Tower, Twenty Questions, Verbal Fluency and Color-Word Interference). Their parents completed the BRIEF and CBCL questionnaires. The results indicate that performance on the VR-Stroop task correlates with both traditional forms of EF assessment (D-KEFS, BRIEF). In particular, performance on the VR-Stroop task was closely associated with performance on a paper-pencil inhibition task. Furthermore, VR-Stroop performance more accurately reflected everyday behavioral EF than paper-pencil tasks. VR appears to offer an ecological perspective on everyday functioning and could be seen as complementary to traditional tests in the assessment of complex cognitive abilities. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of race and socioeconomic status on the relative influence of education and literacy on cognitive functioning.

PubMed

Dotson, Vonetta M; Kitner-Triolo, Melissa H; Evans, Michele K; Zonderman, Alan B

2009-07-01

Previous research has shown that reading ability is a stronger predictor of cognitive functioning than years of education, particularly for African Americans. The current study was designed to determine whether the relative influence of literacy and education on cognitive abilities varies as a function of race or socioeconomic status (SES). We examined the unique influence of education and reading scores on a range of cognitive tests in low- and higher-SES African Americans and Whites. Literacy significantly predicted scores on all but one cognitive measure in both African American groups and low-SES Whites, while education was not significantly associated with any cognitive measure. In contrast, both education and reading scores predicted performance on many cognitive measures in higher-SES Whites. These findings provide further evidence that reading ability better predicts cognitive functioning than years of education and suggest that disadvantages associated with racial minority status and low SES affect the relative influence of literacy and years of education on cognition.

Longitudinal Investigation of Adaptive Functioning Following Conformal Irradiation for Pediatric Craniopharyngioma and Low-Grade Glioma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Netson, Kelli L.; Conklin, Heather M.; Wu, Shengjie

2013-04-01

Purpose: Children treated for brain tumors with conformal radiation therapy experience preserved cognitive outcomes. Early evidence suggests that adaptive functions or independent-living skills may be spared. This longitudinal investigation prospectively examined intellectual and adaptive functioning during the first 5 years following irradiation for childhood craniopharyngioma and low-grade glioma (LGG). The effect of visual impairment on adaptive outcomes was investigated. Methods and Materials: Children with craniopharyngioma (n=62) and LGG (n=77) were treated using conformal or intensity modulated radiation therapy. The median age was 8.05 years (3.21-17.64 years) and 8.09 years (2.20-19.27 years), respectively. Serial cognitive evaluations including measures of intelligence quotientmore » (IQ) and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) were conducted at preirradiation baseline, 6 months after treatment, and annually through 5 years. Five hundred eighty-eight evaluations were completed during the follow-up period. Results: Baseline assessment revealed no deficits in IQ and VABS indices for children with craniopharyngioma, with significant (P<.05) longitudinal decline in VABS Communication and Socialization indices. Clinical factors associated with more rapid decline included females and preirradiation chemotherapy (interferon). The only change in VABS Daily Living Skills correlated with IQ change (r=0.34; P=.01) in children with craniopharyngioma. Children with LGG performed below population norms (P<.05) at baseline on VABS Communication, Daily Living Indices, and the Adaptive Behavior Composite, with significant (P<.05) longitudinal decline limited to VABS Communication. Older age at irradiation was a protective factor against longitudinal decline. Severe visual impairment did not independently correlate with poorer adaptive outcomes for either tumor group. Conclusions: There was relative sparing of postirradiation functional outcomes over time in this sample. Baseline differences in functional abilities before the initiation of irradiation suggested that other factors influence functional outcomes above and beyond the effects of irradiation.« less

Health, functional ability and life satisfaction among older people 65 years and over: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Rodgers, Vivien; Neville, Stephen; La Grow, Steven

2017-06-01

Satisfaction with life is a complex interplay of older people's perspectives on life achievements. Satisfaction with life, alongside health and functional ability contribute to successful ageing. To explore the impact of increasing age on older people's perceptions of their health, functional ability and life satisfaction. A cross-sectional survey of non-institutionalised older people (65+) was conducted (n = 542). The Short Form-12 Health Survey measured perceived physical and mental health, the Groningen Activity Restriction Scale measured functional ability and the Satisfaction With Life Scale measured life satisfaction. Significant group differences were found; while participants' perceptions of health and function decreased with age, perceptions of life satisfaction increased. Unexpectedly, the youngest groups reported low levels of life satisfaction while the oldest reported very high levels. Further study should consider factors that might influence the perception of health, functional ability and particularly life satisfaction across older age groups.

Predictive abilities of cardiovascular biomarkers to rapid decline of renal function in Chinese community-dwelling population: a 5-year prospective analysis.

PubMed

Fu, Shihui; Liu, Chunling; Luo, Leiming; Ye, Ping

2017-11-09

Predictive abilities of cardiovascular biomarkers to renal function decline are more significant in Chinese community-dwelling population without glomerular filtration rate (GFR) below 60 ml/min/1.73m 2 , and long-term prospective study is an optimal choice to explore this problem. Aim of this analysis was to observe this problem during the follow-up of 5 years. In a large medical check-up program in Beijing, there were 948 participants with renal function evaluated at baseline and follow-up of 5 years. Physical examinations were performed by well-trained physicians. Blood samples were analyzed by qualified technicians in central laboratory. Median rate of renal function decline was 1.46 (0.42-2.91) mL/min/1.73m 2 /year. Rapid decline of renal function had a prevalence of 23.5% (223 participants). Multivariate linear and Logistic regression analyses confirmed that age, sex, baseline GFR, homocysteine and N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) had independently predictive abilities to renal function decline rate and rapid decline of renal function (p < 0.05 for all). High-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), carotid femoral pulse wave velocity and central augmentation index had no statistically independent association with renal function decline rate and rapid decline of renal function (p > 0.05 for all). Homocysteine and NT-proBNP rather than hs-cTnT had independently predictive abilities to rapid decline of renal function in Chinese community-dwelling population without GFR below 60 ml/min/1.73m 2 . Baseline GFR was an independent factor predicting the rapid decline of renal function. Arterial stiffness and compliance had no independent effect on rapid decline of renal function. This analysis has a significant implication for public health, and changing the homocysteine and NT-proBNP levels might slow the rapid decline of renal function.

Daytime sleepiness, exercise, and physical function in older adults.

PubMed

Chasens, Eileen R; Sereika, Susan M; Weaver, Terri E; Umlauf, Mary Grace

2007-03-01

The purpose of this study was to describe the association between sleepiness, exercise, and physical function in older adults, testing the hypothesis that sleepiness predicts decreased exercise and impaired physical function in this population. We performed a secondary analysis of data from the National Sleep Foundation's Sleep in America Poll, comparing frequency of exercise and ability to perform functional tasks between sleepy and non-sleepy subjects. Trained interviewers administered a scripted telephone survey. Participants (n = 1506) were community-dwelling older Americans (55-84 years) randomly chosen from geographically representative households with listed telephone numbers. Sleepiness 'so severe that it interferes with daytime activity' was dichotomized as 'daily/frequently' or 'never/rare'. Exercise frequency was scored 1-4 ('less than once a week' to 'more than five times a week'). Responses to five questions (walk 0.5 mile, climb stairs, push/pull heavy object, stoop/crouch/or kneel, write, handle small objects), rated 1-5 ('no difficulty' to 'unable to do'), were summed; a mean score of > or = 2.5 was considered impaired physical function. Daytime sleepiness predicted low exercise frequency while controlling for age and body mass index (BMI) (OR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.031-1.897, P = 0.031). Frequent daytime sleepiness predicted impaired physical function (OR = 2.76, 95%CI = 0.237-0.553, P = 0.001) after controlling for age, BMI, income and number of co-morbid conditions. The conclusion was that daytime sleepiness in older adults is associated with physical functional impairments and decreased exercise frequency. The findings suggest that sleepiness in older adults is not benign but has implications for continued physical decline and warrants attention.

Anticipated significant work limitation in primary care consulters with osteoarthritis: a prospective cohort study

PubMed Central

Wilkie, Ross; Phillipson, Chris; Hay, Elaine M; Pransky, Glenn

2014-01-01

Objective To describe the prevalence of expected work limitations (EWL) prior to future retirement age in osteoarthritis consulters, and the associated health, sociodemographic and workplace factors. Design Population-based prospective cohort study. Setting General practices in Staffordshire, England. Participants 297 working adults aged 50–65, who had consulted primary care for osteoarthritis. Outcome EWL was defined using a single question, “Do you think joint pain will limit your ability to work before you reach 69 years old?” Results 51 (17.2%) indicated that joint pain would not limit their ability to work until 69, 79 (26.6%) indicated EWL and 167 (56.2%) did not know if joint pain would limit work before 69. In bivariate analysis, physical function (OR 0.93; 95% CI 0.91 to 0.96), depression (4.51; 1.81 to 11.3), cognitive symptom (3.84; 1.81 to 8.18), current smoker (2.75; 1.02 to 7.38), age (0.69; 0.58 to 0.82), physically demanding job (3.18; 1.50 to 6.72), no opportunities to retrain (3.01; 1.29 to 7.05) and work dissatisfaction (3.69; 1.43 to 9.49) were associated with EWL. The final multivariate model included physical function and age. Conclusions Only one in five osteoarthritis consulters expected that joint pain would not limit their work participation before 69 years of age. Given the expectation for people to work until they are older, the results highlight the increasing need for clinicians to include work participation in their consultation and implement strategies to address work loss/limitation. Targeting pain-related functional limitation and effective communication with employers to manage workplace issues could reduce EWL. PMID:25190616

Climate-suitable planting as a strategy for maintaining forest productivity and functional diversity.

PubMed

Duveneck, Matthew J; Scheller, Robert M

2015-09-01

Within the time frame of the longevity of tree species, climate change will change faster than the ability of natural tree migration. Migration lags may result in reduced productivity and reduced diversity in forests under current management and climate change. We evaluated the efficacy of planting climate-suitable tree species (CSP), those tree species with current or historic distributions immediately south of a focal landscape, to maintain or increase aboveground biomass productivity, and species and functional diversity. We modeled forest change with the LANDIS-II forest simulation model for 100 years (2000-2100) at a 2-ha cell resolution and five-year time steps within two landscapes in the Great Lakes region (northeastern Minnesota and northern lower Michigan, USA). We compared current climate to low- and high-emission futures. We simulated a low-emission climate future with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2007 B1 emission scenario and the Parallel Climate Model Global Circulation Model (GCM). We simulated a high-emission climate future with the IPCC A1FI emission scenario and the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) GCM. We compared current forest management practices (business-as-usual) to CSP management. In the CSP scenario, we simulated a target planting of 5.28% and 4.97% of forested area per five-year time step in the Minnesota and Michigan landscapes, respectively. We found that simulated CSP species successfully established in both landscapes under all climate scenarios. The presence of CSP species generally increased simulated aboveground biomass. Species diversity increased due to CSP; however, the effect on functional diversity was variable. Because the planted species were functionally similar to many native species, CSP did not result in a consistent increase nor decrease in functional diversity. These results provide an assessment of the potential efficacy and limitations of CSP management. These results have management implications for sites where diversity and productivity are expected to decline. Future efforts to restore a specific species or forest type may not be possible, but CSP may sustain a more general ecosystem service (e.g., aboveground biomass).

Visuomotor Tracking Ability of Young Adult Speakers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moon, Jerald B.; And Others

1993-01-01

Twenty-five normal young adult speakers tracked sinusoidal and unpredictable target signals using lower lip and jaw movement and fundamental frequency modulation. Tracking accuracy varied as a function of target frequency and articulator used to track. Results show the potential of visuomotor tracking tasks in the assessment of speech articulatory…

Limited arthrodesis of the wrist for treatment of giant cell tumor of the distal radius.

PubMed

Flouzat-Lachaniette, Charles-Henri; Babinet, Antoine; Kahwaji, Antoine; Anract, Philippe; Biau, David-Jean

2013-08-01

To present the functional results of a technique of radiocarpal arthrodesis and reconstruction with a structural nonvascularized autologous bone graft after en bloc resection of giant cell tumors of the distal radius. A total of 13 patients with a mean age of 37 years with aggressive giant cell tumor (Campanacci grade III) of distal radius were managed with en bloc resection and reconstruction with a structural nonvascularized bone graft. The primary outcome measure was the disability evaluated by the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society rating score of limb salvage. Secondary outcomes included survival of the reconstruction measured from the date of the operation to revision procedure for any reason (mechanical, infectious, or oncologic). Other outcomes included active wrist motion and ability to resume work. Mean follow-up period was 6 years (range, 2-14 y). The median arc of motion at the midcarpal joint was 40°, median wrist flexion was 20°, and median extension was 10°. The median Musculoskeletal Tumor Society score based on the analysis of factors pertinent to the patient as a whole (pain, functional activities, and emotional acceptance) and specific to the upper limb (positioning of the hand, manual dexterity, and lifting ability) was 86%. Five patients underwent a second surgical procedure. The cumulative probability of reoperation for mechanical reason was 31% at similar follow-up times at 2, 5, and 10 years. This technique provided a stable wrist and partially restored wrist motion with limited pain. However, further surgical procedures may be necessary to reach this goal. Therapeutic IV. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Ability and Health-Related Behaviors during Adolescence: A Prospective Study across Five Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ciarrochi, Joseph; Heaven, Patrick C. L.; Skinner, Timothy

2012-01-01

Longitudinal research on the links between intelligence and health behaviors among adolescents is rare. We report longitudinal data in which we assessed the relationships between intelligence as assessed in Grade 7 and consequential health outcomes in Grade 11. The mean age of respondents (N = 420; 188 males, 232 females) was 12.30 years (SD =…

Subjective health complaints, functional ability, fear avoidance beliefs, and days on sickness benefits after work rehabilitation - a mediation model.

PubMed

Øyeflaten, Irene; Opsahl, Jon; Eriksen, Hege R; Braathen, Tore Norendal; Lie, Stein Atle; Brage, Søren; Ihlebæk, Camilla M; Breivik, Kyrre

2016-05-23

Long-term sick leave and withdrawal from working life is a concern in western countries. In Norway, comprehensive inpatient work rehabilitation may be offered to sick listed individuals at risk of long-term absence from work. Knowledge about prognostic factors for work outcomes after long-term sick leave and work rehabilitation is still limited. The aim of this study was to test a mediation model for various hypothesized biopsychosocial predictors of continued sick leave after inpatient work rehabilitation. One thousand one hundred fifty-five participants on long-term sick leave from eight different work rehabilitation clinics answered comprehensive questionnaires at arrival to the clinic, and were followed with official register data on sickness benefits for 3 years. Structural equation models were conducted, with days on sickness benefits after work rehabilitation as the outcome. Fear avoidance beliefs for work mediated the relation between both musculoskeletal complaints and education on days on sickness benefits after work rehabilitation. The relation between musculoskeletal complaints and fear avoidance beliefs for work was furthermore fully mediated by poor physical function. Previous sick leave had a strong independent effect on continued sick leave after work rehabilitation. Fear avoidance beliefs for work did not mediate the small effect of pseudoneurological complaints on continued sick leave. Poor coping/interaction ability was neither related to continued sick leave nor fear avoidance beliefs for work. The mediation model was partly supported by the data, and provides some possible new insight into how fear avoidance beliefs for work and functional ability may intervene with subjective health complaints and days on sickness benefits after work rehabilitation.

Capture stress and the bactericidal competence of blood and plasma in five species of tropical birds.

PubMed

Matson, Kevin D; Tieleman, B Irene; Klasing, Kirk C

2006-01-01

In wild birds, relatively little is known about intra- or interspecific variation in immunological capabilities, and even less is known about the effects of stress on immune function. Immunological assays adaptable to field settings and suitable for a wide variety of taxa will prove most useful for addressing these issues. We describe a novel application of an in vitro technique that measures the intrinsic bacteria-killing abilities of blood. We assessed the capacities of whole blood and plasma from free-living individuals of five tropical bird species to kill a nonpathogenic strain of E. coli before and after the birds experienced an acute stress. Killing invasive bacteria is a fundamental immune function, and the bacteria-killing assay measures constitutive, innate immunity integrated across circulating cell and protein components. Killing ability varied significantly across species, with common ground doves exhibiting the lowest levels and blue-crowned motmots exhibiting the highest levels. Across species, plasma killed bacteria as effectively as whole blood, and higher concentrations of plasma killed significantly better. One hour of acute stress reduced killing ability by up to 40%. This assay is expected to be useful in evolutionary and ecological studies dealing with physiological and immunological differences in birds.

Long-term outcomes five years after selective dorsal rhizotomy

PubMed Central

Nordmark, Eva; Josenby, Annika Lundkvist; Lagergren, Jan; Andersson, Gert; Strömblad, Lars-Göran; Westbom, Lena

2008-01-01

Background Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) is a well accepted neurosurgical procedure performed for the relief of spasticity interfering with motor function in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). The goal is to improve function, but long-term outcome studies are rare. The aims of this study were to evaluate long-term functional outcomes, safety and side effects during five postoperative years in all children with diplegia undergoing SDR combined with physiotherapy. Methods This study group consisted of 35 children, consecutively operated, with spastic diplegia, of which 26 were Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels III–V. Mean age was 4.5 years (range 2.5–6.6). They were all assessed by the same multidisciplinary team at pre- and at 6, 12, 18 months, 3 and 5 years postoperatively. Clinical and demographic data, complications and number of rootlets cut were prospectively registered. Deep tendon reflexes and muscle tone were examined, the latter graded with the modified Ashworth scale. Passive range of motion (PROM) was measured with a goniometer. Motor function was classified according to the GMFCS and measured with the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-88) and derived into GMFM-66. Parent's opinions about the children's performance of skills and activities and the amount of caregiver assistance were measured with Pediatric Evaluation Disability Inventory (PEDI). Results The mean proportion of rootlets cut in S2-L2 was 40%. Muscle tone was immediately reduced in adductors, hamstrings and dorsiflexors (p < 0.001) with no recurrence of spasticity over the 5 years. For GMFCS-subgroups I–II, III and IV–V significant improvements during the five years were seen in PROM for hip abduction, popliteal angle and ankle dorsiflexion (p = 0.001), capacity of gross motor function (GMFM) (p = 0.001), performance of functional skills and independence in self-care and mobility (PEDI) (p = 0.001). Conclusion SDR is a safe and effective method for reducing spasticity permanently without major negative side effects. In combination with physiotherapy, in a group of carefully selected and systematically followed young children with spastic diplegia, it provides lasting functional benefits over a period of at least five years postoperatively. PMID:19077294

Developing Students' Functional Thinking in Algebra through Different Visualisations of a Growing Pattern's Structure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkie, Karina J,; Clarke, Doug

2014-01-01

This design-based research project investigated the development of functional thinking in algebra for the upper primary years of schooling. Ten teachers and their students were involved in a sequence of five cycles of collaborative planning, team-teaching, evaluating and revising five lessons on functional thinking for their students over one…

A dose-effect analysis of children's exposure to dental amalgam and neuropsychological function: the New England Children's Amalgam Trial.

PubMed

Bellinger, David C; Trachtenberg, Felicia; Daniel, David; Zhang, Annie; Tavares, Mary A; McKinlay, Sonja

2007-09-01

The New England Children's Amalgam Trial (NECAT) was a five-year randomized trial of 534 6- to 10-year-old children that compared the neuropsychological outcomes of those whose caries were restored using dental amalgam with the outcomes of those those whose caries were restored using mercury-free resin-based composite. The primary intention-to-treat analyses did not reveal significant differences between the treatment groups on the primary or secondary outcomes of the administered psychological tests: Full-Scale IQ score on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition, General Memory Index of the Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning, and Visual-Motor Composite of the Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities. To determine whether treatment group assignment, a dichotomous measure of exposure, was sufficiently sensitive to detect associations between mercury exposure and these outcomes, the authors conducted analyses to evaluate the associations between the primary and secondary outcomes and two continuously distributed indexes of potential exposure, surface-years of amalgam and urinary mercury excretion. Neither index of mercury exposure was significantly associated with any of the three outcomes. The authors found no evidence that exposure to mercury from dental amalgam was associated with any adverse neuropsychological effects over the five-year period after placement of amalgam restorations. Analyses of the outcomes of the NECAT study indicate that use of dental amalgam was not associated with an increase in children's risk of experiencing neuropsychological dysfunction.

Age-Dependent Effects of Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT) Gene Val158Met Polymorphism on Language Function in Developing Children.

PubMed

Sugiura, Lisa; Toyota, Tomoko; Matsuba-Kurita, Hiroko; Iwayama, Yoshimi; Mazuka, Reiko; Yoshikawa, Takeo; Hagiwara, Hiroko

2017-01-01

The genetic basis controlling language development remains elusive. Previous studies of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met genotype and cognition have focused on prefrontally guided executive functions involving dopamine. However, COMT may further influence posterior cortical regions implicated in language perception. We investigated whether COMT influences language ability and cortical language processing involving the posterior language regions in 246 children aged 6-10 years. We assessed language ability using a language test and cortical responses recorded during language processing using a word repetition task and functional near-infrared spectroscopy. The COMT genotype had significant effects on language performance and processing. Importantly, Met carriers outperformed Val homozygotes in language ability during the early elementary school years (6-8 years), whereas Val homozygotes exhibited significant language development during the later elementary school years. Both genotype groups exhibited equal language performance at approximately 10 years of age. Val homozygotes exhibited significantly less cortical activation compared with Met carriers during word processing, particularly at older ages. These findings regarding dopamine transmission efficacy may be explained by a hypothetical inverted U-shaped curve. Our findings indicate that the effects of the COMT genotype on language ability and cortical language processing may change in a narrow age window of 6-10 years. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

Effects of a recreational ice skating program on the functional mobility of a child with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Walsh, Sharon Fleming; Scharf, Michael G

2014-04-01

The purpose of this study was to describe the effects of an ice skating program on the ambulation, strength, posture and balance of a child with cerebral palsy (CP). The subject was a five-year-old female with a diagnosis of CP and a Gross Motor Classification System level of III. The subject was a slow and labored household ambulator on level surfaces with bilateral forearm crutches and bilateral ankle foot orthoses. She was unable to transfer to and from the floor to stand independently, stand unsupported or take steps independently. Until the initiation of this study she was receiving physical therapy services 2×/week. For the purpose of this study she participated in a 1 h/week local ice skating program for people with disabilities for a period of four months. The subject displayed clinically significant improvements in functional mobility including: improved standing posture; independent transfer to and from the floor to stand; maintenance of independent standing for 3 min; independent walking for 10 feet; increased ability to isolate extremity musculature; increased strength; improved Gross Motor Function Measure-88 scores and increased endurance. A subsequent testing session four months after the ice skating program had ended displayed declines but not to pre-intervention levels in muscle strength; ability to transfer to and from the floor to stand; functional mobility and standing balance. The results appear to suggest that the participation in an ice skating program clinically improved this child's functional mobility. Further research needs to be done with regard to physical recreational programs and the benefit they can have on the function of children with activity limitations.

Proof of concept of the ability of the kinect to quantify upper extremity function in dystrophinopathy.

PubMed

Lowes, Linda P; Alfano, Lindsay N; Yetter, Brent A; Worthen-Chaudhari, Lise; Hinchman, William; Savage, Jordan; Samona, Patrick; Flanigan, Kevin M; Mendell, Jerry R

2013-03-14

Individuals with dystrophinopathy lose upper extremity strength in proximal muscles followed by those more distal. Current upper extremity evaluation tools fail to fully capture changes in upper extremity strength and function across the disease spectrum as they tend to focus solely on distal ability. The Kinect by Microsoft is a gaming interface that can gather positional information about an individual's upper extremity movement which can be used to determine functional reaching volume, velocity of movement, and rate of fatigue while playing an engaging video game. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of using the Kinect platform to assess upper extremity function in individuals with dystrophinopathy across the spectrum of abilities. Investigators developed a proof-of-concept device, ACTIVE (Abilities Captured Through Interactive Video Evaluation), to measure functional reaching volume, movement velocity, and rate of fatigue. Five subjects with dystrophinopathy and 5 normal controls were tested using ACTIVE during one testing session. A single subject with dystrophinopathy was simultaneously tested with ACTIVE and a marker-based motion analysis system to establish preliminary validity of measurements. ACTIVE proof-of-concept ranked the upper extremity abilities of subjects with dystrophinopathy by Brooke score, and also differentiated them from performance of normal controls for the functional reaching volume and velocity tests. Preliminary test-retest reliability of the ACTIVE for 2 sequential trials was excellent for functional reaching volume (ICC=0.986, p<0.001) and velocity trials (ICC=0.963, p<0.001). The data from our pilot study with ACTIVE proof-of-concept demonstrates that newly available gaming technology has potential to be used to create a low-cost, widely-accessible and functional upper extremity outcome measure for use with children and adults with dystrophinopathy.

Symptoms, disabilities, and life satisfaction five years after whiplash injuries.

PubMed

Styrke, Johan; Sojka, Peter; Björnstig, Ulf; Stålnacke, Britt-Marie

2017-12-29

Background Chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WADs) are often associated with social functioning problems and decreased ability to perform previous activities. This may lead to decreased life satisfaction, which is insufficiently studied in the context of whiplash injuries. Symptoms included in chronic WAD are similar to symptoms frequently reported by persons who have sustained mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI)/concussion. In cases of MTBI, the severity and number of symptoms have been suggested to have a diagnostic value. The corresponding importance of symptoms in chronic WAD has not been documented. Most studies of whiplash injuries have focused on neck pain because this is the dominant complaint, while other symptoms are less studied. The frequency of long-term symptoms after whiplash injuries seems to vary. It is difficult to compare the long-term outcome since the follow-up after whiplash injury in most studies has been rather short. Therefore, the primary aim of this investigation was to study neck pain and other symptoms, disability, and life satisfaction five years after whiplash injury in a defined population and geographical area. Methods The study was carried out at a public hospital in northern Sweden and was a cross-sectional survey of patients five years after the injury event in a cohort of whiplash-injured patients. Five years after the emergency department visit, 186 persons aged 18-64 answered questionnaires on symptoms (Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire, RPQ), disabilities (Rivermead Head Injury Follow Up Questionnaire, RHFUQ), and life satisfaction (LiSat-11). The answers were compared to those of a comparison cohort. Results The most common symptoms five years after whiplash injury were fatigue (41%), poor memory (39%), and headache (37%). Inability to sustain previous workload (44%) and fatigue at work (43%) were frequently reported disabilities. Only 39% were satisfied with their somatic health and 60% with their psychological health. Compared with healthy controls, the whiplash injured exhibited more symptoms and had lower life satisfaction. Women reported significantly higher pain intensity than men. Few significant differences between women and men regarding the other parameters were found. Conclusions This study shows that five years after a whiplash injury, patients reported symptoms that are typical of mild traumatic brain injury. Further, this study emphasizes the possibility of screening patients with chronic WAD for these symptoms as a complement to the assessment. Implications Untreated symptoms may negatively affect the outcome of pain rehabilitation. This implies that it might be clinically meaningful to quantify symptoms earlier in the rehabilitation process.

34 CFR 608.4 - What definitions apply?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STRENGTHENING HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES PROGRAM General § 608.4... academic requirements for undergraduate studies in not more than five consecutive school years. Junior or... and who have the ability to benefit from the training offered by the institution; (ii) Does not...

Work ability among nursing personnel in public hospitals and health centers in Campinas--Brazil.

PubMed

Monteiro, Inês; Chillida, Manuela de Santana Pi; Moreno, Luciana Contrera

2012-01-01

Nursing personnel is essential in hospital, health centers and enterprises and is the large work force in health system. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a large city in two public hospitals and five health centre with the objective of to evaluate the work ability and health aspects of nursing staff. The sample was composed by 570 workers. The Work Ability Index - WAI and a questionnaire with socio-demographic, health and life style data was applied. The majority of workers was women (83%), married (50.4%), and was working in night shift work (65.6%); 61.4% was auxiliary nursing, 22.3% was registered nurses (RN). The average age was 38.9 years (SD 7.8) and the Body Mass Index mean was 25.8 (SD 5.3). Only 17.2% referred to practice at least 150 minutes of physical exercise five times per week or more. 26.8% had a second job. The work ability mean was 39.3 (SD 5.3) points. Age had a negative correlation with WAI (p=0.0052). Public hospital and health centre workers had poor work ability score when compared with workers from another branches. Public policies related to workplace health promotion need to be implemented in public hospital and health centre to improve the work ability.

Overall accessibility to traveling by rail for the elderly with and without functional limitations: the whole-trip perspective.

PubMed

Sundling, Catherine; Berglund, Birgitta; Nilsson, Mats E; Emardson, Ragne; Pendrill, Leslie R

2014-12-01

Elderly persons' perceived accessibility to railway traveling depends on their functional limitations/diseases, their functional abilities and their travel behaviors in interaction with the barriers encountered during whole trips. A survey was conducted on a random sample of 1000 city residents (65-85 years old; 57% response rate). The travels were perceived least accessible by respondents with severely reduced functional ability and by those with more than one functional limitation/disease (e.g., restricted mobility and chronic pain). Those who traveled "often", perceived the accessibility to be better than those who traveled less frequently. For travelers with high functional ability, the main barriers to more frequent traveling were travel costs and low punctuality. For those with low functional ability, one's own health was reported to be the main barrier. Our results clarify the links among existing functional limitations/functional abilities, the barriers encountered, the travel behavior, and the overall accessibility to traveling. By operationalizing the whole-trip concept as a chain of events, we deliver practical knowledge on vulnerable groups for decision-making to improve the transport environment for all.

Effect of intravenous pamidronate therapy on functional abilities and level of ambulation in children with osteogenesis imperfecta.

PubMed

Land, Christof; Rauch, Frank; Montpetit, Kathleen; Ruck-Gibis, Joanne; Glorieux, Francis H

2006-04-01

To evaluate the functional abilities and the level of ambulation during pamidronate therapy in children with moderate to severe osteogenesis imperfecta. Functional abilities, ambulation, and grip force were assessed in 59 patients (mean age, 6.1 years; range, 0.5-15.7 years; 30 girls) during 3 years of pamidronate treatment. Functional skills (mobility and self-care) were both assessed by using the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory. Ambulation level was assessed by using the modified Bleck score. For 48 patients, results after 3 years of pamidronate treatment could be matched to those of patients with similar age and disease severity who had not received pamidronate. Mobility and self-care scores increased during the study period (+43% and +30%, respectively). The average ambulation score changed from 0.8 to 1.9. Maximal isometric grip force increased by 63%. Mobility and ambulation scores and grip force measures were significantly higher than in patients who had not received pamidronate. The difference in self-care scores did not reach significance. This study suggests that cyclical pamidronate treatment improves mobility, ambulation level, and muscle force in children with moderate to severe osteogenesis imperfecta.

Cognitive function is associated with risk aversion in community-based older persons.

PubMed

Boyle, Patricia A; Yu, Lei; Buchman, Aron S; Laibson, David I; Bennett, David A

2011-09-11

Emerging data from younger and middle-aged persons suggest that cognitive ability is negatively associated with risk aversion, but this association has not been studied among older persons who are at high risk of experiencing loss of cognitive function. Using data from 369 community-dwelling older persons without dementia from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, an ongoing longitudinal epidemiologic study of aging, we examined the correlates of risk aversion and tested the hypothesis that cognition is negatively associated with risk aversion. Global cognition and five specific cognitive abilities were measured via detailed cognitive testing, and risk aversion was measured using standard behavioral economics questions in which participants were asked to choose between a certain monetary payment ($15) versus a gamble in which they could gain more than $15 or gain nothing; potential gamble gains ranged from $21.79 to $151.19 with the gain amounts varied randomly over questions. We first examined the bivariate associations of age, education, sex, income and cognition with risk aversion. Next, we examined the associations between cognition and risk aversion via mixed models adjusted for age, sex, education, and income. Finally, we conducted sensitivity analyses to ensure that our results were not driven by persons with preclinical cognitive impairment. In bivariate analyses, sex, education, income and global cognition were associated with risk aversion. However, in a mixed effect model, only sex (estimate = -1.49, standard error (SE) = 0.39, p < 0.001) and global cognitive function (estimate = -1.05, standard error (SE) = 0.34, p < 0.003) were significantly inversely associated with risk aversion. Thus, a lower level of global cognitive function and female sex were associated with greater risk aversion. Moreover, performance on four out of the five cognitive domains was negatively related to risk aversion (i.e., semantic memory, episodic memory, working memory, and perceptual speed); performance on visuospatial abilities was not. A lower level of cognitive ability and female sex are associated with greater risk aversion in advanced age.

The item level psychometrics of the behaviour rating inventory of executive function-adult (BRIEF-A) in a TBI sample.

PubMed

Waid-Ebbs, J Kay; Wen, Pey-Shan; Heaton, Shelley C; Donovan, Neila J; Velozo, Craig

2012-01-01

To determine whether the psychometrics of the BRIEF-A are adequate for individuals diagnosed with TBI. A prospective observational study in which the BRIEF-A was collected as part of a larger study. Informant ratings of the 75-item BRIEF-A on 89 individuals diagnosed with TBI were examined to determine items level psychometrics for each of the two BRIEF-A indexes: Behaviour Rating Index (BRI) and Metacognitive Index (MI). Patients were either outpatients or at least 1 year post-injury. Each index measured a latent trait, separating individuals into five-to-six ability levels and demonstrated good reliability (0.94 and 0.96). Four items were identified that did not meet the infit criteria. The results provide support for the use of the BRIEF-A as a supplemental assessment of executive function in TBI populations. However, further validation is needed with other measures of executive function. Recommendations include use of the index scores over the Global Executive Composite score and use of the difficulty hierarchy for setting therapy goals.

Comparing the effects of combined numerical and visuo- spatial psychoeducational trainings conducted by curricular teachers and external trainers. Preliminary evidence across kindergarteners.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agus, M.; Mascia, M. L.; Fastame, M. C.; Napoleone, V.; Porru, A. M.; Siddu, F.; Lucangeli, D.; Penna, M. P.

2016-11-01

The aim of this study was to verify the efficacy of two pencil-and-paper trainings empowering numerical and visuo-spatial abilities in Italian five-year-old kindergarteners. Specifically, the trainings were respectively carried out by the curricular teacher or by an external trainer. The former received a specific training in order to use the psychoeducational programmes with her pupils, whereas the latter received a specific education about the role of numerical and visuo-spatial abilities for school achievement and she was also trained to use psychoeducational trainings in kindergarten schools. At pre-test and post-test nonverbal functions and numeracy knowledge were assessed through a battery of standardized tests. The results show that both the numerical psychoeducational programme and the visuo-spatial one are useful tools to enhance mathematical achievements in kindergarteners. However, when the trainings were proposed by the external trainer, the efficacy of the psychoeducational programmes was more significant. These outcomes seem to be related both to the expertise and the novelty effect of the external trainer on the classroom.

Social Cognitive Predictors of Peer Acceptance at Age 5 and the Moderating Effects of Gender

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Braza, Francisco; Azurmendi, Aitziber; Munoz, Jose M.; Carreras, Maria R.; Braza, Paloma; Garcia, Ainhoa; Sorozabal, Aizpea; Sanchez-Martin, Jose R.

2009-01-01

In this study we examined the effects of social intelligence, empathy, verbal ability and appearance-reality distinction on the level of peer acceptance, as well as the moderating role of gender. Participants were 98 five-year-old children (43 boys and 55 girls; mean age 5 years 3 months for boys and girls). Our results showed a main effect of…

Phonological Awareness: Explicit Instruction for Young Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Elizabeth M.; Lederberg, Amy R.; Easterbrooks, Susan R.

2013-01-01

The goal of this study was to explore the development of spoken phonological awareness for deaf and hard-of-hearing children (DHH) with functional hearing (i.e., the ability to access spoken language through hearing). Teachers explicitly taught five preschoolers the phonological awareness skills of syllable segmentation, initial phoneme isolation,…

Introducing folding stability into the score function for computational design of RNA-binding peptides boosts the probability of success.

PubMed

Xiao, Xingqing; Agris, Paul F; Hall, Carol K

2016-05-01

A computational strategy that integrates our peptide search algorithm with atomistic molecular dynamics simulation was used to design rational peptide drugs that recognize and bind to the anticodon stem and loop domain (ASL(Lys3)) of human tRNAUUULys3 for the purpose of interrupting HIV replication. The score function of the search algorithm was improved by adding a peptide stability term weighted by an adjustable factor λ to the peptide binding free energy. The five best peptide sequences associated with five different values of λ were determined using the search algorithm and then input in atomistic simulations to examine the stability of the peptides' folded conformations and their ability to bind to ASL(Lys3). Simulation results demonstrated that setting an intermediate value of λ achieves a good balance between optimizing the peptide's binding ability and stabilizing its folded conformation during the sequence evolution process, and hence leads to optimal binding to the target ASL(Lys3). Thus, addition of a peptide stability term significantly improves the success rate for our peptide design search. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effects of Five Ayurvedic Herbs on Locomotor Behaviour in a Drosophila melanogaster Parkinson’s Disease Model

PubMed Central

Jansen, R. L. M.; Brogan, B.; Whitworth, A. J.; Okello, E. J.

2015-01-01

Current conventional treatments for Parkinson’s disease (PD) are aimed at symptom management, as there is currently no known cure or treatment that can slow down its progression. Ayurveda, the ancient medical system of India, uses a combination of herbs to combat the disease. Herbs commonly used for this purpose are Zandopa (containing Mucuna pruriens), Withania somnifera, Centella asiatica, Sida cordifolia and Bacopa monnieri. In this study, these herbs were tested for their potential ability to improve climbing ability of a fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) PD model based on loss of function of phosphatase and tensin-induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1). Fruit flies were cultured on food containing individual herbs or herbal formulations, a combination of all five herbs, levodopa (positive control) or no treatment (negative control). Tests were performed in both PINK1 mutant flies and healthy wild-type (WT) flies. A significant improvement in climbing ability was observed in flies treated with B. monnieri compared with untreated PINK1 mutant flies. However, a significant decrease in climbing ability was observed in WT flies for the same herb. Centella asiatica also significantly decreased climbing ability in WT flies. No significant effects were observed with any of the other herbs in either PINK1 or WT flies compared with untreated flies. PMID:25091506

Respiratory poliomyelitis: a follow-up study.

PubMed Central

Alcock, A J; Hildes, J A; Kaufert, P A; Kaufert, J M; Bickford, J

1984-01-01

Data from the medical records of 113 patients living in Manitoba who had contracted respiratory poliomyelitis between 1952 and 1959 were compared with information obtained from interviews with these patients in 1980. The study was designed to determine whether the patients' respiratory function, mobility, ability to perform daily tasks, and employment, residential and marital status had changed between 1 year after the onset of polio and 1980. The patients' dependence on mechanical aids and other people was also studied. More than half (56%) of the patients perceived their respiratory impairment to be the same as it was 1 year after the onset of polio, 27% perceived the impairment to be increased, and 17% perceived it to be decreased. There was an association between level of respiratory function, mobility and ability to perform daily tasks. The 69 patients who lived at home had better respiratory function, mobility and ability to perform daily tasks than the 24 patients who were assisted by a home care program and the 20 who lived in hospital. The latter group had the lowest levels of respiratory and functional ability. PMID:6586273

Inference and Children's Comprehension of Pronouns.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wykes, Til

1981-01-01

Investigated five-year-olds' abilities to determine the reference of anaphoric pronouns. Children had difficulty when a sentence contained more than one pronoun, especially when assigning the reference of a pronoun requiring an inference. The children's difficulties stemmed from forgetting premise information and from having problems in carrying…

Urinary functional outcomes and toxicity five years after proton therapy for low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer: Results of two prospective trials

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background. To assess genitourinary (GU) function and toxicity in patients treated with image-guided proton therapy (PT) for early- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer and to analyze the impact of pretreatment urinary obstructive symptoms on urinary function after PT. Material and methods. Two prospective trials accrued 171 prostate cancer patients from August 2006 to September 2007. Low-risk patients received 78 cobalt gray equivalent (CGE) in 39 fractions and intermediate-risk patients received 78–82 CGE. Median follow-up was five years. The International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and GU toxicities (per CTCAE v3.0 and v4.0) were documented prospectively. Results. Five transient GU events were scored Gr 3 per CTCAE v4.0, for a cumulative late GU toxicity rate of 2.9% at five years. There were no Gr 4 or 5 events. On multivariate analysis (MVA), the only factor predictive of Gr 2 + GU toxicity was pretreatment GU symptom management (p = 0.0058). Patients with pretreatment IPSS of 15–25 had a decline (clinical improvement) in median IPSS from 18 before treatment to 10 at their 60-month follow-up. At last follow-up, 18 (54.5%) patients had a > 5-point decline, 14 (42.5%) remained stable, and two patients (3%) had a > 5-point rise (deterioration) in IPSS. Patients with IPSS < 15 had a stable median IPSS of 6 before treatment and at 60 months. Conclusion. Urologic toxicity at five years with image-guided PT has been uncommon and transient. Patients with pretreatment IPSS of < 15 had stable urinary function five years after PT, but patients with 15–25 showed substantial improvement (decline) in median IPSS, a finding not explained by initiation or dose adjustment of alpha blockers. This suggests that PT provides a minimally toxic and effective treatment for low and intermediate prostate cancer patients, including those with significant pretreatment GU dysfunction (IPSS 15–25). PMID:23477359

Overcoming barriers to work participation for patients with postpoliomyelitis syndrome.

PubMed

Ten Katen, Kim; Beelen, Anita; Nollet, Frans; Frings-Dresen, Monique H W; Sluiter, Judith K

2011-01-01

This study aimed to explore the perceived work ability of patients with postpoliomyelitis syndrome (PPS), to identify barriers and factors that are impeding or conducive, respectively, to work participation, and to identify possible interventions. Qualitative cross-sectional interview study with 17 subjects with PPS, 12 women and 5 men, mean age 49 years (SD: 11). Semi-structured interviews were held with the subjects in their homes, with the aid of a topic list. The COREQ criteria list for qualitative research was used as guideline in design and analysis. Thirteen out of 17 subjects rated their work ability six or higher on a scale from 0 to 10. Most subjects worked in an administrative, educational or managerial function. Five subjects stopped working, four worked between 0 and 20 h/week and eight worked between 20 and 40 h/week. Factors conducive to working were physical adaptations in the workplace, accessibility of the workplace and high decision latitude. Barriers to full work ability in PPS patients were high physical job demands, low social support and the symptoms of PPS, especially fatigue and pain. These findings suggest that work-oriented interventions aimed at preventing PPS patients from dropping out of the workforce should primarily focus on reducing physical job demands, arranging adaptations in the workplace and increasing job control.

Maternal communicative functions and mind-mindedness at 16 months as predictors of children's internal and non-internal language at 20 months.

PubMed

Longobardi, Emiddia; Spataro, Pietro; Colonnesi, Cristina

2018-02-01

The effects of Communicative functions and Mind-Mindedness on children's language development have been typically investigated in separate studies. The present longitudinal research was therefore designed to yield new insight into the simultaneous impact of these two dimensions of maternal responsiveness on the acquisition of expressive language skills in a sample of 25 mother-child dyads. The frequencies of five communicative functions (Tutorial, Didactic, Conversational, Control and Asynchronous) and two types of mind-related comments (attuned vs. non-attuned) were assessed from a 15-min play session at 16 months. Children's expressive language was examined at both 16 months (number of word types and tokens produced, and number of words attributed to the child in the Questionnaire for Communication and Early Language development) and 20 months (number of internal and non-internal words attributed to the child in the Italian version of the Mac Arthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory). The main finding was that mothers' use of attuned mind-related comments at 16 months predicted internal state language at 20 months, above and beyond the effects of CFs and children's linguistic ability at 16 months; in addition, mothers' Tutorial function at 16 months marginally predicted non-internal state language at 20 months, after controlling for MM and children's linguistic ability at 16 months. These results suggest that different expressions of maternal responsiveness influence distinct aspects of children's expressive language in the second year of life, although the effects of MM appear to be more robust. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Does the addition of virtual reality training to a standard program of inpatient rehabilitation improve sitting balance ability and function after stroke? Protocol for a single-blind randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Sheehy, L; Taillon-Hobson, A; Sveistrup, H; Bilodeau, M; Fergusson, D; Levac, D; Finestone, H

2016-03-31

Sitting ability and function are commonly impaired after stroke. Balance training has been shown to be helpful, but abundant repetitions are required for optimal recovery and patients must be motivated to perform rehabilitation exercises repeatedly to maximize treatment intensity. Virtual reality training (VRT), which allows patients to interact with a virtual environment using computer software and hardware, is enjoyable and may encourage greater repetition of therapeutic exercises. However, the potential for VRT to promote sitting balance has not yet been explored. The objective of this study is to determine if supplemental VRT-based sitting balance exercises improve sitting balance ability and function in stroke rehabilitation inpatients. This is a single-site, single-blind, parallel-group randomized control trial. Seventy six stroke rehabilitation inpatients who cannot stand independently for greater than one minute but can sit for at least 20 minutes (including at least one minute without support) are being recruited from a tertiary-care dedicated stroke rehabilitation unit. Participants are randomly allocated to experimental or control groups. Both participate in 10-12 sessions of 30-45 minutes of VRT performed in sitting administered by a single physiotherapist, in addition to their traditional therapy. The experimental group plays five games which challenge sitting balance while the control group plays five games which minimize trunk lean. Outcome measures of sitting balance ability (Function in Sitting Test, Ottawa Sitting Scale, quantitative measures of postural sway) and function (Reaching Performance Scale, Wolf Motor Function Test, quantitative measures of the limits of stability) are administered prior to, immediately following, and one month following the intervention by a second physiotherapist blind to the participant's group allocation. The treatment of sitting balance post-stroke with VRT has not yet been explored. Results from the current study will provide important evidence for the use of low-cost, accessible VRT as an adjunct intervention to increase sitting balance in lower-functioning patients receiving inpatient rehabilitation. The motivating and enjoyable attributes of VRT may increase exercise dosage, leading to improved function and optimal results from rehabilitation. https://clinicaltrials.gov/; Identifier: NCT02285933. Registered 06 November 2014. Funded by the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada and a generous donation from Tony & Elizabeth Graham.

Chronic Conditions and Mortality Among the Oldest Old

PubMed Central

Lee, Sei J.; Go, Alan S.; Lindquist, Karla; Bertenthal, Daniel; Covinsky, Kenneth E.

2008-01-01

Objectives. We sought to determine whether chronic conditions and functional limitations are equally predictive of mortality among older adults. Methods. Participants in the 1998 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (N=19430) were divided into groups by decades of age, and their vital status in 2004 was determined. We used multivariate Cox regression to determine the ability of chronic conditions and functional limitations to predict mortality. Results. As age increased, the ability of chronic conditions to predict mortality declined rapidly, whereas the ability of functional limitations to predict mortality declined more slowly. In younger participants (aged 50–59 years), chronic conditions were stronger predictors of death than were functional limitations (Harrell C statistic 0.78 vs. 0.73; P=.001). In older participants (aged 90–99 years), functional limitations were stronger predictors of death than were chronic conditions (Harrell C statistic 0.67 vs. 0.61; P=.004). Conclusions. The importance of chronic conditions as a predictor of death declined rapidly with increasing age. Therefore, risk-adjustment models that only consider comorbidities when comparing mortality rates across providers may be inadequate for adults older than 80 years. PMID:18511714

Child Conduct Problems across Home and School Contexts: A Person-Centered Approach

PubMed Central

Sulik, Michael J.; Blair, Clancy; Greenberg, Mark

2018-01-01

To examine patterns of conduct problems across the home and school context, we used latent class analysis to analyze primary caregivers' and teachers' ratings on the conduct problems subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (R. Goodman, 1997) in the Family Life Project (N = 1,292), a prospective study of child development in rural and small town contexts. We found a similar four-class solution at five and seven years of age. In decreasing prevalence, the following classes were identified: (1) low symptoms reported by both informants (low cross-context); (2) high parent-reported symptoms, low teacher-reported symptoms (home context); (3) low parent-reported symptoms, moderate teacher-reported symptoms (school context); and (4) high symptoms reported by both informants (high cross-context). Classes exhibited stability from age five to age seven: children were more likely to remain in the same class than to transition to a different class, and longitudinal stability was especially high for children in the low cross-context class at age 5. A number of child and family characteristics measured in early childhood (executive function, verbal ability, poverty-related risk, sensitive parenting, and parental depressive symptoms) were associated with class membership at age five and age seven, but were generally not associated with longitudinal transitions between classes. PMID:29720784

Long-term outcomes following lower extremity press-fit bone-anchored prosthesis surgery: a 5-year longitudinal study protocol.

PubMed

Leijendekkers, Ruud A; Staal, J Bart; van Hinte, Gerben; Frölke, Jan Paul; van de Meent, Hendrik; Atsma, Femke; Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Maria W G; Hoogeboom, Thomas J

2016-11-22

Patients with lower extremity amputation frequently suffer from socket-related problems. This seriously limits prosthesis use, level of activity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). An additional problem in patients with lower extremity amputation are asymmetries in gait kinematics possibly accounting for back pain. Bone-anchored prostheses (BAPs) are a possible solution for socket-related problems. Knowledge concerning the level of function, activity and HRQoL after surgery is limited. The aims of this ongoing study are to: a) describe changes in the level of function, activity, HRQoL and satisfaction over time compared to baseline before surgery; b) examine potential predictors for changes in kinematics, prosthetic use, walking ability, HRQoL, prosthesis comfort over time and level of stump pain at follow-up; c) examine potential mechanisms for change of back pain over time by identifying determinants, moderators and mediators. A prospective 5-year longitudinal study with multiple follow-ups. All adults, between May 2014 and May 2018, with lower extremity amputation receiving a press-fit BAP are enrolled consecutively. Patients with socket-related problems and trauma, tumour resection or stable vascular disease as cause of primary amputation will be included. Exclusion criteria are severe cognitive or psychiatric disorders. Follow-ups are planned at six-months, one-, two- and five-years after BAP surgery. The main study outcomes follow, in part, the ICF classification: a) level of function defined as kinematics in coronal plane, hip abductor strength, prosthetic use, back pain and stump pain; b) level of activity defined as mobility level and walking ability; c) HRQoL; d) satisfaction defined as prosthesis comfort and global perceived effect. Changes over time for the continuous outcomes and the dichotomized outcome (back pain) will be analysed using generalised estimating equations (GEE). Multivariate GEE will be used to identify potential predictors for change of coronal plane kinematics, prosthetic use, walking ability, HRQoL, prosthesis comfort and for the level of post-operative stump pain. Finally, potential mechanisms for change in back pain frequency will be explored using coronal plane kinematics as a potential determinant, stump pain as moderator and hip abductor strength as mediator. This study may identify predictors for clinically relevant outcome measures. NTR5776 . Registered 11 March 2016, retrospectively registered.

Symptoms versus neurocognition as predictors of change in life skills in schizophrenia after outpatient rehabilitation.

PubMed

Kurtz, Matthew M; Wexler, Bruce E; Fujimoto, Marco; Shagan, Dana S; Seltzer, James C

2008-07-01

A growing body of literature has shown that neurocognitive deficits in schizophrenia account for 20-60% of the variance in measures of outcome, and in many studies are more closely related to outcome than symptoms [Green, M.F., Kern, R.S., Braff, D.L., Mintz, J., 2000. Neurocognitive deficits and functional outcome in schizophrenia: are we measuring the "right stuff"? Schizophr. Bull. 26(1), 119-136; Green, M.F., Kern, R.S., Heaton, R.K., 2004. Longitudinal studies of cognition and functional outcome in schizophrenia: implications for MATRICS. Schizophr. Res. 72(1), 41-51]. Most of these studies have been cross-sectional, few longitudinal studies have investigated the degree to which neurocognition and symptoms predict ability to benefit from outpatient rehabilitation, and no longitudinal studies use measures of everyday life skills that are performance-based. In the current study we investigated the relationship between five measures of neurocognitive function, crystallized verbal ability, visual sustained vigilance, verbal learning, problem-solving, and processing speed, and two measures of symptoms, total positive and negative symptoms, and change on a performance-based measure of everyday life skills after a year of outpatient rehabilitation. Rehabilitation consisted of both psychosocial and cognitive interventions. Forty-six patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were studied. Results of a linear regression model revealed that verbal learning predicted a significant amount of the variance in change in performance-based measures of everyday life skills after outpatient rehabilitation, even when variance for all other variables in the model was accounted for. Measures of crystallized verbal ability, sustained visual vigilance, problem-solving, processing speed and symptoms were not linked to functional status change. These findings emphasize the importance of verbal learning for benefiting from psychosocial and cognitive rehabilitation interventions, and suggest the development of alternative rehabilitation strategies for those who do not benefit.

Self-reported walking ability predicts functional mobility performance in frail older adults.

PubMed

Alexander, N B; Guire, K E; Thelen, D G; Ashton-Miller, J A; Schultz, A B; Grunawalt, J C; Giordani, B

2000-11-01

To determine how self-reported physical function relates to performance in each of three mobility domains: walking, stance maintenance, and rising from chairs. Cross-sectional analysis of older adults. University-based laboratory and community-based congregate housing facilities. Two hundred twenty-one older adults (mean age, 79.9 years; range, 60-102 years) without clinical evidence of dementia (mean Folstein Mini-Mental State score, 28; range, 24-30). We compared the responses of these older adults on a questionnaire battery used by the Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (EPESE) project, to performance on mobility tasks of graded difficulty. Responses to the EPESE battery included: (1) whether assistance was required to perform seven Katz activities of daily living (ADL) items, specifically with walking and transferring; (2) three Rosow-Breslau items, including the ability to walk up stairs and walk a half mile; and (3) five Nagi items, including difficulty stooping, reaching, and lifting objects. The performance measures included the ability to perform, and time taken to perform, tasks in three summary score domains: (1) walking ("Walking," seven tasks, including walking with an assistive device, turning, stair climbing, tandem walking); (2) stance maintenance ("Stance," six tasks, including unipedal, bipedal, tandem, and maximum lean); and (3) chair rise ("Chair Rise," six tasks, including rising from a variety of seat heights with and without the use of hands for assistance). A total score combines scores in each Walking, Stance, and Chair Rise domain. We also analyzed how cognitive/ behavioral factors such as depression and self-efficacy related to the residuals from the self-report and performance-based ANOVA models. Rosow-Breslau items have the strongest relationship with the three performance domains, Walking, Stance, and Chair Rise (eta-squared ranging from 0.21 to 0.44). These three performance domains are as strongly related to one Katz ADL item, walking (eta-squared ranging from 0.15 to 0.33) as all of the Katz ADL items combined (eta-squared ranging from 0.21 to 0.35). Tests of problem solving and psychomotor speed, the Trails A and Trails B tests, are significantly correlated with the residuals from the self-report and performance-based ANOVA models. Compared with the rest of the EPESE self-report items, self-report items related to walking (such as Katz walking and Rosow-Breslau items) are better predictors of functional mobility performance on tasks involving walking, stance maintenance, and rising from chairs. Compared with other self-report items, self-reported walking ability may be the best predictor of overall functional mobility.

Frailty Is a Major Related Factor for at Risk of Malnutrition in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

PubMed

Chang, Shu-Fang

2017-01-01

We investigated the relationships among geriatric syndrome, physiological functions, and body composition in community-dwelling older people with varying nutritional statuses. Other factors correlated with nutritional status in community-dwelling older people were also explored. The World Health Organization has initiated preventive programs for addressing malnutrition. However, few studies have focused on the correlations among geriatric syndrome, physiological functions, and body composition in older people at risk of malnutrition. We conducted a cross-sectional study. Older people who lived in an urban Taiwanese community were recruited for this research study. The inclusion criteria were age 65 years or older, ability to communicate in Taiwanese, clear consciousness, and ability to communicate independently. The nutritional status of participants was evaluated with the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form. The frailty status was assessed with the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) index. The SOF index included the following three items: body weight loss of >5% within 1 year, difficulty in standing from a sitting position in a chair without an armrest five times, and feeling deprived of energy. Participants over 65 years of age, living in a community and without mental illness or acute disease were included in the study. Compared with well-nourished older adults, those at risk of malnutrition were predominantly male; presented with lower body weight, lower body mass index values, lower skeletal mass indices, and poorer muscle strength; and were unable to rise from a seated position in a chair without using the armrest five times. Subjects at risk of malnutrition were less energetic, were more commonly characterized as being sarcopenia, and demonstrated frailty. Body composition analysis demonstrated that a skeletal muscle index of approximately 9.93 and a body fat mass of less than 12.25 kg were related to an increased risk of malnutrition. Older people who were frail exhibited a particularly high risk of malnutrition. The results revealed that the evaluation of malnutrition risk should be conducted in older persons living in the community. Frailty in particular was identified as a major risk factor for malnutrition in community-dwelling elderly persons. Community nurses should pay attention to the nutritional conditions of community-dwelling elderly persons. Community nurses should assess the at-risk population and provide effective preventive strategies and programs to reduce the prevalence of malnutrition and frailty. © 2016 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Sex differences in cerebral palsy incidence and functional ability: a total population study.

PubMed

Chounti, A; Hägglund, G; Wagner, P; Westbom, L

2013-07-01

To describe gender difference in a total population of children with cerebral palsy (CP), related to subtype, gross and fine motor function, and to compare CP incidence trends in girls and boys. All 590 children with CP born in southern Sweden 1990-2005 were included. CP subtype was classified according to the Surveillance of Cerebral Palsy in Europe, gross motor function according to Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and manual ability according to Manual Ability Classification System (MACS). Trends in CP incidence by birth year were analysed using Poisson regression modelling. There was a male predominance in all levels of GMFCS except level II, in all levels of MACS and in all CP subtypes except ataxic CP. There was no statistically significant difference between males and females regarding gross motor function or manual ability. The CP incidence trends in boys compared with girls did not change during the period 1990-2005. No equalization was detected in the incidence of CP between girls and boys during recent years in this total population. We could not confirm any consistent sex difference in motor function levels. Male sex is a risk factor for CP. ©2013 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Ability of walking without a walking device in patients with spinal cord injury as determined using data from functional tests

PubMed Central

Poncumhak, Puttipong; Saengsuwan, Jiamjit; Amatachaya, Sugalya

2014-01-01

Background/Objectives More than half of independent ambulatory patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) need a walking device to promote levels of independence. However, long-lasting use of a walking device may introduce negative impacts for the patients. Using a standard objective test relating to the requirement of a walking device may offer a quantitative criterion to effectively monitor levels of independence of the patients. Therefore, this study investigated (1) ability of the three functional tests, including the five times sit-to-stand test (FTSST), timed up and go test (TUGT), and 10-meter walk test (10MWT) to determine the ability of walking without a walking device, and (2) the inter-tester reliability of the tests to assess functional ability in patients with SCI. Methods Sixty independent ambulatory patients with SCI, who walked with and without a walking device (30 subjects/group), were assessed cross-sectionally for their functional ability using the three tests. The first 20 subjects also participated in the inter-tester reliability test. Results The time required to complete the FTSST <14 seconds, the TUGT < 18 seconds, and the 10MWT < 6 seconds had good-to-excellent capability to determine the ability of walking without a walking device of subjects with SCI. These tests also showed excellent inter-tester reliability. Conclusions Methods of clinical evaluation for walking are likely performed using qualitative observation, which makes the results difficult to compare among testers and test intervals. Findings of this study offer a quantitative target criterion or a clear level of ability that patients with SCI could possibly walk without a walking device, which would benefit monitoring process for the patients. PMID:24621030

A comparison of chronologies from tree rings

Treesearch

Kurt H. Riitters

1990-01-01

Forty-five-year ring width index chronologies were estimated by five mean-value functions applied to 183 ring width series from four similar sites. The effects of autocorrelation on the comparisons among mean-value functions were explored by fitting box-Jenkins models to individual-tree index services prior to pooling (prewhitening), and to the pooled chronologies...

Children's Communication of Basic Level and Subordinate Level Semantic Contrasts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kossan, Nancy E.

Developmental differences in preschool children's abilities to communicate about basic and subordinate level semantic contrasts were examined in a referential communication situation. Twenty-four three, four, and five-year-old children communicated with children of the same age and adults about pictures' referents. Speakers talked about one…

Risk, Resilience, and Recovery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Werner, Emmy

2012-01-01

In 1955, the first longitudinal study of resilience began on the island of Kauai. This research continues to the present. This article presents an interview with Emmy Werner, the principal investigator. In a series of five books published over a period of thirty years, she demonstrated the remarkable ability of children from difficult backgrounds…

The Role of Animate Referents in New Syntax.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lempert, Henrietta

Preschoolers' ability to understand grammatical relations in passives and to generalize was studied using animate referents. Three- to five-year-old children were taught to produce passive sentence descriptions of events in which animacy of the actor and acted-on object were varied. After pretesting to determine passive sentence comprehension, the…

Cognitive Determinants of Early Letter Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helal, Suha; Weil-Barais, Annick

2015-01-01

The present study investigated the general cognitive determinants of alphabetic letter knowledge. It involved 60 French kindergarten children (mean age: five years six months). Two test batteries were used: the CMS to evaluate general cognitive abilities (memory, attention, and learning), and the LKT to assess letter knowledge and its various…

Revisiting the Link between Low Verbal Intelligence and Ideology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leeson, Peter; Heaven, Patrick C. L.; Ciarrochi, Joseph

2012-01-01

We address a series of criticisms, raised by Woodley (2011), of our paper "Cognitive ability, right-wing authoritarianism, and social dominance orientation: A five-year longitudinal study amongst adolescents" (Heaven, Ciarrochi, & Leeson, 2011). We argue that, while Woodley (2011) presents some interesting points, his criticisms do not alter our…

Sonoma Developmental Curriculum: Instructional Programs. Volume II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Patrick, Ed.; And Others

The guide presents instructional materials for teaching developmentally delayed children from birth to 6 years old. The following five instructional areas are covered (with sample activities in parentheses): gross motor (demonstrates a tonic-neck reflex, demonstrates ability to bear almost full weight, and crawls backward down three steps); fine…

Work productivity is associated with disease activity and functional ability in Italian patients with early axial spondyloarthritis: an observational study from the SPACE cohort.

PubMed

de Hooge, Manouk; Ramonda, Roberta; Lorenzin, Mariagrazia; Frallonardo, Paola; Punzi, Leonardo; Ortolan, Augusta; Doria, Andrea

2016-11-16

Spondyloarthritis often affects young people, typically in their working years. The aim of our study was to investigate work productivity and its relationship with disease activity and physical functioning in Italian patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) with chronic back pain (CBP) for ≥3 months and ≤2 years, and onset  < 45 years of age. Baseline absenteeism, presenteeism, work productivity loss (assessed by the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire (WPAI)), and disease activity (assessed by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI)/Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS)) and functional ability (assessed by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Functional Index (BASFI)) of patients with axSpA (rheumatologist's diagnosis) included in the Italian section of the Spondyloarthritis Caught Early (SPACE) cohort were collected. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations between work productivity and disease activity/physical functioning. Absenteeism in 51 patients with axSpA was low (8.3 %). A decrease in work productivity was related to an increase in disease activity. Disease activity was strongly correlated with absenteeism (p < 0.01), presenteeism (p < 0.01) and work productivity loss (p < 0.001). In addition, decreased work productivity was related to a decrease in functional ability. Physical functioning was correlated with absenteeism (p < 0.001), presenteeism (p < 0.05) and work productivity loss (p < 0.001). Impairment of work productivity was correlated with disease activity and physical functioning in Italian patients with axSpA with CBP for ≥3 months and ≤2 years, with onset <45 years of age.

Metalexical awareness: development, methodology or written language? A cross-linguistic comparison.

PubMed

Kurvers, Jeanne; Uri, Helene

2006-07-01

This study explores the ability to access word boundaries of pre-school children, using an on-line methodology (Karmiloff-Smith, Grant, Sims, Jones, & Cockle (1996). Cognition, 58, 197-219.), which has hardly been used outside English-speaking countries. In a cross-linguistic study in the Netherlands and Norway, four and five-year-old children were asked to repeat the last word every time a narrator stopped reading a story. In total 32 target-words were used, both closed and open class words, and both monosyllabic and disyllabic words. The outcomes in both countries were different from those of the original English study (Karmiloff-Smith et al., 1996): four- and five-year-olds were successful in only about 26% of the cases, whereas the success rate in the former English experiment was 75% for the younger and 96% for the older children. No differences were found between age groups and between open and closed class words. This methodology does reveal the ability to access word boundaries, but probably not because of the ease of the on-line methodology in itself, but rather because literacy introduces new representations of language, even in on-line processing. The outcomes implicate that the ability to mark word boundaries does not seem to be a valid indication of who is ready for reading.

Brain Structural Integrity and Intrinsic Functional Connectivity Forecast 6 Year Longitudinal Growth in Children's Numerical Abilities.

PubMed

Evans, Tanya M; Kochalka, John; Ngoon, Tricia J; Wu, Sarah S; Qin, Shaozheng; Battista, Christian; Menon, Vinod

2015-08-19

Early numerical proficiency lays the foundation for acquiring quantitative skills essential in today's technological society. Identification of cognitive and brain markers associated with long-term growth of children's basic numerical computation abilities is therefore of utmost importance. Previous attempts to relate brain structure and function to numerical competency have focused on behavioral measures from a single time point. Thus, little is known about the brain predictors of individual differences in growth trajectories of numerical abilities. Using a longitudinal design, with multimodal imaging and machine-learning algorithms, we investigated whether brain structure and intrinsic connectivity in early childhood are predictive of 6 year outcomes in numerical abilities spanning childhood and adolescence. Gray matter volume at age 8 in distributed brain regions, including the ventrotemporal occipital cortex (VTOC), the posterior parietal cortex, and the prefrontal cortex, predicted longitudinal gains in numerical, but not reading, abilities. Remarkably, intrinsic connectivity analysis revealed that the strength of functional coupling among these regions also predicted gains in numerical abilities, providing novel evidence for a network of brain regions that works in concert to promote numerical skill acquisition. VTOC connectivity with posterior parietal, anterior temporal, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices emerged as the most extensive network predicting individual gains in numerical abilities. Crucially, behavioral measures of mathematics, IQ, working memory, and reading did not predict children's gains in numerical abilities. Our study identifies, for the first time, functional circuits in the human brain that scaffold the development of numerical skills, and highlights potential biomarkers for identifying children at risk for learning difficulties. Children show substantial individual differences in math abilities and ease of math learning. Early numerical abilities provide the foundation for future academic and professional success in an increasingly technological society. Understanding the early identification of poor math skills has therefore taken on great significance. This work provides important new insights into brain structure and connectivity measures that can predict longitudinal growth of children's math skills over a 6 year period, and may eventually aid in the early identification of children who might benefit from targeted interventions. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/3511743-08$15.00/0.

The ankle brachial index and change in lower extremity functioning over time: the Women's Health and Aging Study.

PubMed

McDermott, Mary McGrae; Ferrucci, Luigi; Simonsick, Eleanor M; Balfour, Jennifer; Fried, Linda; Ling, Shari; Gibson, Daniel; Guralnik, Jack M

2002-02-01

To define the association between baseline ankle brachial index (ABI) level and subsequent onset of severe disability. Prospective cohort study. Baltimore community. Eight hundred forty-seven disabled women aged 65 and older participating in the Women's Health and Aging Study. At baseline, participants underwent measurement of ABI and lower extremity functioning. Measures of lower extremity functioning included patient's report of their ability to walk one-quarter of a mile, number of city blocks walked last week, number of stair flights climbed last week, and performance-based measures including walking speed over 4 meters, five repeated chair stands, and a summary performance score. Functioning was remeasured every 6 months for 3 years. Definitions of severe disability were developed a priori, and participants who met these definitions at baseline were excluded from subsequent analyses. Participants with an ABI of less than 0.60 at baseline had significantly higher cumulative probabilities of developing severe disability than participants with a baseline ABI of 0.90 to 1.50 for walking-specific outcomes (ability to walk a quarter of a mile, number of city blocks walked last week, and walking velocity) but not for the remaining functional outcomes. In age-adjusted Cox proportional hazards analyses, hazard ratios for participants with a baseline ABI of less than 0.60 were 1.63 for becoming unable to walk a quarter of a mile (P = .044), 2.00 for developing severe disability in the number of blocks walked last week (P = .004), and 1.61 for developing severe disability in walking speed (P = .041), compared with participants with a baseline ABI of 0.90 to 1.50. Adjusting for age, race, baseline performance, and comorbidities, an ABI of less than 0.60 remained associated with becoming severely disabled in the number of blocks walked last week (hazard ratio = 1.97, P = .009) and nearly significantly associated with becoming unable to walk a quarter of a mile (hazard ratio = 1.54, P = .09). In fully adjusted random effects models, a baseline ABI of less than 0.60 was associated with significantly greater decline in walking speed per year (P = .019) and nearly significantly greater decline in number of blocks walked last week per year (P = .053) compared with a baseline ABI of 0.90 to 1.50. In community-dwelling disabled older women, a low ABI is associated with a greater incidence of severe disability in walking-specific but not other lower extremity functional outcomes, compared with persons with a normal ABI over 3 years.

Set-shifting abilities, mood and loss of control over eating in binge eating disorder: An experimental study.

PubMed

Dingemans, Alexandra E; Visser, Hiske; Paul, Linda; van Furth, Eric F

2015-12-15

Executive functions play an important role in problem-solving and self-control. Set-shifting is an aspect of executive functioning and represents cognitive flexibility. The inability to control eating in Binge Eating Disorder (BED) may imply deficits in set-shifting which could be exacerbated by negative mood and depressive symptoms. The aim of the study was to test whether there is a causal relationship between set-shifting ability, changes in mood and loss of control over eating in BED. Seventy-five participants diagnosed with BED were randomly assigned to a negative or neutral mood induction. Set-shifting abilities, depressive symptoms, current mood and loss of control over eating were assessed. Having depressive symptoms and poorer set-shifting abilities resulted in a more negative mood after a negative mood induction, whereas this was not observed in the neutral mood induction. Post-hoc analyses revealed that individuals with poorer set-shifting abilities and more changes in negative mood, experienced more feelings of loss of control over eating than individuals whose set-shifting abilities were better and whose mood did not change. The results suggest that both depressive symptoms and deficits in set-shifting abilities may decrease an individual's ability to handle negative affect and increase loss of control over eating in individuals with BED. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-rated health is associated with subsequent functional decline among older adults in Japan.

PubMed

Hirosaki, Mayumi; Okumiya, Kiyohito; Wada, Taizo; Ishine, Masayuki; Sakamoto, Ryota; Ishimoto, Yasuko; Kasahara, Yoriko; Kimura, Yumi; Fukutomi, Eriko; Chen, Wen Ling; Nakatsuka, Masahiro; Fujisawa, Michiko; Otsuka, Kuniaki; Matsubayashi, Kozo

2017-09-01

Previous studies have reported that self-rated health (SRH) predicts subsequent mortality. However, less is known about the association between SRH and functional ability. The aim of this study was to examine whether SRH predicts decline in basic activities of daily living (ADL), even after adjustment for depression, among community-dwelling older adults in Japan. A three-year prospective cohort study was conducted among 654 residents aged 65 years and older without disability in performing basic ADL at baseline. SRH was assessed using a visual analogue scale (range; 0-100), and dichotomized into low and high groups. Information on functional ability, sociodemographic factors, depressive symptoms, and medical conditions were obtained using a self-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between baseline SRH and functional decline three years later. One hundred and eight (16.5%) participants reported a decline in basic ADL at the three-year follow-up. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the low SRH group had a higher risk for functional decline compared to the high SRH group, even after controlling for potential confounding factors (odds ratio (OR) = 2.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.3-4.4). Furthermore, a 10-point difference in SRH score was associated with subsequent functional decline (OR = 1.37; 95% CI = 1.16-1.61). SRH was an independent predictor of functional decline. SRH could be a simple assessment tool for predicting the loss or maintenance of functional ability in community-dwelling older adults. Positive self-evaluation might be useful to maintain an active lifestyle and stay healthy.

A Study of the Effects of Verbalization on Concept Formation in Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albig, David L.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the hypothesis that requiring a student to verbalize a newly discovered mathematical concept interferes with his ability to use that concept. Five semi-programmed lessons (dealing with function machines, exponents, marker games, geometry, and One Pile Nim) were prepared and taught to a random selection…

Overall Accessibility to Traveling by Rail for the Elderly with and without Functional Limitations: The Whole-Trip Perspective

PubMed Central

Sundling, Catherine; Berglund, Birgitta; Nilsson, Mats E.; Emardson, Ragne; Pendrill, Leslie R.

2014-01-01

Elderly persons’ perceived accessibility to railway traveling depends on their functional limitations/diseases, their functional abilities and their travel behaviors in interaction with the barriers encountered during whole trips. A survey was conducted on a random sample of 1000 city residents (65–85 years old; 57% response rate). The travels were perceived least accessible by respondents with severely reduced functional ability and by those with more than one functional limitation/disease (e.g., restricted mobility and chronic pain). Those who traveled “often”, perceived the accessibility to be better than those who traveled less frequently. For travelers with high functional ability, the main barriers to more frequent traveling were travel costs and low punctuality. For those with low functional ability, one’s own health was reported to be the main barrier. Our results clarify the links among existing functional limitations/functional abilities, the barriers encountered, the travel behavior, and the overall accessibility to traveling. By operationalizing the whole-trip concept as a chain of events, we deliver practical knowledge on vulnerable groups for decision-making to improve the transport environment for all. PMID:25514149

[Elastic sliding central medullary nailing with osteogenesis imperfecta. Fourteen cases at eight years follow-up].

PubMed

Boutaud, B; Laville, J-M

2004-06-01

Elastic sliding centromedullary nailing (ESCN) proposed by Métaizeau in 1987 for the prevention and treatment of limb fractures in osteogenesis imperfecta has never been evaluated. A multicentric serie was studied in order to evaluate results of these procedure. Thirty-six ESCN procedures were performed in fourteen patients. Percutaneous pinning was used for the femur and distal tibia and arthrotomy for the distal femur as needed and in all cases for the proximal tibia. The pins were bent in compliance with the principles of the ESCN system. The ends of the pins were bent back to form a U pushed into the epiphysis. Reaxing osteotomies required minimal incisions. Age at the first procedure, the number of procedures and complications, and time between procedures were recorded. Pin overlap and the angle formed were also recorded. Pin gliding was evaluated. Ability to walk with or without assistance was noted. The medullary canal measured 4 to 10 mm. The first procedure was performed at a mean age of four years (range 15 days to 10 years). Follow-up was eight years (range 1-12). There were 2.5 procedures per patient (range 1-5). Pins had to be changed in 75% of the bone segments. Mean time between two procedures was 3.2 years. There were no cases of defective sliding or infection. There were four cases of secondary fracture with a mean 30% pin overlap, two pin migrations, one nonunion, and one shortening. The majority of the complications occurred after the age of five years. At last follow-up, three patients could not walk, four walked with aids, and eight without aids. The advantages of the technique (size of the pins, nailing without reaming, pin sliding in all cases, low cost) must not overshadow the drawbacks (risk of pin deformation and migration, secondary fracture). Secondary fractures might be limited by discrete valgus of the femoral shaft and preventive pin change when the angle formed approaches 30 degrees and when there is only 30% overlap left. Use of telescopic nails before the age of five years increases the risk of complications while most of the complications observed with ESCN occur after the age of five years. Twenty-five percent of the ESCN complications involved only the femur. The percent of secondary fractures was less than with telescopic nailing (3.6% versus 11%) but there were more cases of nail migration. All pins slid, compared with 6% failure of elongation with telescopic nails. Although proof is not available, surgical treatment of osteogenesis imperfecta before the age of five years appears to provide more rapid functional progress. Sliding centromedulary nailing is an attractive alternative before the age of five years. In older children and to the end of growth, telescopic nail or pinning should be discussed although pinning may permit more secondary fractures which can be limited by rigorous surveillance of pin position.

Five-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP)Observations: Beam Maps and Window Functions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, R.S.; Weiland, J.L.; Odegard, N.; Wollack, E.; Hinshaw, G.; Larson, D.; Bennett, C.L.; Halpern, M.; Kogut, A.; Page, L.;

Virtual Reality Reflection Therapy Improves Balance and Gait in Patients with Chronic Stroke: Randomized Controlled Trials.

PubMed

In, Taesung; Lee, Kyeongjin; Song, Changho

2016-10-28

BACKGROUND Virtual reality reflection therapy (VRRT) is a technically enhanced version of the mirror therapy concept. The aim of this study was to investigate whether VRRT could improve the postural balance and gait ability of patients with chronic stroke. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty-five patients with chronic stroke were randomly allocated into the VRRT group (n=13) and the control group (n=12). The participants in both groups performed a conventional rehabilitation program for 30 minutes. The VRRT group also performed a VRRT program for 30 minutes, five times a week for 4 weeks. The control group performed conventional rehabilitation program and a placebo VRRT program. Outcome measures included Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Functional Reaching Test (FRT), and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test (for dynamic balance ability), postural sway (for static balance ability), and 10 meter walking velocity (10 mWV) for gait ability. RESULTS There were statistically significant improvements in the VRRT group compared with the control group for BBS, FRT, TUG, postural sway (mediolateral sway distance with eyes open and eyes closed, anteroposterior and total sway distance with eyes open but not with eyes closed), and 10 mWV (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Applying VRRT (even as a home treatment) along with a conventional rehabilitation program for patients with chronic stroke might be even more beneficial than conventional rehabilitation program alone in improving affected lower limb function. Future studies should investigate the effectiveness of VRRT with optimal patient selection, and duration and intensity of training.

Virtual Reality Reflection Therapy Improves Balance and Gait in Patients with Chronic Stroke: Randomized Controlled Trials

PubMed Central

In, Taesung; Lee, Kyeongjin; Song, Changho

2016-01-01

Background Virtual reality reflection therapy (VRRT) is a technically enhanced version of the mirror therapy concept. The aim of this study was to investigate whether VRRT could improve the postural balance and gait ability of patients with chronic stroke. Material/Methods Twenty-five patients with chronic stroke were randomly allocated into the VRRT group (n=13) and the control group (n=12). The participants in both groups performed a conventional rehabilitation program for 30 minutes. The VRRT group also performed a VRRT program for 30 minutes, five times a week for 4 weeks. The control group performed conventional rehabilitation program and a placebo VRRT program. Outcome measures included Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Functional Reaching Test (FRT), and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test (for dynamic balance ability), postural sway (for static balance ability), and 10 meter walking velocity (10 mWV) for gait ability. Results There were statistically significant improvements in the VRRT group compared with the control group for BBS, FRT, TUG, postural sway (mediolateral sway distance with eyes open and eyes closed, anteroposterior and total sway distance with eyes open but not with eyes closed), and 10 mWV (p<0.05). Conclusions Applying VRRT (even as a home treatment) along with a conventional rehabilitation program for patients with chronic stroke might be even more beneficial than conventional rehabilitation program alone in improving affected lower limb function. Future studies should investigate the effectiveness of VRRT with optimal patient selection, and duration and intensity of training. PMID:27791207

[Osteogenesis imperfecta. Clinical, functional and multidisciplinary evaluation of 65 patients].

PubMed

Fano, V; Rodríguez Celin, M; Del Pino, M; Buceta, S; Obregón, M G; Primomo, C; García, H; Miscione, H; Lejarraga, H

2010-05-01

Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disease, in which the main clinical features are increased bone fragility, pathological fractures, blue sclera, dentinogenesis imperfecta and conductive or mixed hearing loss. Clinical variability is wide. Although there is no curative treatment, there are several therapeutic tools capable of improving the course of the condition and patient quality of life. Sixty-five children seen in a Paediatric Hospital during six months in 2007 were evaluated. Thirty-five were type I OI, and thirty were types III-IV. Median age was 7.8 years (range 1.9-19.2); mean length of follow up was 4.7 years. The majority of children attended regular school for their corresponding age. Mean height was -1.4 sDS and -5.64 sDS in types I and III-IV respectively. Nineteen percent of patients were overweight and 11% were obese. Mean age at first orthopaedic surgery inserting telescopic rods was 6.5 years. Scoliosis was present in 44.6% of patients and was directly related to severity. Bleck's motor scale showed that 93% of patients with mild forms and 29% of severe forms had a sustainable walking ability. A wheelchair was used by 25% of patients. Family inheritance was confirmed in 65% of cases. Integral care using a multidisciplinary approach is required due to the complexity and clinical variability of the condition. Copyright 2009 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Providing Transparency and Credibility: The Selection of International Students for Australian Universities. An Examination of the Relationship between Scores in the International Student Admissions Test (ISAT), Final Year Academic Programs and an Australian University's Foundation Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Kelvin; Nankervis, Susan; Story, Margot; Hodgson, Wayne; Lewenberg, Michael; Ball, Marita MacMahon

2008-01-01

Throughout 2003-04 five cohorts of students in their final year of school studies in various Malaysian colleges and a group of students completing an Australian university foundation year in Malaysia sat the International Student Admissions Test (ISAT). The ISAT is a multiple-choice test of general academic abilities developed for students whose…

Five year magnetic tape for unattended satellite tape recorders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Benn, G. S. L.; Gutfreund, K.

1972-01-01

The development and fabrication of a quantity of long life magnetic tape with properties selected specifically for unattended operation in spacecraft tape recorders was studied. A detailed analytical consideration of various binder systems was undertaken. This included the chemical aspects of the binders, cohesion and adhesion effects, stability and the mechanical and physical properties. The ability to form free films of these polymers and their combination with various oxide loadings and other additives allowed a rapid selection of four polymer candidates for a five year magnetic tape. Samples were evaluated under actual running conditions which included physical, magnetic, and extensive life testing. These sample tapes withstood 50,000 bidirectional tape passes under fairly harsh operating conditions.

Stability of physical assessment of older drivers over 1 year.

PubMed

Smith, Andrew; Marshall, Shawn; Porter, Michelle; Ha, Linda; Bédard, Michel; Gélinas, Isabelle; Man-Son-Hing, Malcolm; Mazer, Barbara; Rapoport, Mark; Tuokko, Holly; Vrkljan, Brenda

2013-12-01

Older adults represent the fastest-growing population of drivers with a valid driver's licence. Also common in this age group are multiple chronic medical conditions that may have an effect on physical function and driving ability. Determining the reliability of physical measures used to assess older drivers' functional ability is important to identifying those who are safe to continue driving. Most previous reliability studies of clinical physical measures of health used test-retest intervals shorter than those between patient visits with a clinician. In the present study we examined a more clinically representative interval of 1 year to determine the stability of commonly used physical measures collected during the Candrive II prospective cohort study of older drivers. Reliability statistics indicate that the sequential finger-thumb opposition, rapid pace walk and the Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity tests have adequate stability over 1 year. Poor stability was observed for the one-legged stance and Snellen visual acuity test. Several assessments with nominal data (Marottoli method [functional neck range of motion], whispered voice test, range of motion and strength testing) lacked sufficient variability to conduct reliability analyses; however, a lack of variability between test days suggests consistency over a 1-year time frame. Our results provide evidence that specific physical measures are stable in monitoring functional ability over the course of a year. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sensory Discrimination, Working Memory and Intelligence in 9-Year-Old and 11-Year-Old Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voelke, Annik E.; Troche, Stefan J.; Rammsayer, Thomas H.; Wagner, Felicitas L.; Roebers, Claudia M.

2013-01-01

More than a century ago, Galton and Spearman suggested that there was a functional relationship between sensory discrimination ability and intelligence. Studies have since been able to confirm a close relationship between general discrimination ability (GDA) and IQ. The aim of the present study was to assess whether this strong relationship…

Verbal working memory and reading abilities among students with visual impairment.

PubMed

Argyropoulos, Vassilios; Masoura, Elvira; Tsiakali, Thomai K; Nikolaraizi, Magda; Lappa, Christina

2017-05-01

This study investigated the relationship between working memory (WM) and reading abilities among students with visual impairment (VI). Seventy-five students with VI (visually impairment and blindness), aged 10-15 years old participated in the study, of whom 44 were visually impaired and 31 were blind. The participants' reading ability was assessed with the standardized reading ability battery Test-A (Padeliadu & Antoniou, 2008) and their verbal working memory ability was assessed with the listening recall task from the Working Memory Test Battery for Children (Pickering et al., 2001). Data analysis indicated a strong correlation between verbal WM and decoding, reading comprehension and overall reading ability among the participants with VI, while no correlation was found between reading fluency and verbal WM. The present study points out the important role of verbal WM in reading among students who are VI and carries implications for the education of those individuals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Factors promoting sustainable work in women with fibromyalgia.

PubMed

Palstam, Annie; Gard, Gunvor; Mannerkorpi, Kaisa

2013-09-01

To examine and describe the factors promoting sustainable work in women with fibromyalgia (FM). A qualitative interview study. Twenty-seven gainfully employed women with FM participated in five focus group interviews. Their median age was 52 years, ranging from 33 to 62. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed by qualitative latent content analysis. Four categories were identified describing factors promoting sustainable work: the meaning of work and individual strategies were individual promoters while a favourable work environment and social support outside work were environmental promoters. The meaning of work included individual meaning and social meaning. The individual strategies included handling symptoms, the work day and long-term work life. A favourable work environment included the physical and psychosocial work environment. Social support outside work included societal and private social supports. Promoting factors for work were identified, involving individual and environmental factors. These working women with FM had developed advanced well-functioning strategies to enhance their work ability. The development of such strategies should be supported by health-care professionals as well as employers to promote sustainable work in women with FM. Work disability is a common consequence of fibromyalgia (FM). Working women with FM appear to have developed advanced well-functioning individual strategies to enhance their work ability. The development of individual strategies should be supported by health-care professionals as well as employers to promote sustainable work and health in women with FM.

Five years' experience of classical swine fever polymerase chain reaction ring trials in France.

PubMed

Po, F; Le Dimna, M; Le Potier, M F

2011-12-01

Since 2004, the French National Reference Laboratory for classical swine fever (CSF) has conducted an annual proficiency test (PT) to evaluate the ability of local veterinary laboratories to perform real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for CSF virus. The results of five years of testing (2004-2008) are described here. The PT was conducted under blind conditions on 20 samples. The same batch of samples was used for all five years. The number of laboratories that analysed the samples increased from four in 2004 to 13 in 2008. The results of the PT showed the following: cross-contamination between samples and deficiencies in RNA preparation can occur even in experienced laboratories; sample homogeneity should be checked carefully before selection; samples stored at-80 degrees C for several years remain stable; and poor shipment conditions do not damage the samples with regard to detection of CSF virus genome. These results will enable redesign of the panel to improve the overall quality of the PT, which will encourage laboratories to check and improve their PCR procedures and expertise. This is an excellent way to determine laboratory performance.

The Impact of Behavioural Executive Functioning and Intelligence on Math Abilities in Children with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dekker, M. C.; Ziermans, T. B.; Swaab, H.

2016-01-01

Background: Little is known about the role of behavioural executive functioning (EF) skills and level of intelligence (IQ) on math abilities in children with mild to borderline intellectual disabilities. Method: Teachers of 63 children attending a school for special education (age: 10 to 13 years; IQ: 50 to 85) filled out a Behaviour Rating…

Individual Differences in Executive Functioning and Theory of Mind: An Investigation of Inhibitory Control and Planning Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlson, Stephanie M.; Moses, Louis J.; Claxton, Laura J.

2004-01-01

This research examined the relative contributions of two aspects of executive function--inhibitory control and planning ability--to theory of mind in 49 3- and 4-year-olds. Children were given two standard theory of mind measures (Appearance-Reality and False Belief), three inhibitory control tasks (Bear/Dragon, Whisper, and Gift Delay), three…

Functional Communication Profiles in Children with Cerebral Palsy in Relation to Gross Motor Function and Manual and Intellectual Ability.

PubMed

Choi, Ja Young; Park, Jieun; Choi, Yoon Seong; Goh, Yu Ra; Park, Eun Sook

2018-07-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate communication function using classification systems and its association with other functional profiles, including gross motor function, manual ability, intellectual functioning, and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics in children with cerebral palsy (CP). This study recruited 117 individuals with CP aged from 4 to 16 years. The Communication Function Classification System (CFCS), Viking Speech Scale (VSS), Speech Language Profile Groups (SLPG), Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), Manual Ability Classification System (MACS), and intellectual functioning were assessed in the children along with brain MRI categorization. Very strong relationships were noted among the VSS, CFCS, and SLPG, although these three communication systems provide complementary information, especially for children with mid-range communication impairment. These three communication classification systems were strongly related with the MACS, but moderately related with the GMFCS. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that manual ability and intellectual functioning were significantly related with VSS and CFCS function, whereas only intellectual functioning was significantly related with SLPG functioning in children with CP. Communication function in children with a periventricular white matter lesion (PVWL) varied widely. In the cases with a PVWL, poor functioning was more common on the SLPG, compared to the VSS and CFCS. Very strong relationships were noted among three communication classification systems that are closely related with intellectual ability. Compared to gross motor function, manual ability seemed more closely related with communication function in these children. © Copyright: Yonsei University College of Medicine 2018.

What Second Generation Deaf Students Bring to the Reading Task: Another Case for Metalinguistics and Reading.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirsh-Pasek, Kathy

Twenty-five second generation deaf signers (6-16 years old) participated in three experiments measuring their ability to classify fingerspelled and signed words and attend to the individual handshapes within fingerspelled words. Results revealed that Ss could discriminate fingerspelled words and decompose fingerspelling into the handshapes that…

Spatial Experiences of High Academic Achievers: Insights from a Developmental Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weckbacher, Lisa Marie; Okamoto, Yukari

2012-01-01

The study explored the relationship between types of spatial experiences and spatial abilities among 13- to 14-year-old high academic achievers. Each participant completed two spatial tasks and a survey assessing favored spatial activities across five categories (computers, toys, sports, music, and art) and three developmental periods (early…

Early Numerical Competencies in 4- and 5-Year-Old Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Titeca, Daisy; Roeyers, Herbert; Desoete, Annemie

2017-01-01

Studies comparing mathematical abilities of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing children are hitherto scarce, inconclusive, and mainly focusing on elementary school children or adolescents. The present study wants to gain insight into the foundation of mathematics by looking at preschool performances. Five early…

75 FR 57098 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-17

.... \\3\\ In addition to FLEX Options, FLEX currency options are also traded on the Exchange. These flexible index, equity, and currency options provide investors the ability to customize basic option... expiration dates within five years. See Rule 1079. FLEX currency options traded on the Exchange are also...

Sensitivity to Speech Rhythm Explains Individual Differences in Reading Ability Independently of Phonological Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holliman, Andrew J.; Wood, Clare; Sheehy, Kieron

2008-01-01

This study considered whether sensitivity to speech rhythm can predict concurrent variance in reading attainment after individual differences in age, vocabulary, and phonological awareness have been controlled. Five- to six-year-old English-speaking children completed a battery of phonological processing assessments and reading assessments, along…

Supporting New Teachers. Teaching in Focus. No. 11

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing, 2015

2015-01-01

In many countries, less experienced teachers (those with less than five years' teaching experience) are more likely to work in challenging schools and less likely to report confidence in their teaching abilities than more experienced teachers. Most countries have activities in place aimed at preparing teachers for work, such as induction and…

A Longitudinal Study of the Predictive Validity of a Kindergarten Screening Battery.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kilgallon, Mary K.; Mueller, Richard J.

Test validity was studied in nine subtests of a kindergarten screening battery used to predict reading comprehension for children up to five years after entering kindergarten. The independent variables were kindergarteners' scores on the: (1) Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test; (2) Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test; (3) Detroit Tests of Learning…

European bluetongue serotype 8: Disease threat assessment for US sheep

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Although as many as 15 serotypes of bluetongue virus (BTV) have been detected in the United States (U.S.) in the past 15 years, only five are considered endemic. This clearly illustrates the ability of this transboundary, insect-transmitted virus to spread to new ecosystems. In the U.S., sheep are...

The Role of Language and Private Speech in Preschoolers' Self-Regulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bono, Katherine E.; Bizri, Rana

2014-01-01

The present study explored relations among language skills, private speech, and self-regulation in three- to five-year-old children. Language skills were assessed with a standardised measure of language ability and by teacher reports of adaptive use of language in the classroom. Private speech was measured by observing children during a…

Individual Differences in Children's Risk Perception and Appraisals in Outdoor Play Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Little, Helen; Wyver, Shirley

2010-01-01

Child characteristics including age, gender, risk-taking behaviour and sensation seeking are thought to influence children's ability to appraise risks. The present study investigated children's risk perceptions and appraisals in the context of common outdoor physical play activities. Risk perceptions and appraisal of four- and five-year olds were…

DISCUS Ninth Grade, Earth Science, Part Two.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duval County School Board, Jacksonville, FL. Project DISCUS.

Included are instructional materials designed for use with disadvantaged students who have a limited reading ability and poor command of English. The guide is the second volume of a two volume, one year program in earth science, and contains these five units and activities: Rock Cycle, 12 activities; Minerals and Crystals, 6 activities; Weathering…

Reading and Writing Skills of Deaf Pupils with Cochlear Implants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayer, Connie; Watson, Linda; Archbold, Sue; Ng, Zheng Yen; Mulla, Imran

2016-01-01

Thirty-three young people with cochlear implants, aged between 9 and 16 years, were assessed for use of their implant system, cognitive abilities, vocabulary, reading, and writing skills. The group came from throughout England and included 26 born deaf, six deafened by meningitis, one with auditory neuropathy, and five with additional needs.…

Critical Re-examination of Research in Early Reading Instruction and Its Applications.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillis, Miriam

A comparative analysis evaluated three studies that dealt with the differences among five-year-olds that should be considered before reading instruction is initiated in kindergarten. The premise of the comparison was that children from different countries (especially Israel, where these studies were conducted), have different abilities, react…

Executive Function Mediates the Relations between Parental Behaviors and Children's Early Academic Ability

PubMed Central

Devine, Rory T.; Bignardi, Giacomo; Hughes, Claire

2016-01-01

The past decade has witnessed a growth of interest in parental influences on individual differences in children's executive function (EF) on the one hand and in the academic consequences of variation in children's EF on the other hand. The primary aim of this longitudinal study was to examine whether children's EF mediated the relation between three distinct aspects of parental behavior (i.e., parental scaffolding, negative parent-child interactions, and the provision of informal learning opportunities) and children's academic ability (as measured by standard tests of literacy and numeracy skills). Data were collected from 117 parent-child dyads (60 boys) at two time points ~1 year apart (M Age at Time 1 = 3.94 years, SD = 0.53; M Age at Time 2 = 5.11 years, SD = 0.54). At both time points children completed a battery of tasks designed to measure general cognitive ability (e.g., non-verbal reasoning) and EF (e.g., inhibition, cognitive flexibility, working memory). Our models revealed that children's EF (but not general cognitive ability) mediated the relations between parental scaffolding and negative parent-child interactions and children's early academic ability. In contrast, parental provision of opportunities for learning in the home environment was directly related to children's academic abilities. These results suggest that parental scaffolding and negative parent-child interactions influence children's academic ability by shaping children's emerging EF. PMID:28018253

Right-Hemispheric Cortical Contributions to Language Ability in Healthy Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Ettinger-Veenstra, Helene; Ragnehed, Mattias; McAllister, Anita; Lundberg, Peter; Engstrom, Maria

2012-01-01

In this study we investigated the correlation between individual linguistic ability based on performance levels and their engagement of typical and atypical language areas in the brain. Eighteen healthy subjects between 21 and 64 years participated in language ability tests, and subsequent functional MRI scans measuring brain activity in response…

Cardiac structure and function predicts functional decline in the oldest old.

PubMed

Leibowitz, David; Jacobs, Jeremy M; Lande-Stessman, Irit; Gilon, Dan; Stessman, Jochanan

2018-02-01

Background This study examined the association between cardiac structure and function and the deterioration in activities of daily living (ADLs) in an age-homogenous, community-dwelling population of patients born in 1920-1921 over a five-year follow-up period. Design Longitudinal cohort study. Methods Patients were recruited from the Jerusalem Longitudinal Cohort Study, which has followed an age-homogenous cohort of Jerusalem residents born in 1920-1921. Patients underwent home echocardiography and were followed up for five years. Dependence was defined as needing assistance with one or more basic ADL. Standard echocardiographic assessment of cardiac structure and function, including systolic and diastolic function, was performed. Reassessment of ADLs was performed at the five-year follow-up. Results A total of 459 patients were included in the study. Of these, 362 (79%) showed a deterioration in at least one ADL at follow-up. Patients with functional deterioration had a significantly higher left ventricular mass index and left atrial volume with a lower ejection fraction. There was no significant difference between the diastolic parameters the groups in examined. When the data were examined categorically, a significantly larger percentage of patients with functional decline had an abnormal left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular hypertrophy. The association between left ventricular mass index and functional decline remained significant in all multivariate models. Conclusions In this cohort of the oldest old, an elevated left ventricular mass index, higher left atrial volumes and systolic, but not diastolic dysfunction, were predictive of functional disability.

Positive effects of 1-year football and strength training on mechanical muscle function and functional capacity in elderly men.

PubMed

Sundstrup, Emil; Jakobsen, Markus Due; Andersen, Lars Louis; Andersen, Thomas Rostgaard; Randers, Morten Bredsgaard; Helge, Jørn Wulff; Suetta, Charlotte; Schmidt, Jakob Friis; Bangsbo, Jens; Krustrup, Peter; Aagaard, Per

2016-06-01

A decline in physical capacity takes place with increasing age that negatively affects overall physical function including work ability and the ability to perform typical activities of daily living (ADL). The overall aim of the present study was to determine the neuromuscular adaptations to long-term (1 year) football and strength training in older untrained adults, and to assess the concurrent effect on functional ADL capacity. Twenty-seven healthy elderly males (68.2 ± 3.2 years) were randomly assigned to 12 months of either recreational football training (FT: n = 10), strength training (ST: n = 9) or served as inactive controls (CON: n = 8). Recreational football training consisted of small-sided training sessions whereas strength training consisted of high intensity exercises targeting the lower extremity and upper body. Maximal thigh muscle strength and rate of force development (RFD) were assessed with isokinetic dynamometry, while postural balance and vertical jumping performance were evaluated using force plate analysis. Furthermore, functional ability was evaluated by stair-ascent and chair-rising testing. A total of nine, nine and seven participants from FT, ST and CON, respectively, were included in the analysis. Both exercise regimens led to substantial gains in functional ability, evidenced by 24 and 18 % reduced stair-ascent time, and 32 and 21 % increased chair-rising performance in FT and ST, respectively (all P < 0.05). Long-term strength training led to increased concentric (14 %; P < 0.01) and isometric (23 %; P < 0.001) quadriceps and isometric hamstring strength (44 %; P < 0.0001), whereas football training mainly resulted in enhanced hamstring strength (18 %, P < 0.05) and RFD (89 %, P < 0.0001). Long-term (1 year) strength training led to increased quadriceps and hamstring strength, whereas the adaptations to football training mainly included enhanced strength and rapid force capacity of the hamstring muscles. Gains in functional ability were observed in response to both training regimens, evidenced by reduced stair-ascent time and increased chair-rising performance. Long-term football exercise and strength training both appear to be effective interventional strategies to improve factors of importance for ADL by counteracting the age-related decline in lower limb strength and functional capacity among old male adults. This could potentially be a way to improve work ability of senior workers.

The development of children's ability to fill the gaps in their knowledge by consulting experts.

PubMed

Aguiar, Naomi R; Stoess, Caryn J; Taylor, Marjorie

2012-01-01

This research investigated children's ability to recognize gaps in their knowledge and seek missing information from appropriate informants. In Experiment 1, forty-five 4- and 5-year-olds were adept in assigning questions from 3 domains (medicine, firefighting, and farming) to corresponding experts (doctor, firefighter, or farmer). However, when given the options of answering the same questions themselves or assigning them to an expert (Experiment 2), only 6-year-olds were consistently able to recognize when they did not know answers and then assign test questions correctly. Four- and 5-year-olds tended to overestimate their own knowledge or assign questions to the wrong expert. This result was replicated in Experiment 3, in which 5-year-olds were given incentives for correct answers. © 2012 The Authors. Child Development © 2012 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Differences in Brain Function and Changes with Intervention in Children with Poor Spelling and Reading Abilities

PubMed Central

Gebauer, Daniela; Fink, Andreas; Kargl, Reinhard; Reishofer, Gernot; Koschutnig, Karl; Purgstaller, Christian; Fazekas, Franz; Enzinger, Christian

2012-01-01

Previous fMRI studies in English-speaking samples suggested that specific interventions may alter brain function in language-relevant networks in children with reading and spelling difficulties, but this research strongly focused on reading impaired individuals. Only few studies so far investigated characteristics of brain activation associated with poor spelling ability and whether a specific spelling intervention may also be associated with distinct changes in brain activity patterns. We here investigated such effects of a morpheme-based spelling intervention on brain function in 20 children with comparatively poor spelling and reading abilities using repeated fMRI. Relative to 10 matched controls, children with comparatively poor spelling and reading abilities showed increased activation in frontal medial and right hemispheric regions and decreased activation in left occipito-temporal regions prior to the intervention, during processing of a lexical decision task. After five weeks of intervention, spelling and reading comprehension significantly improved in the training group, along with increased activation in the left temporal, parahippocampal and hippocampal regions. Conversely, the waiting group showed increases in right posterior regions. Our findings could indicate an increased left temporal activation associated with the recollection of the new learnt morpheme-based strategy related to successful training. PMID:22693600

Intentional switching in auditory selective attention: Exploring age-related effects in a spatial setup requiring speech perception.

PubMed

Oberem, Josefa; Koch, Iring; Fels, Janina

2017-06-01

Using a binaural-listening paradigm, age-related differences in the ability to intentionally switch auditory selective attention between two speakers, defined by their spatial location, were examined. Therefore 40 normal-hearing participants (20 young, Ø 24.8years; 20 older Ø 67.8years) were tested. The spatial reproduction of stimuli was provided by headphones using head-related-transfer-functions of an artificial head. Spoken number words of two speakers were presented simultaneously to participants from two out of eight locations on the horizontal plane. Guided by a visual cue indicating the spatial location of the target speaker, the participants were asked to categorize the target's number word into smaller vs. greater than five while ignoring the distractor's speech. Results showed significantly higher reaction times and error rates for older participants. The relative influence of the spatial switch of the target-speaker (switch or repetition of speaker's direction in space) was identical across age groups. Congruency effects (stimuli spoken by target and distractor may evoke the same answer or different answers) were increased for older participants and depend on the target's position. Results suggest that the ability to intentionally switch auditory attention to a new cued location was unimpaired whereas it was generally harder for older participants to suppress processing the distractor's speech. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quality of pre-school children's pretend play and subsequent development of semantic organization and narrative re-telling skills.

PubMed

Stagnitti, Karen; Lewis, Fiona M

2015-04-01

This study investigated if the quality of pre-school children's pretend play predicted their semantic organization and narrative re-telling ability when they were in early primary school. It was hypothesized that the elaborateness of a child's play and the child's use of symbols in play were predictors of their semantic organization and narrative re-tell scores of the School Age Oral Language Assessment. Forty-eight children were assessed using the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment when they were aged 4-5 years. Three-to-five years after this assessment their semantic organization and narrative re-telling skills were assessed. Results indicate that the elaborateness of a child's play and their ability to use symbols was predictive of semantic organization skills. Use of symbols in play was the strongest play predictor of narrative re-telling skills. The quality of a pre-school child's ability to elaborate complex sequences in pretend play and use symbols predicted up to 20% of a child's semantic organization and narrative re-telling skills up to 5 years later. The study provides evidence that the quality of pretend play in 4-5 year olds is important for semantic organization and narrative re-telling abilities in the school-aged child.

The association of children's mathematic abilities with both adults' cognitive abilities and intrinsic fronto-parietal networks is altered in preterm-born individuals.

PubMed

Bäuml, J G; Meng, C; Daamen, M; Baumann, N; Busch, B; Bartmann, P; Wolke, D; Boecker, H; Wohlschläger, A; Sorg, C; Jaekel, Julia

2017-03-01

Mathematic abilities in childhood are highly predictive for long-term neurocognitive outcomes. Preterm-born individuals have an increased risk for both persistent cognitive impairments and long-term changes in macroscopic brain organization. We hypothesized that the association of childhood mathematic abilities with both adulthood general cognitive abilities and associated fronto-parietal intrinsic networks is altered after preterm delivery. 72 preterm- and 71 term-born individuals underwent standardized mathematic and IQ testing at 8 years and resting-state fMRI and full-scale IQ testing at 26 years of age. Outcome measure for intrinsic networks was intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC). Controlling for IQ at age eight, mathematic abilities in childhood were significantly stronger positively associated with adults' IQ in preterm compared with term-born individuals. In preterm-born individuals, the association of children's mathematic abilities and adults' fronto-parietal iFC was altered. Likewise, fronto-parietal iFC was distinctively linked with preterm- and term-born adults' IQ. Results provide evidence that preterm birth alters the link of mathematic abilities in childhood and general cognitive abilities and fronto-parietal intrinsic networks in adulthood. Data suggest a distinct functional role of intrinsic fronto-parietal networks for preterm individuals with respect to mathematic abilities and that these networks together with associated children's mathematic abilities may represent potential neurocognitive targets for early intervention.

Can maintaining cognitive function at 65 years old predict successful ageing 6 years later? The PROOF study.

PubMed

Castro-Lionard, Karine; Thomas-Antérion, Catherine; Crawford-Achour, Emilie; Rouch, Isabelle; Trombert-Paviot, Béatrice; Barthélémy, Jean-Claude; Laurent, Bernard; Roche, Frédéric; Gonthier, Régis

2011-03-01

preservation of cognitive abilities is required to have a good quality of life. The predictive value of cognitive functioning at 65 years old on successful ageing 6 years later is not established. nine hundred and seventy-six questionnaires were sent by mail to a sample of healthy and voluntary French pensioners. Successful ageing was defined through health status and well-being. Cognitive abilities had been assessed 6 years earlier according to an objective method (Free and Cued Selective Recall Reminding Test (FCSRT), the Benton visual retention test and the similarities subtest of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised) and a subjective one (Goldberg's anxiety scale, Mac Nair's scale and a Visual Analogue Scale to evaluate memory abilities change in the last 5 years). six hundred and eighty-six questionnaires could be analysed. The mean age was 72.9 ± 1.2 years old with 59% of women and 99% lived at home. Well-being was negatively correlated with the FCSRT (r = -0.08, P = 0.0318) but positively related with the Benton (r = 0.09, P = 0.0125) and the similarities tests (r = 0.09, P = 0.0118). There is a negative correlation between anxious and cognitive complaints measured at baseline, and successful ageing indicators 6 years later. preservation of cognitive abilities at the age of retirement can predict a successful ageing 6 years later. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00759304.

The One-Minute Preceptor: a five-step tool to improve clinical teaching skills.

PubMed

Kertis, Margo

2007-01-01

The One-Minute Preceptor (OMP) is a teaching tool that has been used successfully for over 10 years in family practice residency programs. It was designed to enhance the teaching skills of physicians involved in the clinical education of new residents. This article describes the five steps of the OMP and how it was taught to a group of nurse preceptors and reports their evaluations of the impact that this education had on their ability to instruct and offer feedback to the novice nurse.

Story retelling and language ability in school-aged children with cerebral palsy and speech impairment.

PubMed

Nordberg, Ann; Dahlgren Sandberg, Annika; Miniscalco, Carmela

2015-01-01

Research on retelling ability and cognition is limited in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and speech impairment. To explore the impact of expressive and receptive language, narrative discourse dimensions (Narrative Assessment Profile measures), auditory and visual memory, theory of mind (ToM) and non-verbal cognition on the retelling ability of children with CP and speech impairment. Fifteen speaking children with speech impairment (seven girls, eight boys) (mean age = 11 years, SD = 1;4 years), and different types of CP and different levels of gross motor and cognitive function participated in the present study. Story retelling skills were tested and analysed with the Bus Story Test (BST) and the Narrative Assessment Profile (NAP). Receptive language ability was tested with the Test for Reception of Grammar-2 (TROG-2) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test - IV (PPVT-IV). Non-verbal cognitive level was tested with the Raven's coloured progressive matrices (RCPM), memory functions assessed with the Corsi block-tapping task (CB) and the Digit Span from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III. ToM was assessed with the false belief items of the two story tests "Kiki and the Cat" and "Birthday Puppy". The children had severe problems with retelling ability corresponding to an age-equivalent of 5;2-6;9 years. Receptive and expressive language, visuo-spatial and auditory memory, non-verbal cognitive level and ToM varied widely within and among the children. Both expressive and receptive language correlated significantly with narrative ability in terms of NAP total scores, so did auditory memory. The results suggest that retelling ability in the children with CP in the present study is dependent on language comprehension and production, and memory functions. Consequently, it is important to examine retelling ability together with language and cognitive abilities in these children in order to provide appropriate support. © 2015 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Racial differences in health-related quality of life and functional ability in patients with gout

PubMed Central

Bharat, Aseem; Khanna, Dinesh; Aquino-Beaton, Cleopatra; Persselin, Jay E.; Duffy, Erin; Elashoff, David; Khanna, Puja P.

2017-01-01

Objective. To compare the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and the functional ability by race in patients with gout. Methods. In a 9-month prospective cohort multicentre study, patients with gout self-reported race, dichotomized as Caucasian or African American (others excluded). We calculated HRQOL/function scores adjusted for age, study site and college education for Short Form-36 (SF-36; generic HRQOL), Gout Impact Scale (GIS; disease-specific HRQOL) and HAQ-disability index (HAQ-DI; functional ability). Longitudinally adjusted scores were computed using multivariable mixed-effect regression models with a random patient effect and fixed sequential visit effect (3-monthly visits). Results. Compared with Caucasians (n = 107), African Americans (n = 60) with gout were younger (61.1 vs 67.3 years) and had higher median baseline serum urate (9.0 vs 7.9 mg/dl) (P < 0.01). African Americans with gout had worse HRQOL scores on three SF-36 domains, the mental component summary (MCS) and two of the five GIS scales than Caucasians [mean (s.e.); P ⩽ 0.02 for all]: SF-36 mental health, 39.7 (1.1) vs 45.2 (0.9); SF-36 role emotional, 42.1 (4.2) vs 51.4 (4.2); SF-36 social functioning, 36.0 (1.1) vs 40.0 (0.9) (P = 0.04); SF-36 MCS, 43.2 (3.1) vs 50.0 (3.2); GIS unmet treatment need, 37.6 (1.6) vs 31.5 (1.4); and GIS concern during attacks, 53.3 (3.7) vs 47.4 (3.7). Differences between the respective HAQ-DI total scores were not statistically significant; 0.98 (0.1) vs 0.80 (1.0) (P = 0.11). Racial differences in SF-36 mental health, role emotional and MCS scales exceeded, and for HAQ-DI approached, the minimal clinically important difference thresholds. Conclusions. African Americans with gout have significantly worse HRQOL compared with Caucasians. Further research is necessary in the form of studies targeted at African Americans on how best to improve these outcomes. PMID:28028159

Phosphorylation status modulates Bcl-2 function during glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis in T lymphocytes.

PubMed

Huang, Se-Te J; Cidlowski, John A

2002-06-01

Glucocorticoids are known to induce apoptosis in lymphoid cells, and Bcl-2 overexpression can block the apoptosis-inducing action of glucocorticoids. Since phosphorylation of Bcl-2 is implicated in regulating Bcl-2 function, we considered the role of Bcl-2 phosphorylation in protecting lymphoid cells from glucocorticoid-induced cell death. Five stably transfected cell lines of WEHI 7.1 cells expressing either wild-type Bcl-2 or alanine mutants of Bcl-2 at amino acids threonine 56, serine 70, threonine 74, or serine 87 were created. Expression of the mutant Bcl-2 proteins was documented by flow cytometry and Western blot analysis. Mutation of Bcl-2 on T56 and S87 eliminated the ability of Bcl-2 to inhibit glucocorticoid-induced cell shrinkage, mitochondrial depolarization, DNA fragmentation, and cell death. Mutation of T74 only partially impaired the ability of Bcl-2 to block glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis whereas mutation of S70 in Bcl-2 did not alter its ability to block glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis.

Are empathic abilities impaired in posttraumatic stress disorder?

PubMed

Nietlisbach, Gabriela; Maercker, Andreas; Rössler, Wulf; Haker, Helene

2010-06-01

Trauma survivors with PTSD show social interaction and relationship impairments. It is hypothesized that traumatic experiences lead to known PTSD symptoms, empathic ability impairment, and difficulties in sharing affective, emotional, or cognitive states. A PTSD group (N=16) and a nontraumatized Control group (N=16) were compared on empathic abilities, namely the Empathic Resonance Test, Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test, and Faux Pas Test. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index as a self-report measure of empathy and measures of non-social cognitive functions, namely the Verbal Fluency Test, the Five-Point Test, and the Stroop Test, were also administered. The PTSD group showed lower empathic resonance. No clear indications of other impairments in social cognitive functions were found. The PTSD group had significantly higher personal distress. Empathic resonance impairments did not correlate with subjective severity of PTSD symptomatology. This article discusses whether impaired empathic resonance in PTSD trauma survivors is a consequence of trauma itself or a protective coping strategy.

Iron Release from Soybean Seed Ferritin Induced by Cinnamic Acid Derivatives.

PubMed

Sha, Xuejiao; Chen, Hai; Zhang, Jingsheng; Zhao, Guanghua

2018-05-04

Plant ferritin represents a novel class of iron supplement, which widely co-exists with phenolic acids in a plant diet. However, there are few reports on the effect of these phenolic acids on function of ferritin. In this study, we demonstrated that cinnamic acid derivatives, as widely occurring phenolic acids, can induce iron release from holo soybean seed ferritin (SSF) in a structure-dependent manner. The ability of the iron release from SSF by five cinnamic acids follows the sequence of Cinnamic acid > Chlorogenic acid > Ferulic acid > p -Coumaric acid > Trans -Cinnamic acid. Fluorescence titration in conjunction with dialysis results showed that all of these five compounds have a similar, weak ability to bind with protein, suggesting that their protein-binding ability is not related to their iron release activity. In contrast, both Fe 2+ -chelating activity and reducibility of these cinnamic acid derivatives are in good agreement with their ability to induce iron release from ferritin. These studies indicate that cinnamic acid and its derivatives could have a negative effect on iron stability of holo soybean seed ferritin in diet, and the Fe 2+ -chelating activity and reducibility of cinnamic acid and its derivatives have strong relations to the iron release of soybean seed ferritin.

Emergence of artistic talent in frontotemporal dementia.

PubMed

Miller, B L; Cummings, J; Mishkin, F; Boone, K; Prince, F; Ponton, M; Cotman, C

1998-10-01

To describe the clinical, neuropsychological, and imaging features of five patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) who acquired new artistic skills in the setting of dementia. Creativity in the setting of dementia has recently been reported. We describe five patients who became visual artists in the setting of FTD. Sixty-nine FTD patients were interviewed regarding visual abilities. Five became artists in the early stages of FTD. Their history, artistic process, neuropsychology, and anatomy are described. On SPECT or pathology, four of the five patients had the temporal variant of FTD in which anterior temporal lobes are involved but the dorsolateral frontal cortex is spared. Visual skills were spared but language and social skills were devastated. Loss of function in the anterior temporal lobes may lead to the "facilitation" of artistic skills. Patients with the temporal lobe variant of FTD offer a window into creativity.

Concurrent and longitudinal relations between children's sleep and cognitive functioning: the moderating role of parent education.

PubMed

Buckhalt, Joseph A; El-Sheikh, Mona; Keller, Peggy S; Kelly, Ryan J

2009-01-01

Relations between children's sleep and cognitive functioning were examined over 2 years, and race and socioeconomic status were assessed as moderators of effects. Third-grade African American and European American children (N = 166; M = 8.72 years) participated at Time 1 and again 2 years later (N = 132). At both Time 1 and Time 2, sleep was examined via self-report and actigraphy. Children were administered selected tests from the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities, and Stanford Achievement Test scores were obtained from schools. Children's sleep was related to intellectual ability and academic achievement. Results build substantially on an emerging literature supportive of the importance of sleep in children.

Pharmacy executive leadership issues and associated skills, knowledge, and abilities.

PubMed

Meadows, Andrew B; Maine, Lucinda L; Keyes, Elizabeth K; Pearson, Kathy; Finstuen, Kenn

2005-01-01

To identify challenges that current and future pharmacy executives are facing or will face in the future and to define what skills, knowledge, and abilities (SKAs) are required to successfully negotiate these challenges. Delphi method for executive decision making. Civilian pharmacy profession. 110 pharmacists who graduated from the GlaxoSmithKline Executive Management Program for Pharmacy Leaders. Two iterations of the Delphi method for executive decision making separated by an expert panel content analysis. Round 1--participants were asked to identify five major issues they believed to be of greatest importance to pharmacy leaders in the next 5-10 years and name specific SKAs that might be needed by future leaders to successfully deal with those issues. An expert panel reviewed the issues, classified issues into specific domains, and titled each domain. Round 2-participants rated the SKAs on a 7-point scale according to their individual assessment of importance in each domain. For Delphi rounds 1 and 2, response rates were 21.8% and 18.2%, respectively. More than 100 total issue statements were identified. The expert panel sorted the issues into five domains: management and development of the pharmacy workforce, pharmacy finance, total quality management of work-flow systems, influences on the practice of pharmacy, and professional pharmacy leadership. Five of the top 15 SKAs-and all four highest ranked items--came from the professional pharmacy leadership domain, including ability to see the big picture, ability to demonstrate the value of pharmacy services, ability to lead and manage in an ethical manner, and skills for influencing an organization's senior leadership. Through successful integration of communication skills, critical thinking, and problem solving techniques, future public-sector pharmacy executives will be better equipped to effectively position their organizations and the profession for the challenges that lie ahead.

Clues for minimal hepatic encephalopathy in children with noncirrhotic portal hypertension.

PubMed

D'Antiga, Lorenzo; Dacchille, Patrizia; Boniver, Clementina; Poledri, Sara; Schiff, Sami; Zancan, Lucia; Amodio, Piero

2014-12-01

In children with noncirrhotic extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO), minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) was reported in a few series, but neither is it routinely investigated nor does consensus about its diagnosis exist. In this prospective observational study we aimed at detecting the prevalence of MHE in children with EHPVO and providing a practical diagnostic protocol. A consecutive sample of 13 noncirrhotic children (age range 4-18 years) with EHPVO underwent a screening for MHE based on level of fasting ammonia, quantified electroencephalogram (EEG) evaluation, and a wide battery of 26 psychometric tests exploring learning ability, abstract reasoning, phonemic and semantic fluency, selective attention, executive functions, short-term verbal and visual memory, long-term verbal memory, and visuopractic ability. Five children had at least 2 altered psychometric tests. Selective attention, executive function, and short-term visual memory were the domains more frequently altered, and 4 tests were enough to detect 80% of these children. Fasting ammonia plasma level was increased in 6 children. EEG mean dominant frequency adjusted for age was associated with serum ammonia concentration (β = -0.44 ± 0.19, P < 0.05). As a whole, children with EHPVO showed trends for lower α (median 41% vs 49%) and higher θ power than controls (median 41% vs 49% and 29% vs 20%, respectively). MHE affects approximately 50% of children with EHPVO and, therefore, is worthwhile to be investigated. Three simple tools, serum ammonia, quantified EEG, and neuropsychological examination, focused on selective attention, executive function, and short-term visual memory can be used effectively in the evaluation of MHE in this setting.

Impact of Sensory Impairments on Functional Disability in Adults With Arthritis

PubMed Central

Fisher, Diana E.; Ward, Michael M.; Hoffman, Howard J.; Li, Chuan-Ming; Cotch, Mary Frances

2015-01-01

Introduction Mobility is reduced in people with sensory impairments and those with arthritis. The joint impact of these conditions may be underappreciated. This study examines the associations between impairments in vision, hearing, and balance and functional ability in adults with versus without arthritis. Methods Using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 1999–2004, arthritis status, functional ability, and sensory impairments (vision, hearing, and balance) were assessed from self-reported responses by 6,654 individuals aged ≥50 years (mean age, 63.4 years; 46.3% male). Multivariable regression analyses, conducted in 2014, assessed the associations between sensory impairment and arthritis on functional ability and mobility. Results Among study participants, 41.8% reported having arthritis; of these, 27.1%, 44.9%, and 35.1% reported impaired vision, hearing, or balance, respectively. Having multiple sensory impairments was significantly associated with reduced functional ability in people with arthritis; individuals with three sensory impairments reported the highest levels of disability for all functional domains (compared with no impairment; lower extremity mobility, 80.2% vs 39.1%; general physical activities, 94.7% vs 75.9%; activities of daily living, 69.7% vs 27.2%; instrumental activities of daily living, 77.2% vs 37.4%; leisure and social activities, 66.3% vs 30.6%; impaired gait speed, 48.1% vs 16.3%; all p<0.001). Importantly, visual deficits, in combination with arthritis, had the greatest impact on mobility, with odds of impaired mobility at least twice as high as for individuals without arthritis. Conclusions Addressing sensory deficits, especially difficulties with vision, may improve functional ability, which may be particularly helpful for adults with arthritis. PMID:26410186

Lexile Reading Growth as a Function of Starting Level in At-Risk Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Archer, Laura E.

2010-01-01

This study investigated average yearly reading growth norms of at-risk middle school students as a function of start of year reading grade level. Data for this study were collected from an urban school in the western United States over five years and tracked the yearly growth of 2,485 seventh- and eighth-grade students using a Lexile-linked…

The relationship between face recognition ability and socioemotional functioning throughout adulthood.

PubMed

Turano, Maria Teresa; Viggiano, Maria Pia

2017-11-01

The relationship between face recognition ability and socioemotional functioning has been widely explored. However, how aging modulates this association regarding both objective performance and subjective-perception is still neglected. Participants, aged between 18 and 81 years, performed a face memory test and completed subjective face recognition and socioemotional questionnaires. General and social anxiety, and neuroticism traits account for the individual variation in face recognition abilities during adulthood. Aging modulates these relationships because as they age, individuals that present a higher level of these traits also show low-level face recognition ability. Intriguingly, the association between depression and face recognition abilities is evident with increasing age. Overall, the present results emphasize the importance of embedding face metacognition measurement into the context of these studies and suggest that aging is an important factor to be considered, which seems to contribute to the relationship between socioemotional and face-cognitive functioning.

Cognitive function is associated with risk aversion in community-based older persons

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Emerging data from younger and middle-aged persons suggest that cognitive ability is negatively associated with risk aversion, but this association has not been studied among older persons who are at high risk of experiencing loss of cognitive function. Methods Using data from 369 community-dwelling older persons without dementia from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, an ongoing longitudinal epidemiologic study of aging, we examined the correlates of risk aversion and tested the hypothesis that cognition is negatively associated with risk aversion. Global cognition and five specific cognitive abilities were measured via detailed cognitive testing, and risk aversion was measured using standard behavioral economics questions in which participants were asked to choose between a certain monetary payment ($15) versus a gamble in which they could gain more than $15 or gain nothing; potential gamble gains ranged from $21.79 to $151.19 with the gain amounts varied randomly over questions. We first examined the bivariate associations of age, education, sex, income and cognition with risk aversion. Next, we examined the associations between cognition and risk aversion via mixed models adjusted for age, sex, education, and income. Finally, we conducted sensitivity analyses to ensure that our results were not driven by persons with preclinical cognitive impairment. Results In bivariate analyses, sex, education, income and global cognition were associated with risk aversion. However, in a mixed effect model, only sex (estimate = -1.49, standard error (SE) = 0.39, p < 0.001) and global cognitive function (estimate = -1.05, standard error (SE) = 0.34, p < 0.003) were significantly inversely associated with risk aversion. Thus, a lower level of global cognitive function and female sex were associated with greater risk aversion. Moreover, performance on four out of the five cognitive domains was negatively related to risk aversion (i.e., semantic memory, episodic memory, working memory, and perceptual speed); performance on visuospatial abilities was not. Conclusion A lower level of cognitive ability and female sex are associated with greater risk aversion in advanced age. PMID:21906402

Clinical history and biologic age predicted falls better than objective functional tests.

PubMed

Gerdhem, Paul; Ringsberg, Karin A M; Akesson, Kristina; Obrant, Karl J

2005-03-01

Fall risk assessment is important because the consequences, such as a fracture, may be devastating. The objective of this study was to find the test or tests that best predicted falls in a population-based sample of elderly women. The fall-predictive ability of a questionnaire, a subjective estimate of biologic age and objective functional tests (gait, balance [Romberg and sway test], thigh muscle strength, and visual acuity) were compared in 984 randomly selected women, all 75 years of age. A recalled fall was the most important predictor for future falls. Only recalled falls and intake of psycho-active drugs independently predicted future falls. Women with at least five of the most important fall predictors (previous falls, conditions affecting the balance, tendency to fall, intake of psychoactive medication, inability to stand on one leg, high biologic age) had an odds ratio of 11.27 (95% confidence interval 4.61-27.60) for a fall (sensitivity 70%, specificity 79%). The more time-consuming objective functional tests were of limited importance for fall prediction. A simple clinical history, the inability to stand on one leg, and a subjective estimate of biologic age were more important as part of the fall risk assessment.

Relationships between Handwriting Performance and Organizational Abilities among Children with and without Dysgraphia: A Preliminary Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenblum, Sara; Aloni, Tsipi; Josman, Naomi

2010-01-01

Organizational ability constitutes one executive function (EF) component essential for common everyday performance. The study aim was to explore the relationship between handwriting performance and organizational ability in school-aged children. Participants were 58 males, aged 7-8 years, 30 with dysgraphia and 28 with proficient handwriting.…

Motor Imagery Ability in Children with Congenital Hemiplegia: Effect of Lesion Side and Functional Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Jacqueline; Reid, Susan M.; Reddihough, Dinah S.; Anderson, Vicki

2011-01-01

In addition to motor execution problems, children with hemiplegia have motor planning deficits, which may stem from poor motor imagery ability. This study aimed to provide a greater understanding of motor imagery ability in children with hemiplegia using the hand rotation task. Three groups of children, aged 8-12 years, participated: right…

Taking your own path: Individual differences in executive function and language processing skills in child learners.

PubMed

Woodard, Kristina; Pozzan, Lucia; Trueswell, John C

2016-01-01

Children as old as 5 or 6 years display selective difficulties in revising initial interpretive commitments, as indicated by both online and offline measures of sentence comprehension. It is likely, however, that individual children differ in how well they can recover from misinterpretations and in the age at which they become adult-like in these abilities. To better understand the cognitive functions that support sentence processing and revision, the current work investigated how individual differences in children's ability to interpret temporarily ambiguous sentences relate to individual differences in other linguistic and domain-general cognitive abilities. Children were tested over 2 days on a battery of executive function, working memory, and language comprehension tasks. Performance on these tasks was then used to predict online and offline measures of children's ability to revise initial misinterpretations of temporarily ambiguous sentences. We found two measures of children's cognitive flexibility to be related to their ambiguity resolution abilities. These results provide converging evidence for the hypothesis that the ability to revise initial interpretive commitments is supported by domain-general executive function abilities, which are highly variable and not fully developed in children. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Five-Year Strategic Plan for Pilots, Demonstration Research and Evaluations, July 2000-June 2005.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Horn, Carl; Fichtner, Aaron; Altman, Jennifer; Whittaker, Julie

This report contains the strategic vision for the Department of Labor (DOL)/Employment and Training Administration's research efforts for the next five years. Section I discusses the scope of the research plan and the development process. Section II is a review of literature concerning functioning of the labor market and identification of areas…

Circuit class or seven-day therapy for increasing intensity of rehabilitation after stroke: protocol of the CIRCIT trial.

PubMed

Hillier, Susan; English, Coralie; Crotty, Maria; Segal, Leonie; Bernhardt, Julie; Esterman, Adrian

2011-12-01

There is strong evidence for a dose-response relationship between physical therapy early after stroke and recovery of function. The optimal method of maximizing physical therapy within finite health care resources is unknown. To determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of two alternative models of physical therapy service delivery (seven-days per week therapy services or group circuit class therapy over five-days a week) to usual care for people receiving inpatient rehabilitation after stroke. Multicenter, three-armed randomized controlled trial with blinded assessment of outcomes. A total of 282 people admitted to inpatient rehabilitation facilities after stroke with an admission functional independence measure (FIM) score within the moderate range (total 40-80 points or motor 38-62 points) will be randomized to receive one of three interventions: • usual care therapy over five-days a week • standard care therapy over seven-days a week, or • group circuit class therapy over five-days a week. Participants will receive the allocated intervention for the length of their hospital stay. Analysis will be by intention-to-treat. The primary outcome measure is walking ability (six-minute walk test) at four-week postintervention with three- and six-month follow-up. Economic analysis will include a costing analysis based on length of hospital stay and staffing/resource costs and a cost-utility analysis (incremental quality of life per incremental cost, relative to usual care). Secondary outcomes include walking speed and independence, ability to perform activities of daily living, arm function, quality of life and participant satisfaction. © 2011 The Authors. International Journal of Stroke © 2011 World Stroke Organization.

The Precision of Mapping Between Number Words and the Approximate Number System Predicts Children’s Formal Math Abilities

PubMed Central

Libertus, Melissa E.; Odic, Darko; Feigenson, Lisa; Halberda, Justin

2016-01-01

Children can represent number in at least two ways: by using their non-verbal, intuitive Approximate Number System (ANS), and by using words and symbols to count and represent numbers exactly. Further, by the time they are five years old, children can map between the ANS and number words, as evidenced by their ability to verbally estimate numbers of items without counting. How does the quality of the mapping between approximate and exact numbers relate to children’s math abilities? The role of the ANS-number word mapping in math competence remains controversial for at least two reasons. First, previous work has not examined the relation between verbal estimation and distinct subtypes of math abilities. Second, previous work has not addressed how distinct components of verbal estimation – mapping accuracy and variability – might each relate to math performance. Here, we address these gaps by measuring individual differences in ANS precision, verbal number estimation, and formal and informal math abilities in 5- to 7-year-old children. We found that verbal estimation variability, but not estimation accuracy, predicted formal math abilities even when controlling for age, expressive vocabulary, and ANS precision, and that it mediated the link between ANS precision and overall math ability. These findings suggest that variability in the ANS-number word mapping may be especially important for formal math abilities. PMID:27348475

Psychotic experiences and social functioning: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Sullivan, Sarah; Lewis, Glyn; Wiles, Nicola; Thompson, Andrew; Evans, Jonathan

2013-07-01

Both adolescent psychotic experiences and poor social functioning precede psychotic disorder; however, whether poor social functioning is also a risk factor for rather than a consequence of adolescent psychotic experiences is not clear. We investigate this question as well as whether deterioration in social functioning confers the strongest risk of psychotic experiences and whether theory of mind ability mediates any association, in a large community sample. Measures of social functioning (peer problems and prosocial behaviour) at ages 7 and 11 and theory of mind ability and psychotic experiences at age 12 were collected in a large community sample (n = 3,592). The association between social functioning and psychotic experiences was examined using logistic regression models at each age and any additional impact of deterioration in social functioning between ages 7 and 11. The potential role of theory of mind as a mediator was also investigated. Peer problems at both ages were independently associated with psychotic experiences at age 12 (7 years OR 1.11 95 % CI 1.03, 1.20), (11 years OR 1.13 95 % CI 1.05, 1.22). Theory of mind ability did not mediate this association. The association was not restricted to those with deteriorating social functioning (interaction term; p = 0.49). Poor childhood social functioning precedes adolescent psychotic experiences. There was no evidence that those with deteriorating social functioning were at greatest risk.

Neocortical maturation during adolescence: change in neuronal soma dimension.

PubMed

Rabinowicz, Theodore; Petetot, Jean Macdonald-Comber; Khoury, Jane C; de Courten-Myers, Gabrielle M

2009-03-01

During adolescence, cognitive abilities increase robustly. To search for possible related structural alterations of the cerebral cortex, we measured neuronal soma dimension (NSD = width times height), cortical thickness and neuronal densities in different types of neocortex in post-mortem brains of five 12-16 and five 17-24 year-olds (each 2F, 3M). Using a generalized mixed model analysis, mean normalized NSD comparing the age groups shows layer-specific change for layer 2 (p < .0001) and age-related differences between categorized type of cortex: primary/primary association cortex (BA 1, 3, 4, and 44) shows a generalized increase; higher-order regions (BA 9, 21, 39, and 45) also show increase in layers 2 and 5 but decrease in layers 3, 4, and 6 while limbic/orbital cortex (BA 23, 24, and 47) undergoes minor decrease (BA 1, 3, 4, and 44 vs. BA 9, 21, 39, and 45: p = .036 and BA 1, 3, 4, and 44 vs. BA 23, 24, and 47: p = .004). These data imply the operation of cortical layer- and type-specific processes of growth and regression adding new evidence that the human brain matures during adolescence not only functionally but also structurally.

Malnutrition, functional ability and mortality among older people aged ⩾ 60 years: a 7-year longitudinal study.

PubMed

Naseer, M; Forssell, H; Fagerström, C

2016-03-01

This study aimed to assess the association between risk of malnutrition and 7-year mortality, controlling for functional ability, socio-demographics, lifestyle behavior and diseases, and investigate the interaction between risk of malnutrition and functional ability on the risk of mortality. A longitudinal study on home-living and special-housing residents aged ⩾ 60 years was conducted. Of 2312 randomly invited participants, 1402 responded and 1203 provided information on both nutritional status and functional ability. The risk of malnutrition was estimated by the occurrence of at least one anthropometric measure (BMI, MAC and CC) below cut-off in addition to the presence of at least one subjective measure (decreased food intake, weight loss and eating difficulty). At baseline, 8.6% of subjects were at risk of malnutrition and during the 7-year follow-up 34.6% subjects died. The risk of malnutrition was independently associated with 7-year mortality (hazard ratio (HR) 1.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.28-2.65). Additional independent predictors were dementia (HR 2.76, 95% CI 1.85-4.10), activity of daily living (ADL) dependence (HR 2.08, 95% CI 1.62-2.67), heart disease (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.16-1.78), diabetes (HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.03-1.93) and older age (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.07-1.10). Moreover, the risk of malnutrition and ADL dependence in combination predicted the poorest survival rate (18.7%, P<0.001). The risk of malnutrition significantly increases the risk of mortality in older people. Moreover, risk of malnutrition and ADL dependence together explain a significantly poorer survival rate; however, the importance of this interaction decreased in the multivariable model and risk of malnutrition and ADL dependence independently explained a significant risk of mortality.

Low Vision Rehabilitation for Adult African Americans in Two Settings.

PubMed

Draper, Erin M; Feng, Rui; Appel, Sarah D; Graboyes, Marcy; Engle, Erin; Ciner, Elise B; Ellenberg, Jonas H; Stambolian, Dwight

2016-07-01

The Vision Rehabilitation for African Americans with Central Vision Impairment (VISRAC) study is a demonstration project evaluating how modifications in vision rehabilitation can improve the use of functional vision. Fifty-five African Americans 40 years of age and older with central vision impairment were randomly assigned to receive either clinic-based (CB) or home-based (HB) low vision rehabilitation services. Forty-eight subjects completed the study. The primary outcome was the change in functional vision in activities of daily living, as assessed with the Veteran's Administration Low-Vision Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ-48). This included scores for overall visual ability and visual ability domains (reading, mobility, visual information processing, and visual motor skills). Each score was normalized into logit estimates by Rasch analysis. Linear regression models were used to compare the difference in the total score and each domain score between the two intervention groups. The significance level for each comparison was set at 0.05. Both CB and HB groups showed significant improvement in overall visual ability at the final visit compared with baseline. The CB group showed greater improvement than the HB group (mean of 1.28 vs. 0.87 logits change), though the group difference is not significant (p = 0.057). The CB group visual motor skills score showed significant improvement over the HB group score (mean of 3.30 vs. 1.34 logits change, p = 0.044). The differences in improvement of the reading and visual information processing scores were not significant (p = 0.054 and p = 0.509) between groups. Neither group had significant improvement in the mobility score, which was not part of the rehabilitation program. Vision rehabilitation is effective for this study population regardless of location. Possible reasons why the CB group performed better than the HB group include a number of psychosocial factors as well as the more standardized distraction-free work environment within the clinic setting.

The Development of Dynamic Facial Expression Recognition at Different Intensities in 4- to 18-Year-Olds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montirosso, Rosario; Peverelli, Milena; Frigerio, Elisa; Crespi, Monica; Borgatti, Renato

2010-01-01

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the intensity of emotion expression on children's developing ability to label emotion during a dynamic presentation of five facial expressions (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, and sadness). A computerized task (AFFECT--animated full facial expression comprehension test) was used to…

States, Traits, and Dispositions: The Impact of Emotion on Writing Development and Writing Transfer across College Courses and Beyond

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Driscoll, Dana Lynn; Powell, Roger

2016-01-01

Drawing from a five-year longitudinal data set following thirteen college writers through undergraduate writing and beyond, we explore the impact of students' emotions and emotional dispositions on their ability to transfer writing knowledge and on their overall writing development. Participants experienced a range of emotions concerning their…

3D Printing in Technology and Engineering Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Robert L.; Bowden, Nicholas S.; Merrill, Chris

2014-01-01

In the past five years, there has been tremendous growth in the production and use of desktop 3D printers. This growth has been driven by the increasing availability of inexpensive computing and electronics technologies. The ability to rapidly share ideas and intelligence over the Internet has also played a key role in the growth. Growth is also…

American Chestnut Growth and Survival Five Years after Planting in Two Silvicultural Treatments in the Southern Appalachians, USA

Treesearch

Stacy L. Clark; Henry Mcnab; David Loftis; Stanley Zarnoch

2012-01-01

The ability to restore American chestnut (Castanea dentata) through the planting of blight-resistant (Cryphonectria parasitica) trees is currently being tested. Forest-based research on the species’ silvicultural requirements and chestnut blight development are lacking. Pure American chestnut seedlings were planted in a two-age...

Follow-Up Study of Rural Schools Implementing CSR Programs in the Southwest. Research Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlson, Robert V.

Case studies of five small and isolated rural schools in the Southwest focused on their ability to fully implement Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSR) programs over the 3-year period of their federal grants. Data were gathered via interviews with school personnel, classroom observations, document reviews, and telephone interviews with…

An Intercultural Study of the Development of a Reading Readiness Skill.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keislar, Evan R.; And Others

How soon does a child learn to discriminate orthographic units in his written language as distinguished from a general form-discrimination ability. A discrimination test of letters, words, or characters, in three written languages, Chinese, Hindi, and English, at three age levels, from four to five and a half years was given to 153 middle class…

76 FR 54493 - Furfuryl Alcohol From China; Institution of a Five-Year Review Concerning the Antidumping Duty...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-01

... the use, cost, or availability of major inputs into production); and factors related to the ability to... constitutes a major proportion of the total domestic production of the product. In its original determination... products which the Commission conducts under Title VII of the Act, or in internal audits and investigations...

Emotion in Children's Art: Do Young Children Understand the Emotions Expressed in Other Children's Drawings?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Misailidi, Plousia; Bonoti, Fotini

2008-01-01

This study examined developmental changes in children's ability to understand the emotions expressed in other children's drawings. Eighty participants, at each of four age groups--three, four, five and six years--were presented with a series of child drawings, each expressing a different emotion (happiness, sadness, anger or fear). All drawings…

The Effect of Placement Instability on Adopted Children's Inhibitory Control Abilities and Oppositional Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Erin E.; Dozier, Mary; Ackerman, John; Sepulveda-Kozakowski, Sandra

2007-01-01

This study assessed relations among placement instability, inhibitory control, and caregiver-rated child behavior. The sample included 33 adopted children who had experienced placement instability, 42 adopted children who had experienced 1 stable placement, and 27 children never placed in foster care. Five- and 6-year-old children completed the…

The Analysis of Cognitive Abilities in the Preschool Age.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blank, Marion

In order to gain a greater understanding of the intellectual strengths and weaknesses of the young child, a test was developed (for which data collection is ongoing) to investigate a broad range of cognitive skills in the three- to five-year age range. The test covers skills within four main spheres--cognitively Directed Perception, Concepts and…

Building a Model of Support for Preschool Children with Speech and Language Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Natalie; Ohi, Sarah

2016-01-01

Speech and language disorders impede young children's abilities to communicate and are often associated with a number of behavioural problems arising in the preschool classroom. This paper reports a small-scale study that investigated 23 Australian educators' and 7 Speech Pathologists' experiences in working with three to five year old children…

A Cognitive Cascade in Infancy: Pathways from Prematurity to Later Mental Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Susan A.; Feldman, Judith F.; Jankowski, Jeffery J.; Rossem, Ronan V.

2008-01-01

Using data from a longitudinal study of preterms and full-terms, the present study examined the structure of infant cognition at 12 months, the extent to which five 12-month abilities (attention, processing speed, recognition, recall, and representational competence) mediated the relation from prematurity to mental development at 2-3 years, and…

Visual, Motor, and Visual-Motor Integration Difficulties in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliver, Kimberly

2013-01-01

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) affect 1 in every 88 U.S. children. ASDs have been described as neurological and developmental disorders impacting visual, motor, and visual-motor integration (VMI) abilities that affect academic achievement (CDC, 2010). Forty-five participants (22 ASD and 23 Typically Developing [TD]) 8 to 14 years old completed…

Allograft reconstruction after resection of malignant tumors of the scapula.

PubMed

Mnaymneh, Walid A; Temple, H Thomas; Malinin, Theodore I

2002-12-01

The oncologic and functional outcomes of six patients who had scapular allograft reconstruction after scapulectomy for malignant tumors were reviewed. Five patients had Stage IIB and one patient had Stage IB tumors. Total scapulectomy was done in five patients, and partial scapulectomy (glenoid and neck) was done in one patient. Frozen glycerolized scapular allografts were implanted and fixed with plates and screws. The scapular muscles were reattached to the allograft. Tendon reconstruction to replace the excised muscles was done in two patients. The patients were followed up for an average of 3.8 years (range, 2-6 years). Cosmesis, elbow, and hand function were good in all patients. There were no infections, nonunions, or shoulder dislocations. One patient fractured the body of the allograft after a fall. One patient had local recurrence and had scapulectomy 5 years postoperatively. Two patients died 3 and 5 years postoperatively with lung metastases but with functioning grafts. The mean functional result using the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society functional score was 82 (range, 77-87). In this series, scapular allograft reconstruction restored cosmesis, shoulder stability, and function. Preservation or reconstruction of rotator cuff muscles is recommended.

Correlations between risk factors and functional evolution in patients with spastic quadriplegia

PubMed Central

Rogoveanu, OC; Tuțescu, NC; Kamal, D; Alexandru, DO; Kamal, C; Streba, L; Trăistaru, MR

2016-01-01

Cerebral palsy is the most common cause of developing neuro-motor disability in children, in many cases, the triggering cause remaining unknown. Quadriplegia is the most severe spastic cerebral palsy, characterized by severe mental retardation and bi-pyramidal syndrome. The purpose of this paper was to demonstrate the importance of knowing the risk factors and the psychosomatic ones, determining to what extent they influence the functional evolution in patients diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia. 23 children diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia were included in the study, being aged between 1 year and half and 12 years. Patients were assessed at baseline (T1), at one year (T2) and after two years at the end of the study (T3). Patients received a comprehensive rehabilitation program for the motor and sensory deficits throughout the study. Initially, a comprehensive evaluation (etiopathogenic, clinical and functional) that started from a thorough medical history of children (the older ones), was conducted but chose parents to identify the risk factors, and a complete physical exam. At each assessment, joint and muscle balance was conducted. To assess functionality, the gross motor function classification systems (GMFCS) and manual ability (MACS) were used. Many risk factors that were classified according to the timeline in prenatal factors, perinatal and postnatal, were identified from a thorough history. A direct correlation was noticed between the decrease of coarse functionality and manual ability, both initially and in dynamic and low APGAR scores, low gestational age, low birth weight and a higher body mass index of the mother. A direct link was observed between the gross motor function and the manual ability. A significant improvement in the MACS score was noticed in patients with a better GMFCS score. PMID:27453749

Correlations between risk factors and functional evolution in patients with spastic quadriplegia.

PubMed

Rogoveanu, O C; Tuțescu, N C; Kamal, D; Alexandru, D O; Kamal, C; Streba, L; Trăistaru, M R

2016-01-01

Cerebral palsy is the most common cause of developing neuro-motor disability in children, in many cases, the triggering cause remaining unknown. Quadriplegia is the most severe spastic cerebral palsy, characterized by severe mental retardation and bi-pyramidal syndrome. The purpose of this paper was to demonstrate the importance of knowing the risk factors and the psychosomatic ones, determining to what extent they influence the functional evolution in patients diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia. 23 children diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia were included in the study, being aged between 1 year and half and 12 years. Patients were assessed at baseline (T1), at one year (T2) and after two years at the end of the study (T3). Patients received a comprehensive rehabilitation program for the motor and sensory deficits throughout the study. Initially, a comprehensive evaluation (etiopathogenic, clinical and functional) that started from a thorough medical history of children (the older ones), was conducted but chose parents to identify the risk factors, and a complete physical exam. At each assessment, joint and muscle balance was conducted. To assess functionality, the gross motor function classification systems (GMFCS) and manual ability (MACS) were used. Many risk factors that were classified according to the timeline in prenatal factors, perinatal and postnatal, were identified from a thorough history. A direct correlation was noticed between the decrease of coarse functionality and manual ability, both initially and in dynamic and low APGAR scores, low gestational age, low birth weight and a higher body mass index of the mother. A direct link was observed between the gross motor function and the manual ability. A significant improvement in the MACS score was noticed in patients with a better GMFCS score.

Disentangling the relationship between children’s motor ability, executive function and academic achievement

PubMed Central

Egger, Fabienne; Benzing, Valentin; Jäger, Katja; Conzelmann, Achim; Roebers, Claudia M.; Pesce, Caterina

2017-01-01

Even though positive relations between children’s motor ability and their academic achievement are frequently reported, the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Executive function has indeed been proposed, but hardly tested as a potential mediator. The aim of the present study was therefore to examine the mediating role of executive function in the relationship between motor ability and academic achievement, also investigating the individual contribution of specific motor abilities to the hypothesized mediated linkage to academic achievement. At intervals of ten weeks, 236 children aged between 10 and 12 years were tested in terms of their motor ability (t1: cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, motor coordination), core executive functions (t2: updating, inhibition, shifting), and academic achievement (t3: mathematics, reading, spelling). Structural equation modelling revealed executive function to be a mediator in the relation between motor ability and academic achievement, represented by a significant indirect effect. In separate analyses, each of the three motor abilities were positively related to children’s academic achievement. However, only in the case of children’s motor coordination, the mediation by executive function accounted for a significance percentage of variance of academic achievement data. The results provide evidence in support of models that conceive executive function as a mechanism explaining the relationship that links children’s physical activity-related outcomes to academic achievement and strengthen the advocacy for quality physical activity not merely focused on health-related physical fitness outcomes, but also on motor skill development and learning. PMID:28817625

Demographic patterns of postfire regeneration in Mediterranean-climate shrublands of California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keeley, J.E.; Fotheringham, C.J.; Baer-Keeley, M.

2006-01-01

This study uses detailed demographic data to determine the extent to which functional groupings, based on seedling recruitment and resprouting response to fire, capture the dynamics of postfire responses and early successional change in fire-prone ecosystems. Following massive wildfires in southern California, USA, we sampled chaparral and sage scrub vegetation in nested 0.1-ha plots from 90 sites for five postfire years. Prefire density of woody skeletons and cover and density of all postfire species were recorded. Functional types of postfire obligate seeder, facultative seeder, and obligate resprouter are broadly useful but fail to capture much of the dynamics of postfire succession in these shrublands. For the woody flora, stratifying these three regeneration modes by life-form captures important differences. Postfire obligate-seeding shrubs exhibit a single postfire seedling cohort whereas the faster growing suffrutescent species reach reproductive maturity by the second year and produce multiple seedling cohorts. Postfire obligate-resprouting shrubs reach reproductive maturity early but have very limited seedling recruitment in the early postfire years, whereas obligate-resprouting subshrubs flower the first year from resprouts and have seedling recruitment pulses in the second and subsequent postfire years. For the rich herbaceous flora, further subdivisions are needed to capture the range of variation. Herbaceous perennials are nearly all postfire obligate resprouters, and there are important demographic differences during early succession in different growth forms such as geophytes and rhizomatous grasses. Annuals lack resprouting ability and are postfire obligate seeders. Some exhibit extreme life-history specialization and are present only in the immediate postfire year(s). Others are highly specialized on fire but persist during early succession, and still others are opportunistic species widely distributed on open sites but can expand their populations during early succession. ?? 2006 by the Ecological Society of America.

Effect of Early Rehabilitation during Intensive Care Unit Stay on Functional Status: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Castro-Avila, Ana Cristina; Serón, Pamela; Fan, Eddy; Gaete, Mónica; Mickan, Sharon

2015-01-01

Background and Aim Critically ill survivors may have functional impairments even five years after hospital discharge. To date there are four systematic reviews suggesting a beneficial impact for mobilisation in mechanically ventilated and intensive care unit (ICU) patients, however there is limited information about the influence of timing, frequency and duration of sessions. Earlier mobilisation during ICU stay may lead to greater benefits. This study aims to determine the effect of early rehabilitation for functional status in ICU/high-dependency unit (HDU) patients. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINALH, PEDro, Cochrane Library, AMED, ISI web of science, Scielo, LILACS and several clinical trial registries were searched for randomised and non-randomised clinical trials of rehabilitation compared to usual care in adult patients admitted to an ICU/HDU. Results were screened by two independent reviewers. Primary outcome was functional status. Secondary outcomes were walking ability, muscle strength, quality of life, and healthcare utilisation. Data extraction and methodological quality assessment using the PEDro scale was performed by primary reviewer and checked by two other reviewers. The authors of relevant studies were contacted to obtain missing data. Results 5733 records were screened. Seven articles were included in the narrative synthesis and six in the meta-analysis. Early rehabilitation had no significant effect on functional status, muscle strength, quality of life, or healthcare utilisation. However, early rehabilitation led to significantly more patients walking without assistance at hospital discharge (risk ratio 1.42; 95% CI 1.17-1.72). There was a non-significant effect favouring intervention for walking distance and incidence of ICU-acquired weakness. Conclusions Early rehabilitation during ICU stay was not associated with improvements in functional status, muscle strength, quality of life or healthcare utilisation outcomes, although it seems to improve walking ability compared to usual care. Results from ongoing studies may provide more data on the potential benefits of early rehabilitation in critically ill patients. PMID:26132803

Effectiveness of Functional Progressive Resistance Exercise Training on Walking Ability in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scholtes, Vanessa A.; Becher, Jules G.; Janssen-Potten, Yvonne J.; Dekkers, Hurnet; Smallenbroek, Linda; Dallmeijer, Annet J.

2012-01-01

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of functional progressive resistance exercise (PRE) training on walking ability in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Fifty-one ambulant children with spastic CP (mean age 10 years 5 months, 29 boys) were randomized to an intervention (n=26) or control group (n=25, receiving usual care).…

Pulmonary function and health-related quality of life 1-year follow up after cardiac surgery.

PubMed

Westerdahl, Elisabeth; Jonsson, Marcus; Emtner, Margareta

2016-07-08

Pulmonary function is severely reduced in the early period after cardiac surgery, and impairments have been described up to 4-6 months after surgery. Evaluation of pulmonary function in a longer perspective is lacking. In this prospective study pulmonary function and health-related quality of life were investigated 1 year after cardiac surgery. Pulmonary function measurements, health-related quality of life (SF-36), dyspnoea, subjective breathing and coughing ability and pain were evaluated before and 1 year after surgery in 150 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, valve surgery or combined surgery. One year after surgery the forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 s were significantly decreased (by 4-5 %) compared to preoperative values (p < 0.05). Saturation of peripheral oxygen was unchanged 1 year postoperatively compared to baseline. A significantly improved health-related quality of life was found 1 year after surgery, with improvements in all eight aspects of SF-36 (p < 0.001). Sternotomy-related pain was low 1 year postoperatively at rest (median 0 [min-max; 0-7]), while taking a deep breath (0 [0-4]) and while coughing (0 [0-8]). A more pronounced decrease in pulmonary function was associated with dyspnoea limitations and impaired subjective breathing and coughing ability. One year after cardiac surgery static and dynamic lung function measurements were slightly decreased, while health-related quality of life was improved in comparison to preoperative values. Measured levels of pain were low and saturation of peripheral oxygen was same as preoperatively.

Residential respite care is associated with family carers experiencing financial strain.

PubMed

Aggar, Christina; Ronaldson, Susan; Cameron, Ian D

2014-06-01

Care services for older people are provided with the expectation of supporting carers in their caregiving role. The aim of the study is to investigate the association between the utilisation of care services by older people and the caregiving experience. Cross-sectional design, involving a cohort of family carers (n = 119) of frail older people (≥70 years) enrolled in a clinical trial of frailty treatment in metropolitan Sydney from 2008 to 2011. The caregiving experience was measured in five domains: health, daily schedule, finance, family support and self-esteem (Caregiver Reaction Assessment tool). Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated an association between the utilisation of residential respite care and financial strain (β = -0.613, P = 0.049), after controlling for functional ability, co-residence and age. There is a need to consider carers' financial barriers and concerns in regards to the utilisation of respite care services. © 2012 The Authors. Australasian Journal on Ageing © 2012 ACOTA.

Predicting VO[subscript 2max] in College-Aged Participants Using Cycle Ergometry and Perceived Functional Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nielson, David E.; George, James D.; Vehrs, Pat R.; Hager, Ron L.; Webb, Carrie V.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a multiple linear regression model to predict treadmill VO[subscript 2max] scores using both exercise and non-exercise data. One hundred five college-aged participants (53 male, 52 female) successfully completed a submaximal cycle ergometer test and a maximal graded exercise test on a motorized treadmill.…

Early gene expression during natural spinal cord regeneration in the salamander Ambystoma mexicanum.

PubMed

Monaghan, James R; Walker, John A; Page, Robert B; Putta, Srikrishna; Beachy, Christopher K; Voss, S Randal

2007-04-01

In contrast to mammals, salamanders have a remarkable ability to regenerate their spinal cord and recover full movement and function after tail amputation. To identify genes that may be associated with this greater regenerative ability, we designed an oligonucleotide microarray and profiled early gene expression during natural spinal cord regeneration in Ambystoma mexicanum. We sampled tissue at five early time points after tail amputation and identified genes that registered significant changes in mRNA abundance during the first 7 days of regeneration. A list of 1036 statistically significant genes was identified. Additional statistical and fold change criteria were applied to identify a smaller list of 360 genes that were used to describe predominant expression patterns and gene functions. Our results show that a diverse injury response is activated in concert with extracellular matrix remodeling mechanisms during the early acute phase of natural spinal cord regeneration. We also report gene expression similarities and differences between our study and studies that have profiled gene expression after spinal cord injury in rat. Our study illustrates the utility of a salamander model for identifying genes and gene functions that may enhance regenerative ability in mammals.

Does Executive Function Matter for Preschoolers' Problem Behaviors?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Claire; Ensor, Rosie

2008-01-01

Early problem behaviors are associated with a variety of cognitive deficits: in verbal ability, executive function (EF) and theory of mind (ToM). Previous studies with different age-groups yield contrasting results: for 2-year-olds, ToM skills appear particularly salient (Hughes & Ensor, 2006), but for 4-year-olds EF appears more important…

Effects of implementation of problem-based learning tutorials on fifth-year pharmacy students and future issues.

PubMed

Sato, Atsuko; Morone, Mieko; Azuma, Yutaka

2011-01-01

At Tohoku Pharmaceutical University, problem-based learning (PBL) tutorials were incorporated into "prescription analysis" and "case analysis" for fifth-year students in 2010 with the following objectives: ① application and confirmation of acquired knowledge and skills, and acquisition of ② communication ability, ③ presentation ability, ④ cooperativeness through groupwork, and ⑤ information collecting ability. In the present study, we conducted a questionnaire survey on a total of 158 fifth-year students in order to investigate the educational benefits of PBL tutorials. The results showed that the above five objectives of PBL tutorials were being achieved, and confirmed the educational benefits expected of PBL tutorials. In contrast, it was found to be necessary to improve the contents of scenarios and lectures, time allocation regarding schedules, the learning environment, the role of tutors, and other matters. In order to maximize the educational benefits of PBL tutorials, it will be necessary in the future to continue to conduct surveys on students and make improvements to the curriculum based on survey results.

Changes of olfactory abilities in relation to age: odor identification in more than 1400 people aged 4 to 80 years.

PubMed

Sorokowska, A; Schriever, V A; Gudziol, V; Hummel, C; Hähner, A; Iannilli, E; Sinding, C; Aziz, M; Seo, H S; Negoias, S; Hummel, T

2015-08-01

The currently presented large dataset (n = 1,422) consists of results that have been assembled over the last 8 years at science fairs using the 16-item odor identification part of the "Sniffin' Sticks". In this context, the focus was on olfactory function in children; in addition before testing, we asked participants to rate their olfactory abilities and the patency of the nasal airways. We reinvestigated some simple questions, e.g., differences in olfactory odor identification abilities in relation to age, sex, self-ratings of olfactory function and nasal patency. Three major results evolved: first, consistent with previously published reports, we found that identification scores of the youngest and the oldest participants were lower than the scores obtained by people aged 20-60. Second, we observed an age-related increase in the olfactory abilities of children. Moreover, the self-assessed olfactory abilities were related to actual performance in the smell test, but only in adults, and self-assessed nasal patency was not related to the "Sniffin' Sticks" identification score.

An Investigation of the Relationship between Reading Disabilities and Oral Syntax and the Temporal Aspects of that Relationship.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dumas, Marsha Rose

Fifteen eight- and nine-year-old boys with reading disabilities and 15 with normal reading ability participated in a study of the relationships among reading disabilities, oral syntax, and temporal functioning ability (sequencing and the ability to perceive relationships in time). Each subject was given an individual battery of tests which…

Suppression Analysis Reveals a Functional Difference between the Serines in Positions Two and Five in the Consensus Sequence of the C-Terminal Domain of Yeast RNA Polymerase II

PubMed Central

Yuryev, A.; Corden, J. L.

1996-01-01

The largest subunit of RNA polymerase II contains a repetitive C-terminal domain (CTD) consisting of tandem repeats of the consensus sequence Tyr(1)Ser(2)Pro(3)Thr(4) Ser(5)Pro(6) Ser(7). Substitution of nonphosphorylatable amino acids at positions two or five of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae CTD is lethal. We developed a selection ssytem for isolating suppressors of this lethal phenotype and cloned a gene, SCA1 (suppressor of CTD alanine), which complements recessive suppressors of lethal multiple-substitution mutations. A partial deletion of SCA1 (sca1Δ::hisG) suppresses alanine or glutamate substitutions at position two of the consensus CTD sequence, and a lethal CTD truncation mutation, but SCA1 deletion does not suppress alanine or glutamate substitutions at position five. SCA1 is identical to SRB9, a suppressor of a cold-sensitive CTD truncation mutation. Strains carrying dominant SRB mutations have the same suppression properties as a sca1Δ::hisG strain. These results reveal a functional difference between positions two and five of the consensus CTD heptapeptide repeat. The ability of SCA1 and SRB mutant alleles to suppress CTD truncation mutations suggest that substitutions at position two, but not at position five, cause a defect in RNA polymerase II function similar to that introduced by CTD truncation. PMID:8725217

Decoding and Encoding Facial Expressions in Preschool-Age Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zuckerman, Miron; Przewuzman, Sylvia J.

1979-01-01

Preschool-age children drew, decoded, and encoded facial expressions depicting five different emotions. Accuracy of drawing, decoding and encoding each of the five emotions was consistent across the three tasks; decoding ability was correlated with drawing ability among female subjects, but neither of these abilities was correlated with encoding…

Does life satisfaction predict five-year mortality in community-living older adults?

PubMed

St John, Philip D; Mackenzie, Corey; Menec, Verena

2015-01-01

Depression and depressive symptoms predict death, but it is less clear if more general measures of life satisfaction (LS) predict death. Our objectives were to determine: (1) if LS predicts mortality over a five-year period in community-living older adults; and (2) which aspects of LS predict death. 1751 adults over the age of 65 who were living in the community were sampled from a representative population sampling frame in 1991/1992 and followed five years later. Age, gender, and education were self-reported. An index of multimorbidity and the Older American Resource Survey measured health and functional status, and the Terrible-Delightful Scale assessed overall LS as well as satisfaction with: health, finances, family, friends, housing, recreation, self-esteem, religion, and transportation. Cox proportional hazards models examined the influence of LS on time to death. 417 participants died during the five-year study period. Overall LS and all aspects of LS except finances, religion, and self-esteem predicted death in unadjusted analyses. In fully adjusted analyses, LS with health, housing, and recreation predicted death. Other aspects of LS did not predict death after accounting for functional status and multimorbidity. LS predicted death, but certain aspects of LS are more strongly associated with death. The effect of LS is complex and may be mediated or confounded by health and functional status. It is important to consider different domains of LS when considering the impact of this important emotional indicator on mortality among older adults.

Factors Associated with Resilience of Adult Survivors Five Years after the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake in China

PubMed Central

Ni, Cuiping; Chow, Meyrick Chum Ming; Jiang, Xiaolian; Li, Sijian; Pang, Samantha Mei Che

2015-01-01

Given the paucity of quantitative empirical research on survivors’ resilience and its predictors in the context of long-term recovery after disasters, we examined how resilience predictors differed by gender among adult survivors five years after the Sichuan earthquake. This was a cross-sectional survey study of adult survivors (N = 495; aged 18–60) living in reconstructed communities five years into the recovery process after the Wenchuan earthquake. The instruments we used included assessments of sociodemographic characteristics and earthquake exposure level, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and the Social Support Rating Scale. Support-seeking behaviors emerged as a significant predictor of male survivors’ resilience, while subjective support and marital status were found to be predictors of female survivors’ resilience. Annual household income and chronic disease were predictors for both male and female groups. The findings of this study can be used in devising methods to boost survivors’ resilience by promoting their satisfaction with social support and their ability to obtain effective support. Additionally, the results suggest how to assist survivors who may have relatively poor resilience. PMID:25811775

Genetic influence on contrast sensitivity in middle-aged male twins.

PubMed

Cronin-Golomb, Alice; Panizzon, Matthew S; Lyons, Michael J; Franz, Carol E; Grant, Michael D; Jacobson, Kristen C; Eisen, Seth A; Laudate, Thomas M; Kremen, William S

2007-07-01

Contrast sensitivity is strongly associated with daily functioning among older adults, but the genetic and environmental contributions to this ability are unknown. Using the classical twin method, we addressed this issue by examining contrast sensitivity at five spatial frequencies (1.5-18 cycles per degree) in 718 middle-aged male twins from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA). Heritability estimates were modest (14-38%), whereas individual-specific environmental influences accounted for 62-86% of the variance. Identifying the types of individual-specific events that impact contrast sensitivity may suggest interventions to modulate this ability and thereby improve overall quality of life as adults age.

[Multifactorial analysis of effects of mothers' autoimmune thyroid disease on their infants' intellectual development].

PubMed

Zhu, Hong; Zhao, Zheng-yan; Jiang, You-jun; Liang, Li; Wang, Ji-yue; Mao, Hua-qing; Zou, Chao-chun; Chen, Li-qin; Qu, Yi-ping

2005-05-01

To analyze factors relevant to retarded intellectual development in infants born to mothers with autoimmune disease of thyroid. All the term newborns born to mothers with autoimmune thyroid disease (selection criteria) without asphyxia in all county, city, and provincial hospitals in Zhejiang province (except for Ningbo City) from July 2001 to June 2003 were enrolled through Zhejiang provincial neonatal disease screening network system. The control group was consisted of the neonates who were born to mothers without thyroid disease in these hospitals during the same period. Heel capillary blood samples were collected from the neonates older than 3 days in local hospitals and sent to the center of Zhejiang provincial neonatal disease screening network system. TSH levels were measured by Time Difference Fluorescent Analysis Device (1420 II type, EGG Company, US). If the level of TSH was higher than 9 mU/L, their mothers were called back to the center with their infants within 3 days. If the level of TSH was normal, they were called back to hospitals at age of 28 - 35 days of infants. The pattern of maternal thyroid disease, duration, thyroid function, the history of maternal drug administration, maternal age, gestational age and body weight of the neonates were recorded. The neonatal and maternal serum thyroid function tests were re-performed and the serum TPOAb, TGAb, TRAb and TSAb levels in both neonates and their mothers were measured as well. A 1-year follow-up study was done and all these subjects were investigated by means of Gesell development schedules by special investigators at the age of 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. The results were expressed as developmental quotient. Case-sectional study was performed. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS software. The multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze factors which might have effect on infantile personal-social ability, adaptive ability, gross motor ability or the fine-motor ability. One-way ANOVA was used to compare those five subfields ability followed by LSD multiple comparisons and Dunnet's C test was used when variances were not equal. Correlation analysis was used to compare the anti-thyroid antibody between neonates and their mothers. Poor personal-social ability, adaptive ability, gross motor ability and fine motor ability of infants born to mothers with autoimmune thyroid diseases were found as compared to the infants born to healthy mothers (P < 0.01). Moreover, the infants born to mothers with Hashimoto's thyroiditis had significantly poorer fine motor ability and adaptive ability than those born to mothers with Grave's disease (P < 0.05). The Spearman correlation coefficients of TPOAb, TGAb, TRAb and TSAb were 0.636, 0.574, 0.619 and 0.473, respectively, and all the P values were lower than 0.01.The multifactor logistic regression analysis showed that infantile TPOAb levels and maternal TRAb levels were associated with infantile personal-social ability, adaptive ability, and gross motor; while maternal TPOAb levels and thyroid function during gestation were associated with infantile fine-motor ability (P < 0.05). Maternal autoimmune thyroid diseases during pregnancy had adverse effects on intellectual development of infants. The maternal levels of TPOAb, TRAb and thyroid status were associated with the infantile personal-social ability, adaptive ability, gross motor and fine motor development. In order to reduce the effect on infant, it is necessary to treat adequately the maternal autoimmune thyroid diseases during pregnancy.

The Relationship between Quality of Life and Functioning for Children with Cerebral Palsy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shelly, A.; Davis, E.; Waters, E.; Mackinnon, A.; Reddihough, D.; Boyd, R.; Reid, S.; Graham, H. K.

2008-01-01

Given that quality of life (QOL) is commonly confused with functioning, the aim of this study was to examine the association between functioning and QOL domains for children with cerebral palsy (CP). Two hundred and five parents of children aged 4 to 12 years with CP and 53 children aged 9 to 12 years with CP, completed the Cerebral Palsy Quality…

Laboratory Directed Research and Development Annual Report - Fiscal Year 2000

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fisher, Darrell R.; Hughes, Pamela J.; Pearson, Erik W.

The projects described in this report represent the Laboratory's investment in its future and are vital to maintaining the ability to develop creative solutions for the scientific and technical challenges faced by DOE and the nation. In accordance with DOE guidelines, the report provides, a) a director's statement, b) an overview of the laboratory's LDRD program, including PNNL's management process and a self-assessment of the program, c) a five-year project funding table, and d) project summaries for each LDRD project.

Five-Year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe Observations: Beam Maps and Window Functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, R. S.; Weiland, J. L.; Odegard, N.; Wollack, E.; Hinshaw, G.; Larson, D.; Bennett, C. L.; Halpern, M.; Page, L.; Dunkley, J.; Gold, B.; Jarosik, N.; Kogut, A.; Limon, M.; Nolta, M. R.; Spergel, D. N.; Tucker, G. S.; Wright, E. L.

2009-02-01

Cosmology and other scientific results from the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) mission require an accurate knowledge of the beam patterns in flight. While the degree of beam knowledge for the WMAP one-year and three-year results was unprecedented for a CMB experiment, we have significantly improved the beam determination as part of the five-year data release. Physical optics fits are done on both the A and the B sides for the first time. The cutoff scale of the fitted distortions on the primary mirror is reduced by a factor of ~2 from previous analyses. These changes enable an improvement in the hybridization of Jupiter data with beam models, which is optimized with respect to error in the main beam solid angle. An increase in main-beam solid angle of ~1% is found for the V2 and W1-W4 differencing assemblies. Although the five-year results are statistically consistent with previous ones, the errors in the five-year beam transfer functions are reduced by a factor of ~2 as compared to the three-year analysis. We present radiometry of the planet Jupiter as a test of the beam consistency and as a calibration standard; for an individual differencing assembly, errors in the measured disk temperature are ~0.5%. WMAP is the result of a partnership between Princeton University and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Scientific guidance is provided by the WMAP Science Team.

Sleep and nutritional deprivation and performance of house officers.

PubMed

Hawkins, M R; Vichick, D A; Silsby, H D; Kruzich, D J; Butler, R

1985-07-01

A study was conducted by the authors to compare cognitive functioning in acutely and chronically sleep-deprived house officers. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed significant deficits in primary mental tasks involving basic rote memory, language, and numeric skills as well as in tasks requiring high-order cognitive functioning and traditional intellective abilities. These deficits existed only for the acutely sleep-deprived group. The finding of deficits in individuals who reported five hours or less of sleep in a 24-hour period suggests that the minimum standard of four hours that has been considered by some to be adequate for satisfactory performance may be insufficient for more complex cognitive functioning.

Quality Indicators for Multidisciplinary Team Functioning in Community-Based Children’s Mental Health Services

PubMed Central

Kutash, Krista; Acri, Mary; Pollock, Michele; Armusewicz, Kelsey; Hoagwood, Kimberly Eaton

2014-01-01

The current study examined the organizational social context in 21 community-based programs serving youth at-risk for out-of-home care due to emotional or behavioral disorders and their families and program performance on five quality indicators of team functioning in teams that included a family support specialist. Results indicate that programs with higher performance on structures to facilitate teamwork, informal communication mechanisms among team members, and the ability to integrate family support specialists as equal members of the team showed more positive organizational functioning. Implications for the role of quality indicators in health care reform efforts are discussed. PMID:23873037

Concurrent and Predictive Relations between Hormone Levels and Social-Emotional Functioning in Early Adolescence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nottelmann, Editha D.; And Others

Hormone levels and changes in hormone levels were evaluated three times across a 1-year period as concurrent and predictive correlates of the socio-emotional functioning of 56 boys 10- to 14-years-old and 52 girls 9- to 14-years-old who represented the five stages of Tanner's criteria of pubertal development. The hormone measures were serum levels…

Higher morale is associated with lower risk of depressive disorders five years later among very old people.

PubMed

Niklasson, Johan; Näsman, Marina; Nyqvist, Fredrica; Conradsson, Mia; Olofsson, Birgitta; Lövheim, Hugo; Gustafson, Yngve

The aim of this study was to investigate whether higher morale, i.e. future-oriented optimism, at baseline was associated with lower risk of depressive disorders five years later among very old people.Methods The Umeå85+/GErontological Regional Database, a population-based study with a longitudinal design, recruited participants in Sweden and Finland aged 85, 90 and ≥95 years. The sample in the present study included 647 individuals (89.1±4.4 years (Mean±SD), range 85-103). After five years, 216 were alive and agreed to a follow-up (92.6±3.4 years, range 90-104). The Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (PGCMS) was used to assess morale. The depressive disorder diagnosis was determined according to DSM-IV based on medical records and interview data including assessment scales for depressive disorders. A number of sociodemographic, functional and health-related variables were analysed as possible confounders.Results For those with no depressive disorders at baseline, the only baseline variable significantly associated with depressive disorders five years later was the PGCMS score. A logistic regression model showed lower risk of depressive disorders five years later with higher baseline PGCMS scores (odds ratio 0.779 for one point increase in PGCMS, p<0.001). The association remained after adjusting for social isolation (p<0.1 association with depressive disorders five years later).Conclusion Our results indicate that the higher the morale, the lower the risk of depressive disorders five years later among very old people. The PGCMS seems to identify those very old individuals at increased risk of depressive disorders five years later. Preventive measures could befocused on this group. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and assessment of floor and ceiling items for the PROMIS physical function item bank

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Introduction Disability and Physical Function (PF) outcome assessment has had limited ability to measure functional status at the floor (very poor functional abilities) or the ceiling (very high functional abilities). We sought to identify, develop and evaluate new floor and ceiling items to enable broader and more precise assessment of PF outcomes for the NIH Patient-Reported-Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). Methods We conducted two cross-sectional studies using NIH PROMIS item improvement protocols with expert review, participant survey and focus group methods. In Study 1, respondents with low PF abilities evaluated new floor items, and those with high PF abilities evaluated new ceiling items for clarity, importance and relevance. In Study 2, we compared difficulty ratings of new floor items by low functioning respondents and ceiling items by high functioning respondents to reference PROMIS PF-10 items. We used frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations to analyze the data. Results In Study 1, low (n = 84) and high (n = 90) functioning respondents were mostly White, women, 70 years old, with some college, and disability scores of 0.62 and 0.30. More than 90% of the 31 new floor and 31 new ceiling items were rated as clear, important and relevant, leaving 26 ceiling and 30 floor items for Study 2. Low (n = 246) and high (n = 637) functioning Study 2 respondents were mostly White, women, 70 years old, with some college, and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) scores of 1.62 and 0.003. Compared to difficulty ratings of reference items, ceiling items were rated to be 10% more to greater than 40% more difficult to do, and floor items were rated to be about 12% to nearly 90% less difficult to do. Conclusions These new floor and ceiling items considerably extend the measurable range of physical function at either extreme. They will help improve instrument performance in populations with broad functional ranges and those concentrated at one or the other extreme ends of functioning. Optimal use of these new items will be assisted by computerized adaptive testing (CAT), reducing questionnaire burden and insuring item administration to appropriate individuals. PMID:24286166

[Relationship between cognitive function and physical activities: a longitudinal study among community-dwelling elderly].

PubMed

Konagaya, Yoko; Watanabe, Tomoyuki; Ohta, Toshiki

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether physical activities reduce the risk of cognitive decline in community-dwelling elderly. We investigated correlations between cognitive functions at baseline and physical activities, correlations between cognitive functions at baseline and cognitive decline over 4 years, as well as correlations between physical activity at baseline and cognitive decline over 4 years. At baseline, 2,431 community-dwelling elderly completed the cognitive screening by telephone (TICS-J), and answered the questionnaires about physical activities. Of these, 1,040 subjects again completed the TICS-J over 4 years. Physical activities contained moving ability, walking frequency, walking speed, the exercise frequency. At baseline, 870 elderly (age 75.87±4.96 (mean±SD) years, duration of education 11.05±2.41) showed normal cognitive functions and 170 (79.19±6.22, 9.61±2.23) showed cognitive impairment. The total TICS-J score was significantly higher in cognitive normal subjects compared with that of cognitive impaired subjects (36.02±1.89, 30.19±2.25, respectively, p<0.001). Logistic regression analyses showed that moving ability significantly reduced the risk of cognitive impairment in an unadjusted model, and walking speed also reduced the risk of cognitive impairment at baseline even in an adjusted model. Cognitive function at baseline might be a predictor of cognitive function over 4 years. The longitudinal study revealed that walking speed and exercise frequency significantly correlate with maintenance of cognitive function over 4 years. This study provides that physical activities, especially walking speed have significant correlation with cognitive function.

Osteogenesis imperfecta in childhood: effects of spondylodesis on functional ability, ambulation and perceived competence.

PubMed

Tolboom, N; Cats, E A; Helders, P J M; Pruijs, J E H; Engelbert, R H H

2004-03-01

We studied the effects of spondylodesis on spinal curvature, functional outcome, level of ambulation and perceived competence in 11 children with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). Mean age at surgical intervention was 13.1 years (SD 2.5 years) and follow-up amounted to 3.4 years (SD 2.3 years). Spinal curvature was measured according to Cobb. The level of ambulation was scored according to the modified criteria of Bleck. Functional abilities and the amount of parental assistance were scored using the Dutch version of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI). Perceived competence was measured using the Harter Self-Perception Profile for Children. The amount of fatigue, spinal pain and presence of subjective dyspnea were scored with a visual analog scale. The median progression per year before spondylodesis was 6.1 degrees (interquartile range 2.9 degrees -12.9 degrees ) and after the spondylodesis it was 5.0 degrees (interquartile range 1.6 degrees -11.0 degrees ). No significant progression or regression in the level of ambulation was found. Perceived competence improved slightly. In the total score of the perceived competence, a borderline significant increase was found ( P-value 0.068). We concluded that spinal fusion in children with OI does not materially influence functional ability and level of ambulation. Self-perceived competence seemed to improve after surgery. The amount of pain, fatigue and subjective dyspnea seemed to diminish after spinal surgery. Progression of scoliosis proceeded, as did development of spinal curvature at the junction of the spondylodesis. Therefore, oral or intravenous bisphosphonates before and after spinal surgery should be considered.

A randomised controlled trial of occupational therapy for people with early rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Hammond, A; Young, A; Kidao, R

2004-01-01

Occupational therapy (OT) aims at improving performance of daily living tasks, facilitating successful adjustments in lifestyle, and preventing losses of function. To evaluate the effects of a pragmatic, comprehensive OT programme on self management and health status of people with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (<2.5 years). A randomised, controlled "assessor blinded" trial was conducted with assessments made at entry, 6, 12, and 24 months. Main outcomes were AIMS2: physical function (PF), pain visual analogue scale (VAS), and Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES). Groups had similar disease duration (9 months OT (n = 162) v 10 months control (n = 164)). The OT group received 7.57 (SD 3.04) hours of therapy. Self management significantly increased in the OT group. Otherwise, there were no significant differences in any outcome measures, or between groups, by ACR functional class: AIMS2: PF (F = 0.04; p = 0.96); pain VAS (F = 0.29; p = 0.74); total ASES score (F = 0.93; p = 0.39). OT improved self management but not health status in early RA. Functional ability remains reasonably good for many in the first five years, so preventive benefits of self management may not yet be apparent and longer follow up is needed. Although many considered the education and therapy useful, insufficient numbers in the OT group used self management sufficiently to make a difference. Behavioural approaches can improve adherence and, potentially, the long term benefits. Future research should evaluate OT as a complex intervention and develop programmes from a theoretical and evidence base.

Repetition priming and change in functional ability in older persons without dementia

PubMed Central

Fleischman, Debra A.; Bienias, Julia L.; Bennett, David A.

2008-01-01

Adverse consequences such as institutionalization and death are associated with compromised activities of daily living in aging, yet there is little known about risk factors for the development and progression of functional disability. Using generalized linear models, we examined the association between the ability to benefit from repetition and rate of change in functional ability in 160 nondemented elders participating in the Religious Orders Study. Three single-word repetition priming tasks were administered that varied in the degree to which visual-perceptual or conceptual processing is invoked. Decline in functional ability was less rapid, during follow-up of up to 10 years, in persons with better baseline priming performance on a task known to draw on both visual-perceptual and conceptual processing (word-stem completion). By contrast, change in functional ability was not associated with priming on tasks that are known to draw primarily on either visual-perceptual (threshold word-identification) or conceptual (category exemplar production) processing. The results are discussed in terms of a common biological substrate in the inferotemporal neocortex supporting efficient processing of meaningful visual-perceptual experience and proficient performance of activities of daily living. PMID:19210037

Functional impairment and the economic consequences of female breast cancer.

PubMed

Chirikos, Thomas N; Russell-Jacobs, Anita; Jacobsen, Paul B

2002-01-01

Recent trends in breast cancer diagnosis and mortality suggest that long-term survivors are now more likely to be functionally impaired and, hence, more likely to experience adverse economic outcomes. This study tests whether women who have survived breast cancer for at least five years exhibit more, or more severe, functional impairments than otherwise similar women without breast cancer. It also tests whether women with more severe impairments experience poorer economic outcomes attributable to their functional status. A group of 105 breast cancer survivors was interviewed to obtain data on health and economic changes in the five-year period since diagnosis and initial treatment. An age- and work-matched group of 105 women without cancer was also interviewed to obtain the same data over the same time period. Key changes in the functional status of the subjects as well as economic outcomes such as changes in market earnings, household income, and insurance coverage were measured. Whether impairment is more severe in the breast cancer group than the comparison group was then tested statistically; whether economic outcomes are more adverse in more impaired than less impaired women regardless of their breast cancer status was also tested. The analysis turned up statistically significant evidence in regard to each of these relationships. Breast cancer survivors were more likely than controls to be functionally impaired at the five-year benchmark. Impaired women, in turn, were more likely to reduce work effort and experience downturns in market earnings, among other things. Policy and research implications are discussed.

Developing Communicative Competence: A Longitudinal Study of the Acquisition of Mental State Terms and Indirect Requests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Mulder, Hannah

2015-01-01

This longitudinal study involving 101 Dutch four- and five-year-olds charts indirect request (IR) and mental state term (MST) understanding and investigates the role that Theory of Mind (ToM) and general linguistic ability (vocabulary, syntax, and spatial language) play in this development. The results showed basic understanding of IR and MST in…

Biliteracy, or the Bilingual Child's Right to Read.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andersson, Theodore

So far bilingual education has had only the most modest success in providing for children of limited English-speaking ability (LESAS) an educational opportunity equal to that of English-speaking children. In fact, to aim only at equality is self-defeating because it is impossible for a LESA child with a five-to-six year handicap ever to catch up…

Seeing, Hearing and Doing the Renaissance (Part 1): Let's Have a Renaissance Party!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osowiecki, Maria

2004-01-01

In two, linked articles, appearing in this and the next edition, Maria Osowiecki shares an account of a five-lesson enquiry, based on the concept of historical significance (National Curriculum Key Element 2e) for mixed ability Year 8. She wanted to experiment with an array of creative teaching techniques that would appeal to a wide range of…

Seed source variation in tracheid length and specific gravity of five-year-old jack pine seedlings

Treesearch

James P. King

1968-01-01

Jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) is widely used in Lake States reforestation because of its ability to make rapid early growth on relatively infertile sites. It is a major pulpwood producing species. Since the quality and yield of pulp are so strongly influenced by tracheid length and specific gravity, information on genetic variation in these...

The Role of Local and Distal Landmarks in the Development of Object Location Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bullens, Jessie; Klugkist, Irene; Postma, Albert

2011-01-01

To locate objects in the environment, animals and humans use visual and nonvisual information. We were interested in children's ability to relocate an object on the basis of self-motion and local and distal color cues for orientation. Five- to 9-year-old children were tested on an object location memory task in which, between presentation and…

Poor postdischarge head growth is related to a 10% lower intelligence quotient in very preterm infants at the chronological age of five years.

PubMed

Neubauer, Vera; Fuchs, Teresa; Griesmaier, Elke; Kager, Katrin; Pupp-Peglow, Ulrike; Kiechl-Kohlendorfer, Ursula

2016-05-01

This study examined the relationship between head growth and cognitive outcome at the age of five years in preterm infants born at less than 32 weeks of gestation from 2003 to 2009, as previous research has mostly focused on outcomes in toddlers. The head circumference of 273 very preterm infants born in Tyrol, Austria, was measured at birth, discharge, the corrected ages of three, 12 and 24 months and the chronological age of five years. Suboptimal head size was defined as a head circumference of more than one standard deviation below the mean. Full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ) at five years was determined using Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence, third edition. Infants with a suboptimal head size at the age of three months had a significantly lower median IQ than those with a normal head size (90 [20-122] versus 98 [20-138], p = 0.001) and from three months onwards they were more likely to exhibit cognitive delay. A suboptimal head size from the age of three months was consistently related to a 10% lower IQ, and this study adds further evidence that head growth failure, especially during the early postdischarge period, is related to impaired cognitive abilities. ©2016 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Emergency medicine resident crisis resource management ability: a simulation-based longitudinal study

PubMed Central

Clarke, Samuel; Horeczko, Timothy; Carlisle, Matthew; Barton, Joseph D.; Ng, Vivienne; Al-Somali, Sameerah; Bair, Aaron E.

2014-01-01

Background Simulation has been identified as a means of assessing resident physicians’ mastery of technical skills, but there is a lack of evidence for its utility in longitudinal assessments of residents’ non-technical clinical abilities. We evaluated the growth of crisis resource management (CRM) skills in the simulation setting using a validated tool, the Ottawa Crisis Resource Management Global Rating Scale (Ottawa GRS). We hypothesized that the Ottawa GRS would reflect progressive growth of CRM ability throughout residency. Methods Forty-five emergency medicine residents were tracked with annual simulation assessments between 2006 and 2011. We used mixed-methods repeated-measures regression analyses to evaluate elements of the Ottawa GRS by level of training to predict performance growth throughout a 3-year residency. Results Ottawa GRS scores increased over time, and the domains of leadership, problem solving, and resource utilization, in particular, were predictive of overall performance. There was a significant gain in all Ottawa GRS components between postgraduate years 1 and 2, but no significant difference in GRS performance between years 2 and 3. Conclusions In summary, CRM skills are progressive abilities, and simulation is a useful modality for tracking their development. Modification of this tool may be needed to assess advanced learners’ gains in performance. PMID:25499769

Cooperation predictors for dental patients with autism.

PubMed

Marshall, Jennifer; Sheller, Barbara; Williams, Bryan J; Mancl, Lloyd; Cowan, Charles

2007-01-01

This study evaluated potential predictors of cooperation during dental appointments for children with autism. Data were collected from 108 parent/child pairs and their dentists. Questions included: (1) medical/dental history; (2)functional language; (3) personal hygiene skills; (4) academic setting; and (5) achievements. Behavior was scored using the Frankl scale. Subjects were 80 males and 28 females 2.7 to 19 years old with a mean age of 9.8 years. Frankl scores were 65% uncooperative (definitely negative or negative) and 35% cooperative (positive or definitely positive). Multiple factors predicted uncooperative behavior: (1) appointment type (P=.03); (2) concurrent medical diagnoses (P=.04); (3) nonverbal/minimal or echololic language (P=.005); (4) inability to understand language appropriate for age (P=.02); (5) inability to follow multistep instructions (P=.04); (6) parents providing most/all tooth-brushing (P=.004); (7) partially or not toilet trained at 4+ years (P=.02); (8) inability to sit for a haircut (P=.01); (9) attending special education (P<.001); and (10) inability to read at 6+ years (P<.001). Five questions readily answered by a caregiver may indicate a child's cooperative potential. Preappointment inquiry about toilet training, toothbrushing, haircuts, academic achievement and language can give the dentist insight into the child's ability to respond positively to behavior guidance techniques based on communication.

Relationship between the Brazilian version of the Montreal-Toulouse language assessment battery and education, age and reading and writing characteristics. A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Pagliarin, Karina Carlesso; Gindri, Gigiane; Ortiz, Karin Zazo; Parente, Maria Alice Mattos Pimenta; Joanette, Yves; Nespoulous, Jean-Luc; Fonseca, Rochele Paz

2015-01-01

There is growing concern about understanding how sociodemographic variables may interfere with cognitive functioning, especially with regard to language. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between performance in the Brazilian version of the Montreal-Toulouse language assessment battery (MTL-BR) and education, age and frequency of reading and writing habits (FRWH). Cross-sectional study conducted in university and work environments in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The MTL-BR was administered to a group of 233 healthy adults, aged 19 to 75 years (mean = 45.04, standard deviation, SD = 15.47), with at least five years of formal education (mean = 11.47, SD = 4.77). A stepwise multiple linear regression model showed that, for most tasks, the number of years of education, age and FRWH were better predictors of performance when analyzed together rather than separately. In separate analysis, education was the best predictor of performance in language tasks, especially those involving reading and writing abilities. The results suggested that the number of years of education, age and FRWH seem to influence performance in the MTL-BR, especially education. These data are important for making diagnoses of greater precision among patients suffering from brain injuries, with the aim of avoiding false positives.

Assessment of Object Permanence in Severely Handicapped Students as a Function of Motor and Prompting Variables.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ilmer, Steven; And Others

1981-01-01

The study assessed object permanence construct performance in 20 severely handicapped students (4 to 14 years old) who were differentiated by treatment (prompt) condition and motor ability level. Results revealed a trait (motor ability) x treatment interaction. (Author/SB)

The Scottish Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandercock, E. R.

1977-01-01

The Centre's functions are described. A flow diagram, developed for the Scottish Integrated Science Course, showing a modular approach to science for mixed ability or low ability students is given. This course is intended for students in their first two years of secondary education. (AJ)

Longitudinal trajectories of intellectual and adaptive functioning in adolescents and adults with Williams syndrome.

PubMed

Fisher, M H; Lense, M D; Dykens, E M

2016-10-01

Williams syndrome (WS) is associated with a distinct cognitive-behavioural phenotype including mild to moderate intellectual disability, visual-spatial deficits, hypersociability, inattention and anxiety. Researchers typically characterise samples of individuals with WS by their intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour. Because of the low prevalence of the syndrome, researchers often include participants with WS across a broad age range throughout childhood and adulthood and assume participants demonstrate consistent cognitive development across ages. Indeed, IQ scores are generally stable for children and adolescents with WS, although there are significant individual differences. It is less clear whether this pattern of stable intellectual ability persists into adulthood. Furthermore, while adaptive behaviour is an important indicator of an individual's ability to apply their conceptual skills to everyday functioning, conflicting findings on the trajectories of adaptive behaviour in adolescents and adults with WS have been reported. The current study examined longitudinal profiles of cognitive and adaptive functioning in adolescents and adults with WS. To examine cognitive functioning, participants included 52 individuals with WS (51.9% men) who were assessed with the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, 2nd edition (KBIT-2) between two and seven times. At their first assessment, participants had a mean age of 25.4 years (SD = 8.4), ranging in age from 14.2 to 48.9 years. To assess adaptive behaviour, participants included a subset of 28 individuals with WS whose parents completed the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale, 2nd edition (VABS-II) between two and five times. At their initial administration, participants ranged from 17.1-40.2 years of age, with a mean age of 26.5 years (SD = 7.3). A series of multilevel models were used to examine changes in KBIT-2 Composite IQ, Verbal IQ and Nonverbal IQ standard scores over time, as well as the Adaptive Behavior Composite, and the Communication, Daily Living Skills and Socialization subdomains of the VABS-II. Consistent with the WS cognitive profile, IQ scores were significantly lower than the general population IQ score of 100, and there was significant variability in individual IQ scores and slopes. KBIT-2 IQ scores were generally stable across adolescents and adults with WS. Adaptive behaviour scores were significantly lower than the population mean score of 100, and there was significant variability in individuals' adaptive behaviour scores but not trajectories. However, in contrast to the findings with the KBIT-2, VABS-II scores were observed to significantly decrease over time. Findings suggest that while intellectual functioning remains stable, adaptive functioning does not remain stable across adolescence and adulthood in individuals with WS. Implications for the relation between cognitive and adaptive functioning across development are discussed, with a focus on how this relates to specific aspects of the WS phenotype. © 2016 MENCAP and International Association of the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effect of the sequence data deluge on the performance of methods for detecting protein functional residues.

PubMed

Garrido-Martín, Diego; Pazos, Florencio

2018-02-27

The exponential accumulation of new sequences in public databases is expected to improve the performance of all the approaches for predicting protein structural and functional features. Nevertheless, this was never assessed or quantified for some widely used methodologies, such as those aimed at detecting functional sites and functional subfamilies in protein multiple sequence alignments. Using raw protein sequences as only input, these approaches can detect fully conserved positions, as well as those with a family-dependent conservation pattern. Both types of residues are routinely used as predictors of functional sites and, consequently, understanding how the sequence content of the databases affects them is relevant and timely. In this work we evaluate how the growth and change with time in the content of sequence databases affect five sequence-based approaches for detecting functional sites and subfamilies. We do that by recreating historical versions of the multiple sequence alignments that would have been obtained in the past based on the database contents at different time points, covering a period of 20 years. Applying the methods to these historical alignments allows quantifying the temporal variation in their performance. Our results show that the number of families to which these methods can be applied sharply increases with time, while their ability to detect potentially functional residues remains almost constant. These results are informative for the methods' developers and final users, and may have implications in the design of new sequencing initiatives.

A longitudinal study of child sleep in high and low risk families: relationship to early maternal settling strategies and child psychological functioning.

PubMed

Sheridan, Andrew; Murray, Lynne; Cooper, Peter J; Evangeli, Michael; Byram, Victoria; Halligan, Sarah L

2013-03-01

To investigate whether sleep disturbances previously found to characterise high risk infants: (a) persist into childhood; (b) are influenced by early maternal settling strategies and (c) predict cognitive and emotional/behavioural functioning. Mothers experiencing high and low levels of psychosocial adversity (risk) were recruited antenatally and longitudinally assessed with their children. Mothers completed measures of settling strategies and infant sleep postnatally, and at 12 and 18 months, infant age. At five years, child sleep characteristics were measured via an actigraphy and maternal report; IQ and child adjustment were also assessed. Sleep disturbances observed in high-risk infants persisted at five years. Maternal involvement in infant settling was greater in high risk mothers, and predicted less optimal sleep at five years. Poorer five year sleep was associated with concurrent child anxiety/depression and aggression, but there was limited evidence for an influence of early sleep problems. Associations between infant/child sleep characteristics and IQ were also limited. Early maternal over-involvement in infant settling is associated with less optimal sleep in children, which in turn, is related to child adjustment. The findings highlight the importance of supporting parents in the early development of good settling practices, particularly in high-risk populations. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Stress in chiropractic education: a student survey of a five-year course.

PubMed

Hester, Hilary; Cunliffe, Christina; Hunnisett, Adrian

2013-01-01

Objective : Stress encompasses academic issues, such as time management, increased work load, and new subject matter, but cannot be separated from stressors, such as social adjustment and financial pressure. Our study investigated whether perceived level of academic or practical attainment and the method of study were associated with the amount of perceived stress during students" studies. Methods : A semi-structured self-administered questionnaire was piloted and distributed to 134 students at a chiropractic college at the end of a lecture. Results : The survey had a response rate of 81%. Students in their fourth year consistently reported the highest perceived levels of stress, with 81% feeling that their ability to study was affected by their financial situation and 56% felt overwhelmed at their ability to cope with their college workload. All year groups were stressed during their course of studies, but the stressor varies depending on the year of study. Conclusions : Year 4 consistently demonstrated the highest levels of stress. All students, regardless of year group, experienced varying degrees of stress while studying and the central stressor changed depending on the time position within the course.

The Profile of Memory Function in Children With Autism

PubMed Central

Williams, Diane L.; Goldstein, Gerald; Minshew, Nancy J.

2007-01-01

A clinical memory test was administered to 38 high-functioning children with autism and 38 individually matched normal controls, 8–16 years of age. The resulting profile of memory abilities in the children with autism was characterized by relatively poor memory for complex visual and verbal information and spatial working memory with relatively intact associative learning ability, verbal working memory, and recognition memory. A stepwise discriminant function analysis of the subtests found that the Finger Windows subtest, a measure of spatial working memory, discriminated most accurately between the autism and normal control groups. A principal components analysis indicated that the factor structure of the subtests differed substantially between the children with autism and controls, suggesting differing organizations of memory ability. PMID:16460219

Frontoparietal Structural Connectivity in Childhood Predicts Development of Functional Connectivity and Reasoning Ability: A Large-Scale Longitudinal Investigation.

PubMed

Wendelken, Carter; Ferrer, Emilio; Ghetti, Simona; Bailey, Stephen K; Cutting, Laurie; Bunge, Silvia A

2017-08-30

Prior research points to a positive concurrent relationship between reasoning ability and both frontoparietal structural connectivity (SC) as measured by diffusion tensor imaging (Tamnes et al., 2010) and frontoparietal functional connectivity (FC) as measured by fMRI (Cocchi et al., 2014). Further, recent research demonstrates a link between reasoning ability and FC of two brain regions in particular: rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC) and the inferior parietal lobe (IPL) (Wendelken et al., 2016). Here, we sought to investigate the concurrent and dynamic, lead-lag relationships among frontoparietal SC, FC, and reasoning ability in humans. To this end, we combined three longitudinal developmental datasets with behavioral and neuroimaging data from 523 male and female participants between 6 and 22 years of age. Cross-sectionally, reasoning ability was most strongly related to FC between RLPFC and IPL in adolescents and adults, but to frontoparietal SC in children. Longitudinal analysis revealed that RLPFC-IPL SC, but not FC, was a positive predictor of future changes in reasoning ability. Moreover, we found that RLPFC-IPL SC at one time point positively predicted future changes in RLPFC-IPL FC, whereas, in contrast, FC did not predict future changes in SC. Our results demonstrate the importance of strong white matter connectivity between RLPFC and IPL during middle childhood for the subsequent development of both robust FC and good reasoning ability. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The human capacity for reasoning develops substantially during childhood and has a profound impact on achievement in school and in cognitively challenging careers. Reasoning ability depends on communication between lateral prefrontal and parietal cortices. Therefore, to understand how this capacity develops, we examined the dynamic relationships over time among white matter tracts connecting frontoparietal cortices (i.e., structural connectivity, SC), coordinated frontoparietal activation (functional connectivity, FC), and reasoning ability in a large longitudinal sample of subjects 6-22 years of age. We found that greater frontoparietal SC in childhood predicts future increases in both FC and reasoning ability, demonstrating the importance of white matter development during childhood for subsequent brain and cognitive functioning. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/378549-10$15.00/0.

Frontoparietal Structural Connectivity in Childhood Predicts Development of Functional Connectivity and Reasoning Ability: A Large-Scale Longitudinal Investigation

PubMed Central

Ferrer, Emilio; Cutting, Laurie

2017-01-01

Prior research points to a positive concurrent relationship between reasoning ability and both frontoparietal structural connectivity (SC) as measured by diffusion tensor imaging (Tamnes et al., 2010) and frontoparietal functional connectivity (FC) as measured by fMRI (Cocchi et al., 2014). Further, recent research demonstrates a link between reasoning ability and FC of two brain regions in particular: rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC) and the inferior parietal lobe (IPL) (Wendelken et al., 2016). Here, we sought to investigate the concurrent and dynamic, lead–lag relationships among frontoparietal SC, FC, and reasoning ability in humans. To this end, we combined three longitudinal developmental datasets with behavioral and neuroimaging data from 523 male and female participants between 6 and 22 years of age. Cross-sectionally, reasoning ability was most strongly related to FC between RLPFC and IPL in adolescents and adults, but to frontoparietal SC in children. Longitudinal analysis revealed that RLPFC–IPL SC, but not FC, was a positive predictor of future changes in reasoning ability. Moreover, we found that RLPFC–IPL SC at one time point positively predicted future changes in RLPFC–IPL FC, whereas, in contrast, FC did not predict future changes in SC. Our results demonstrate the importance of strong white matter connectivity between RLPFC and IPL during middle childhood for the subsequent development of both robust FC and good reasoning ability. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The human capacity for reasoning develops substantially during childhood and has a profound impact on achievement in school and in cognitively challenging careers. Reasoning ability depends on communication between lateral prefrontal and parietal cortices. Therefore, to understand how this capacity develops, we examined the dynamic relationships over time among white matter tracts connecting frontoparietal cortices (i.e., structural connectivity, SC), coordinated frontoparietal activation (functional connectivity, FC), and reasoning ability in a large longitudinal sample of subjects 6–22 years of age. We found that greater frontoparietal SC in childhood predicts future increases in both FC and reasoning ability, demonstrating the importance of white matter development during childhood for subsequent brain and cognitive functioning. PMID:28821657

On the specificity of face cognition compared with general cognitive functioning across adult age.

PubMed

Hildebrandt, Andrea; Wilhelm, Oliver; Schmiedek, Florian; Herzmann, Grit; Sommer, Werner

2011-09-01

Face cognition is considered a specific human ability, clearly differentiable from general cognitive functioning. Its specificity is primarily supported by cognitive-experimental and neuroimaging research, but recently also from an individual differences perspective. However, no comprehensive behavioral data are available, which would allow estimating lifespan changes of the covariance structure of face-cognition abilities and general cognitive functioning as well as age-differences in face cognition after accounting for interindividual variability in general cognition. The present study aimed to fill this gap. In an age-heterogeneous (18-82 years) sample of 448 adults, we found no factorial dedifferentiation between face cognition and general cognition. Age-related differences in face memory were still salient after taking into account changes in general cognitive functioning. Face cognition thus remains a specific human ability compared with general cognition, even until old age. We discuss implications for models of cognitive aging and suggest that it is necessary to include more explicitly special social abilities in those models.

Employer evaluations of nurse graduates: a critical program assessment element.

PubMed

Ryan, M E; Hodson, K E

1992-05-01

Accountability in higher education dictates implementation of a comprehensive evaluation plan. Employer evaluation of graduates is an important component of program evaluation and contributes a different view that is rarely reported in the literature. The purpose of this study was to establish a database by surveying employers of baccalaureate-prepared nurses, postgraduation, over a five-year period. Employer surveys measured perceptions of graduates' functioning. Findings indicated that graduates function above expected levels for leadership skills, nursing skills, communication skills, and professionalism. Systematic program evaluation by employers is recommended at one and five years after graduation. A tool for employer evaluation of baccalaureate graduates is discussed.

Decrease in Work Ability Index and sickness absence during the following year: a two-year follow-up study.

PubMed

Ohta, Masanori; Higuchi, Yoshiyuki; Kumashiro, Masaharu; Yamato, Hiroshi; Sugimura, Hisamichi

2017-11-01

Using a 2-year follow-up design, we examined whether changes in work ability during 1 year predicted sickness absence in the following year. Workers (N = 1408) from the Japanese information technology sector each completed the Work Ability Index (WAI), the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in 2011 and 2012. Absence data during 2013 was obtained from employees' computerized attendance records. We used psychological distress as evaluated by the GHQ; job stress and job support calculated using the BJSQ; and job title, sex, and age as potential confounding variables. Thirty-five employees had at least one sickness absence lasting more than seven consecutive days in 2013. Forty-nine percent of sickness absences were due to mental illness, and the others were due to orthopedic disease (20%), cancer (9%), and other illnesses (23%). Decrease in WAI scores from 2011 to 2012 predicted sickness absence in 2013 (Odds ratio (OR) 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12-1.27). This association remained unaltered after adjusting for sex, age, job title, WAI score from the year before, job stress, job support, and GHQ score (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.06-1.25). We analyzed this association separately by reason for absence: mental or other illness. WAI score decreases predicted sickness absence for both reasons (OR for mental illness 1.24, 95% CI 1.14-1.36; OR for other illnesses 1.14, 95% CI 1.04-1.24). Decrease in work ability during the year predicts sickness absence in the following year while predictive power was weak.

Biopsychosocial characteristics of community-dwelling older adults with limited ability to walk one-quarter of a mile.

PubMed

Hardy, Susan E; McGurl, David J; Studenski, Stephanie A; Degenholtz, Howard B

2010-03-01

To establish nationally representative estimates of the prevalence of self-reported difficulty and inability of older adults to walk one-quarter of a mile and to identify the characteristics independently associated with difficulty or inability to walk one-quarter of a mile. Cross-sectional analysis of data from the 2003 Cost and Use Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey. Community. Nine thousand five hundred sixty-three community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older, representing an estimated total population of 34.2 million older adults. Self-reported ability to walk one-quarter of a mile, sociodemographics, chronic conditions, body mass index, smoking, functional status. In 2003, an estimated 9.5 million older Medicare beneficiaries had difficulty walking one-quarter of a mile, and 5.9 million were unable to do so. Of the 20.2 million older adults with no difficulty in activities of daily living (ADLs) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), an estimated 4.3 million (21%) had limited ability to walk one-quarter of a mile. Having difficulty or being unable to walk one-quarter of a mile was independently associated with older age, female sex, non-Hispanic ethnicity, lower educational level, Medicaid entitlement, most chronic medical conditions, current smoking, and being overweight or obese. Almost half of older adults and 20% of those reporting no ADL or IADL limitations report limited ability to walk one-quarter of a mile. For functionally independent older adults, reported ability to walk one-quarter of a mile can identify vulnerable older adults with greater medical problems and fewer resources and may be a valuable clinical marker in planning their care. Future work is needed to determine the association between ability to walk one-quarter of a mile walk and subsequent functional decline and healthcare use.

The impact of polypharmacy on the health of Canadian seniors.

PubMed

Reason, Ben; Terner, Michael; Moses McKeag, Ali; Tipper, Brenda; Webster, Greg

2012-08-01

Prescription medication use increases with age. Seniors face an increased risk of adverse drug reactions from medications, partly because the kidneys and liver can lose functional ability with increasing age, resulting in the need for changes in dosage. To use population survey data to understand the extent and impact of multiple medication use and adverse drug events among Canadian seniors. This study consists of analysis of data from the Canadian Survey of Experiences with Primary Health Care, which was conducted through telephone by Statistics Canada in 2008. These analyses focussed on the 3132 respondents who were ≥ 65 years of age. Twenty-seven per cent of seniors reported taking five or more medications on a regular basis. Within the past year, 12% of seniors taking five or more medications experienced a side effect that required medical attention compared with 5% of seniors taking only one or two medications. Even when controlling for age and number of chronic conditions, the number of prescription medications was associated with the rate of emergency department use. Less than half of all seniors reported having received medication reviews and having the possible side effects of their prescription medications explained to them by their physician. Many Canadian seniors have an elevated risk of adverse events due to taking a high number of prescription medications and not having the potential side effects and drug interactions explained to them. There are interventions that can potentially reduce polypharmacy and adverse events, including routine medication reviews.

Emotional variability in mother-adolescent conflict interactions and internalizing problems of mothers and adolescents: dyadic and individual processes.

PubMed

Van der Giessen, Daniëlle; Hollenstein, Tom; Hale, William W; Koot, Hans M; Meeus, Wim; Branje, Susan

2015-02-01

Emotional variability reflects the ability to flexibly switch among a broad range of positive and negative emotions from moment-to-moment during interactions. Emotional variability during mother-adolescent conflict interactions is considered to be important for healthy socio-emotional functioning of mothers and adolescents. The current observational study examined whether dyadic emotional variability, maternal emotional variability, and adolescent emotional variability during conflict interactions in early adolescence predicted mothers' and adolescents' internalizing problems five years later. We used data from 92 mother-adolescent dyads (Mage T1 = 13.05; 65.20 % boys) who were videotaped at T1 while discussing a conflict. Emotional variability was derived from these conflict interactions and it was observed for mother-adolescent dyads, mothers and adolescents separately. Mothers and adolescents also completed questionnaires in early adolescence (T1) and five years later in late adolescence (T6) on mothers' internalizing problems, and adolescents' anxiety and depressive symptoms. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that less dyadic emotional variability in early adolescence predicted relative increases in mothers' internalizing problems, adolescents' depressive symptoms, and adolescents' anxiety symptoms from early to late adolescence. Less maternal emotional variability only predicted relative increases in adolescents' anxiety symptoms over time. The emotional valence (e.g., types of emotions expressed) of conflict interactions did not moderate the results. Taken together, findings highlighted the importance of considering limited emotional variability during conflict interactions in the development, prevention, and treatment of internalizing problems of mothers and adolescents.

Long term effects of intensity of upper and lower limb training after stroke: a randomised trial

PubMed Central

Kwakkel, G; Kollen, B; Wagenaar, R

2002-01-01

Objective: To assess long term effects at 1 year after stroke in patients who participated in an upper and lower limb intensity training programme in the acute and subacute rehabilitation phases. Design: A three group randomised controlled trial with repeated measures was used. Method: One hundred and one patients with a primary middle cerebral artery stroke were randomly allocated to one of three groups for a 20 week rehabilitation programme with an emphasis on (1) upper limb function, (2) lower limb function or (3) immobilisation with an inflatable pressure splint (control group). Follow up assessments within and between groups were compared at 6, 9, and 12 months after stroke. Results: No statistically significant effects were found for treatment assignment from 6 months onwards. At a group level, the significant differences in efficacy demonstrated at 20 weeks after stroke in favour of the lower limb remained. However, no significant differences in functional recovery between groups were found for Barthel index (BI), functional ambulation categories (FAC),action research arm test (ARAT), comfortable and maximal walking speed, Nottingham health profile part 1(NHP-part 1), sickness impact profile-68 (SIP-68), and Frenchay activities index (FAI) from 6 months onwards. At an individual subject level a substantial number of patients showed improvement or deterioration in upper limb function (n=8 and 5, respectively) and lower limb function (n=19 and 9, respectively). Activities of daily living (ADL) scores showed that five patients deteriorated and four improved beyond the error threshold from 6 months onwards. In particular, patients with some but incomplete functional recovery at 6 months are likely to continue to improve or regress from 6 months onwards. Conclusions: On average patients maintained their functional gains for up to 1 year after stroke after receiving a 20 week upper or lower limb function training programme. However, a significant number of patients with incomplete recovery showed improvements or deterioration in dexterity, walking ability, and ADL beyond the error threshold. PMID:11909906

Outcome of older persons admitted to intensive care unit, mortality, prognosis factors, dependency scores and ability trajectory within 1 year: a prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Level, Claude; Tellier, Eric; Dezou, Patrick; Chaoui, Karim; Kherchache, Aissa; Sejourné, Philippe; Rullion-Pac Soo, Anne Marie

2017-12-06

The outcome and functional trajectory of older persons admitted to intensive care (ICU) unit remain a true question for critical care physicians and geriatricians, due to the heterogeneity of geriatric population, heterogeneity of practices and absence of guidelines. To describe the 1-year outcome, prognosis factors and functional trajectory for older people admitted to ICU. In a prospective 1-year cohort study, all patients aged 75 years and over admitted to our ICU were included according to a global comprehensive geriatric assessment. Follow-up was conducted for 1 year survivors, in particular, ability scores and living conditions. Of 188 patients included [aged 82.3 ± 4.7 years, 46% of admissions, median SAPS II 53.5 (43-74), ADL of Katz's score 4.2 ± 1.6, median Barthel's index 71 (55-90), AGGIR scale 4.5 ± 1.5], the ICU, hospital and 1-year mortality were, respectively, 34, 42.5 and 65.5%. Prognosis factors were: SAPS 2, mechanical ventilation, comorbidity (Lee's and Mc Cabe's scores), disability scores (ADL of Katz's score, Barthel's index and AGGIR scale), admission creatinin, hypoalbuminemia, malignant haemopathy, cognitive impairment. One-year survivors lived in their own home for 83%, with a preserved physical ability, without significant variation of the three ability assessed scores compared to prior ICU admission. The mortality of older people admitted to ICU is high, with a significant impact of disabilty scores, and preserved 1-year survivor independency. Other studies, including a better comprehensive geriatric assessment, seem necessary to determine a predictive "phenotype" of survival with a "satisfactory" level of autonomy.

Executive Functions as Predictors of Math Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toll, Sylke W. M.; Van der Ven, Sanne H. G.; Kroesbergen, Evelyn H.; Van Luit, Johannes E. H.

2011-01-01

In the past years, an increasing number of studies have investigated executive functions as predictors of individual differences in mathematical abilities. The present longitudinal study was designed to investigate whether the executive functions shifting, inhibition, and working memory differ between low achieving and typically achieving children…

Effect of body-weight suspension training versus treadmill training on gross motor abilities of children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Emara, Hatem A; El-Gohary, Tarek M; Al-Johany, Ahmed A

2016-06-01

Suspension training and treadmill training are commonly used for promoting functional gross motor skills in children with cerebral palsy. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of body-weight suspension training versus treadmill training on gross motor functional skills. Assessor-blinded, randomized, controlled intervention study. Outpatient rehabilitation facility. Twenty children with spastic diplegia (7 boys and 13 girls) in the age ranged from 6 to 8 years old were randomly allocated into two equal groups. All children were assessed at baseline, after 18-session and after 36-session. During the twelve-week outpatient rehabilitation program, both groups received traditional therapeutic exercises. Additionally, one group received locomotor training using the treadmill while the other group received locomotor training using body-weight suspension through the dynamic spider cage. Assessment included dimensions "D" standing and "E" walking of the gross motor function measure, in addition to the 10-m Walking Test and the five times sit to stand test. Training was applied three times per week for twelve consecutive weeks. No significant difference was found in standing or walking ability for measurements taken at baseline or after 18-session of therapy. Measurements taken at 36-session showed that suspension training achieved significantly (P<0.05) higher average score than treadmill training for dimension D as well as for dimension E. No significant difference was found between suspension training and treadmill training regarding walking speed or sit to stand transitional skills. Body-weight suspension training is effective in improving walking and locomotor capabilities in children with spastic diplegia. After three month suspension training was superior to treadmill training. Body-weight suspension training promotes adequate postural stability, good balance control, and less exertion which facilitates efficient and safe gait.

Intellectual Abilities Among Survivors of Childhood Leukaemia as a Function of CNS Irradiation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eiser, Christine

1978-01-01

Available from: British Medical Journal, 1172 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02134. In order to determine whether Central Nervous System irradiation effects intellectual abilities, 28 children in remission at least 2 years after completing chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia were assessed on standardized psychological tests…

Typical Intellectual Engagement, Big Five Personality Traits, Approaches to Learning and Cognitive Ability Predictors of Academic Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furnham, Adrian; Monsen, Jeremy; Ahmetoglu, Gorkan

2009-01-01

Background: Both ability (measured by power tests) and non-ability (measured by preference tests) individual difference measures predict academic school outcomes. These include fluid as well as crystalized intelligence, personality traits, and learning styles. This paper examines the incremental validity of five psychometric tests and the sex and…

A 5-year prospective radiographic evaluation of marginal bone levels adjacent to parallel-screw cylinder machined-neck implants and rough-surfaced microthreaded implants using digitized panoramic radiographs.

PubMed

Nickenig, Hans-Joachim; Wichmann, Manfred; Happe, Arndt; Zöller, Joachim E; Eitner, Stephan

2013-10-01

The purpose of this split-mouth study was to compare macro- and microstructure implant surfaces at the marginal bone level over five years of functional loading. From January to February 2006, 133 implants (70 rough-surfaced microthreaded implants and 63 machined-neck implants) were inserted in the mandible of 34 patients with Kennedy Class I residual dentitions and followed until December 2011. Marginal bone level was radiographically determined at six time points: implant placement (baseline), after the healing period, after six months, and at two years, three years, and five years follow-up. Median follow-up time was 5.2 years (range: 5.1-5.4). The machined-neck group had a mean crestal bone loss of 0.5 mm (0.0-2.3) after the healing period, 1.1 mm (0.0-3.0) at two years follow-up, and 1.4 mm (0.0-2.9) at five years follow-up. The rough-surfaced microthreaded implant group had a mean bone loss of 0.1 mm (-0.4 to 2.0) after the healing period, 0.5 mm (0.0-2.1) at two years follow-up, and 0.7 mm (0.0-2.3) at five years follow-up. The two implant types showed significant differences in marginal bone levels. Rough-surfaced microthreaded design caused significantly less loss of crestal bone levels under long-term functional loading in the mandible when compared to machined-neck implants. Copyright © 2012 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Executive function and childhood stuttering: Parent ratings and evidence from a behavioral task.

PubMed

Ntourou, Katerina; Anderson, Julie D; Wagovich, Stacy A

2018-06-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the executive function (EF) abilities of preschool children who do (CWS) and do not stutter (CWNS) using a parent-report questionnaire and a behavioral task. Participants were 75 CWS and 75 CWNS between the ages of 3;0 and 5;11 (years; months). Parents rated their children's EF abilities using the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Preschool Version (BRIEF-P; Gioia, Espy, & Isquith, 2003). Children's ability to integrate cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory was measured using a behavioral task, the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS; Cameron Ponitz, McClelland, Matthews, & Morrison, 2009). The CWS were judged by their parents as being less proficient in working memory, shift/flexibility, and overall EF than the parents of the CWNS. Children in the CWS group were also 2½ to 7 times more likely than children in the CWNS group to exhibit clinically significant difficulties with EF. Behavioral task findings revealed that 3-year old CWS performed more poorly than their peers on the HTKS. Parental ratings of executive function and working memory were significantly and moderately correlated with receptive and expressive vocabulary skills only for the CWNS group. CWS have more difficulty with EF in everyday life and may experience early delays in their ability to integrate aspects of attention and EF compared to CWNS. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Creativity and technical innovation: spatial ability's unique role.

PubMed

Kell, Harrison J; Lubinski, David; Benbow, Camilla P; Steiger, James H

2013-09-01

In the late 1970s, 563 intellectually talented 13-year-olds (identified by the SAT as in the top 0.5% of ability) were assessed on spatial ability. More than 30 years later, the present study evaluated whether spatial ability provided incremental validity (beyond the SAT's mathematical and verbal reasoning subtests) for differentially predicting which of these individuals had patents and three classes of refereed publications. A two-step discriminant-function analysis revealed that the SAT subtests jointly accounted for 10.8% of the variance among these outcomes (p < .01); when spatial ability was added, an additional 7.6% was accounted for--a statistically significant increase (p < .01). The findings indicate that spatial ability has a unique role in the development of creativity, beyond the roles played by the abilities traditionally measured in educational selection, counseling, and industrial-organizational psychology. Spatial ability plays a key and unique role in structuring many important psychological phenomena and should be examined more broadly across the applied and basic psychological sciences.

Which Aspects of Social Support Are Associated With Which Cognitive Abilities for Which People?

PubMed

La Fleur, Claire G; Salthouse, Timothy A

2017-10-01

To assess the relations between 11 aspects of social support and five cognitive abilities (vocabulary, reasoning, spatial visualization, memory, and speed of processing) and to determine whether these relations between social support and cognition are moderated by age or sex. A sample of 2,613 individuals between the ages of 18 and 99 years completed a battery of cognitive tests and a questionnaire assessing aspects of social support. A measure of general intelligence was computed using principal components analysis. Multiple regressions were used to evaluate whether each aspect of support and/or its interactions with age or sex predicted each cognitive ability and g. Several aspects of social support were significantly related to all five cognitive abilities and to g. When g was included as a predictor, there were few relations with specific cognitive abilities. Age and sex did not moderate any of the relations. These results suggest that contact with family and friends, emotional and informational support, anticipated support, and negative interactions are related to cognition, whereas satisfaction with and tangible support were not. In addition, these aspects of support were primarily related to g, with the exception of family contact. Social support- cognition relations are comparable across the life span and the sexes. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Practice of aerobic sports is associated with better spatial memory in adults and older men.

PubMed

Sánchez-Horcajo, Rubén; Llamas-Alonso, Juan; Cimadevilla, José Manuel

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND/STUDY CONTEXT: Cognitive abilities experience diverse age-related changes. Memory complaints are common in aging. The practice of sports is known to benefit brain functioning, improving memory among other abilities. Introduction of virtual reality tasks makes it possible to easily assess cognitive functions such as spatial memory, a hippocampus-dependent cognitive ability. In this study, the authors applied a virtual reality-based task to study spatial reference memory in two groups of men, sportsmen (n=28) and sedentary (n=28), across three different age groups: 50-59, 60-69, and 70-77 years. The data showed that sportsmen outperformed sedentary participants. In addition, there was also a significant effect of the factor age. Hence, older men (70-77 years old) displayed a poorer performance in comparison with the other age groups. These results support the beneficial effect of habitual physical activity in spatial memory.

Work ability in midlife as a predictor of mortality and disability in later life: a 28-year prospective follow-up study

PubMed Central

von Bonsdorff, Mikaela B.; Seitsamo, Jorma; Ilmarinen, Juhani; Nygård, Clas-Håkan; von Bonsdorff, Monika E.; Rantanen, Taina

2011-01-01

Background Poor work ability correlates with increased morbidity and early retirement from the workforce, but the association in old age is not known. We investigated work ability in midlife among white-collar and blue-collar employees as a predictor of mortality and disability 28 years later. Methods A total of 5971 occupationally active people aged 44–58 years participated in the Finnish Longitudinal Study of Municipal Employees (FLAME) in 1981. Perceived work ability relative to lifetime best was categorized as excellent, moderate or poor. In 2009, the ability to perform activities of daily living was assessed among 2879 respondents (71.0% of the survivors). Mortality data were available up to July 2009. Results At the 28-year follow-up, 1918 of the 5971 participants had died and 1403 had some form of disability. Rates of death per 1000 person-years among white-collar men were 7.7 for those with excellent work ability, 14.7 for those with moderate work ability and 23.5 for those with poor work ability. Among blue-collar men, the corresponding rates were 15.5, 20.2 and 25.3. In women, rates ranged between 6.3 and 10.6 per 1000 person-years. The age-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for mortality were two to three times higher among blue-collar male employees with lower work ability than among white-collar male employees with excellent work ability in midlife (i.e., the reference group). The odds of death or disability at follow-up compared with white-collar workers with excellent work ability were highest among blue-collar employees with poor work ability in midlife (odds ratio [OR] 4.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.82–7.37 for men; OR 3.37, 95% CI 2.28–4.98 for women). Among the survivors, similar but slightly lower risks of disability 28 years later were found. Interpretation Perceived poor work ability in midlife was associated with accelerated deterioration in health and functioning and remains evident after 28 years of follow-up. PMID:21282315

Intellectual functioning in old and very old age: cross-sectional results from the Berlin Aging Study.

PubMed

Lindenberger, U; Baltes, P B

1997-09-01

This study documents age trends, interrelations, and correlates of intellectual abilities in old and very old age (70-103 years) from the Berlin Aging Study (N = 516). Fourteen tests were used to assess 5 abilities: reasoning, memory, and perceptual speed from the mechanic (broad fluid) domain and knowledge and fluency from the pragmatic (broad crystallized) domain. Intellectual abilities had negative linear age relations, with more pronounced age reductions in mechanic than in pragmatic abilities. Interrelations among intellectual abilities were highly positive and did not follow the mechanic-pragmatic distinction. Sociobiographical indicators were less closely linked to intellectual functioning than sensory-sensorimotor variables, which predicted 59% of the total reliable variance in general intelligence. Results suggest that aging-induced biological factors are a prominent source of individual differences in intelligence in old and very old age.

[Follow-up study on the association between problematic cell phone use and cognitive function of college students in Chizhou City in 2014-2015].

PubMed

He, Qiong; Cheng, Hualing; Zhang, Shichen; Zhu, Peng

2017-09-01

To estimate the association between problematic cell phone use and reasoning ability in adolescent. In a stratified cluster sampling design, problematic cell phone use and reasoning ability were evaluated in 929 college students from three universities for twice in one year's follow-up investigation from June 2014 to May 2015. The cross-sectional analysis showed that the score of problematic cell phone use was significantly associated with the score of reasoning ability( the baseline β =-0. 101, 95% CI-0. 168--0. 034; the follow-up in one year's β =-0. 161, 95% CI-0. 255--0. 067). However, the score of problematic cell phone use on the baseline was not associated with the score of reasoning ability in one year late. Interestingly, after controlling of multiple confounding factors and the score of problematic cell phone use on the baseline, the scores of reasoning ability in one year late decreased 0. 40 points( 95%CI-0. 60--0. 20), by the score of problematic cell phone use in one year lateincreased ten percent compared to that on the baseline. Higher problematic cell phone use is significantly associated with poorer reasoning ability in college students.

Personality Predicts Cognitive Function Over Seven Years in Older Persons

PubMed Central

Chapman, Benjamin; Duberstein, Paul; Tindle, Hilary A; Sink, Kaycee M; Robbins, John; Tancredi, Daniel J.; Franks, Peter

2011-01-01

Objectives To determine whether Neuroticism, as well as the less-studied dimensions the Five Factor Model of personality (Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness) were associated with 7-year trajectories of cognitive functioning in older persons. Design Primary analysis of existing clinical trial data. Participants 602 persons of average age 79 at baseline. Measurements The NEO-Five Factor Inventory of personality, completed at baseline, and the modified Mini Mental Status Exam (3MSE) measured every 6 months for 7 years. Results Controlling for demographics, baseline morbidities including depression, health behaviors, Apolipoprotein E4 genotype, and self-rated health, higher Neuroticism was associated with worse average cognitive functioning and a steeper rate of decline over follow-up. Higher Extraversion and lower Openness were both associated with worse average cognitive functioning prospectively, while persons higher in Conscientiousness showed a slower rate of cognitive decline. Conclusions In addition to Neuroticism, other dispositional tendencies appear prognostically relevant for cognitive functioning in older persons. More work is needed to understand the mechanisms by which traits operate, as well as whether mitigation of certain dispositional tendencies can facilitate a better course of cognitive function. PMID:22735597

[Aging of the working population in the European Union].

PubMed

Ilmarinen, J; Costa, G

2000-01-01

The working population over 50 years of age will grow considerably during the next 15 years. After 2010, the number of retired people over 65 years of age will be almost double that of 1995, with a strong impact also on working conditions and the labour market. Work ability is a dynamic process that changes, through its components, throughout life and is the result of the interaction between individual resources (including health, functional capacity, education and skills), working conditions, and the surrounding society. Work ability creates the basis for the employability of an individual, which can be supported by a number of actions (e.g. legislation on work and retirement) and social attitudes (e.g. age discrimination). Consequently, the prevalence of limitations in work ability varies significantly according to how it is evaluated and the frequency of work disability can vary considerably in different times, locations and populations. The Work Ability Index, created and used in a Finnish 11-year longitudinal study, has been proved a useful practical tool for the assessment of workers' fitness and a good predictor of work disability. Measures able to restore, maintain or promote work ability depend on the current work status and the needs of the target groups, and must concentrate on work content, physical work environment and the work community. The actions targeted towards the individual, on the other hand, concentrate on strengthening the health status and functional resources of the workers and developing professional expertise and skills. Correctly targeted and integrated measures improve work ability of ageing workers and therefore lead to improved work quality, increased productivity and also improved quality of life and well-being. They also have positive long-term effects on the "third age", when the worker retires.

Source Monitoring and Executive Function in 2.5- to 3-Year-Olds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hala, Suzanne; McKay, Lee-Ann; Brown, Alisha M. B.; San Juan, Valerie

2016-01-01

Hala, Brown, McKay, and San Juan (2013) found that children as young as 2.5 years of age demonstrated high levels of accuracy when asked to recall whether they or the experimenter had carried out a particular action. In the research reported here, we examined the relation of early-emerging source monitoring to executive function abilities.…

Diverse Effects, Complex Causes: Children Use Information about Machines' Functional Diversity to Infer Internal Complexity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahl, Richard E.; Keil, Frank C.

2017-01-01

Four studies explored the abilities of 80 adults and 180 children (4-9 years), from predominantly middle-class families in the Northeastern United States, to use information about machines' observable functional capacities to infer their internal, "hidden" mechanistic complexity. Children as young as 4 and 5 years old used machines'…

Development of a new wheat germplasm with high anther culture ability by using a combination of gamma-ray irradiation and anther culture.

PubMed

Zhao, Linshu; Liu, Luxiang; Wang, Jing; Guo, Huijun; Gu, Jiayu; Zhao, Shirong; Li, Junhui; Xie, Yongdun

2015-01-01

Wheat with high anther culture ability would be beneficial for breeding. We aimed to screen a wheat germplasm to with high anther culture ability as well as good agronomic characteristics. The F1 young spikes of winter wheat cross combination Yanfu188/Jimai37 were irradiated with gamma rays at a dose of 1.5 Gy to develop a new germplasm H307 with high anther culture ability. The proportion of green plantlets per 100 anthers (GP/100A) of H307 was 14.50% which was higher than other H2 lines (P < 0.05). Analysis over three successive years (2006-2008) revealed that the green plantlet regeneration ability of H307 remained high in all 3 years. Reciprocal crosses between H307 and Nongda3308 showed no significant differences in their values for calli per 100 anthers (CA/100A), green plantlets per 100 calli (GP/100C) and GP/100A (P > 0.05). Five main wheat varieties used in production, namely Yumai68, Yanzhan4110, Bainongaikang58, Zhoumai18 and Xinmai18, were selected to cross with the new H307. CA/100A, GP/100C and GP/100A were used to assess the anther culture ability of F1 hybrids, demonstrating that the anther culture ability of H307 was heritable. H307 possessed high anther culture ability that was heritable, which would be potential germplasm for improving wheat anther breeding ability. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Five year ground exposure of composite materials used on the Bell Model 206L flight service evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, Donald J.

1989-01-01

Part of the results of a U.S. Army/NASA-Langley sponsored research program to establish the long term-term effects of realistic ground based exposure on advanced composite materials is presented. Residual strengths and moisture absorption as a function of exposure time and exposure location are reported for four different composite material systems that were exposed for five years on the North American Continent.

Joint health and functional ability in children with haemophilia who receive intensive replacement therapy.

PubMed

Groen, W; van der Net, J; Bos, K; Abad, A; Bergstrom, B-M; Blanchette, V S; Feldman, B M; Funk, S; Helders, P; Hilliard, P; Manco-Johnson, M; Petrini, P; Zourikian, N; Fischer, K

2011-09-01

Joint physical examination is an important outcome in haemophilia; however its relationship with functional ability is not well established in children with intensive replacement therapy. Boys aged 4-16 years were recruited from two European and three North American treatment centres. Joint physical structure and function was measured with the Haemophilia Joint Health Score (HJHS) while functional ability was measured with the revised Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ₃₈. Two haemophilia-specific domains were created by selecting items of the CHAQ₃₈ that cover haemophilia-specific problems. Associations between CHAQ, HJHS, cumulative number of haemarthroses and age were assessed. A total of 226 subjects - mean 10.8 years old (SD 3.8) - participated; the majority (68%) had severe haemophilia. Most severe patients (91%) were on prophylactic treatment. Lifetime number of haemarthroses [median=5; interquartile range (IQR)=1-12] and total HJHS (median = 5; IQR=1-12) correlated strongly (ρ = 0.51). Total HJHS did not correlate with age and only weakly (ρ=-0.19) with functional ability scores (median=0; IQR=-0.06-0). Overall, haemarthroses were reported most frequently in the ankles. Detailed analysis of ankle joint health scores revealed moderate associations (ρ=0.3-0.5) of strength, gait and atrophy with lower extremity tasks (e.g. stair climbing). In this population, HJHS summating six joints did not perform as well as individual joint scores, however, certain elements of ankle impairment, specifically muscle strength, atrophy and gait associated significantly with functional loss in lower extremity activities. Mild abnormalities in ankle assessment by HJHS may lead to functional loss. Therefore, ankle joints may warrant special attention in the follow up of these children. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health categories explored for self-rated participation in Swedish adolescents and adults with a mild intellectual disability.

PubMed

Arvidsson, Patrik; Granlund, Mats; Thyberg, Ingrid; Thyberg, Mikael

2012-06-01

To explore internal consistency and correlations between perceived ability, performance and perceived importance in a preliminary selection of self-reported items representing the activity/participation component of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Structured interview study. Fifty-five Swedish adolescents and adults with a mild intellectual disability. Questions about perceived ability, performance and perceived importance were asked on the basis of a 3-grade Likert-scale regarding each of 68 items representing the 9 ICF domains of activity/participation. Internal consistency for perceived ability (Cronbach's alpha for all 68 items): 0.95 (values for each domain varied between 0.57 and 0.85), for performance: 0.86 (between 0.27 and 0.66), for perceived importance: 0.84 (between 0.27 and 0.68). Seventy-two percent of the items showed correlations >0.5 (mean=0.59) for performance vs perceived importance, 41% >0.5 (mean=0.47) for perceived ability vs performance and 12% >0.5 (mean=0.28) for perceived ability vs perceived importance. Measures of performance and perceived importance may have to be based primarily on their estimated clinical relevance for describing aspects of the ICF participation concept. With a clinimetric approach, parts of the studied items and domains may be used to investigate factors related to different patterns and levels of participation, and outcomes of rehabilitation.

Functional MRI in Medulloblastoma Survivors Supports Prophylactic Reading Intervention during Tumor Treatment

PubMed Central

Zou, Ping; Conklin, Heather M.; Scoggins, Matthew A.; Li, Yimei; Li, Xingyu; Jones, Melissa M.; Palmer, Shawna L.; Gajjar, Amar; Ogg, Robert J.

2015-01-01

Background Development of reading skills is vulnerable to disruption in children treated for brain tumors. Interventions, remedial and prophylactic, are needed to mitigate reading and other learning difficulties faced by survivors. A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study was conducted to investigate long-term effects of a prophylactic reading intervention administered during radiation therapy in children treated for medulloblastoma. Methods The fMRI study included 19 reading-intervention (age 11.7±0.6 years) and 21 standard-of-care (age 12.1±0.6 years) medulloblastoma survivors, and 21 typically developing children (age 12.3±0.6 years). The survivors were 2.5 [1.2, 5.4] years after completion of tumor therapies and reading-intervention survivors were 2.9 [1.6, 5.9] years after intervention. Five fMRI tasks (Rapid Automatized Naming, Continuous Performance Test using faces and letters, orthographic and phonological processing of letter pairs, implicit word reading, and story reading) were used to probe reading-related neural activation. Woodcock-Johnson Reading Fluency, Word Attack, and Sound Awareness subtests were used to evaluate reading abilities. Results At the time of fMRI, Sound Awareness scores were significantly higher in the reading-intervention group than in the standard-of-care group (p = 0.046). Brain activation during the fMRI tasks was detected in left inferior frontal, temporal, ventral occipitotemporal, and subcortical regions, and differed among the groups (p<0.05, FWE). The pattern of group activation differences, across brain areas and tasks, was a normative trend in the reading-intervention group. Conclusions Standardized reading scores and patterns of brain activation provide evidence of long-term effects of prophylactic reading intervention in children treated for medulloblastoma. PMID:25967954

Physical and psychosocial prerequisites of functioning in relation to work ability and general subjective well-being among office workers.

PubMed

Sjögren-Rönkä, Tuulikki; Ojanen, Markku T; Leskinen, Esko K; Tmustalampi, Sirpa; Mälkiä, Esko A

2002-06-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate the physical and psychological prerequisites of functioning, as well as the social environment at work and personal factors, in relation to work ability and general subjective well-being in a group of office workers. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional investigation, using path analysis, of office workers. The subjects comprised 88 volunteers, 24 men and 64 women, from the same workplace [mean age 45.7 (SD 8.6) years]. The independent variables were measured using psychosocial and physical questionnaires and physical measurements. The first dependent variable, work ability, was measured by a work ability index. The second dependent variable, general subjective well-being, was assessed by life satisfaction and meaning of life. The variables were structured according to a modified version of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Forward flexion of the spine, intensity of musculoskeletal symptoms, self-confidence, and mental stress at work explained 58% of work ability and had indirect effects on general subjective well-being. Self-confidence, mood, and work ability had a direct effect on general subjective well-being. The model developed explained 68% of general subjective well-being. Age played a significant role in this study population. The prerequisites of physical functioning are important in maintaining work ability, particularly among aging workers, and psychological prerequisites of functioning are of even greater importance in maintaining general subjective well-being.

Relationship between sensibility and ability to read braille in diabetics.

PubMed

Nakada, M; Dellon, A L

1989-01-01

Twenty-five vision-impaired diabetics received an evaluation of sensibility. Each subject had received 2 years of instruction in braille reading at the Konan Rehabilitation Center prior to the sensibility testing. Sensibility evaluation consisted of cutaneous pressure threshold measurements with the Semmes-Weinstein monofilament and evaluation of moving and static two-point discrimination with Disk-Criminator. The ability to read braille was graded by the braille-teaching instructors as good, fair, and unable. The results of the evaluation of sensibility demonstrated that the value of the cutaneous pressure threshold did not correlate with the ability to read braille. Moving and static two-point discrimination were found to correlate highly (P less than .001) with the ability to read braille at a level of fair or good. No patient in this study with a moving two-point discrimination value of 4 or more or a static two-point discrimination value of 5 or more was able to read braille even at the fair level of ability.

Cross-comparison of diet quality indices for predicting chronic disease risk: findings from the Observation of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Luxembourg (ORISCAV-LUX) study.

PubMed

Alkerwi, Ala'a; Vernier, Cédric; Crichton, Georgina E; Sauvageot, Nicolas; Shivappa, Nitin; Hébert, James R

2015-01-28

The scientific community has become increasingly interested in the overall quality of diets rather than in single food-based or single nutrient-based approaches to examine diet-disease relationships. Despite the plethora of indices used to measure diet quality, there still exist questions as to which of these can best predict health outcomes. The present study aimed to compare the ability of five diet quality indices, namely the Recommendation Compliance Index (RCI), Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I), Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS), and Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII), to detect changes in chronic disease risk biomarkers. Nutritional data from 1352 participants, aged 18-69 years, of the Luxembourg nationwide cross-sectional ORISCAV-LUX (Observation of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Luxembourg) study, 2007-8, were used to calculate adherence to the diet quality index. General linear modelling was performed to assess trends in biomarkers according to adherence to different dietary patterns, after adjustment for age, sex, education level, smoking status, physical activity and energy intake. Among the five selected diet quality indices, the MDS exhibited the best ability to detect changes in numerous risk markers and was significantly associated with lower levels of LDL-cholesterol, apo B, diastolic blood pressure, renal function indicators (creatinine and uric acid) and liver enzymes (serum γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase and glutamate-pyruvate transaminase). Compared with other dietary patterns, higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with a favourable cardiometabolic, hepatic and renal risk profile. Diets congruent with current universally accepted guidelines may be insufficient to prevent chronic diseases. Clinicians and public health decision makers should be aware of needs to improve the current dietary guidelines.

Shift work and cognitive aging: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Bokenberger, Kathleen; Ström, Peter; Dahl Aslan, Anna K; Åkerstedt, Torbjörn; Pedersen, Nancy L

2017-09-01

Objectives The few studies of shift work and late life cognitive functioning have yielded mixed findings. The aim of the present study is to estimate the association between shift-work experience and change in cognitive performance before and after retirement age among older adults who were gainfully employed. Methods Five hundred and ninety five participants with no dementia were followed up for a mean of 17.6 standard deviation (SD) 8.8 years from a Swedish population-based sample. Participants had self-reported information on any type of shift-work experience (ever/never) in 1984 and measures of cognitive performance (verbal, spatial, memory, processing speed, and general cognitive ability) from up to 9 waves of cognitive assessments during 1986-2012. Night work history (ever/never) from 1998-2002 was available from a subsample (N=320). Early adult cognitive test scores were available for 77 men. Results In latent growth curve modeling, there were no main effects of "any-type" or night shift work on the mean scores or rate of change in any of the cognitive domains. An interaction effect between any-type shift work and education on cognitive performance at retirement was noted. Lower-educated shift workers performed better on cognitive tests than lower-educated day workers at retirement. Sensitivity analyses, however, indicated that the interactions appeared to be driven by selection effects. Lower-educated day workers demonstrated poorer cognitive ability in early adulthood than lower-educated shift workers, who may have selected jobs entailing higher cognitive demand. Conclusion There was no difference in late-life cognitive aging between individuals with a history of working shifts compared to those who had typical day work schedules during midlife.

Seizure variables and their relationship to genotype and functional abilities in the CDKL5 disorder.

PubMed

Fehr, Stephanie; Wong, Kingsley; Chin, Richard; Williams, Simon; de Klerk, Nick; Forbes, David; Krishnaraj, Rahul; Christodoulou, John; Downs, Jenny; Leonard, Helen

2016-11-22

To investigate seizure outcomes and their relationships to genotype and functional abilities in individuals with the cyclin-dependent kinase-like-5 (CDKL5) disorder. Using the International CDKL5 Disorder Database, we identified 172 cases with a pathogenic CDKL5 mutation. We categorized individual mutations into 4 groups based on predicted structural and functional consequences. Negative binomial regression was used to model the linear association between current seizure rate and mutation group, current level of assistance required to walk 10 steps, and the highest level of expressive communication used to convey refusal or request. All but 3 (169/172) patients had a history of epilepsy. The median age at seizure onset was 6 weeks (range 1 week-1.5 years) and the median seizure rate at ascertainment was 2 per day (range 0-20 per day). After adjusting for walking ability and confounders including use or otherwise of polytherapy, seizure rate was lower in those with truncating mutations between aa172 and aa781 compared to those with no functional protein (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.35-0.93). Ability to walk and use of spoken language were associated with lower rates of current seizures when compared to those with the least ability after adjusting for genotype (walking: IRR 0.62; 95% CI 0.39-0.99, communication: IRR 0.48; 95% CI 0.23-1.02). At a median age at questionnaire completion of 5 years, those previously treated with corticosteroids had more frequent seizures than those who have never been treated, whether or not there was a history of infantile spasms. Epilepsy is pervasive but not mandatory for the CDKL5 disorder. Genotype and functional abilities were related to seizure frequency, which appears refractory to antiepileptic drugs. © 2016 American Academy of Neurology.

Absenteeism: Beyond Reporting and beyond Another Special Initiative. Addressing Barriers to Learning Vol. 21, #2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA, 2016

2016-01-01

An estimated five to seven and a half million students miss 18 or more days of school each year, or nearly an entire month or more of school, which puts them at significant risk of falling behind academically and failing to graduate from high school. Every student absence jeopardizes the ability of students to succeed at school and schools to…

Trends over time in tree and seedling phylogenetic diversity indicate regional differences in forest biodiversity change

Treesearch

Kevin M. Potter; Christopher W. Woodall

2012-01-01

Changing climate conditions may impact the short-term ability of forest tree species to regenerate in many locations. In the longer term, tree species may be unable to persist in some locations while they become established in new places. Over both time frames, forest tree biodiversity may change in unexpected ways. Using repeated inventory measurements five years...

Auditory Temporal Information Processing in Preschool Children at Family Risk for Dyslexia: Relations with Phonological Abilities and Developing Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boets, Bart; Wouters, Jan; van Wieringen, Astrid; Ghesquiere, Pol

2006-01-01

In this project, the hypothesis of an auditory temporal processing deficit in dyslexia was tested by examining auditory processing in relation to phonological skills in two contrasting groups of five-year-old preschool children, a familial high risk and a familial low risk group. Participants were individually matched for gender, age, non-verbal…

The association between premorbid cognitive ability and social functioning and suicide among young men: A historical-prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Weiser, Mark; Fenchel, Daphna; Werbeloff, Nomi; Goldberg, Shira; Fruchter, Eyal; Reichenberg, Abraham; Burshtein, Shimon; Large, Matthew; Davidson, Michael; Lubin, Gad

2017-01-01

Previous studies have found associations between low cognitive ability and later completed suicide. The aim of this study was to examine the association between cognitive ability and social functioning in adolescence, and later completed suicide in a large population-based longitudinal study. Data from the Israeli Draft Board Register for 634,655 Israeli male adolescents aged 16 and 17 was linked to a causes-of-death data registry, with a mean follow-up of 10.6 years for completed suicide. Our results show that in males without a psychiatric diagnosis, both low (adjusted HR=1.51, 95% CI: 1.19-1.92) and high (adjusted HR=1.36, 95% CI: 1.04-1.77) cognitive ability, and very poor (adjusted HR=2.30, 95% CI: 1.34-3.95) and poor (adjusted HR=1.64, 95% CI: 1.34-2.07) social functioning were associated with increased risk for later completed suicide; however positive predictive values were low (PPVs=0.09% and 0.10%, for low cognitive ability and very poor or poor social functioning, respectively). No association between cognitive ability or social functioning and risk for suicide was found in males with a psychiatric diagnosis. These data do not support the clinical utility of screening for such potential predictors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.

Chemopreventive effect of methanolic extract of Azadirachta indica on experimental Trypanosoma brucei induced oxidative stress in dogs

PubMed Central

Omobowale, Temidayo O.; Oyagbemi, Ademola A.; Oyewunmi, Oyefunbi A.; Adejumobi, Olumuyiwa A.

2015-01-01

Introduction: The medicinal properties of Azadirachta indica have been harnessed for many years in the treatment of many diseases in both humans and animals. Materials and Methods: Twenty-five apparently healthy dogs weighing between 3 and 8 kg were randomly divided into five groups with five dogs in each group. Ameliorative effect of A. indica on erythrocyte antioxidant status and markers of oxidative stress were assessed. Liver and kidney function tests were also performed. Results: Pre-treatment with methanolic extract of Azadirachta indica (MEAI) at different doses did not significantly alter the values of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase activity in Trypanosoma brucei infection. Although, serum creatinine significantly (P < 0.05) decreased with pre-treatment with 50 mg/kg A. indica, after 2 weeks of T. brucei infection. However, the reduced glutathione (GSH) content of the erythrocyte increased significantly in animals pre-treated with 50 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg of A. indica respectively. Markers of oxidative stress such as malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide generated were higher in animals infected with T. brucei with no significant (P >0.05) difference compared to the values obtained in pre-treated animals. Pre-treatment with 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg of A. indica significantly (P < 0.05) decreased serum myeloperoxidase activity at 2 weeks post-infection with T. brucei. Conclusion: From this study, MEAI showed significant ability to attenuate oxidative stress and inflammation during experimental T. brucei infection. PMID:26130936

Do work ability and job involvement channel later personal goals in retirement? An 11-year follow-up study.

PubMed

Feldt, Taru; Hyvönen, Katriina; Oja-Lipasti, Terhi; Kinnunen, Ulla; Salmela-Aro, Katariina

2012-07-01

The present study investigates the role of work ability and job involvement in personal life goals later in retirement. The study is based on longitudinal research on Finnish employees working in managerial positions. At the study baseline (in 1996), 120 employed managers responded to a questionnaire regarding their work ability and job involvement, and 11 years later (in 2007) when they were retired, they responded to an open-ended question regarding their personal goals. The retired participants were 58-76 years old (M = 66 years), and they had been retired for 1-10 years (M = 4.3 years, SD = 2.9). On the basis of the participants' responses to the open-ended question, six main content categories of personal goals were formed. According to these categories, the personal goals in retirement focused on (1) hobbies and leisure time, (2) social relationships, (3) health and well-being, (4) housing and finance, (5) self-development and ideology, and (6) other activities. The managers with better work ability and job involvement at the baseline of the study had fewer personal goals related to health and well-being later in retirement. In addition, better work ability predicted more personal goals related to self-development and ideology views. The preceding work ability and job involvement seem to channel personal goal pursuit in retirement. Thus, sustaining employees' work ability and job involvement are not only essential for developing employees' ability to cope with work demands but also for their functional capacity in their later stages of life, such as in retirement.

A long-term controlled follow-up study of objective treatment need on young adults treated with functional appliances.

PubMed

Faxén Sepanian, Varoojan; Paulsson-Björnsson, Liselotte; Kjellberg, Heidrun

2014-01-01

The aims of this study were to 1) evaluate the objective success rate of Class II malocclusion treatment with functional appliances five years after completion of treatment and 2) to compare the remaining objective treatment need with an untreated control group. Records of all listed patients between 18-20 years (n=1054) treated in a general practice were reviewed for the purpose of finding treatments with removable functional appliances. Among all subjects (n=61) who previously had been treated, 58 accepted to participate in the study.The test group was matched with an orthodontically untreated group with no history of objective treatment need. Clinical examination was performed and study casts and photos were taken from both groups.The objective treatment need was evaluated through clinical examination and study cast analysis with weighted Peer Assessment Rating index (wPAR). Twenty patients, (34.5%) (mean wPAR 13.8), succeeded with the functional appliance treatment.The wPAR score (mean 15.0) of the entire test group was significantly higher than the one of the control group (mean 7.3).The group that was treated exclusively with functional appliances had a mean wPAR score of 17.4. Eighteen patients (31.0%) who received retreatment with fixed appliances had a slightly higher mean wPAR (8.6) than the control group. Treatments with functional appliances in a general practice showed a high failure rate and a remaining treatment need. It is the treating dentist's responsibility to motivate the patient to cooperate to the treatment, because as it previously has been shown the treatment with functional appliances is a well-functioning treatment alternative with the cooperation of the patient being sufficient. It is also of importance, already before starting treatment, to estimate the child's cooperation ability and to avoid treatment with removable appliances if the child or parents are reluctant about such a treatment.

The life mission theory IV. Theory on child development.

PubMed

Ventegodt, Søren; Merrick, Joav

2003-12-11

We can identify five important needs that children have: the need for acknowledgment, acceptance, awareness or attention, respect, and care. If these needs are not met, children will modify themselves by denying central parts of their nature in order to adjust to their parents and the situation at large. When a child denies his or her talents, powers, and gender or aspects thereof, he or she loses quality of life, the ability to function, and physical or mental health. The loss of ability takes the form of diminished social ability, psychosexual potency, joy, energy, and fantasy while playing, as well as diminished ability to concentrate, focus, and learn. Many modifications result in a child with severely damaged self-confidence, self-worth, and poor performance. A child more or less deprived of self-worth cannot enjoy, give, or receive. A child deprived of emotions turns cold, rational, asocial, socially stiff, uncomfortable, and in the extreme case...intentionally "evil". When a child denies his or her own sex, it becomes invisible, uninteresting, and vague or becomes like the opposite sex in behavior and appearance. The general holistic solution to the vast diversity of symptoms in children with low quality of life is to improve the situation for the child and give the child the holding and support he or she needs. It is very important to realize that a negative belief often has survival value to the child as it helps the child to avoid taking responsibility for problems, which really belong to the parents or other adults. Children have a fine capability for spontaneous healing, and seem to enter this process more easily than adults, given sufficient holding. The symptoms of children with poor thriving ability are often difficult to understand, as they are caused by a complex combination of self-modification in five existential dimensions. This often leads to complex medical diagnosis, giving the idea that the child is sick and without therapeutic reach, while sufficient holding could solve the problem. If holding and support of the child is not enough, the situation must be carefully analyzed to find other possible causes of poor quality of life, health, and functional ability. Education of the parent in holding is often mandatory. Most children with bad thriving ability can thus be helped by simple means.

Disease activity, knee function, and walking ability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis 10 years after primary total knee arthroplasty.

PubMed

Nishikawa, Masataka; Owaki, Hajime; Takahi, Koichiro; Fuji, Takeshi

2014-04-01

To evaluate disease activity, knee function, and walking ability of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) over 10 years after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Four men and 26 women (mean age, 59.9 years) underwent 42 TKAs for RA with a mean duration of 151.3 months and were followed up for a mean of 142.3 months. Preoperatively, disease activity was assessed by C-reactive protein (CRP) level only, and the range of knee motion was recorded. At the final follow-up, tender joint count, swollen joint count, visual analogue scale of RA symptoms, and the Modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (MHAQ) score were assessed. Disease activity was evaluated using CRP, matrix metalloproteinase-3, and Disease Activity Score. Range of motion and Knee Society knee and function scores were also assessed. The use of methotrexate increased from 4 patients preoperatively to 20 patients at the final follow-up (p<0.001), and the mean dose increased from 3.9 to 6.3 mg/week (p<0.001). Among the 30 patients, the mean CRP level decreased from 2.63 mg/dl preoperatively to 0.61 mg/dl at the final follow-up (p<0.001). Disease activity was controlled. At the final follow-up, disease activity was in remission in 10 patients, low in 11, and moderate in 9. The mean Knee Society knee score was excellent (91.0), but the mean function score was poor (57.0) and diverse. Severe walking disability (function score, <40) was noted in 8 patients (11 TKAs). Knee and function scores did not correlate. Walking ability in patients with RA after TKA was generally poor. Poor function was associated with a history of spinal or lower extremity fracture surgery and the MHAQ score.

Genetic Influence on Contrast Sensitivity in Middle-Aged Male Twins

PubMed Central

Cronin-Golomb, Alice; Panizzon, Matthew S.; Lyons, Michael J.; Franz, Carol E.; Grant, Michael D.; Jacobson, Kristen C.; Eisen, Seth A.; Laudate, Thomas M.; Kremen, William S.

2007-01-01

Contrast sensitivity is strongly associated with daily functioning among older adults, but the genetic and environmental contributions to this ability are unknown. Using the classical twin method, we addressed this issue by examining contrast sensitivity at five spatial frequencies (1.5–18 cycles per degree) in 718 middle-aged male twins from the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA). Heritability estimates were modest (14%–38%), whereas individual-specific environmental influences accounted for 62%–86% of the variance. Identifying the types of individual-specific events that impact contrast sensitivity may suggest interventions to modulate this ability and thereby improve overall quality of life as adults age. PMID:17604073

Clinical characteristics and objective living conditions in relation to quality of life among community-based individuals of schizophrenia in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Yeung, Frederick Ka Ching; Chan, Sunny Ho Wan

2006-11-01

Quality of life (QOL) has gained importance as an outcome measure for people with schizophrenia living in the community following deinstitutionalization. This study aims at exploring the effects of clinical characteristics and objective living conditions on QOL. In this study, 201 community-based individuals with schizophrenia were recruited from five different types of objective living conditions comprising long stay care home, halfway house, supported hostel/housing, living with family, and living alone. Clinical characteristics including cognitive abilities, symptom levels, and community/social functioning were assessed by the Allen Cognitive Level Screen, the Scales for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms and Positive Symptoms, and the Chinese version of the Multnomah Community Ability Scale respectively. The outcome measure of QOL was measured by the Chinese version of the WHO Quality of Life Measure. Analysis of covariance showed significant differences in community/social functioning, cognitive abilities, and negative symptoms; but not in QOL under different objective living conditions. Further simultaneous multiple regressions found out that community/social functioning was the robust significant predictor of QOL. Yet caution should be noted in making the conclusion with the objective living condition of long stay care home, as it provides a protective element for the perseverance of QOL.

Description of a multifaceted rehabilitation program including overground gait training for a child with cerebral palsy: A case report.

PubMed

Farrell, Elizabeth; Naber, Erin; Geigle, Paula

2010-01-01

This case describes the outcomes of a multifaceted rehabilitation program including body weight-supported overground gait training (BWSOGT) in a nonambulatory child with cerebral palsy (CP) and the impact of this treatment on the child's functional mobility. The patient is a nonambulatory 10-year-old female with CP who during an inpatient rehabilitation stay participated in direct, physical therapy 6 days per week for 5 weeks. Physical therapy interventions included stretching of her bilateral lower extremities, transfer training, bed mobility training, balance training, kinesiotaping, supported standing in a prone stander, two trials of partial weight-supported treadmill training, and for 4 weeks, three to five times per week, engaged in 30 minutes of BWSOGT using the Up n' go gait trainer, Lite Gait Walkable, and Rifton Pacer gait trainer. Following the multifaceted rehabilitation program, the patient demonstrated increased step initiation, increased weight bearing through bilateral lower extremities, improved bed mobility, and increased participation in transfers. The child's Gross Motor Functional Measure (GMFM) scores increased across four dimensions and her Physical Abilities and Mobility Scale (PAMS) increased significantly. This case report illustrates that a multifaceted rehabilitation program including BWSOGT was an effective intervention strategy to improve functional mobility in this nonambulatory child with CP.

Language and false belief: evidence for general, not specific, effects in cantonese-speaking preschoolers.

PubMed

Tardif, Twila; So, Catherine Wing-Chee; Kaciroti, Niko

2007-03-01

Two studies were conducted with Cantonese-speaking preschoolers examining J. de Villiers's (1995) hypothesis that syntactic complements play a unique role in the acquisition of false belief (FB). In Study 1, the authors found a positive correlation between FB and syntactic complements in 72 four- to six-year-old Cantonese-speaking preschoolers. Study 2 followed 72 three- to five-year-old Cantonese-speaking children who initially failed an FB screening task and were then tested on general language abilities, short-term memory, inhibition, nonverbal IQ, and on FB and complement tasks. Once age and initial FB understanding were controlled for in both multiple regression and hierarchical linear modeling analyses, complements no longer uniquely predicted FB. Instead, individual differences in general language abilities and short-term memory contributed to the variation in both complements and FB.

Racial differences in health-related quality of life and functional ability in patients with gout.

PubMed

Singh, Jasvinder A; Bharat, Aseem; Khanna, Dinesh; Aquino-Beaton, Cleopatra; Persselin, Jay E; Duffy, Erin; Elashoff, David; Khanna, Puja P

2017-01-01

To compare the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and the functional ability by race in patients with gout. In a 9-month prospective cohort multicentre study, patients with gout self-reported race, dichotomized as Caucasian or African American (others excluded). We calculated HRQOL/function scores adjusted for age, study site and college education for Short Form-36 (SF-36; generic HRQOL), Gout Impact Scale (GIS; disease-specific HRQOL) and HAQ-disability index (HAQ-DI; functional ability). Longitudinally adjusted scores were computed using multivariable mixed-effect regression models with a random patient effect and fixed sequential visit effect (3-monthly visits). Compared with Caucasians (n = 107), African Americans (n = 60) with gout were younger (61.1 vs 67.3 years) and had higher median baseline serum urate (9.0 vs 7.9 mg/dl) (P < 0.01). African Americans with gout had worse HRQOL scores on three SF-36 domains, the mental component summary (MCS) and two of the five GIS scales than Caucasians [mean (se); P ⩽ 0.02 for all]: SF-36 mental health, 39.7 (1.1) vs 45.2 (0.9); SF-36 role emotional, 42.1 (4.2) vs 51.4 (4.2); SF-36 social functioning, 36.0 (1.1) vs 40.0 (0.9) (P = 0.04); SF-36 MCS, 43.2 (3.1) vs 50.0 (3.2); GIS unmet treatment need, 37.6 (1.6) vs 31.5 (1.4); and GIS concern during attacks, 53.3 (3.7) vs 47.4 (3.7). Differences between the respective HAQ-DI total scores were not statistically significant; 0.98 (0.1) vs 0.80 (1.0) (P = 0.11). Racial differences in SF-36 mental health, role emotional and MCS scales exceeded, and for HAQ-DI approached, the minimal clinically important difference thresholds. African Americans with gout have significantly worse HRQOL compared with Caucasians. Further research is necessary in the form of studies targeted at African Americans on how best to improve these outcomes. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology 2016. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

Longitudinal observation of basic mandibular movements: report of a case.

PubMed

Hayasaki, H; Okamoto, A; Nakata, S; Yamasaki, Y; Nakata, M

2003-01-01

Sound development of mandibular function during childhood is indispensable to establishing healthy function in adults. To examine this developmental process, longitudinal recordings of basic mandibular movements were done using an optoelectronic analysis. Mandibular movements were recorded on five separate occasions in one boy, from an age of six years and five months to 14 years and five months. The incisor pathways during protrusion and lateral excursion were initially shallow, with more anterior than inferior movement, but as he grew the amount of inferior movement and the amount of rotation both increased. Similarly, at his first recording there was very little hinge-like rotation during mouth closing, but rotation increased markedly after eruption of his permanent second molars. These findings suggest that mandibular movements change from being relatively simple with more translation in younger children to more complex movements with more rotation once the permanent dentition is established.

One- to four-year-olds connect diverse positive emotional vocalizations to their probable causes

PubMed Central

Wu, Yang; Muentener, Paul; Schulz, Laura E.

2017-01-01

The ability to understand why others feel the way they do is critical to human relationships. Here, we show that emotion understanding in early childhood is more sophisticated than previously believed, extending well beyond the ability to distinguish basic emotions or draw different inferences from positively and negatively valenced emotions. In a forced-choice task, 2- to 4-year-olds successfully identified probable causes of five distinct positive emotional vocalizations elicited by what adults would consider funny, delicious, exciting, sympathetic, and adorable stimuli (Experiment 1). Similar results were obtained in a preferential looking paradigm with 12- to 23-month-olds, a direct replication with 18- to 23-month-olds (Experiment 2), and a simplified design with 12- to 17-month-olds (Experiment 3; preregistered). Moreover, 12- to 17-month-olds selectively explored, given improbable causes of different positive emotional reactions (Experiments 4 and 5; preregistered). The results suggest that by the second year of life, children make sophisticated and subtle distinctions among a wide range of positive emotions and reason about the probable causes of others’ emotional reactions. These abilities may play a critical role in developing theory of mind, social cognition, and early relationships. PMID:29078315

20 CFR 200.1 - Designation of central and field organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... office are five years and are arranged so as to expire in different calendar years. (2) The primary function of the Board is the determination and payment of benefits under the retirement-survivor and...

20 CFR 200.1 - Designation of central and field organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... office are five years and are arranged so as to expire in different calendar years. (2) The primary function of the Board is the determination and payment of benefits under the retirement-survivor and...

20 CFR 200.1 - Designation of central and field organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... office are five years and are arranged so as to expire in different calendar years. (2) The primary function of the Board is the determination and payment of benefits under the retirement-survivor and...

20 CFR 200.1 - Designation of central and field organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... office are five years and are arranged so as to expire in different calendar years. (2) The primary function of the Board is the determination and payment of benefits under the retirement-survivor and...

20 CFR 200.1 - Designation of central and field organization.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... office are five years and are arranged so as to expire in different calendar years. (2) The primary function of the Board is the determination and payment of benefits under the retirement-survivor and...

[Psychoeducational intervention in high ability: intellectual functioning and extracurricular enrichment].

PubMed

Sastre-Riba, Sylvia

2014-02-24

The 'new paradigm' defines the high intellectual ability as a potential that should crystallize progressively throughout development. Its main feature is a high intellectual initial multidimensional potential, which is transformed so that, being a person with high intellectual ability is the result of a developmental process from a neurobiological substrate and the incidence of variables (psychosocial and education) which determines its manifestation more or less stable and optimal to excellence. It is interesting to know the effectiveness of psychoeducational intervention of the extracurricular enrichment programs and their effects on the expression of differential functioning and the optimization of the management of cognitive resources that lead to excellence. An extracurricular enrichment program is described and evaluated through: 1) the stability of the intellectual measures; 2) the satisfaction level of participants and families. Participants are 58 high ability students on the enrichment program and 25 parents. Intellectual profiles are obtained on T1-T2 and calculated their stability by regression analysis, the CSA and CSA-P questionnaires were applied in order to know the participants and families' satisfaction measure. Results show the basic stability of intellectual profiles with five cases of instability among the 58 profiles obtained, and a high satisfaction with the results obtained in the domain of cognitive and personal management among the participants.

A single frame: imaging live cells twenty-five years ago.

PubMed

Fink, Rachel

2011-07-01

In the mid-1980s live-cell imaging was changed by the introduction of video techniques, allowing new ways to collect and store data. The increased resolution obtained by manipulating video signals, the ability to use time-lapse videocassette recorders to study events that happen over long time intervals, and the introduction of fluorescent probes and sensitive video cameras opened research avenues previously unavailable. The author gives a personal account of this evolution, focusing on cell migration studies at the Marine Biological Laboratory 25 years ago. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Transcranial direct current stimulation combined with upper limb functional training in children with spastic, hemiparetic cerebral palsy: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Moura, Renata Calhes Franco; Santos, Cibele Almeida; Grecco, Luanda André Collange; Lazzari, Roberta Delasta; Dumont, Arislander Jonathan Lopes; Duarte, Natalia Carvalho de Almeida; Braun, Luiz Alfredo; Lopes, Jamile Benite Palma; Santos, Ligia Abram Dos; Rodrigues, Eliane Lopes Souza; Albertini, Giorgio; Cimolin, Veronica; Galli, Manuela; Oliveira, Claudia Santos

2016-08-17

The aim of the proposed study is to perform a comparative analysis of functional training effects for the paretic upper limb with and without transcranial direct current stimulation over the primary motor cortex in children with spastic hemiparetic cerebral palsy. The sample will comprise 34 individuals with spastic hemiparetic cerebral palsy, 6 to 16 years old, classified at level I, II, or III of the Manual Ability Classification System. Participants will be randomly allocated to two groups: (1) functional training of the paretic upper limb combined with anodic transcranial stimulation; (2) functional training of the paretic upper limb combined with sham transcranial stimulation. Evaluation will involve three-dimensional movement analysis and electromyography using the SMART-D 140® system (BTS Engineering) and the FREEEMG® system (BTS Engineering), the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test, to assess functional mobility, the Portable Device and Ashworth Scale, to measure movement resistance and spasticity, and the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory, to evaluate performance. Functional reach training of the paretic upper limb will include a range of manual activities using educational toys associated with an induced constraint of the non-paretic limb during the training. Training will be performed in five weekly 20-minute sessions for two weeks. Transcranial stimulation over the primary motor cortex will be performed during the training sessions at an intensity of 1 mA. Findings will be analyzed statistically considering a 5 % significance level (P ≤ 0.05). This paper presents a detailed description of a prospective, randomized, controlled, double-blind, clinical trial designed to demonstrate the effects of combining transcranial direct current stimulation over the primary motor cortex and functional training of the paretic limb in children with cerebral palsy classified at level I, II, or III of the Manual Ability Classification System. The results will be published and evidence found may contribute to the use of transcranial stimulation for this population. ReBEC RBR-6V4Y3K . Registered on 11 February 2015.

Developmental dyscalculia is related to visuo-spatial memory and inhibition impairment☆

PubMed Central

Szucs, Denes; Devine, Amy; Soltesz, Fruzsina; Nobes, Alison; Gabriel, Florence

2013-01-01

Developmental dyscalculia is thought to be a specific impairment of mathematics ability. Currently dominant cognitive neuroscience theories of developmental dyscalculia suggest that it originates from the impairment of the magnitude representation of the human brain, residing in the intraparietal sulcus, or from impaired connections between number symbols and the magnitude representation. However, behavioral research offers several alternative theories for developmental dyscalculia and neuro-imaging also suggests that impairments in developmental dyscalculia may be linked to disruptions of other functions of the intraparietal sulcus than the magnitude representation. Strikingly, the magnitude representation theory has never been explicitly contrasted with a range of alternatives in a systematic fashion. Here we have filled this gap by directly contrasting five alternative theories (magnitude representation, working memory, inhibition, attention and spatial processing) of developmental dyscalculia in 9–10-year-old primary school children. Participants were selected from a pool of 1004 children and took part in 16 tests and nine experiments. The dominant features of developmental dyscalculia are visuo-spatial working memory, visuo-spatial short-term memory and inhibitory function (interference suppression) impairment. We hypothesize that inhibition impairment is related to the disruption of central executive memory function. Potential problems of visuo-spatial processing and attentional function in developmental dyscalculia probably depend on short-term memory/working memory and inhibition impairments. The magnitude representation theory of developmental dyscalculia was not supported. PMID:23890692

Pain, fatigue and hand function closely correlated to work ability and employment status in systemic sclerosis.

PubMed

Sandqvist, Gunnel; Scheja, Agneta; Hesselstrand, Roger

2010-09-01

To identify factors, individual and work related, influencing work ability, and to assess the association between work ability and employment status, activities of daily life (ADLs) and quality of life in patients with SSc. Fifty-seven consecutive patients (53 females/4 males) with SSc (47 lcSSc/10 dcSSc) were included. Median age was 58 [interquartile range (IQR) 47-62] years and disease duration 14 (9-19) years. The patients were assessed for socio-demographic characteristics, disease parameters, symptoms, work ability, empowerment and adaptations in a workplace, social support, ADLs and quality of life. Work ability, assessed with the Work Ability Index (WAI) could be evaluated in 48 of 57 patients. The correlation between employment status and WAI was good (r(s) = 0.79, P < 0.001). Thirteen patients had good or excellent WAI, 15 had less good and 20 had poor WAI. There were no significant differences between subgroups of WAI and socio-demographic characteristics, disease duration or degree of skin and lung involvement. However, patients with good WAI expressed milder perceived symptoms (pain, fatigue and impaired hand function; P < 0.001). Patients with better WAI had better competence (P < 0.001), better possibility of adaptations at work (P < 0.01) and impact at work (P < 0.01) than those with poorer WAI. In SSc, pain, fatigue and impaired hand function have a dominant impact on the WAI. Employment interventions should include support in job adaptations as well as self-management strategies to help patients deal with pain and fatigue and to enhance the confidence to perform their work.

Chronic health conditions and work ability in the ageing workforce: the impact of work conditions, psychosocial factors and perceived health.

PubMed

Koolhaas, Wendy; van der Klink, Jac J L; de Boer, Michiel R; Groothoff, Johan W; Brouwer, Sandra

2014-05-01

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of work conditions, psychosocial factors and perceived health on the association between the presence of a chronic health condition and (single-item) work ability among workers aged 45 years and older. In addition, we aimed to examine variables associated with work ability for workers with and without a chronic health condition separately. The data of this cross-sectional study were obtained from 5,247 workers aged 45 years and older in five different work sectors. Work ability was assessed with the first item of the Work Ability Index. The presence of a chronic health condition was assessed by self-report. Independent variables in the multivariable linear regression analysis were work conditions, psychosocial factors and perceived health status. The presence of a chronic health condition was negatively associated with work ability (B = -0.848). The strength of this association slightly attenuated after subsequently adding individual characteristics (B = -0.824), work conditions (B = -0.805) and more so after adding psychosocial factors (B = -0.704) and especially perceived health variables (B = -0.049) to the model. Variables associated with work ability for workers with and without a chronic health condition were similar. Perceived health and psychosocial factors, rather than work conditions, explained the association between the presence of a chronic health condition and work ability. Substantial differences in variables associated with work ability for workers with and without a chronic health condition were not found. Based on the lower mean scores for workers with a chronic health condition and work ability as well for predictors, these workers might have the most benefit by a policy focussing on enhancing these associated variables.

Cognitive functioning following traumatic brain injury: A five-year follow-up.

PubMed

Marsh, Nigel V; Ludbrook, Maria R; Gaffaney, Lauren C

2016-01-01

To describe the long-term prevalence and severity of cognitive deficits following significant (i.e., ventilation required for >24 hours) traumatic brain injury. To assess a comprehensive range of cognitive functions using psychometric measures with established normative, reliability, and validity data. A group of 71 adults was assessed at approximately five years (mean = 66 months) following injury. Assessment of cognitive functioning covered the domains of intelligence, attention, verbal and visual memory, visual-spatial construction, and executive functions. Impairment was evident across all domains but prevalence varied both within and between domains. Across aspects of intelligence clinical impairment ranged from 8-25% , attention 39-62% , verbal memory 16-46% , visual memory 23-51% , visual-spatial construction 38% , and executive functions (verbal fluency) 13% . In addition, 3-23% of performances across the measures were in the borderline range, suggesting a high prevalence of subclinical deficit. Although the prevalence of impairment may vary across cognitive domains, long-term follow-up documented deficits in all six domains. These findings provide further evidence that while improvement of cognitive functioning following significant traumatic brain injury may be possible, recovery of function is unlikely.

The Jebsen Taylor Test of Hand Function: A Pilot Test-Retest Reliability Study in Typically Developing Children.

PubMed

Reedman, Sarah Elizabeth; Beagley, Simon; Sakzewski, Leanne; Boyd, Roslyn N

2016-08-01

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate reproducibility of the Jebsen Taylor Test of Hand Function (JTTHF) in children. Eighty-seven typically developing children 5 to 10 years old were included from five Outside School Hours Care centers in the Greater Brisbane Region, Australia. Hand function was assessed on two occasions with a modified JTTHF, then reproducibility was assessed using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC [3,1]) and the Standard Error of Measurement (SEM). Total scores for male and female children were not significantly different. Five-year-old children were significantly different to all other age groups and were excluded from further analysis. Results for 71 children, 6 to 10 years old were analyzed (mean age 8.31 years (SD 1.32); 33 males). Test-retest reliability for total scores on the dominant and nondominant hands were ICC 0.74 (95% CI 0.61, 0.83) and ICC 0.72 (95% CI 0.59, 0.82), respectively. 'Writing' and 'Simulated Feeding' subtests demonstrated poor reproducibility. The Smallest Real Difference was 5.09 seconds for total score on the dominant hand. Findings indicate good test-retest reliability for the JTTHF total score to measure hand function in typically developing children aged 6 to 10 years.

TheInternational Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-15): psychometric properties of the Portuguese version.

PubMed

Quinta Gomes, Ana Luísa; Nobre, Pedro

2012-01-01

The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) is a brief, reliable, and multidimensional scale for assessing sexual function in men in both research and clinical trials. The objective of the present study was to determine the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the IIEF. A total of 1,363 Portuguese men participated in this study (a clinical sample of 37 men and a community sample of 1,326 men). All participants completed a questionnaire regarding demographic information and the IIEF. Principal component analysis using varimax rotation indicated a two-factor structure explaining approximately 55% of the total variance (one factor encompassing erection and orgasmic function domains of the original IIEF, and a second factor corresponding to sexual desire, intercourse, and overall satisfaction). The differentiated factor structure with five separate domains of sexual function was not replicated in the Portuguese version. The two-factor model and the original five-factor model of male sexual function were assessed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and overall acceptable fits were demonstrated for both models. However, despite a non-optimal performance, CFA provided a better support for the five-factor solution as the model that best fitted the data. An important lack of discriminant validity evidenced by high intercorrelations among dimensions was detected in both models, suggesting a substantial overlap among factors. Reliability studies showed good internal consistency for the five subscales, and test-retest reliability analysis supported the stability of the measure over time. Discriminant validity confirmed the ability of both subscales to differentiate men with erectile dysfunction from matched controls. Results suggested that the Portuguese version of the IIEF has adequate psychometric properties, and its use is recommended for clinical and research purposes. Further studies are needed in order to elucidate the association among dimensions of male sexual function and, ultimately, to offer a clearer conceptualization of male's sexual response. © 2011 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Mental Playmates: Siblings, Executive Functioning and Theory of Mind

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McAlister, Anna; Peterson, Candida C.

2006-01-01

This study assessed the theory of mind (ToM) and executive functioning (EF) abilities of 124 typically developing preschool children aged 3 to 5 years in relation to whether or not they had a child-aged sibling (i.e. a child aged 1 to 12 years) at home with whom to play and converse. On a ToM battery that included tests of false belief,…

Attempts to improve and confidence in improving health behaviour in 40-49 year olds with and without coronary heart disease: The Hordaland Health Study.

PubMed

Solvang, Marte M; Norekvål, Tone M; Tell, Grethe S; Berge, Line I; Iversen, Marjolein M

2016-04-01

While the overall incidence of acute myocardial infarction in Norway decreased in 2001-2009, this was not observed for younger adults. Smoking cessation, physical activity and healthy diet are associated with reduced risk of recurrent cardiovascular events and mortality among individuals with established coronary heart disease (CHD). We investigated whether adults in their 40s with or without CHD had 1) attempted to improve their health behaviour during the previous year, and 2) had confidence in their ability to improve their health behaviour over the next five years. Study participants were 22,019 40-49 year olds from the Hordaland Health Study. Associations between improvements and intentions regarding health behaviours and prevalent CHD were assessed with logistic regression analyses. One hundred and seventy-five (0.8%) participants reported to have CHD. After controlling for demographic, lifestyle and psychosocial variables, attempts to improve health behaviour during the prior year were associated with a threefold increased odds of prevalent CHD (odds ratio 3.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.91-4.95). Confidence in improving health behaviour during the subsequent five years was not associated with increased odds of prevalent CHD. Adults in their 40s with CHD were more likely to have attempted to improve their health behaviour during the past year compared with those without CHD. Healthcare providers should take advantage of these positive attitudes to encourage further positive improvements. © The European Society of Cardiology 2015.

Metal content of earthworms in sludge-amended soils: uptake and loss

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Neuhauser, E.F.; Malecki, M.R.; Cukic, Z.V.

1985-11-01

The widespread practice of landspreading of sludge has raised concern about increasing concentrations of potentially toxic metals in soils, with the possibility of these metals adversely impacting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Earthworms, as one of the largest components of the soil biota, are useful indicators of potentially toxic soil metal concentrations. The study describes the metal content of five metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in one earthworm species, Allolobophora tuberculata, as a function of varying soil metal concentrations in the same soil type and the ability of the earthworms to bioconcentrate the five metals. The rate of uptakemore » of the five metals in earthworms with initially low concentrations of metals placed in a soil with high metal concentrations was evaluated for a 112 day period. The rate of loss of the five metals in earthworms with initially high metal concentrations placed in soil with low metal concentrations was also examined.« less

Functional abdominal pain in childhood: background studies and recent research trends.

PubMed

Levy, Rona L; van Tilburg, Miranda A L

2012-01-01

The present review summarizes many of the major research trends investigated in the past five years regarding pediatric functional abdominal pain, and also summarizes the primary related findings from the authors' research program. Specific areas discussed based on work within the authors' group include familial illness patterns, genetics, traits, and mechanisms or processes related to abdominal pain. Topics covered from research published in the past five years include prevalence and cost, longitudinal follow-up, overlap with other disorders, etiology and mechanisms behind functional abdominal pain and treatment studies. It is hoped that findings from this work in abdominal pain will be interpreted as a framework for understanding the processes by which other pain phenomena and, more broadly, reactions to any physical state, can be developed and maintained in children. The present article concludes with recommendations for clinical practice and research.

Development of Evaluation Methods for Lower Limb Function between Aged and Young Using Principal Component Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nomoto, Yohei; Yamashita, Kazuhiko; Ohya, Tetsuya; Koyama, Hironori; Kawasumi, Masashi

There is the increasing concern of the society to prevent the fall of the aged. The improvement in aged people's the muscular strength of the lower-limb, postural control and walking ability are important for quality of life and fall prevention. The aim of this study was to develop multiple evaluation methods in order to advise for improvement and maintenance of lower limb function between aged and young. The subjects were 16 healthy young volunteers (mean ± S.D: 19.9 ± 0.6 years) and 10 healthy aged volunteers (mean ± S.D: 80.6 ± 6.1 years). Measurement items related to lower limb function were selected from the items which we have ever used. Selected measurement items of function of lower are distance of extroversion of the toe, angle of flexion of the toe, maximum width of step, knee elevation, moving distance of greater trochanter, walking balance, toe-gap force and rotation range of ankle joint. Measurement items summarized by the principal component analysis into lower ability evaluation methods including walking ability and muscle strength of lower limb and flexibility of ankle. The young group demonstrated the factor of 1.6 greater the assessment score of walking ability compared with the aged group. The young group demonstrated the factor of 1.4 greater the assessment score of muscle strength of lower limb compared with the aged group. The young group demonstrated the factor of 1.2 greater the assessment score of flexibility of ankle compared with the aged group. The results suggested that it was possible to assess the lower limb function of aged and young numerically and to advise on their foot function.

The effect of metabolic syndrome components on exercise performance in patients with intermittent claudication.

PubMed

Gardner, Andrew W; Montgomery, Polly S

2008-06-01

To determine the effect of metabolic syndrome components on intermittent claudication, physical function, health-related quality of life, and peripheral circulation in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and to identify the metabolic syndrome components most predictive of each outcome measure. Patients limited by intermittent claudication with three (n = 48), four (n = 45), or five (n = 40) components of metabolic syndrome were studied. Patients were assessed on PAD-specific measures consisting of ankle-brachial index (ABI), initial claudication distance, absolute claudication distance, physical function measures, health-related quality of life, and calf blood flow and transcutaneous oxygen tension responses after 3 minutes of vascular occlusion. Initial claudication distance (mean +/- SD) progressively declined (P = .019) in those with three (203 +/- 167 m), four (124 +/- 77 m), and five (78 +/- 57 m) metabolic syndrome components, and absolute claudication distance progressively declined (P = .036) in these groups as well (414 +/- 224 m vs 323 +/- 153 m vs 249 +/- 152 m, respectively). Furthermore, compared with patients with only three components of metabolic syndrome, those with all five components had impaired values (P < .05) for peak oxygen uptake, ischemic window, 6-minute walk distance, self-perceived walking ability and health, daily physical activity, health-related quality of life on six of eight domains, calf hyperemia, and calf ischemia after vascular occlusion. Abdominal obesity was the predictor (P < .05) of exercise performance during the treadmill and 6-minute walk tests, as well as physical activity. Elevated fasting glucose was the predictor (P < .05) of peripheral vascular measures, self-perceived walking ability and health, and health-related quality of life. PAD patients with more metabolic syndrome components have worsened intermittent claudication, physical function, health-related quality of life, and peripheral circulation. Abdominal obesity and elevated fasting glucose are the metabolic syndrome components that are most predictive of these outcome measures. Aggressively treating these metabolic syndrome components may be particularly important in managing symptoms and long-term prognosis of PAD patients.

Multispectral, Fluorescent and Photoplethysmographic Imaging for Remote Skin Assessment

PubMed Central

Spigulis, Janis

2017-01-01

Optical tissue imaging has several advantages over the routine clinical imaging methods, including non-invasiveness (it does not change the structure of tissues), remote operation (it avoids infections) and the ability to quantify the tissue condition by means of specific image parameters. Dermatologists and other skin experts need compact (preferably pocket-size), self-sustaining and easy-to-use imaging devices. The operational principles and designs of ten portable in-vivo skin imaging prototypes developed at the Biophotonics Laboratory of Institute of Atomic Physics and Spectroscopy, University of Latvia during the recent five years are presented in this paper. Four groups of imaging devices are considered. Multi-spectral imagers offer possibilities for distant mapping of specific skin parameters, thus facilitating better diagnostics of skin malformations. Autofluorescence intensity and photobleaching rate imagers show a promising potential for skin tumor identification and margin delineation. Photoplethysmography video-imagers ensure remote detection of cutaneous blood pulsations and can provide real-time information on cardiovascular parameters and anesthesia efficiency. Multimodal skin imagers perform several of the abovementioned functions by taking a number of spectral and video images with the same image sensor. Design details of the developed prototypes and results of clinical tests illustrating their functionality are presented and discussed. PMID:28534815

Cognitive function and living situation in COPD: is there a relationship with self-management and quality of life?

PubMed

Dulohery, Megan M; Schroeder, Darrell R; Benzo, Roberto P

2015-01-01

Cognitive impairment is increasingly being found to be a common comorbidity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study sought to understand the relationship of comprehensively measured cognitive function with COPD severity, quality of life, living situation, health care utilization, and self-management abilities. Subjects with COPD were recruited from the outpatient pulmonary clinic. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA). Self-management abilities were measured using the Self Management Ability Score 30. Quality of life was measured using the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire. Pearson correlation was used to assess the bivariate association of the MOCA with other study measures. Multivariate analysis was completed to understand the interaction of the MOCA and living situation on COPD outcomes of hospitalization, quality of life, and self-management ability. This study included 100 participants of mean age 70±9.4 years (63% male, 37% female) with COPD (mean FEV1 [forced expiratory volume in 1 second] percentage predicted 40.4±16.7). Mean MOCA score was 23.8±3.9 with 63% of patients having mild cognitive impairment. The MOCA was negatively correlated with age (r=-0.28, P=0.005) and positively correlated with education (r=+0.24, P=0.012). There was no significant correlation between cognitive function and exacerbations, emergency room (ER) visits, or hospitalizations. There was no association between the MOCA score and self-management abilities or quality of life. We tested the interaction of living situation and the MOCA with self-management abilities and found statistical significance (P=0.017), indicating that individuals living alone with higher cognitive function report lower self-management abilities. Cognitive impairment in COPD does not appear to be meaningfully associated with COPD severity, health outcomes, or self-management abilities. The routine screening for cognitive impairment due to a diagnosis of COPD may not be indicated. Living alone significantly affects the interaction between self-management abilities and cognitive function.

Differentiation of Cognitive Abilities across the Lifespan

PubMed Central

Tucker-Drob, Elliot M.

2009-01-01

Existing representations of cognitive ability structure are exclusively based on linear patterns of interrelations. However, a number of developmental and cognitive theories predict that abilities are differentially related across ages (age differentiation-dedifferentiation) and across levels of functioning (ability differentiation). Nonlinear factor analytic models were applied to multivariate cognitive ability data from 6,273 individuals, ages 4 to 101 years, who were selected to be nationally representative of the United States population. Results consistently supported ability differentiation, but were less clear with respect to age differentiation-dedifferentiation. Little evidence for age modification of ability differentiation was found. These findings are particularly informative about the nature of individual differences in cognition, and the developmental course of cognitive ability level and structure. PMID:19586182

Sex Differences in Patient-Reported Poststroke Disability.

PubMed

White, Brandi M; Magwood, Gayenell S; Burns, Suzanne Perea; Ellis, Charles

2018-04-01

Recent studies have shown that stroke has a differential impact in women compared to men. Women are more likely to survive strokes than men, yet they experience more severe strokes resulting in greater poststroke disability. However, few studies have characterized sex differences in functional ability after stroke. This study examined sex differences in long-term disability among stroke survivors. This was a retrospective analysis of the 2015 National Health Interview Survey. Respondents were asked to rate their ability to perform 11 functional tasks. Univariate comparisons were completed to evaluate sex differences in performance, and multinomial logistic regression was used to determine the odds of reporting functional limitations. Five hundred fourteen men and 641 women stroke survivors completed the survey (mean age: 66.9 years). Approximately 75% of the sample reported having hypertension, 61% high cholesterol, 33% diabetes, 24% heart disease, 21% heart attack, and 16% chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In the predictive models, men were less likely to report "very difficult/can't do at all" in walking ¼ mile (odds ratios [OR] = 0.68, 95% CI 0.51-0.90), climbing 10 steps (OR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.49-0.85), standing 2 hours (OR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.50-0.87), stooping (OR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.39-0.68), reaching overhead (OR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.49-0.97), carrying 10 pounds (OR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.34-0.59), and pushing large objects (OR = 0.37, 95% CI 0.28-0.5) compared to women. The functional outcomes of men stroke survivors were significantly greater than women. The specific factors that contribute to sex differences in stroke-related outcomes are not entirely clear. Future research is needed to better understand these differences to ensure that equity of care is received.

Prenatal co-exposure to neurotoxic metals and neurodevelopment in preschool children: The Environment and Childhood (INMA) Project.

PubMed

Freire, Carmen; Amaya, Esperanza; Gil, Fernando; Fernández, Mariana F; Murcia, Mario; Llop, Sabrina; Andiarena, Ainara; Aurrekoetxea, Juanjo; Bustamante, Mariona; Guxens, Mònica; Ezama, Esteban; Fernández-Tardón, Guillermo; Olea, Nicolás

2018-04-15

We sought to determine whether prenatal co-exposure to As, Cd, Hg, Mn, and Pb was associated with impaired neurodevelopment in preschool children from the Spanish Environment and Childhood (INMA) Project, using the placenta as exposure matrix. We measured metal levels in placenta tissue samples randomly selected from five of the seven population-based birth cohorts participating in the INMA Project, collected between 2000 and 2008. Neuropsychological assessment of cognitive and motor function was carried through the use of the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) at the age of 4-5years. Data on placental metal levels, MSCA scores, and relevant covariates was available for 302 children. Mn was detected in all placental samples, Cd in nearly all placentas (99%) and As, Hg, and Pb in 22%, 58%, and 17% of the placentas, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, detectable As levels were associated with decrements in global and verbal executive functions and quantitative abilities; detectable Hg was associated with lower scores on the verbal function of posterior cortex in a dose-response manner, and non-linearly related to poorer motor function and gross motor skills; and Mn levels were associated with decrement in perceptual-performance skills in a dose-response manner but with better memory span and quantitative skills. A synergistic interactive effect was found between As and Pb with respect to the general cognitive score, whereas an antagonistic interaction was found between Mn and Hg. Prenatal exposure to As and Hg may be a risk factor for cognitive and motor impairment in children, while the effects of Cd and Mn on neurodevelopment are less clear. Future studies should examine combined and interactive effects of exposure to multiple metals during vulnerable periods of brain development prospectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of Age and Language on Co-Speech Gesture Production: An Investigation of French, American, and Italian Children's Narratives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colletta, Jean-Marc; Guidetti, Michele; Capirci, Olga; Cristilli, Carla; Demir, Ozlem Ece; Kunene-Nicolas, Ramona N.; Levine, Susan

2015-01-01

The aim of this paper is to compare speech and co-speech gestures observed during a narrative retelling task in five- and ten-year-old children from three different linguistic groups, French, American, and Italian, in order to better understand the role of age and language in the development of multimodal monologue discourse abilities. We asked 98…

Five-year speech and language outcomes in children with cleft lip-palate.

PubMed

Prathanee, Benjamas; Pumnum, Tawitree; Seepuaham, Cholada; Jaiyong, Pechcharat

2016-10-01

To investigate 5-year speech and language outcomes in children with cleft lip/palate (CLP). Thirty-eight children aged 4-7 years and 8 months were recruited for this study. Speech abilities including articulation, resonance, voice, and intelligibility were assessed based on Thai Universal Parameters of Speech Outcomes. Language ability was assessed by the Language Screening Test. The findings revealed that children with clefts had speech and language delay, abnormal understandability, resonance abnormality, and voice disturbance; articulation defects that were 8.33 (1.75, 22.47), 50.00 (32.92, 67.08), 36.11 (20.82, 53.78), 30.56 (16.35, 48.11), and 94.44 (81.34, 99.32). Articulation errors were the most common speech and language defects in children with clefts, followed by abnormal understandability, resonance abnormality, and voice disturbance. These results should be of critical concern. Protocol reviewing and early intervention programs are needed for improved speech outcomes. Copyright © 2016 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Documentation of Functional Medication Management in Older Adults: A Retrospective Chart Review in Acute Care Hospitalization.

PubMed

Bolina, Monika; Jones, C Allyson; Koshman, Sheri; Heintz, Erin; Sadowski, Cheryl A

2016-12-01

Functional skills can affect the ability of older adults to appropriately manage their medication regimens. Research evaluating a patient's functional ability or the assessment of medication management is limited. Our objective was to describe the documented components of functional medication management (FMM) in adults aged ≥65 years during an acute hospital stay. The secondary objective was to describe the characteristics of the healthcare providers (HCP) who document FMM. This study was a retrospective chart review of a sample of patients aged ≥65 years admitted to medical units in a tertiary hospital from January 2013 to October 2014. FMM was defined as the steps required to take medications-including ordering, picking up, organizing, preparing, administering, and monitoring medications-and the functional abilities necessary to perform these tasks. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of patients was 78.9 (8.4) years; 72 (52 %) were female. Of the 190 charts screened, 140 were eligible for inclusion. The mean (SD) number of documented scheduled oral medications was eight (3.1) per patient, and 108 (77.1 %) charts contained documented FMM-related information. Commonly documented FMM components included whether the patient could administer medications independently (73 [52 %]) or schedule medication (46 [33 %]). These activities were most frequently documented by physicians (124 [39 %]) and occupational therapists (108 [34 %]). FMM assessments for older adult inpatients with multiple comorbidities and complex medication regimens were not documented comprehensively or frequently. Given the complexity of medication regimens and the functional skills required to manage medications at home, failing to document these assessments when evaluating patients in hospital reflects a lost opportunity.

Development of a selective left-hemispheric fronto-temporal network for processing syntactic complexity in language comprehension.

PubMed

Xiao, Yaqiong; Friederici, Angela D; Margulies, Daniel S; Brauer, Jens

2016-03-01

The development of language comprehension abilities in childhood is closely related to the maturation of the brain, especially the ability to process syntactically complex sentences. Recent studies proposed that the fronto-temporal connection within left perisylvian regions, supporting the processing of syntactically complex sentences, is still immature at preschool age. In the current study, resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired from typically developing 5-year-old children and adults to shed further light on the brain functional development. Children additionally performed a behavioral syntactic comprehension test outside the scanner. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations was analyzed in order to identify the functional correlation networks of language-relevant brain regions. Results showed an intrahemispheric correlation between left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and left posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) in adults, whereas an interhemispheric correlation between left IFG and its right-hemispheric homolog was predominant in children. Correlation analysis between resting-state functional connectivity and sentence processing performance in 5-year-olds revealed that local connectivity within the left IFG is associated with competence of processing syntactically simple canonical sentences, while long-range connectivity between IFG and pSTS in left hemisphere is associated with competence of processing syntactically relatively more complex non-canonical sentences. The present developmental data suggest that a selective left fronto-temporal connectivity network for processing complex syntax is already in functional connection at the age of 5 years when measured in a non-task situation. The correlational findings provide new insight into the relationship between intrinsic functional connectivity and syntactic language abilities in preschool children. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Music listening and cognitive abilities in 10- and 11-year-olds: the blur effect.

PubMed

Schellenberg, E Glenn; Hallam, Susan

2005-12-01

The spatial abilities of a large sample of 10 and 11 year olds were tested after they listened to contemporary pop music, music composed by Mozart, or a discussion about the present experiment. After being assigned at random to one of the three listening experiences, each child completed two tests of spatial abilities. Performance on one of the tests (square completion) did not differ as a function of the listening experience, but performance on the other test (paper folding) was superior for children who listened to popular music compared to the other two groups. These findings are consistent with the view that positive benefits of music listening on cognitive abilities are most likely to be evident when the music is enjoyed by the listener.

External Beam Radiation Therapy or Brachytherapy With or Without Short-course Neoadjuvant Androgen Deprivation Therapy: Results of a Multicenter, Prospective Study of Quality of Life

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gay, Hiram A., E-mail: hiramgay@wustl.edu; Sanda, Martin G.; Liu, Jingxia

Purpose: The long-term effects of neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (NADT) with radiation therapy on participant-reported health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have not been characterized in prospective multicenter studies. We evaluated HRQOL for 2 years among participants undergoing radiation therapy (RT) with or without NADT for newly diagnosed, early-stage prostate cancer. Methods and Materials: We analyzed longitudinal cohort data from the Prostate Cancer Outcomes and Satisfaction with Treatment Quality Assessment Consortium to ascertain the HRQOL trajectory of men receiving NADT with external beam RT (EBRT) or brachytherapy. HRQOL was measured using the expanded prostate cancer index composite 26-item questionnaire at 2, 6,more » 12, and 24 months after the initiation of NADT. We used the χ{sup 2} or Fisher exact test to compare the shift in percentages between groups that did or did not receive NADT. Analyses were conducted at the 2-sided 5% significance level. Results: For subjects receiving EBRT, questions regarding the ability to have an erection, ability to reach an orgasm, quality of erections, frequency of erections, ability to function sexually, and lack of energy were in a significantly worse dichotomized category for the patients receiving NADT. Comparing the baseline versus 24-month outcomes, 24%, 23%, and 30% of participants receiving EBRT plus NADT shifted to the worse dichotomized category for the ability to reach an orgasm, quality of erections, and ability to function sexually compared with 14%, 13%, and 16% in the EBRT group, respectively. Conclusions: Compared with baseline, at 2 years, participants receiving NADT plus EBRT compared with EBRT alone had worse HRQOL, as measured by the ability to reach orgasm, quality of erections, and ability to function sexually. However, no difference was found in the ability to have an erection, frequency of erections, overall sexual function, hot flashes, breast tenderness/enlargement, depression, lack of energy, or change in body weight. The improved survival in intermediate- and high-risk patients receiving NADT and EBRT necessitates pretreatment counseling of the HRQOL effect of NADT and EBRT.« less

External Beam Radiation Therapy or Brachytherapy With or Without Short Course Neoadjuvant Androgen Deprivation Therapy: Results of a Multi-Center, Prospective Study of Quality of Life

PubMed Central

Gay, Hiram Alberto; Sanda, Martin G.; Liu, Jingxia; Wu, Ningying; Hamstra, Daniel A.; Wei, John T.; Dunn, Rodney L.; Klein, Eric A.; Sandler, Howard M.; Saigal, Christopher S.; Litwin, Mark S.; Kuban, Deborah A.; Hembroff, Larry; Regan, Meredith M.; Chang, Peter; Michalski, Jeff M.

2017-01-01

PURPOSE The long-term effects of neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (NADT) with radiation therapy on participant-reported health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have not been characterized in prospective multi-center studies. We evaluated HRQOL for 2 years among participants undergoing radiation therapy (RT) with or without NADT for newly diagnosed, early-stage prostate cancer. METHODS We analyzed longitudinal cohort data from the Prostate Cancer Outcomes and Satisfaction with Treatment Quality Assessment Consortium to ascertain the HRQOL trajectory of men receiving NADT with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) or brachytherapy (BT). HRQOL was measured with the EPIC-26 questionnaire at 2, 6, 12, and 24 months after the initiation of NADT. We used Chi-square or Fisher’s Exact test to compare the shift percentages between groups that did or did not receive NADT. Analyses were conducted at the two-sided 5% significance level. RESULTS For subjects receiving EBRT, questions regarding the ability to have an erection, ability to reach an orgasm, quality of erections, frequency of erections, ability to function sexually, and lack of energy were in a significantly worse dichotomized category for the patients receiving NADT. Comparing baseline versus 24 months, 24%, 23%, and 30% of participants receiving EBRT plus NADT shifted to the worse dichotomized category for the ability to reach an orgasm, quality of erections, and ability to function sexually compared to 14%, 13% and 16% in the EBRT group, respectively. CONCLUSION Compared to baseline, at 2 years participants receiving NADT plus EBRT compared with EBRT alone had worse HRQOL, as measured by the ability to reach orgasms, quality of erections, and ability to function sexually. However, there was no difference in the ability to have an erection, frequency of erections, overall sexual function, hot flashes, breast tenderness/enlargement, feeling depressed, lack of energy or change in body weight. The improved survival in intermediate and high-risk patients receiving ADT and EBRT necessitates pre-treatment counseling of the HRQOL impact of ADT and EBRT. PMID:28463150

External Beam Radiation Therapy or Brachytherapy With or Without Short-course Neoadjuvant Androgen Deprivation Therapy: Results of a Multicenter, Prospective Study of Quality of Life.

PubMed

Gay, Hiram A; Sanda, Martin G; Liu, Jingxia; Wu, Ningying; Hamstra, Daniel A; Wei, John T; Dunn, Rodney L; Klein, Eric A; Sandler, Howard M; Saigal, Christopher S; Litwin, Mark S; Kuban, Deborah A; Hembroff, Larry; Regan, Meredith M; Chang, Peter; Michalski, Jeff M

2017-06-01

The long-term effects of neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (NADT) with radiation therapy on participant-reported health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have not been characterized in prospective multicenter studies. We evaluated HRQOL for 2 years among participants undergoing radiation therapy (RT) with or without NADT for newly diagnosed, early-stage prostate cancer. We analyzed longitudinal cohort data from the Prostate Cancer Outcomes and Satisfaction with Treatment Quality Assessment Consortium to ascertain the HRQOL trajectory of men receiving NADT with external beam RT (EBRT) or brachytherapy. HRQOL was measured using the expanded prostate cancer index composite 26-item questionnaire at 2, 6, 12, and 24 months after the initiation of NADT. We used the χ 2 or Fisher exact test to compare the shift in percentages between groups that did or did not receive NADT. Analyses were conducted at the 2-sided 5% significance level. For subjects receiving EBRT, questions regarding the ability to have an erection, ability to reach an orgasm, quality of erections, frequency of erections, ability to function sexually, and lack of energy were in a significantly worse dichotomized category for the patients receiving NADT. Comparing the baseline versus 24-month outcomes, 24%, 23%, and 30% of participants receiving EBRT plus NADT shifted to the worse dichotomized category for the ability to reach an orgasm, quality of erections, and ability to function sexually compared with 14%, 13%, and 16% in the EBRT group, respectively. Compared with baseline, at 2 years, participants receiving NADT plus EBRT compared with EBRT alone had worse HRQOL, as measured by the ability to reach orgasm, quality of erections, and ability to function sexually. However, no difference was found in the ability to have an erection, frequency of erections, overall sexual function, hot flashes, breast tenderness/enlargement, depression, lack of energy, or change in body weight. The improved survival in intermediate- and high-risk patients receiving NADT and EBRT necessitates pretreatment counseling of the HRQOL effect of NADT and EBRT. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quality of Classroom Interactions in Kindergarten and Executive Functions among Five Year-Old Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duval, Stéphanie; Bouchard, Caroline; Pagé, Pierre; Hamel, Christine

2016-01-01

The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between the quality of classroom interactions in kindergarten and executive functions (EFs) among 5-year-old children. The sample consisted of 118 children, with a mean age of 73.34 months (SD = 4.22), from 12 kindergarten classes. The quality of classroom interactions was measured using the…

Synchrony in the onset of mental-state reasoning: evidence from five cultures.

PubMed

Callaghan, Tara; Rochat, Philippe; Lillard, Angeline; Claux, Mary Louise; Odden, Hal; Itakura, Shoji; Tapanya, Sombat; Singh, Saraswati

2005-05-01

Over the past 20 years, developmental psychologists have shown considerable interest in the onset of a theory of mind, typically marked by children's ability to pass false-belief tasks. In Western cultures, children pass such tasks around the age of 5 years, with variations of the tasks producing small changes in the age at which they are passed. Knowing whether this age of transition is common across diverse cultures is important to understanding what causes this development. Cross-cultural studies have produced mixed findings, possibly because of varying methods used in different cultures. The present study used a single procedure to measure false-belief understanding in five cultures: Canada, India, Peru, Samoa, and Thailand. With a standardized procedure, we found synchrony in the onset of mentalistic reasoning, with children crossing the false-belief milestone at approximately 5 years of age in every culture studied. The meaning of this synchrony for the origins of mental-state understanding is discussed.

Comparison of the reliability of parental reporting and the direct test of the Thai Speech and Language Test.

PubMed

Prathanee, Benjamas; Angsupakorn, Nipa; Pumnum, Tawitree; Seepuaham, Cholada; Jaiyong, Pechcharat

2012-11-01

To find reliability of parental or caregiver's report and testing of the Thai Speech and Language Test for Children Aged 0-4 Years Old. Five investigators assessed speech and language abilities from video both contexts: parental or caregivers' report and test forms of Thai Speech and Language Test for Children Aged 0-4 Years Old. Twenty-five normal and 30 children with delayed development or risk for delayed speech and language skills were assessed at age intervals of 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 36 and 48 months. Reliability of parental or caregivers' testing and reporting was at a moderate level (0.41-0.60). Inter-rater reliability among investigators was excellent (0.86-1.00). The parental or caregivers' report form of the Thai Speech and Language test for Children aged 0-4 years old was an indicator for success at a moderate level. Trained professionals could use both forms of this test as reliable tools at an excellent level.

Personality traits measured at baseline can predict academic performance in upper secondary school three years late.

PubMed

Rosander, Pia; Bäckström, Martin

2014-12-01

The aim of the present study was to explore the ability of personality to predict academic performance in a longitudinal study of a Swedish upper secondary school sample. Academic performance was assessed throughout a three-year period via final grades from the compulsory school and upper secondary school. The Big Five personality factors (Costa & McCrae, ) - particularly Conscientiousness and Neuroticism - were found to predict overall academic performance, after controlling for general intelligence. Results suggest that Conscientiousness, as measured at the age of 16, can explain change in academic performance at the age of 19. The effect of Neuroticism on Conscientiousness indicates that, as regarding getting good grades, it is better to be a bit neurotic than to be stable. The study extends previous work by assessing the relationship between the Big Five and academic performance over a three-year period. The results offer educators avenues for improving educational achievement. © 2014 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Predicting long-term graft survival in adult kidney transplant recipients.

PubMed

Pinsky, Brett W; Lentine, Krista L; Ercole, Patrick R; Salvalaggio, Paolo R; Burroughs, Thomas E; Schnitzler, Mark A

2012-07-01

The ability to accurately predict a population's long-term survival has important implications for quantifying the benefits of transplantation. To identify a model that can accurately predict a kidney transplant population's long-term graft survival, we retrospectively studied the United Network of Organ Sharing data from 13,111 kidney-only transplants completed in 1988- 1989. Nineteen-year death-censored graft survival (DCGS) projections were calculated and compared with the population's actual graft survival. The projection curves were created using a two-part estimation model that (1) fits a Kaplan-Meier survival curve immediately after transplant (Part A) and (2) uses truncated observational data to model a survival function for long-term projection (Part B). Projection curves were examined using varying amounts of time to fit both parts of the model. The accuracy of the projection curve was determined by examining whether predicted survival fell within the 95% confidence interval for the 19-year Kaplan-Meier survival, and the sample size needed to detect the difference in projected versus observed survival in a clinical trial. The 19-year DCGS was 40.7% (39.8-41.6%). Excellent predictability (41.3%) can be achieved when Part A is fit for three years and Part B is projected using two additional years of data. Using less than five total years of data tended to overestimate the population's long-term survival, accurate prediction of long-term DCGS is possible, but requires attention to the quantity data used in the projection method.

Natural History of Infantile GM2 Gangliosidosis

PubMed Central

Bley, Annette E.; Giannikopoulos, Ourania A.; Hayden, Doug; Kubilus, Kim; Tifft, Cynthia J.

2011-01-01

OBJECTIVE: GM2 gangliosidoses are caused by an inherited deficiency of lysosomal β-hexosaminidase and result in ganglioside accumulation in the brain. Onset during infancy leads to rapid neurodegeneration and death before 4 years of age. We set out to quantify the rate of functional decline in infantile GM2 gangliosidosis on the basis of patient surveys and a comprehensive review of existing literature. METHODS: Patients with infantile GM2 gangliosidosis (N = 237) were surveyed via questionnaire by the National Tay Sachs & Allied Diseases Association (NTSAD). These data were supplemented by survival data from the NTSAD database and a literature survey. Detailed retrospective surveys from 97 patients were available. Five patients who had received hematopoietic stem cell transplantation were evaluated separately. The mortality rate of the remaining 92 patients was comparable to that of the 103 patients from the NTSAD database and 121 patients reported in the literature. RESULTS: Common symptoms at onset were developmental arrest (83%), startling (65%), and hypotonia (60%). All 55 patients who had learned to sit without support lost that ability within 1 year. Individual functional measures correlated with each other but not with survival. Gastric tube placement was associated with prolonged survival. Tay Sachs and Sandhoff variants did not differ. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was not associated with prolonged survival. CONCLUSIONS: We studied the timing of regression in 97 cases of infantile GM2 gangliosidosis and conclude that clinical disease progression does not correlate with survival, likely because of the impact of improved supportive care over time. However, functional measures are quantifiable and can inform power calculations and study design of future interventions. PMID:22025593

[Influence of perceived social support and functioning on the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia and their caregivers].

PubMed

Gutiérrez-Maldonado, José; Caqueo-Urízar, Alejandra; Ferrer-García, Marta; Fernández-Dávila, Paula

2012-05-01

Perception of social support and functioning of patients with schizophrenia and their primary caregivers and its relationship to quality of life are described. Forty-five patients and their 45 relatives, treated at the Mental Health Services in Arica, Chile, participated. Both patients and caregivers in the study have a poor perception of social support with regard to extra-family people, as well as a low social integration. However, patients showed adequate capacity to function within their immediate family. Unlike what was found in developed countries, these patients showed moderate levels of quality of life, with a strong relationship with perceptions of the social support they receive from family and significant others and the ability to establish and maintain social contacts. Quality of life of primary caregivers is linked to patients' ability to establish and maintain social contacts within the family group, as in other social instances, such as keeping a job. The results of the study suggest the need to consider the design and application of programs of support for these patients and their caregivers, with the central aim of the social functioning of the above-mentioned patients and their familiar and community integration.

Associates of school impairment in Egyptian patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: Sharkia Governorate.

PubMed

Abdul-Sattar, Amal; Magd, Sahar Abou El; Negm, Mohamed G

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with school absenteeism and poor school functioning in Egyptian children and adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). We studied 52 consecutive patients of JIA with age ≥ 7 years and duration of disease ≥ 1 year. All of the patients underwent assessment of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, disease activity (JIDAS-27), functional ability (CHAQ), depressive symptoms (CDI score), and school functioning (PedsQL™ 4.0). Multivariate modeling was applied to determine the factors that associated with school absenteeism and poor school functioning. A total of 69% of the sample missed 3 weeks or more of school during past academic year. The mean percentage of missed school days was 12.5% (equivalent to 25 absent days). A total of 46% of the patients had poor school functioning (school functioning subscale score of HRQOL ≥ 1 SD below the mean of healthy children). In multiple regression analyses, high CHAQ scores, disease activity, and depressive symptoms were independent predictors for both of school absenteeism and of poor school functioning. However, living in rural regions was independently associated only with high school absenteeism in patients with JIA. Disease activity, functional disability, and high depressive symptoms are predictors of school absenteeism and poor school functioning. These findings underscore the critical need for treatment strategies that have the ability to better control disease activity, to minimize functional disability, and depressive symptoms. More attention should be given to JIA patients who live in rural regions.

Cobb-Douglas Production Function as an Approach for Better Resource Allocation in the Ukrainian Armed Forces

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

to examine the growth of GDP in five Latin American countries ( Argentina , Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico – henceforth referred to as LAC) in...resource crisis that threatens its capability to fulfill its mission. At the same time the ability of the country’s economy to sustain the...relationship between the growth in defense spending and the corresponding “labor” and “capital” changes based on the neoclassical theoretical approach

Predictive Cutoff Values of the Five-Times Sit-to-Stand Test and the Timed "Up & Go" Test for Disability Incidence in Older People Dwelling in the Community.

PubMed

Makizako, Hyuma; Shimada, Hiroyuki; Doi, Takehiko; Tsutsumimoto, Kota; Nakakubo, Sho; Hotta, Ryo; Suzuki, Takao

2017-04-01

Lower extremity functioning is important for maintaining activity in elderly people. Optimal cutoff points for standard measurements of lower extremity functioning would help identify elderly people who are not disabled but have a high risk of developing disability. The purposes of this study were: (1) to determine the optimal cutoff points of the Five-Times Sit-to-Stand Test and the Timed "Up & Go" Test for predicting the development of disability and (2) to examine the impact of poor performance on both tests on the prediction of the risk of disability in elderly people dwelling in the community. This was a prospective cohort study. A population of 4,335 elderly people dwelling in the community (mean age = 71.7 years; 51.6% women) participated in baseline assessments. Participants were monitored for 2 years for the development of disability. During the 2-year follow-up period, 161 participants (3.7%) developed disability. The optimal cutoff points of the Five-Times Sit-to-Stand Test and the Timed "Up & Go" Test for predicting the development of disability were greater than or equal to 10 seconds and greater than or equal to 9 seconds, respectively. Participants with poor performance on the Five-Times Sit-to-Stand Test (hazard ratio = 1.88; 95% CI = 1.11-3.20), the Timed "Up & Go" Test (hazard ratio = 2.24; 95% CI = 1.42-3.53), or both tests (hazard ratio = 2.78; 95% CI = 1.78-4.33) at the baseline assessment had a significantly higher risk of developing disability than participants who had better lower extremity functioning. All participants had good initial functioning and participated in assessments on their own. Causes of disability were not assessed. Assessments of lower extremity functioning with the Five-Times Sit-to-Stand Test and the Timed "Up & Go" Test, especially poor performance on both tests, were good predictors of future disability in elderly people dwelling in the community. © 2017 American Physical Therapy Association

Using Structural Analysis in Natural Settings: A Responsive Functional Assessment Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stichter, Janine Peck; Conroy, Maureen A.

2005-01-01

Since the reauthorization of IDEA (1997), the use of functional assessments to examine factors that are related to students' challenging behaviors has gained increasing attention in the literature. Over the past five years, several groups of investigators have conducted systematic analyses of the current status of the use of functional assessment…

Enhanced control of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex neurophysiology with real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rt-fMRI) neurofeedback training and working memory practice.

PubMed

Sherwood, Matthew S; Kane, Jessica H; Weisend, Michael P; Parker, Jason G

2016-01-01

Real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rt-fMRI) neurofeedback can be used to train localized, conscious regulation of blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals. As a therapeutic technique, rt-fMRI neurofeedback reduces the symptoms of a variety of neurologic disorders. To date, few studies have investigated the use of self-regulation training using rt-fMRI neurofeedback to enhance cognitive performance. This work investigates the utility of rt-fMRI neurofeedback as a tool to enhance human cognition by training healthy individuals to consciously control activity in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). A cohort of 18 healthy participants in the experimental group underwent rt-fMRI neurofeedback from the left DLPFC in five training sessions across two weeks while 7 participants in the control group underwent similar training outside the MRI and without rt-fMRI neurofeedback. Working memory (WM) performance was evaluated on two testing days separated by the five rt-fMRI neurofeedback sessions using two computerized tests. We investigated the ability to control the BOLD signal across training sessions and WM performance across the two testing days. The group with rt-fMRI neurofeedback demonstrated a significant increase in the ability to self-regulate the BOLD signal in the left DLPFC across sessions. WM performance showed differential improvement between testing days one and two across the groups with the highest increases observed in the rt-fMRI neurofeedback group. These results provide evidence that individuals can quickly gain the ability to consciously control the left DLPFC, and this training results in improvements of WM performance beyond that of training alone. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Experimental Test Site, Site 300, Biological Review, January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2012

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Paterson, Lisa E.; Woollett, Jim S.

2014-01-01

The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) Environmental Restoration Department (ERD) is required to conduct an ecological review at least every five years to ensure that biological and contaminant conditions in areas undergoing remediation have not changed such that existing conditions pose an ecological hazard (Dibley et al. 2009a). This biological review is being prepared by the Natural Resources Team within LLNL’s Environmental Functional Area (EFA) to support the 2013 five-year ecological review.

Blood Glucose, Diet-Based Glycemic Load and Cognitive Aging Among Dementia-Free Older Adults

PubMed Central

Andel, Ross; McEvoy, Cathy; Dahl Aslan, Anna K.; Finkel, Deborah; Pedersen, Nancy L.

2015-01-01

Background. Although evidence indicates that Type II Diabetes is related to abnormal brain aging, the influence of elevated blood glucose on long-term cognitive change is unclear. In addition, the relationship between diet-based glycemic load and cognitive aging has not been extensively studied. The focus of this study was to investigate the influence of diet-based glycemic load and blood glucose on cognitive aging in older adults followed for up to 16 years. Methods. Eight-hundred and thirty-eight cognitively healthy adults aged ≥50 years (M = 63.1, SD = 8.3) from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging were studied. Mixed effects growth models were utilized to assess overall performance and change in general cognitive functioning, perceptual speed, memory, verbal ability, and spatial ability as a function of baseline blood glucose and diet-based glycemic load. Results. High blood glucose was related to poorer overall performance on perceptual speed as well as greater rates of decline in general cognitive ability, perceptual speed, verbal ability, and spatial ability. Diet-based glycemic load was related to poorer overall performance in perceptual speed and spatial ability. Conclusion. Diet-based glycemic load and, in particular, elevated blood glucose appear important for cognitive performance/cognitive aging. Blood glucose control (perhaps through low glycemic load diets) may be an important target in the detection and prevention of age-related cognitive decline. PMID:25149688

Severe Multisensory Speech Integration Deficits in High-Functioning School-Aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Their Resolution During Early Adolescence

PubMed Central

Foxe, John J.; Molholm, Sophie; Del Bene, Victor A.; Frey, Hans-Peter; Russo, Natalie N.; Blanco, Daniella; Saint-Amour, Dave; Ross, Lars A.

2015-01-01

Under noisy listening conditions, visualizing a speaker's articulations substantially improves speech intelligibility. This multisensory speech integration ability is crucial to effective communication, and the appropriate development of this capacity greatly impacts a child's ability to successfully navigate educational and social settings. Research shows that multisensory integration abilities continue developing late into childhood. The primary aim here was to track the development of these abilities in children with autism, since multisensory deficits are increasingly recognized as a component of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) phenotype. The abilities of high-functioning ASD children (n = 84) to integrate seen and heard speech were assessed cross-sectionally, while environmental noise levels were systematically manipulated, comparing them with age-matched neurotypical children (n = 142). Severe integration deficits were uncovered in ASD, which were increasingly pronounced as background noise increased. These deficits were evident in school-aged ASD children (5–12 year olds), but were fully ameliorated in ASD children entering adolescence (13–15 year olds). The severity of multisensory deficits uncovered has important implications for educators and clinicians working in ASD. We consider the observation that the multisensory speech system recovers substantially in adolescence as an indication that it is likely amenable to intervention during earlier childhood, with potentially profound implications for the development of social communication abilities in ASD children. PMID:23985136

Spatial cognition and science achievement: The contribution of intrinsic and extrinsic spatial skills from 7 to 11 years.

PubMed

Hodgkiss, Alex; Gilligan, Katie A; Tolmie, Andrew K; Thomas, Michael S C; Farran, Emily K

2018-01-22

Prior longitudinal and correlational research with adults and adolescents indicates that spatial ability is a predictor of science learning and achievement. However, there is little research to date with primary-school aged children that addresses this relationship. Understanding this association has the potential to inform curriculum design and support the development of early interventions. This study examined the relationship between primary-school children's spatial skills and their science achievement. Children aged 7-11 years (N = 123) completed a battery of five spatial tasks, based on a model of spatial ability in which skills fall along two dimensions: intrinsic-extrinsic; static-dynamic. Participants also completed a curriculum-based science assessment. Controlling for verbal ability and age, mental folding (intrinsic-dynamic spatial ability), and spatial scaling (extrinsic-static spatial ability) each emerged as unique predictors of overall science scores, with mental folding a stronger predictor than spatial scaling. These spatial skills combined accounted for 8% of the variance in science scores. When considered by scientific discipline, mental folding uniquely predicted both physics and biology scores, and spatial scaling accounted for additional variance in biology and variance in chemistry scores. The children's embedded figures task (intrinsic-static spatial ability) only accounted for variance in chemistry scores. The patterns of association were consistent across the age range. Spatial skills, particularly mental folding, spatial scaling, and disembedding, are predictive of 7- to 11-year-olds' science achievement. These skills make a similar contribution to performance for each age group. © 2018 The Authors. British Journal of Education Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.

Short- and long-term changes in perceived work ability after interdisciplinary rehabilitation of chronic musculoskeletal disorders: prospective cohort study among 854 rehabilitants.

PubMed

Saltychev, Mikhail; Laimi, Katri; Pentti, Jaana; Kivimäki, Mika; Vahtera, Jussi

2014-06-01

To investigate the changes in rehabilitants' perceived work ability after rehabilitation for chronic musculoskeletal disorders with respect to the baseline characteristics. Prospective cohort study based on register and repeated survey data. Public sector employees in ten towns and five hospital districts. A total of 854 employees who participated in the rehabilitation programme owing to common chronic musculoskeletal disorders between 1997 and 2009. Interdisciplinary, biopsychosocial, inpatient rehabilitation programme targeting people of working age with common chronic musculoskeletal disorders. The programme was executed in different rehabilitation centres across the country and funded by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. Differences in perceived work ability level before and after rehabilitation. Data were derived from repeated surveys on average 2.1 years before rehabilitation, and 1.5 years (short-term follow-up) and 6.0 years (long-term follow-up) after rehabilitation. Before the rehabilitation, perceived work ability was 7.13 (SD 1.84) among the rehabilitants and 7.27 (SD 1.72) in the matched reference population. Among rehabilitants, this figure decreased by 0.82 (95% confidence interval -0.98 to -0.67) in the short-term and by 1.26 (95% confidence interval -1.45 to -1.07) in the long-term follow-up. Only slight differences in steepness of this deterioration were observed between subgroups, created based on the participants' baseline characteristics. Perceived work ability of participants, in an interdisciplinary biopsychosocial rehabilitation programme for common musculoskeletal disorders, deteriorated regardless of any studied pretreatment characteristics. The improvement of work ability may be an unrealistic goal for participants in this type of rehabilitation. © The Author(s) 2014.

Neurocognitive ability in adults coping with alcohol and drug relapse temptations.

PubMed

Tapert, Susan F; Ozyurt, Saba Senses; Myers, Mark G; Brown, Sandra A

2004-05-01

Coping is important for preventing relapse, but may be utilized differently depending on the individual's level of cognitive functioning. Impaired reasoning, attention, and memory are commonly observed in alcohol-dependent individuals. This study describes the prospective relationship between neuropsychological functioning and utilization of coping strategies in predicting outcome one year after discharge from an inpatient alcohol treatment program. Male veterans (n = 43) hospitalized in an alcohol treatment facility were given structured interviews, coping questionnaires, and neuropsychological testing, and were followed three and 12 months after discharge. Neuropsychological ability moderated the relationship between coping and drinking outcomes one year after treatment. This was particularly true for patients with better neurocognitive functioning. Specifically, patients with higher neurocognitive performances and more maladaptive coping responses, such as self-blame, had a greater percentage of drinking days at follow-up. Alcohol-dependent adults with good neuropsychological functioning may be able to benefit more from coping skills training. For those with neuropsychological deficits, coping skills training may need to take cognitive limitations into consideration.

Prevention of cognitive and physical decline by enjoyable walking-habituation program based on brain-activating rehabilitation.

PubMed

Murai, Tatsuhiko; Yamaguchi, Tomoharu; Maki, Yohko; Isahai, Mikie; Kaiho Sato, Ayumi; Yamagami, Tetsuya; Ura, Chiaki; Miyamae, Fumiko; Takahashi, Ryutaro; Yamaguchi, Haruyasu

2016-06-01

Evaluating effects of an enjoyable walking-habituation program. We carried out a 12-week intervention, consisting of an enjoyable walking-habituation program based on five principles of brain-activating rehabilitation: pleasant atmosphere, interactive communication, social roles, praising each other and errorless support. The program, once a week for 90 min, was carried out in small groups. Participants were 71 community-dwelling people (72.2 ± 4.3) without dementia. Cognitive function was evaluated in five cognitive domains: memory, executive function, word fluency, visuospatial abilities and sustained attention. Additionally, quality of life, depressive state, functional capacity, range of activities, social network and subjective memory complaints were assessed using questionnaires. Motor function was also evaluated. Measurement was carried out before the observation period, after observation and after intervention. A total of 63 participants were included in the analysis. Daily steps, executive function, subjective memory complaints, functional capacity and 5-m maximum walking time significantly improved during the intervention period (after observation to after intervention) compared with the observation period (before the observation period to after observation). No significant differences were seen in other evaluations. At 6 months after the intervention, 52 of 63 participants (82.5%) continued to walk once a week or more, and all of them were confident about continuing to walk in the future. Furthermore, all participants were satisfied with our walking-habituation program and all replied that they felt delighted. The intervention program, based on the five principles of brain-activating rehabilitation, resulted in improvement of some cognitive and physical functions, as well as a high walking-habituation rate at 6 months' follow up. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; ●●: ●●-●●. © 2015 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Relationship of Self-reported Attentional Fatigue to Perceived Work Ability in Breast Cancer Survivors.

PubMed

Von Ah, Diane; Storey, Susan; Crouch, Adele; Johns, Shelley A; Dodson, Jill; Dutkevitch, Sarah

Breast cancer survivors (BCSs) have identified attentional fatigue, a decrease in the ability to focus, as a persistent daily challenge; however, little is known regarding its impact on work ability. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between attentional fatigue and perceived work ability in BCSs controlling for the known covariates of age, education, household income, and time posttreatment. A cross-sectional, descriptive design was used. Breast cancer survivors who were currently employed and at least 1 year post-adjuvant treatment participated. Breast cancer survivors completed the Attentional Function Index and Work Ability Index questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, linear regression, and Fisher exact test were used for analysis. Sixty-eight female BCSs, ranging from 29 to 68 years of age (mean, 52.1 [SD, 8.6]) and on average 4.97 (SD, 3.36) years posttreatment, participated. More than one-fourth of BCSs (26.5%) reported poor to moderate perceived work ability, indicating substantial concerns regarding work performance. Attentional fatigue was found to significantly predict perceived work ability (P < .001), explaining 40% of the variance of perceived work ability. Attentional fatigue is a prevalent symptom posttreatment that is negatively related to perceived work ability in BCSs. Nurses are in a prime position to assess and intervene to alleviate attentional fatigue to improve work ability. Findings suggest a need for individual, comprehensive survivorship care plans to effectively address symptoms that impact work ability and, ultimately, the quality of life of cancer survivors.

Language Development in the Early School Years: The Importance of Close Relationships with Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spilt, Jantine L.; Koomen, Helma M. Y.; Harrison, Linda J.

2015-01-01

This longitudinal study examined developmental links between closeness in teacher-child relationships and children's receptive language ability from the end of the preschool years into the early elementary years, while controlling for changes in peer interaction quality and child behavioral functioning. The sample included children and their…

Y2K: effects on pacemaker and implantable defibrillator programmers.

PubMed

Flynn, D P; Daubert, J P; Huang, D T; Ocampo, C M; O'Gorman, E

1999-01-01

All permanent pacemakers and implantable defibrillators (PPM/ICDs) will continue to function as programmed without regard to the date in the year 2000 (Y2K). All manufacturers contacted reassured us that some of these devices incorporate a day/year clock in the circuitry; however, these are not involved in sensing or delivering programmed therapy. Some manufacturers' device programmers will roll over to the year 2000 without any problems at all, whereas others may have difficulty with date and time stamping on printed reports. We tested 14 different types of PPM/ICD programmers for Y2K compliance using 8 tests. Five of the 14 models passed each test and were labeled at our institution with a green "Y2K" sticker to identify them as Y2K compatible and needing no special attention after December 31, 1999. The most common test failed was the ability to roll the date forward from December 31, 1999, with the programmer power off. Organizations should consider testing and replacing noncompliant device programmers or placing a red sticker with "Y2K" crossed out on noncompliant pieces. The red sticker alerts the advanced practice nurse or physician to the need to confirm the appropriate date and time in the programmer after startup in the year 2000 and before interrogating or programming any PPM/ICD, to avoid inappropriate date and time stamping on printed reports from that programmer.

The Effect of Executive Function on Biological Reasoning in Young Children: An Individual Differences Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zaitchik, Deborah; Iqbal, Yeshim; Carey, Susan

2014-01-01

There is substantial variance in the age at which children construct and deploy their first explicit theory of biology. This study tests the hypothesis that this variance is due, at least in part, to individual differences in their executive function (EF) abilities. A group of 79 boys and girls aged 5-7 years (with a mean age of 6½ years) were…

Does the heritability of cognitive abilities vary as a function of parental education? Evidence from a German twin sample.

PubMed

Spengler, Marion; Gottschling, Juliana; Hahn, Elisabeth; Tucker-Drob, Elliot M; Harzer, Claudia; Spinath, Frank M

2018-01-01

A well-known hypothesis in the behavioral genetic literature predicts that the heritability of cognitive abilities is higher in the presence of higher socioeconomic contexts. However, studies suggest that the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on the heritability of cognitive ability may not be universal, as it has mostly been demonstrated in the United States, but not in other Western nations. In the present study we tested whether the importance of genetic and environmental effects on cognitive abilities varies as a function of parental education in a German twin sample. Cognitive ability scores (general, verbal, and nonverbal) were obtained on 531 German twin pairs (192 monozygotic, 339 dizygotic, ranging from 7 to 14 years of age; Mage = 10.25, SD = 1.83). Data on parental education were available from mothers and fathers. Results for general cognitive ability and nonverbal ability indicated no significant gene x parental education interaction effect. For verbal ability, a significant nonshared environment (E) x parental education interaction was found in the direction of greater nonshared environmental influences on verbal abilities among children raised by more educated parents.

Neurodevelopmental, health, and growth status at age 6 years of children with birth weights less than 1001 grams.

PubMed

Teplin, S W; Burchinal, M; Johnson-Martin, N; Humphry, R A; Kraybill, E N

1991-05-01

The neurodevelopmental, health, and growth outcomes for 28 six-year-old extremely low birth weight (ELBW) (birth weight less than 1001 gm) children were compared with those of 26 control children born at term. The two groups did not differ in mean weight or height, but the ELBW group had smaller head circumferences (p = 0.015). Kaufman mental processing scores correlated with head circumference (p = 0.0003). Significantly more of the ELBW children (61%) had mild or moderate to severe neurologic problems compared with control children (23%) (p = 0.003). Three ELBW children had mild spastic diplegia; one was blind. Eighteen (64%) of the ELBW children had required rehospitalization versus five (20%) of the comparison group. The mean Kaufman Mental Processing Composite was lower for the ELBW group, but when the data were analyzed by maternal education, only those children whose mothers had a twelfth-grade education had significantly lower scores (p = 0.0001). A similar pattern of group differences was seen for scores on visual-motor function (p = 0.0045), visual-perceptual abilities (p = 0.003), and attention span (p = 0.0001). No group differences were seen regarding hyperactivity or parental stress. Overall functional disability among the ELBW children was considered absent in 46%, mild in 36%, and moderate to severe in 18%. There was a significant association (p = 0.029) between classification of handicap at 12 to 34 months and classification at 6 years. No neonatal factors correlated with 6-year outcome. A significant proportion of ELBW children had no severe disabilities, but many had dysfunctions likely to affect learning and behavior in school.

[Rescue helicopters in secondary missions].

PubMed

Gorgass, B; Frey, G

1977-11-03

During the last five years, we have had to fly 560 primary and 1150 secondary missions with the rescue helicopter of the Ulm Rescue Centre. This relationship of approximately 1 : 2 is distinctly different from the numbers obtained in other helicopter bases. The geographical location and structure of the hospitals within range of the Ulm rescue helicopter account for the large proportion of urgent secondary missions. The evaluation of these secondary missions concurs with the ADAC statistics and shows that the quick transport of the emergency doctor to the scene of the emergency, is only one component in the functions of the rescue helicopter. During primary and secondary missions, the ability to transport emergency patients to the nearest qualified hospital by helicopter, which is a mobile intensive care unit, is of equal importance. In the future, rescue helicopters will have to take these requirements into account by providing the necessary equipment and more especially, by providing sufficient space to carry out emergency diagnostic and therapeutic treatment.

Novel endogenous angiogenesis inhibitors and their therapeutic potential

PubMed Central

Rao, Nithya; Lee, Yu Fei; Ge, Ruowen

2015-01-01

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from the pre-existing vasculature is essential for embryonic development and tissue homeostasis. It also plays critical roles in diseases such as cancer and retinopathy. A delicate balance between pro- and anti-angiogenic factors ensures normal physiological homeostasis. Endogenous angiogenesis inhibitors are proteins or protein fragments that are formed in the body and have the ability to limit angiogenesis. Many endogenous angiogenesis inhibitors have been discovered, and the list continues to grow. Endogenous protein/peptide inhibitors are relatively less toxic, better tolerated and have a lower risk of drug resistance, which makes them attractive as drug candidates. In this review, we highlight ten novel endogenous protein angiogenesis inhibitors discovered within the last five years, including ISM1, FKBPL, CHIP, ARHGAP18, MMRN2, SOCS3, TAp73, ZNF24, GPR56 and JWA. Although some of these proteins have been well characterized for other biological functions, we focus on their new and specific roles in angiogenesis inhibition and discuss their potential for therapeutic application. PMID:26364800

Novel endogenous angiogenesis inhibitors and their therapeutic potential.

PubMed

Rao, Nithya; Lee, Yu Fei; Ge, Ruowen

2015-10-01

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from the pre-existing vasculature is essential for embryonic development and tissue homeostasis. It also plays critical roles in diseases such as cancer and retinopathy. A delicate balance between pro- and anti-angiogenic factors ensures normal physiological homeostasis. Endogenous angiogenesis inhibitors are proteins or protein fragments that are formed in the body and have the ability to limit angiogenesis. Many endogenous angiogenesis inhibitors have been discovered, and the list continues to grow. Endogenous protein/peptide inhibitors are relatively less toxic, better tolerated and have a lower risk of drug resistance, which makes them attractive as drug candidates. In this review, we highlight ten novel endogenous protein angiogenesis inhibitors discovered within the last five years, including ISM1, FKBPL, CHIP, ARHGAP18, MMRN2, SOCS3, TAp73, ZNF24, GPR56 and JWA. Although some of these proteins have been well characterized for other biological functions, we focus on their new and specific roles in angiogenesis inhibition and discuss their potential for therapeutic application.

Effects of cane length and diameter and judgment type on the constant error ratio for estimated height in blindfolded, visually impaired, and sighted participants.

PubMed

Huang, Kuo-Chen; Leung, Cherng-Yee; Wang, Hsiu-Feng

2010-04-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of blindfolded, visually impaired, and sighted individuals to estimate object height as a function of cane length, cane diameter, and judgment type. 48 undergraduate students (ages 20 to 23 years) were recruited to participate in the study. Participants were divided into low-vision, severely myopic, and normal-vision groups. Five stimulus heights were explored with three cane lengths, varying cane diameters, and judgment types. The participants were asked to estimate the stimulus height with or without reference to a standard block. Results showed that the constant error ratio for estimated height improved with decreasing cane length and comparative judgment. The findings were unclear regarding the effect of cane length on haptic perception of height. Implications were discussed for designing environments, such as stair heights, chairs, the magnitude of apertures, etc., for visually impaired individuals.

Inaccuracy of perceived competence ratings is associated with problem behaviors in 5-year-old children.

PubMed

Klaver, Jacqueline M; Palo, Amanda D; DiLalla, Lisabeth F

2014-01-01

The authors examined problem behaviors in preschool children as a function of perceived competence. Prior research has demonstrated a link between inaccuracy of self-perceptions and teacher-reported externalizing behaviors in preschool aged boys. This study extended past research by adding data collected from observed behaviors in a laboratory setting, as well as parent reports of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Five-year-old children completed the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children (PSPCSA) in the lab, participated in a 10-min puzzle interaction task with their cotwin and mother, and completed a short task assessing cognitive abilities. Children were grouped into 3 self-esteem categories (unrealistically low, realistic, and unrealistically high) based on comparisons of self-reported (PSPCSA) versus actual competencies for maternal acceptance, peer acceptance, and cognitive competence. Results showed that children who overreported their maternal acceptance and peer acceptance had significantly more parent-reported externalizing problems as well as internalizing problems. There were no significant differences in accuracy for cognitive competence. The findings from this study underscore the negative impact of unrealistically high self-appraisal on problem behaviors in young children.

Advances in engineering nanometrology at the National Physical Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leach, Richard K.; Claverley, James; Giusca, Claudiu; Jones, Christopher W.; Nimishakavi, Lakshmi; Sun, Wenjuan; Tedaldi, Matthew; Yacoot, Andrew

2012-07-01

The National Physical Laboratory, UK, has been active in the field of engineering nanometrology for a number of years. A summary of progress over the last five years is presented in this paper and the following research projects discussed in detail. (1) Development of an infrastructure for the calibration of instruments for measuring areal surface topography, along with the development of areal software measurement standards. This work comprises the use of the optical transfer function and a technique for the simultaneous measurement of topography and the phase change on reflection, allowing composite materials to be measured. (2) Development of a vibrating micro-CMM probe with isotropic probing reaction and the ability to operate in a non-contact mode. (3) A review of x-ray computed tomography and its use in dimensional metrology. (4) The further development of a metrology infrastructure for atomic force microscopy and the development of an instrument for the measurement of the effect of the probe-surface interaction. (5) Traceable measurement of displacement using optical and x-ray interferometry to picometre accuracy. (6) Development of an infrastructure for low-force metrology, including the development of appropriate transfer artefacts.

Field test of the feasibility and validity of using the Hoosier Assurance Plan Instrument for Adults in a state mental health program.

PubMed

Newman, Frederick L; McGrew, John; Deliberty, Richard N

2009-08-01

The current paper reports on the feasibility of using the HAPI-A, an instrument designed to assess a person's level of functioning in the community: (1) to help determine eligibility to receive behavioral health services, (2) to assign reimbursement case rates; and (3) to provide data for a service provider report card. A 3-year field study of the use of the instrument across an entire state mental health system explored the effectiveness of methods to enhance data accuracy, including annual training and a professional clinical record audit, and the ability of the test to detect differences in improvement rates within risk-adjusted groupings. The combination of training and auditing produced statistically significant, cumulative reductions in data errors across all 3 years of the field test. The HAPI-A also was sensitive in detecting differences among service providers in outcome improvements for six of six risk-adjusted groups rated at the moderate level of impairment and for five of six groups rated at the mild level of impairment, but was inconsistent in detecting outcome differences for persons rated at the severe level of impairment.

Executive Function and Magnitude Skills in Preschool Children

PubMed Central

Prager, Emily O.; Sera, Maria D.; Carlson, Stephanie M.

2016-01-01

Executive Function (EF) has been highlighted as a potentially important factor for mathematical understanding. The relation has been well established in school-aged children but has been less explored at younger ages. The current study investigated the relation between EF and mathematics in preschool aged children. Participants were 142 typically developing 3- and 4-year-olds. Controlling for verbal ability, a significant positive correlation was found between EF and general math abilities in this age group. Importantly, we further examined this relation causally by varying the EF load on a magnitude comparison task. Results suggested a developmental pattern wherein 3-year-olds’ performance on the magnitude comparison task was worst when EF was taxed the most. Conversely, 4-year-olds performed well on the magnitude task despite varying EF demands, suggesting that EF might play a critical role in the development of math concepts. PMID:27082019

Contribution of spoken language and socio-economic background to adolescents' educational achievement at age 16 years.

PubMed

Spencer, Sarah; Clegg, Judy; Stackhouse, Joy; Rush, Robert

2017-03-01

Well-documented associations exist between socio-economic background and language ability in early childhood, and between educational attainment and language ability in children with clinically referred language impairment. However, very little research has looked at the associations between language ability, educational attainment and socio-economic background during adolescence, particularly in populations without language impairment. To investigate: (1) whether adolescents with higher educational outcomes overall had higher language abilities; and (2) associations between adolescent language ability, socio-economic background and educational outcomes, specifically in relation to Mathematics, English Language and English Literature GCSE grade. A total of 151 participants completed five standardized language assessments measuring vocabulary, comprehension of sentences and spoken paragraphs, and narrative skills and one nonverbal assessment when between 13 and 14 years old. These data were compared with the participants' educational achievement obtained upon leaving secondary education (16 years old). Univariate logistic regressions were employed to identify those language assessments and demographic factors that were associated with achieving a targeted A * -C grade in English Language, English Literature and Mathematics General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) at 16 years. Further logistic regressions were then conducted to examine further the contribution of socio-economic background and spoken language skills in the multivariate models. Vocabulary, comprehension of sentences and spoken paragraphs, and mean length utterance in a narrative task along with socio-economic background contributed to whether participants achieved an A * -C grade in GCSE Mathematics and English Language and English Literature. Nonverbal ability contributed to English Language and Mathematics. The results of multivariate logistic regressions then found that vocabulary skills were particularly relevant to all three GCSE outcomes. Socio-economic background only remained important for English Language, once language assessment scores and demographic information were considered. Language ability, and in particular vocabulary, plays an important role for educational achievement. Results confirm a need for ongoing support for spoken language ability throughout secondary education and a potential role for speech and language therapy provision in the continuing drive to reduce the gap in educational attainment between groups from differing socio-economic backgrounds. © 2016 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Developmental gender differences in children in a virtual spatial memory task.

PubMed

León, Irene; Cimadevilla, José Manuel; Tascón, Laura

2014-07-01

Behavioral achievements are the product of brain maturation. During postnatal development, the medial temporal lobe completes its maturation, and children acquire new memory abilities. In recent years, virtual reality-based tasks have been introduced in the neuropsychology field to assess different cognitive functions. In this work, desktop virtual reality tasks are combined with classic psychometric tests to assess spatial abilities in 4- to 10-year-old children. Fifty boys and 50 girls 4-10-years of age participated in this study. Spatial reference memory and spatial working memory were assessed using a desktop virtual reality-based task. Other classic psychometric tests were also included in this work (e.g., the Corsi Block Tapping Test, digit tests, 10/36 Spatial Recall Test). In general terms, 4- and 5-year-old groups showed poorer performance than the older groups. However, 5-year-old children showed basic spatial navigation abilities with little difficulty. In addition, boys outperformed girls from the 6-8-year-old groups. Gender differences only emerged in the reference-memory version of the spatial task, whereas both sexes displayed similar performances in the working-memory version. There was general improvement in the performance of different tasks in children older than 5 years. However, results also suggest that brain regions involved in allocentric memory are functional even at the age of 5. In addition, the brain structures underlying reference memory mature later in girls than those required for the working memory.

Executive function and falls in older adults: new findings from a five-year prospective study link fall risk to cognition.

PubMed

Mirelman, Anat; Herman, Talia; Brozgol, Marina; Dorfman, Moran; Sprecher, Elliot; Schweiger, Avraham; Giladi, Nir; Hausdorff, Jeffrey M

2012-01-01

Recent findings suggest that executive function (EF) plays a critical role in the regulation of gait in older adults, especially under complex and challenging conditions, and that EF deficits may, therefore, contribute to fall risk. The objective of this study was to evaluate if reduced EF is a risk factor for future falls over the course of 5 years of follow-up. Secondary objectives were to assess whether single and dual task walking abilities, an alternative window into EF, were associated with fall risk. We longitudinally followed 256 community-living older adults (age: 76.4±4.5 yrs; 61% women) who were dementia free and had good mobility upon entrance into the study. At baseline, a computerized cognitive battery generated an index of EF, attention, a closely related construct, and other cognitive domains. Gait was assessed during single and dual task conditions. Falls data were collected prospectively using monthly calendars. Negative binomial regression quantified risk ratios (RR). After adjusting for age, gender and the number of falls in the year prior to the study, only the EF index (RR: .85; CI: .74-.98, p = .021), the attention index (RR: .84; CI: .75-.94, p = .002) and dual tasking gait variability (RR: 1.11; CI: 1.01-1.23; p = .027) were associated with future fall risk. Other cognitive function measures were not related to falls. Survival analyses indicated that subjects with the lowest EF scores were more likely to fall sooner and more likely to experience multiple falls during the 66 months of follow-up (p<0.02). These findings demonstrate that among community-living older adults, the risk of future falls was predicted by performance on EF and attention tests conducted 5 years earlier. The present results link falls among older adults to cognition, indicating that screening EF will likely enhance fall risk assessment, and that treatment of EF may reduce fall risk.

The convergence between self-reports and observer ratings of financial skills and direct assessment of financial capabilities in patients with schizophrenia: more detail is not always better.

PubMed

Harvey, Philip D; Stone, Laura; Lowenstein, David; Czaja, Sara J; Heaton, Robert K; Twamley, Elizabeth W; Patterson, Thomas L

2013-06-01

Despite multiple lines of evidence suggesting that people with schizophrenia tend to overestimate their ability to perform everyday tasks such as money management, self-report methods are still widely used to assess functioning. In today's technology driven financial world patients are faced with increasingly complex financial management tasks. To meet these challenges adequate financial skills are required. Thus, accurate assessments of these abilities are critical to decisions regarding a patient's need for support such as a financial trustee. As part of the larger VALERO study, 195 patients with schizophrenia were asked to self-report their everyday financial skills (five common financial tasks) with the Independent Living Skills Survey (ILSS). They were also assessed with performance-based measures of neuro-cognition and functional capacity with a focus on financial skills. In addition, a friend, relative, or clinician informant was interviewed with the ILSS and a best estimate rating of functioning was generated. Scores on the performance-based measures of financial skills and neuropsychological tests were uncorrelated with self-reported financial activities. Interviewer and all informant judgments of financial abilities were also minimally correlated with performance on functional skill tests. Discrete financial skills appear to be challenging for clinicians to rate with accuracy without the use of direct assessments. Direct assessment of financial skills seems prudent when making determinations about the need for guardianship or other financial supervision. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Working memory performance inversely predicts spontaneous delta and theta-band scaling relations.

PubMed

Euler, Matthew J; Wiltshire, Travis J; Niermeyer, Madison A; Butner, Jonathan E

2016-04-15

Electrophysiological studies have strongly implicated theta-band activity in human working memory processes. Concurrently, work on spontaneous, non-task-related oscillations has revealed the presence of long-range temporal correlations (LRTCs) within sub-bands of the ongoing EEG, and has begun to demonstrate their functional significance. However, few studies have yet assessed the relation of LRTCs (also called scaling relations) to individual differences in cognitive abilities. The present study addressed the intersection of these two literatures by investigating the relation of narrow-band EEG scaling relations to individual differences in working memory ability, with a particular focus on the theta band. Fifty-four healthy adults completed standardized assessments of working memory and separate recordings of their spontaneous, non-task-related EEG. Scaling relations were quantified in each of the five classical EEG frequency bands via the estimation of the Hurst exponent obtained from detrended fluctuation analysis. A multilevel modeling framework was used to characterize the relation of working memory performance to scaling relations as a function of general scalp location in Cartesian space. Overall, results indicated an inverse relationship between both delta and theta scaling relations and working memory ability, which was most prominent at posterior sensors, and was independent of either spatial or individual variability in band-specific power. These findings add to the growing literature demonstrating the relevance of neural LRTCs for understanding brain functioning, and support a construct- and state-dependent view of their functional implications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Physical exercise increases involvement of motor networks as a compensatory mechanism during a cognitively challenging task.

PubMed

Ji, Lanxin; Pearlson, Godfrey D; Zhang, Xue; Steffens, David C; Ji, Xiaoqing; Guo, Hua; Wang, Lihong

2018-05-31

Neuroimaging studies suggest that older adults may compensate for declines in cognitive function through neural compensation and reorganization of neural resources. While neural compensation as a key component of cognitive reserve is an important factor that mediates cognitive decline, the field lacks a quantitative measure of neural compensatory ability, and little is known about factors that may modify compensation, such as physical exercise. Twenty-five healthy older adults participated in a 6-week dance training exercise program. Gait speed, cognitive function, and functional magnetic resonance imaging during a challenging memory task were measured before and after the exercise program. In this study, we used a newly proposed data-driven independent component analysis approach to measure neural compensatory ability and tested the effect of physical exercise on neural compensation through a longitudinal study. After the exercise program, participants showed significantly improved memory performance in Logical Memory Test (WMS(LM)) (P < .001) and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (P = .001) and increased gait speed measured by the 6-minute walking test (P = .01). Among all identified neural networks, only the motor cortices and cerebellum showed greater involvement during the memory task after exercise. Importantly, subjects who activated the motor network only after exercise (but not before exercise) showed WMS(LM) increases. We conclude that physical exercise improved gait speed, cognitive function, and compensatory ability through increased involvement of motor-related networks. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Convergence between Self-reports and Observer Ratings of Financial Skills and Direct Assessment of Financial Capabilities in Patients with Schizophrenia: More Detail is Not Always Better

PubMed Central

Harvey, Philip D.; Stone, Laura; Lowenstein, David; Czaja, Sara J.; Heaton, Robert K.; Patterson, Thomas L

2013-01-01

Despite multiple lines of evidence suggesting that people with schizophrenia tend to overestimate their ability to perform everyday tasks such as money management, self-report methods are still widely used to assess functioning. In today’s technology driven financial world patients are faced with increasingly complex financial management tasks. To meet these challenges adequate financial skills are required. Thus, accurate assessments of these abilities are critical to decisions regarding a patient’s need for support such as a financial trustee. As part of the larger VALERO study, 195 patients with schizophrenia were asked to self-report their everyday financial skills (five common financial tasks) with the Independent Living Skills Survey (ILSS). They were also assessed with performance-based measures of neuro-cognition and functional capacity with a focus on financial skills. In addition, a friend, relative, or clinician informant was interviewed with the ILSS and a best estimate rating of functioning was generated. Scores on the performance-based measures of financial skills and neuropsychological tests were uncorrelated with self-reported financial activities. Interviewer and all informant judgments of financial abilities were also minimally correlated with performance on functional skills tests. Discrete financial skills appear to be challenging for clinicians to rate with accuracy without the use of direct assessments. Direct assessment of financial skills seems prudent when making determinations about the need for guardianship or other financial supervision. PMID:23537475

Improving basic surgical skills for final year medical students: the value of a rural weekend.

PubMed

House, A K; House, J

2000-05-01

Hospitals employing medical graduates often express concern at the inexperience of new interns in basic surgical skills. In self assessment questionnaires, our senior medical students reported little clinical procedural experience. A practical skills workshop was staged in order to set learning goals for the final study year. This gave the students an opportunity to learn, revise and practice basic surgical techniques. The Bruce Rock rural community sponsored a surgical camp at the beginning of the academic year. Ninety-five (80%) of the class registered at the workshop, which rotated them through teaching modules, with private study opportunities and the capacity to cater for varied skill levels. Eight teaching stations with multiple access points were provided, and ten mock trauma scenarios were staged to augment the learning process. The teaching weekend was rated by students on an evaluative entrance and exit questionnaire. Sixty-five (73%) students returned questionnaires. They recorded significant improvement (P < 0.05) in their ability to handle the teaching stations. All students had inserted intravenous lines in practice prior to the camp, so the rating change in intravenous line insertion ability was not statistically significant. The weekend retreat offers students a chance to focus on surgical skills, free from the pressures of a clinical setting or the classroom. The emphasis was on the value of practice and primary skills learning. Students endorsed the camp as relevant, practical and an enjoyable learning experience for basic surgical skills.

Calculated Hydride Donor Abilities of Five-Coordinate Transition Metal Hydrides [HM(diphosphine)2] (+) (M = Ni, Pd, Pt) as a Function of the Bite Angle and Twist Angle of Diphosphine Ligands

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nimlos, Mark R.; Chang, Christopher H.; Curtis, Calvin J.

2008-07-07

Density functional theory (BLYP and B3LYP) and the polarized continuum model (PCM-UA0) for solvation have been used to investigate the effect of bite angle (P-M-P) of diphosphine ligands and the dihedral or twist angle between diphosphine ligands on the hydride donor abilities of Ni, Pd, and Pt [HM(diphosphine)2]+ complexes. It is found that an increased bite angle for a given transition metal atom results in poorer hydride donor abilities. However, hydride donor abilities for these complexes also decrease as the size of the alkyl side groups on the phosphorus atom increase (Et > Me > H) and with the lengthmore » of the metal phosphorus bond (Ni > Pd = Pt). These trends correlate with an increase in the twist angle between the two diphosphine ligands, which increases from 0° for a square-planar configuration to 90° for a tetrahedral geometry. Shorter M-P bonds, larger substituents on the diphosphine ligands, and larger bite angles all result in increased steric interactions between diphosphine ligands and larger dihedral or twist angles between the diphosphine ligands. The twist angle correlates much more strongly with hydride donor abilities than do bite angles alone. As the twist angle increases, the hydride donor ability decreases in a linear fashion. A frontier orbital analysis has been carried out, and it is shown that the hydride donor ability of [HM(diphosphine)2]+ complexes is largely determined by the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the corresponding [M(diphosphine)2]2+ complex. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for the US Department of Energy.« less

Calculated Hydride Donor Abilities of Five-Coordinate Transition Metal Hydrides [HM(diphosphine)2]+ (M = Ni, Pd, Pt) as a Function of the Bite Angle and Twist Angle of Diphosphine Ligands

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nimlos, Mark; Chang, Christopher H.; Curtis, Calvin J.

2008-06-23

Density functional theory (BLYP and B3LYP) and the polarized continuum model (PCM-UA0) for solvation have been used to investigate the effect of bite angle (P-M-P) of diphosphine ligands and the dihedral or twist angle between diphosphine ligands on the hydride donor abilities of Ni, Pd, and Pt [HM(diphosphine)2]+ complexes. It is found that an increased bite angle for a given transition metal atom results in poorer hydride donor abilities. However, hydride donor abilities for these complexes also decrease as the size of the alkyl side groups on the phosphorus atom increase (Et > Me > H) and with the lengthmore » of the metal phosphorus bond (Ni > Pd = Pt). These trends correlate with an increase in the twist angle between the two diphosphine ligands, which increases from 0° for a square-planar configuration to 90° for a tetrahedral geometry. Shorter M-P bonds, larger substituents on the diphosphine ligands, and larger bite angles all result in increased steric interactions between diphosphine ligands and larger dihedral or twist angles between the diphosphine ligands. The twist angle correlates much more strongly with hydride donor abilities than do bite angles alone. As the twist angle increases, the hydride donor ability decreases in a linear fashion. A frontier orbital analysis has been carried out, and it is shown that the hydride donor ability of [HM(diphosphine)2]+ complexes is largely determined by the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the corresponding [M(diphosphine)2]2+ complex. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for the US Department of Energy.« less

Test Review: J. A. Naglieri & S. Goldstein "Comprehensive Executive Function Inventory." Toronto, Ontario, Canada: MHS, 2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Climie, Emma A.; Cadogan, Sarah; Goukon, Rina

2014-01-01

The "Comprehensive Executive Function Inventory" (CEFI; Naglieri & Goldstein, 2013), published by Multi-Health Systems Inc. (MHS), is a new executive function (EF) rating scale for children and youth ages 5 to 18 years. The CEFI strives to accurately assess EF abilities based on self, parent, and teacher reports, and provides…

Facial Emotion Recognition in Children with High Functioning Autism and Children with Social Phobia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Nina; Beidel, Deborah C.; Sarver, Dustin E.; Sims, Valerie

2012-01-01

Recognizing facial affect is essential for effective social functioning. This study examines emotion recognition abilities in children aged 7-13 years with High Functioning Autism (HFA = 19), Social Phobia (SP = 17), or typical development (TD = 21). Findings indicate that all children identified certain emotions more quickly (e.g., happy [less…

Preschool predictors of mathematics in first grade children with autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Titeca, Daisy; Roeyers, Herbert; Josephy, Haeike; Ceulemans, Annelies; Desoete, Annemie

2014-11-01

Up till now, research evidence on the mathematical abilities of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been scarce and provided mixed results. The current study examined the predictive value of five early numerical competencies for four domains of mathematics in first grade. Thirty-three high-functioning children with ASD were followed up from preschool to first grade and compared with 54 typically developing children, as well as with normed samples in first grade. Five early numerical competencies were tested in preschool (5-6 years): verbal subitizing, counting, magnitude comparison, estimation, and arithmetic operations. Four domains of mathematics were used as outcome variables in first grade (6-7 years): procedural calculation, number fact retrieval, word/language problems, and time-related competences. Children with ASD showed similar early numerical competencies at preschool age as typically developing children. Moreover, they scored average on number fact retrieval and time-related competences and higher on procedural calculation and word/language problems compared to the normed population in first grade. When predicting first grade mathematics performance in children with ASD, both verbal subitizing and counting seemed to be important to evaluate at preschool age. Verbal subitizing had a higher predictive value in children with ASD than in typically developing children. Whereas verbal subitizing was predictive for procedural calculation, number fact retrieval, and word/language problems, counting was predictive for procedural calculation and, to a lesser extent, number fact retrieval. Implications and directions for future research are discussed. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Management competencies required in ambulatory care settings.

PubMed

Brooke, P P; Hudak, R P; Finstuen, K; Trounson, J

1998-01-01

A study was conducted to identify the most important competencies physician executives in medical groups and other ambulatory settings will need to have in the next five years. The specific job skills, knowledge, and abilities (SKA) that physician executives will need to acquire these competencies were also explored. The Delphi techniques were used to analyze responses from two surveys from members of the American College of Medical Practice Executives. The most important competencies were grouped into 13 management domains, each with specific SKAs. "Managing health care resources to create quality and value" and "fundamentals of business and finance" were rated as the most important competencies. The most frequently rated SKA was the "ability to build and maintain credibility and trust."

Relations between prospective memory, cognitive abilities, and brain structure in adolescents who vary in prenatal drug exposure

PubMed Central

Robey, Alison; Buckingham-Howes, Stacy; Salmeron, Betty Jo; Black, Maureen M.; Riggins, Tracy

2014-01-01

This investigation examined how prospective memory (PM) relates to cognitive abilities (i.e., executive function, attention, working memory, and retrospective memory), and brain structure in adolescents who vary in prenatal drug exposure (PDE). The sample included 105 (55 female, 50 male) urban, primarily African American adolescents (mean age 15.5 years) from low socioeconomic status (SES) families; 56% (n=59) were prenatally exposed to drugs (heroin and/or cocaine) and 44% (n=46) were not prenatally exposed, but similar in age, gender, race, and SES. Executive functioning, attentional control, working memory, retrospective memory, and overall cognitive ability were assessed by validated performance measures. Executive functioning was also measured by caregiver report. A subset of 52 adolescents completed MRI scans, which provided measures of subcortical gray matter volumes and thickness of prefrontal, parietal and temporal cortices. Results revealed no differences in PM performance by PDE status, even after adjusting for age and IQ. Executive function, retrospective memory, cortical thickness in frontal and parietal regions, and volume of subcortical regions (i.e., putamen and hippocampus) were related to PM performance in the sample overall, even after adjusting for age, IQ, and total gray matter volume. Findings suggest that variations in PM ability during adolescence are robustly related to individual differences in cognitive abilities, in particular executive function and retrospective memory, and brain structure, but do not vary by PDE status. PMID:24630759

Association between higher levels of sexual function, activity, and satisfaction and self-rated successful aging in older postmenopausal women.

PubMed

Thompson, Wesley K; Charo, Lindsey; Vahia, Ipsit V; Depp, Colin; Allison, Matthew; Jeste, Dilip V

2011-08-01

To determine whether measures of successful aging are associated with sexual activity, satisfaction, and function in older postmenopausal women. Cross-sectional study using self-report surveys; analyses included chi-square and t-tests and multiple linear regression analyses. Community-dwelling older postmenopausal women in the greater San Diego region. One thousand two hundred thirty-five community-dwelling women aged 60 to 89 participating at the San Diego site of the Women's Health Initiative. Demographic information and self-reported measures of sexual activity, function, and satisfaction and successful aging. Sexual activity and functioning (desire, arousal, vaginal tightness, use of lubricants, and ability to climax) were negatively associated with age, as were physical and mental health. In contrast, sexual satisfaction and self-rated successful aging and quality of life remained unchanged across age groups. Successful aging measures were positively associated with sexual measures, especially self-rated quality of life and sexual satisfaction. Self-rated successful aging, quality of life, and sexual satisfaction appear to be stable in the face of declines in physical health, some cognitive abilities, and sexual activity and function and positively associated with each other from age 60 to 89. © 2011, Copyright the Authors. Journal compilation © 2011, The American Geriatrics Society.

[Neuropsychological data about children with autistic disorder and an intellectual development within what is considered to be a normal span of time].

PubMed

Carvajal-Molina, F; Alcamí-Pertejo, M; Peral-Guerra, M; Vidriales-Fernández, R; Martín-Plasencia, P

Characteristic symptoms of autistic disorder (AD) can be the result of cognitive impairment which can be produced by specific neurological irregularities. Up until now a specific cognitive deficit in autism has not been found, although the majority of people with autism show intellectual impairment, verbal scores lower than manipulative measures and executive dysfunctions. A neuropsychological evaluation of children with AD was planned. These children had intellectual abilities in the normal range. They were compared with two other groups, one with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NS), and the other from the general population. A battery of neuropsychological tests was carried out on five boys AD, five boys PDD-NS, and five boys of the general population. All of them were between 9 and 15 years old and their intellectual abilities were within the normal range. The children AD obtained verbal scores lower than their visual-perception scores. They also showed good dynamic coordination of movement. Scores in episodic memory tasks where executive strategies are needed were low. The characteristics described in the paper do not demonstrate a specific profile of the AD, but they can be useful in diagnoses and in planning treatment.

Functional abdominal pain in childhood: Background studies and recent research trends

PubMed Central

Levy, Rona L; van Tilburg, Miranda AL

2012-01-01

The present review summarizes many of the major research trends investigated in the past five years regarding pediatric functional abdominal pain, and also summarizes the primary related findings from the authors’ research program. Specific areas discussed based on work within the authors’ group include familial illness patterns, genetics, traits, and mechanisms or processes related to abdominal pain. Topics covered from research published in the past five years include prevalence and cost, longitudinal follow-up, overlap with other disorders, etiology and mechanisms behind functional abdominal pain and treatment studies. It is hoped that findings from this work in abdominal pain will be interpreted as a framework for understanding the processes by which other pain phenomena and, more broadly, reactions to any physical state, can be developed and maintained in children. The present article concludes with recommendations for clinical practice and research. PMID:23248815

Cognitive and Emotional Processes as Predictors of a Successful Transition into School

PubMed Central

Blankson, A. Nayena; Weaver, Jennifer Miner; Leerkes, Esther M.; O’Brien, Marion; Calkins, Susan D.; Marcovitch, Stuart

2017-01-01

Research findings The aim of this research was to delineate developmental processes that contribute to early school success. To achieve this aim, we examined emotion regulation, executive functioning, emotion knowledge, and metacognition at ages three and four as distal and proximal predictors of age five achievement and school adjustment in a sample of 263 children (42% non-White). We also explored mediational pathways among these four processes in the prediction of the age five outcomes. Results revealed that all four processes affect achievement and school adjustment, but in different ways, with executive functioning emerging as a key predictor. Practice or Policy Executive functioning was found to be a key factor in predicting achievement and school performance in the kindergarten year. This finding provides support for the development of executive functioning training programs that can be applied in the preschool classroom, particularly for promoting reading development. However, additional emphasis should be placed on both cognitive and emotional processes in the preschool years, to promote optimal development. PMID:28785157

Impacts of Perinatal Dioxin Exposure on Motor Coordination and Higher Cognitive Development in Vietnamese Preschool Children: A Five-Year Follow-Up

PubMed Central

Tran, Nghi Ngoc; Pham, Tai The; Ozawa, Kyoko; Nishijo, Muneko; Nguyen, Anh Thi Nguyet; Tran, Tuong Quy; Hoang, Luong Van; Tran, Anh Hai; Phan, Vu Huy Anh; Nakai, Akio; Nishino, Yoshikazu; Nishijo, Hisao

2016-01-01

Dioxin concentrations remain elevated in the environment and in humans residing near former US Air Force bases in South Vietnam. Our previous epidemiological studies showed adverse effects of dioxin exposure on neurodevelopment for the first 3 years of life. Subsequently, we extended the follow-up period and investigated the influence of perinatal dioxin exposure on neurodevelopment, including motor coordination and higher cognitive ability, in preschool children. Presently, we investigated 176 children in a hot spot of dioxin contamination who were followed up from birth until 5 years old. Perinatal dioxin exposure levels were estimated by measuring dioxin levels in maternal breast milk. Dioxin toxicity was evaluated using two indices; toxic equivalent (TEQ)-polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDDs/Fs) and concentration of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Coordinated movements, including manual dexterity, aiming and catching, and balance, were assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (Movement ABC-2). Cognitive ability was assessed using the nonverbal index (NVI) of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC-II). In boys, total test and balance scores of Movement ABC-2 were significantly lower in the high TEQ- PCDDs/Fs group compared with the moderate and low exposure groups. NVI scores and the pattern reasoning subscale of the KABC-II indicating planning ability were also significantly lower in the high TCDD exposure group compared with the low exposure group of boys. However, in girls, no significant differences in Movement ABC-2 and KABC-II scores were found among the different TEQ-PCDDs/Fs and TCDD exposure groups. Furthermore, in high risk cases, five boys and one girl highly exposed to TEQ-PCDDs/Fs and TCDD had double the risk for difficulties in both neurodevelopmental skills. These results suggest differential impacts of TEQ-PCDDs/Fs and TCDD exposure on motor coordination and higher cognitive ability, respectively. Moreover, high TEQ-PCDDs/Fs exposure combined with high TCDD exposure may increase autistic traits combined with developmental coordination disorder. PMID:26824471

Impacts of Perinatal Dioxin Exposure on Motor Coordination and Higher Cognitive Development in Vietnamese Preschool Children: A Five-Year Follow-Up.

PubMed

Tran, Nghi Ngoc; Pham, Tai The; Ozawa, Kyoko; Nishijo, Muneko; Nguyen, Anh Thi Nguyet; Tran, Tuong Quy; Hoang, Luong Van; Tran, Anh Hai; Phan, Vu Huy Anh; Nakai, Akio; Nishino, Yoshikazu; Nishijo, Hisao

2016-01-01

Dioxin concentrations remain elevated in the environment and in humans residing near former US Air Force bases in South Vietnam. Our previous epidemiological studies showed adverse effects of dioxin exposure on neurodevelopment for the first 3 years of life. Subsequently, we extended the follow-up period and investigated the influence of perinatal dioxin exposure on neurodevelopment, including motor coordination and higher cognitive ability, in preschool children. Presently, we investigated 176 children in a hot spot of dioxin contamination who were followed up from birth until 5 years old. Perinatal dioxin exposure levels were estimated by measuring dioxin levels in maternal breast milk. Dioxin toxicity was evaluated using two indices; toxic equivalent (TEQ)-polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDDs/Fs) and concentration of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Coordinated movements, including manual dexterity, aiming and catching, and balance, were assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (Movement ABC-2). Cognitive ability was assessed using the nonverbal index (NVI) of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC-II). In boys, total test and balance scores of Movement ABC-2 were significantly lower in the high TEQ- PCDDs/Fs group compared with the moderate and low exposure groups. NVI scores and the pattern reasoning subscale of the KABC-II indicating planning ability were also significantly lower in the high TCDD exposure group compared with the low exposure group of boys. However, in girls, no significant differences in Movement ABC-2 and KABC-II scores were found among the different TEQ-PCDDs/Fs and TCDD exposure groups. Furthermore, in high risk cases, five boys and one girl highly exposed to TEQ-PCDDs/Fs and TCDD had double the risk for difficulties in both neurodevelopmental skills. These results suggest differential impacts of TEQ-PCDDs/Fs and TCDD exposure on motor coordination and higher cognitive ability, respectively. Moreover, high TEQ-PCDDs/Fs exposure combined with high TCDD exposure may increase autistic traits combined with developmental coordination disorder.

Psychomotor and mental development from birth to age of four years; sex differences and their relation to home environment. Children in a new Stockholm suburb. Results from a longitudinal prospective study starting at the beginning of pregnancy.

PubMed

Nordberg, L; Rydelius, P A; Zetterström, R

1991-01-01

Five hundred and thirty-two pregnant women were interviewed about their psychosocial health at the beginning of pregnancy. According to various factors including alcoholism, mental disease and criminality among the women and their husbands the families were divided in three groups of different degrees according to psychosocial stress. The pregnancies, deliveries and the 497 live-born children in these families have been investigated with prospective methods. Data concerning the psychological development and psychiatric health of the child were attained by interviewing the mother and evaluating the child during visits to home (age 1 and 4). The physical health and development of the children has been followed by prospective data achieved from the child welfare centers. At one year of age 452 of the children (226 boys, 226 girls) and at four-five years of age 412 of the children (202 boys, 210 girls) were evaluated by the Griffith's Development Scales. Findings from these evaluations can now be related to a number of factors concerning the psychosocial situation, pediatric riskfactors etc. With the prospective, longitudinal methods used in this project interesting results concerning sex differences related to the mental development have been found. At one year of age girls had higher scores than boys on the Griffiths-subscale measuring hearing-and-speech abilities. At four years of age several significant differences between the sexes were found. Girls had more "even" Griffiths-profiles and scored higher than boys in several Griffiths-subscales. The greatest differences at four years of age were found concerning personal-social function and eye-hand-coordination. Boys seem to be specially vulnerable to the psychosocial situation in their homes as the Griffiths-results at four years of age are lower among boys from homes with psychosocial stress compared to other boys. It should be very interesting to follow and study what these sex differences mean concerning future development, the occurrence of psychopathology school difficulties.

Implicit and explicit false belief development in preschool children.

PubMed

Grosse Wiesmann, Charlotte; Friederici, Angela D; Singer, Tania; Steinbeis, Nikolaus

2017-09-01

The ability to represent the mental states of other agents is referred to as Theory of Mind (ToM). A developmental breakthrough in ToM consists of understanding that others can have false beliefs about the world. Recently, infants younger than 2 years of age have been shown to pass novel implicit false belief tasks. However, the processes underlying these tasks and their relation to later-developing explicit false belief understanding, as well as to other cognitive abilities, are not yet understood. Here, we study a battery of implicit and explicit false belief tasks in 3- and 4-year-old children, relating their performance to linguistic abilities and executive functions. The present data show a significant developmental change from failing explicit false belief tasks at 3 years of age to passing them at the age of 4, while both age groups pass implicit false belief tasks. This differential developmental trajectory is reflected by the finding that explicit and implicit false belief tasks do not correlate. Further, we demonstrate that explicit false belief tasks correlate with syntactic and executive functions, whereas implicit false belief tasks do not. The study thus indicates that the processes underlying implicit false belief tasks are different from later-developing explicit false belief understanding. Moreover, our results speak for a critical role of syntactic and executive functions for passing standard explicit false belief tasks in contrast to implicit tasks. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Language development and everyday functioning of children with hearing loss assessed at 3 years of age.

PubMed

Ching, Teresa Y C; Crowe, Kathryn; Martin, Vivienne; Day, Julia; Mahler, Nicole; Youn, Samantha; Street, Laura; Cook, Cassandra; Orsini, Julia

2010-04-01

This paper reports language ability and everyday functioning of 133 children with hearing impairment who were evaluated at 3 years of age, as part of the Longitudinal Outcomes of Children with Hearing Impairment (LOCHI) study. The language abilities of children were evaluated using the Preschool Language Scale (PLS-4), Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), Diagnostic Evaluation of Articulation and Phonology (DEAP) and Child Development Inventory (CDI). Everyday functioning of children was evaluated by interviewing parents using the Parents' Evaluation of Aural/oral performance of Children (PEACH) questionnaire. There were significant correlations among language measures, and also between the standardized language measures and the PEACH. On average, children who had language deficits exhibited difficulties in everyday functioning. The evidence lends support to a systematic use of parents' observations to evaluate communicative functioning of children in real life. On average, children's language attainment decreased as hearing loss increased, more so for children of less highly educated parents. Factors that were not significantly associated with speech and language outcomes at 3 years were age of amplification and socioeconomic status. As multiple factors affect children's outcomes, it will be possible to examine their effects on outcomes of children when all data in the LOCHI study are available.

Plasma Metabolomics Biosignature According to HIV Stage of Infection, Pace of Disease Progression, Viremia Level and Immunological Response to Treatment.

PubMed

Scarpellini, Bruno; Zanoni, Michelle; Sucupira, Maria Cecilia Araripe; Truong, Hong-Ha M; Janini, Luiz Mario Ramos; Segurado, Ismael Dale Cotrin; Diaz, Ricardo Sobhie

2016-01-01

We evaluated plasma samples HIV-infected individuals with different phenotypic profile among five HIV-infected elite controllers and five rapid progressors after recent HIV infection and one year later and from 10 individuals subjected to antiretroviral therapy, five of whom were immunological non-responders (INR), before and after one year of antiretroviral treatment compared to 175 samples from HIV-negative patients. A targeted quantitative tandem mass spectrometry metabolomics approach was used in order to determine plasma metabolomics biosignature that may relate to HIV infection, pace of HIV disease progression, and immunological response to treatment. Twenty-five unique metabolites were identified, including five metabolites that could distinguish rapid progressors and INRs at baseline. Severe deregulation in acylcarnitine and sphingomyelin metabolism compatible with mitochondrial deficiencies was observed. β-oxidation and sphingosine-1-phosphate-phosphatase-1 activity were down-regulated, whereas acyl-alkyl-containing phosphatidylcholines and alkylglyceronephosphate synthase levels were elevated in INRs. Evidence that elite controllers harbor an inborn error of metabolism (late-onset multiple acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency [MADD]) was detected. Blood-based markers from metabolomics show a very high accuracy of discriminating HIV infection between varieties of controls and have the ability to predict rapid disease progression or poor antiretroviral immunological response. These metabolites can be used as biomarkers of HIV natural evolution or treatment response and provide insight into the mechanisms of the disease.

Biological traits explain the distribution and colonisation ability of the invasive shore crab Hemigrapsus takanoi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gothland, M.; Dauvin, J. C.; Denis, L.; Dufossé, F.; Jobert, S.; Ovaert, J.; Pezy, J. P.; Tous Rius, A.; Spilmont, N.

2014-04-01

Comprehending marine invasions requires a better knowledge of the biological traits of invasive species, and the future spread of invasive species may be predicted through comprehensive overviews of their distribution. This study thus presents the current distribution of a non-indigenous species, the Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus takanoi, as well as the species population characteristics (size distribution and cohorts), based on a five-year survey (2008-2012) along the French coast of the English Channel. Two large populations were found near harbours: one on the Opal Coast (where density reached 61 ± 22 ind.m-2, mean ± s.d., in Dunkirk harbour) and one on the Calvados coast (density up to 26 ± 6 ind.m-2, mean ± s.d, in Honfleur harbour). H. takanoi exhibited a short life cycle, a rapid growth, an early sexual maturity and a high adult mortality. These features, combined with previously described high fecundity and high dispersal ability, endow this species with an 'r-selected strategy'. This strategy, which usually characterises species with a high colonisation ability, would explain the success of H. takanoi for colonising the French coast of the Channel. However, the species was found only in harbours and their vicinity; H. takanoi thus exhibited a discontinuous distribution along the 700 km of coastline. These results are discussed regarding sediment preference and potential introduction vectors. Hemigrapsus takanoi is now considered as established on the French coast and further studies are needed to evaluate the consequences of its introduction on the structure and functioning of the impacted shores.

Learning and the Net Generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duncan, D. K.; Rudolph, A. L.; Bruning, D.

2014-07-01

Most instructors believe that GPA, ethnicity, native English speaking ability, class year, family income, and whether parents have a college degree are important indicators of student success in Astro 101. Research shows, however, that the single most important factor in student learning is interactivity in the classroom. While new electronic media may have some important uses, research shows that electronic device usage in the classroom by students can negatively impact their course grades by as much five percent.

The Impact of Technological Change in Electronic Repairables on the Acquisition Process at Navy Ships Parts Control Center Mechanicsburg.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-03-01

58 H. CONTRACTING REQUIREM4ENTS----------------------- 5 I. 4G LIFE CYCLE USAGE---------------------------- 61 J. SUMMARY...procurement data is transferred during the life cycle of an item. The virtual revolution in electronics technology every five years is straining the abilities...naval operations throughout the systems/equipment life cycle [151. NAVELEX manages temporary parts inventories during the design and development of new

Corpus callosum damage predicts disability progression and cognitive dysfunction in primary-progressive MS after five years.

PubMed

Bodini, Benedetta; Cercignani, Mara; Khaleeli, Zhaleh; Miller, David H; Ron, Maria; Penny, Sophie; Thompson, Alan J; Ciccarelli, Olga

2013-05-01

We aim to identify specific areas of white matter (WM) and grey matter (GM), which predict disability progression and cognitive dysfunction after five years in patients with primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS). Thirty-two patients with early PPMS were assessed at baseline and after five years on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), and EDSS step-changes were calculated. At year five, a subgroup of 25 patients and 31 healthy controls underwent a neuropsychological assessment. Baseline imaging consisted of dual-echo (proton density and T2-weighted), T1-weighted volumetric, and diffusion tensor imaging. Fractional anisotropy (FA) maps were created, and fed into tract-based spatial statistics. To compensate for the potential bias introduced by WM lesions, the T1 volumes underwent a lesion-filling procedure before entering a voxel-based morphometry protocol. To investigate whether FA and GM volume predicted EDSS step-changes over five years and neuropsychological tests scores at five years, voxelwise linear regression analyses were performed. Lower FA in the splenium of the corpus callosum (CC) predicted a greater progression of disability over the follow-up. Lower FA along the entire CC predicted worse verbal memory, attention and speed of information processing, and executive function at five years. GM baseline volume did not predict any clinical variable. Our findings highlight the importance of damage to the interhemispheric callosal pathways in determining physical and cognitive disability in PPMS. Disruption of these pathways, which interconnect motor and cognitive networks between the two hemispheres, may result in a disconnection syndrome that contributes to long-term physical and cognitive disability. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Factors associated with poor balance ability in older adults of nine high-altitude communities.

PubMed

Urrunaga-Pastor, Diego; Moncada-Mapelli, Enrique; Runzer-Colmenares, Fernando M; Bailon-Valdez, Zaira; Samper-Ternent, Rafael; Rodriguez-Mañas, Leocadio; Parodi, Jose F

Poor balance ability in older adults result in multiple complications. Poor balance ability has not been studied among older adults living at high altitudes. In this study, we analysed factors associated with poor balance ability by using the Functional Reach (FR) among older adults living in nine high-altitude communities. Analytical cross-sectional study, carried out in inhabitants aged 60 or over from nine high-altitude Andean communities of Peru during 2013-2016. FR was divided according to the cut-off point of 8 inches (20.32 cm) and two groups were generated: poor balance ability (FR less or equal than 20.32 cm) and good balance ability (greater than 20.32 cm). Additionally, we collected socio-demographic, medical, functional and cognitive assessment information. Poisson regression models were constructed to identify factors associated with poor balance ability. Prevalence ratio (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (95CI%) are presented. A total of 365 older adults were studied. The average age was 73.0 ± 6.9 years (range: 60-91 years), and 180 (49.3%) participants had poor balance ability. In the adjusted Poisson regression analysis, the factors associated with poor balance ability were: alcohol consumption (PR = 1.35; 95%CI: 1.05-1.73), exhaustion (PR = 2.22; 95%CI: 1.49-3.31), gait speed (PR = 0.67; 95%CI: 0.50-0.90), having had at least one fall in the last year (PR = 2.03; 95%CI: 1.19-3.46), having at least one comorbidity (PR = 1.60; 95%CI: 1.10-2.35) and having two or more comorbidities (PR = 1.61; 95%CI: 1.07-2.42) compared to none. Approximately a half of the older adults from these high-altitude communities had poor balance ability. Interventions need to be designed to target these balance issues and prevent adverse events from concurring to these individuals. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Short-term effects of Theracurmin dose and exercise type on pain, walking ability, and muscle function in patients with knee osteoarthritis

PubMed Central

Shin, Yun-A; Suk, Min-Hwa; Jang, Hee-Seung; Choi, Hye-Jung

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the short-term of Theracurmin dose and exercise type on pain, walking ability, and muscle function in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Twenty-five patients with knee osteoarthritis randomly selected to Theracurmin intake (T) group and Theracurmin in combined with exercise (T+E) group. T group (n= 13) was taken orally a capsule of 700 mg, 3 times per day, (total 2,100 mg, 35 mg/kg-body weight). T+E group (n= 12) performed aerobic training of 30-min walking and weight training for increasing leg muscular strength. After treatment, the number of steps, muscle mass, range of motion of knee, and the muscle strength in flexion and extension significantly increased. The percent body fat, visual analogue scale, The Western Ontario and McMaster score, centers of pressure with closed eye, 10-m walking ability, stair ascending speed were significantly decreased after treatment. Although no difference observed between the T and T+E groups, the 4-week intake of Theracurmin with and without exercise appeared to be effective in reducing the pain and enhancing muscular and balancing function. Therefore, Theracurmin intake for early symptoms and additional exercise as symptoms alleviate might be an effective way of delaying and managing osteoarthritis, and additional studies investigating the effects of Theracurmin and exercise on osteoarthritis could be beneficial. PMID:29326901

Test-retest reliability of the KINARM end-point robot for assessment of sensory, motor and neurocognitive function in young adult athletes.

PubMed

Mang, Cameron S; Whitten, Tara A; Cosh, Madeline S; Scott, Stephen H; Wiley, J Preston; Debert, Chantel T; Dukelow, Sean P; Benson, Brian W

2018-01-01

Current assessment tools for sport-related concussion are limited by a reliance on subjective interpretation and patient symptom reporting. Robotic assessments may provide more objective and precise measures of neurological function than traditional clinical tests. To determine the reliability of assessments of sensory, motor and cognitive function conducted with the KINARM end-point robotic device in young adult elite athletes. Sixty-four randomly selected healthy, young adult elite athletes participated. Twenty-five individuals (25 M, mean age±SD, 20.2±2.1 years) participated in a within-season study, where three assessments were conducted within a single season (assessments labeled by session: S1, S2, S3). An additional 39 individuals (28M; 22.8±6.0 years) participated in a year-to-year study, where annual pre-season assessments were conducted for three consecutive seasons (assessments labeled by year: Y1, Y2, Y3). Forty-four parameters from five robotic tasks (Visually Guided Reaching, Position Matching, Object Hit, Object Hit and Avoid, and Trail Making B) and overall Task Scores describing performance on each task were quantified. Test-retest reliability was determined by intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) between the first and second, and second and third assessments. In the within-season study, ICCs were ≥0.50 for 68% of parameters between S1 and S2, 80% of parameters between S2 and S3, and for three of the five Task Scores both between S1 and S2, and S2 and S3. In the year-to-year study, ICCs were ≥0.50 for 64% of parameters between Y1 and Y2, 82% of parameters between Y2 and Y3, and for four of the five Task Scores both between Y1 and Y2, and Y2 and Y3. Overall, the results suggest moderate-to-good test-retest reliability for the majority of parameters measured by the KINARM robot in healthy young adult elite athletes. Future work will consider the potential use of this information for clinical assessment of concussion-related neurological deficits.

Comparison of energy-budget evaporation losses from two morphometrically different Florida seepage lakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sacks, L.A.; Lee, T.M.; Radell, M.J.

1994-01-01

Evaporation was computed by the energy-budget method for two north Florida lakes with similar surface areas but different depths, for the period May 1989 to December 1990. Lake Barco, in north-central Florida, is shallow, with an average depth of 3 m; Lake Five-O, in the Florida panhandle, is considerably deeper, with an average depth of 9.5 m. As a result, the thermal regime and seasonal evaporation rates of the lakes are different. Evaporation from the shallower lake was higher than that from the deeper lake in the winter and spring. In the late summer and autumn, however, the situation is reversed. Evaporation from the shallow lake is directly related to the amount of incoming shortwave radiation because of its limited ability to store energy. The lag in evaporation at the deeper lake is a function of the greater amount of heat that it seasonally stores and releases. The difference in annual evaporation between Lake Barco (151 cm year-1) and Lake Five-O (128 cm year-1) is related to differences in regional climatic conditions between the two sites. Additionally, higher than normal evaporation rates at the two lakes are probably related to drought conditions experienced in north Florida during 1990, which resulted in higher temperatures and more incoming radiation. Monthly evaporation at Lake Barco could usually be estimated within 10% of the energy-budget evaporation using a constant pan coefficient. This lake may be representative of other shallow lakes that do not store considerable heat. Monthly evaporation at Lake Five-O, however, could not be estimated accurately by using an annual pan coefficient because of the large seasonal influence of change in stored heat. Monthly mass-transfer evaporation compared well with energy-budget evaporation at Lake Barco, but did not compare well at Lake Five-O. These errors may also be associated with changes in heat storage. Thus, the thermal regime of the lake must be considered to estimate accurately the seasonal evaporation rates from a deep lake. ?? 1994.

Individual Differences in Young Children's Suggestibility: Relations to Event Memory, Language Abilities, Working Memory, and Executive Functioning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roebers, C.M.; Schneider, W.

2005-01-01

In this paper, two empirical studies are presented in which an attempt was made to explain individual differences in two different aspects of 4-year-olds' suggestibility, that is, their ability to resist false suggestions and memory impairments due to prior misinformation. As sources of individual differences cognitive skills along the information…

Dynamic Testing of Gifted and Average-Ability Children's Analogy Problem Solving: Does Executive Functioning Play a Role?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vogelaar, Bart; Bakker, Merel; Hoogeveen, Lianne; Resing, Wilma C. M.

2017-01-01

In this study, dynamic testing principles were applied to examine progression of analogy problem solving, the roles that cognitive flexibility and metacognition play in children's progression as well as training benefits, and instructional needs of 7- to 8-year-old gifted and average-ability children. Utilizing a pretest training posttest control…

Self-Regulation Abilities and Spanish-Speaking Preschoolers' Vocabulary and Letter-Word Skills in Spanish and English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palermo, Francisco; Mikulski, Ariana M.; Conejo, L. Diego

2017-01-01

Research Findings: This study examined the heterogeneity in Spanish-speaking children's (N = 117; M age = 53 months; SD = 5 months; 57% boys) vocabulary and letter-word skills in English and Spanish after one year of preschool and the extent to which early self-regulation abilities (i.e., executive function and effortful control) were associated…

Interpreting outcome following foot surgery in people with rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Backhouse, Michael R; Vinall-Collier, Karen A; Redmond, Anthony C; Helliwell, Philip S; Keenan, Anne-Maree

2016-01-01

Foot surgery is common in RA but the current lack of understanding of how patients interpret outcomes inhibits evaluation of procedures in clinical and research settings. This study aimed to explore which factors are important to people with RA when they evaluate the outcome of foot and ankle surgery. Semi structured interviews with 11 RA participants who had mixed experiences of foot surgery were conducted and analysed using thematic analysis. Responses showed that while participants interpreted surgical outcome in respect to a multitude of factors, five major themes emerged: functional ability, participation, appearance of feet and footwear, surgeons' opinion, and pain. Participants interpreted levels of physical function in light of other aspects of their disease, reflecting on relative change from their preoperative state more than absolute levels of ability. Appearance was important to almost all participants: physical appearance, foot shape, and footwear were closely interlinked, yet participants saw these as distinct concepts and frequently entered into a defensive repertoire, feeling the need to justify that their perception of outcome was not about cosmesis. Surgeons' post-operative evaluation of the procedure was highly influential and made a lasting impression, irrespective of how the outcome compared to the participants' initial goals. Whilst pain was important to almost all participants, it had the greatest impact upon them when it interfered with their ability to undertake valued activities. People with RA interpret the outcome of foot surgery using multiple interrelated factors, particularly functional ability, appearance and surgeons' appraisal of the procedure. While pain was often noted, this appeared less important than anticipated. These factors can help clinicians in discussing surgical options in patients.

A battery of tests for assessing cognitive function in U.S. Chinese older adults--findings from the PINE Study.

PubMed

Chang, E-Shien; Dong, XinQi

2014-11-01

Existing methodological challenges in aging research has dampened our assessment of cognitive function among minority older adults. We aim to report the composite scores of five cognitive function tests among U.S. Chinese older adults, and examine the association between cognitive function and key sociodemographic characteristics. The Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago Study enrolled an epidemiological cohort of 3,159 community-dwelling Chinese older adults. We administered five cognitive function tests, including the Chinese Mini-Mental State Examination, the immediate and delayed recall of the East Boston Memory Test, the Digit Span Backwards assessment, and the Symbol Digit Modalities Test. We used Spearman correlation coefficients to examine the correlation between cognitive function and sociodemographic variables. Linear regression models were used to report the effect of sociodemographic and health variables including age, sex, education on cognitive function. Our multivariate analysis suggested that performance in each domain of cognitive function was inversely associated with age and positively related to education. With respect to sex, after adjusted for age, education and all key variables presented in the model, being male was positively related to global cognitive score and working memory. Being married, having fewer children, having been in the United States for fewer years, having been in the community for fewer years, and better self-reported health were positively correlated with all cognitive function domains. This population-based study of U.S. Chinese older adults is among the first to examine a battery of five cognitive function tests, which in aggregate enables researchers to capture a wide range of cognitive performance. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The development of multitasking in children aged 7-12years: Evidence from cross-sectional and longitudinal data.

PubMed

Yang, Tian-Xiao; Xie, Weizhen; Chen, Chu-Sheng; Altgassen, Mareike; Wang, Ya; Cheung, Eric F C; Chan, Raymond C K

2017-09-01

This study investigated the development of multitasking ability across childhood. A sample of 65 typically developing children aged 7, 9, and 11years completed two multitasking tests across three time points within a year. Cross-sectional and longitudinal data consistently indicated continuous linear growth in children's multitasking ability. By the age of 12years, children could effectively perform a simple multitasking scenario comprising six equally important tasks, although their ability to strategically organize assorted tasks with varied values and priorities in a complex multitasking setting had not reached proficiency yet. Cognitive functions underlying a complex multitasking scenario varied in their developmental trajectories. Retrospective memory developed continuously from 7 to 12years of age, suggesting its supporting role in the development of multitasking. Planning skills developed slowly and showed practice effects for older children but not for younger children. The ability to adhere to plans also developed slowly, and children of all age groups benefited from practice. This study offers a preliminary benchmark for future comparison with clinical populations and may help to inform the development of targeted interventions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Self-reported work ability in long-term breast cancer survivors. A population-based questionnaire study in Denmark.

PubMed

Carlsen, Kathrine; Jensen, Anette Jung; Rugulies, Reiner; Christensen, Jane; Bidstrup, Pernille Envold; Johansen, Christoffer; Huitfeldt Madsen, Ida Elisabeth; Dalton, Susanne O

2013-02-01

Although up to 80% of women can return to work after treatment for breast cancer, maintaining an affiliation to the labour market may be a challenge, as shown by the fact that the risks for unemployment and early retirement are increased in the years after treatment of cancer. It is important to understand the work problems experienced by cancer survivors, including their ability to work. The aim of this study was to determine whether the ability of long-term breast cancer survivors to work was different from that of a cancer-free control group. In this population-based cross-sectional questionnaire study, 776 breast cancer survivors were matched with 1552 cancer-free women. Women with breast cancer diagnosed in 1997-2000 were identified in the Danish Cancer Registry, and the cancer-free controls were sampled from the Central Population Registry. Work ability was measured from a single question on the 'work ability index'. Furthermore, the questionnaire contained questions on socioeconomic factors, health-related factors and factors related to the workplace. The overall response rate was 57% (493 survivors and 830 controls). After exclusions, the study population consisted of 170 survivors and 391 controls. Women with a diagnosis of breast cancer who had survived at least five years and had returned to work reported significantly poorer work ability than cancer-free controls. In models with adjustment for socioeconomic factors, health-related factors and support at work, the factors most strongly associated with impaired work ability were low income, fatigue and little help and support from a supervisor. Our findings indicate that the work ability of long-term breast cancer survivors who are disease-free and back in work is impaired in comparison with that of cancer-free women.