Design and Rationale of the Cognitive Intervention to Improve Memory in Heart Failure Patients Study

BACKGROUND: Memory loss is an independent predictor of mortality among heart failure patients. Twenty-three percent to 50% of heart failure patients have comorbid memory loss, but few interventions are available to treat the memory loss. The aims of this 3-arm randomized controlled trial were to (1) evaluate efficacy of computerized cognitive training intervention using BrainHQ to improve primary outcomes of memory and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels and secondary outcomes of working memory, instrumental activities of daily living, and health-related quality of life among heart failure patients; (2) evaluate incremental cost-effectiveness of BrainHQ; and (3) examine depressive symptoms and genomic moderators of BrainHQ effect. METHODS: A sample of 264 heart failure patients within 4 equal-sized blocks (normal/low baseline cognitive function and gender) will be randomly assigned to (1) BrainHQ, (2) active control computer-based crossword puzzles, and (3) usual care control groups. BrainHQ is an 8-week, 40-hour program individualized to each patient's performance. Data collection will be completed at baseline and at 10 weeks and 4 and 8 months. Descriptive statistics, mixed model analyses, and cost-utility analysis using intent-to-treat approach will be computed. CONCLUSIONS: This research will provide new knowledge about the efficacy of BrainHQ to improve memory and increase serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in heart failure. If efficacious, the intervention will provide a new therapeutic approach that is easy to disseminate to treat a serious comorbid condition of heart failure

IMPROVING VOCABULARY ACHIEVEMENT OF THE XI GRADERS OF SMKN 1 PAKONG-PAMEKASAN THROUGH INTERACTIVE CROSSWORD PUZZLE

instructions emerged as a consequence of their low vocabulary mastery. In this research, a significant different from the two mean scores gained from vocabulary tests and the recorded communicative activities among students during the class are empirical evidence proving the benefit of implementing interactive crossword puzzle as a vocabulary teaching instruction. Considering the notable values of this strategy, it is productive for English teachers to take into consideration this as an alternative to improve their students’ vocabulary achievement as well as their active involvement during the lesson. Keywords: interactive crossword puzzle, vocabulary achievement, active involvemen

Crossword puzzle game to improve students’ vocabulary mastery

ABSTRACTThis research is a literature review about teaching vocabulary by using a game called crossword puzzle game. The purpose of this research was to describe the process of teaching vocabulary using crossword puzzle game, and to describe teacher problems and student problems in the teaching and learning process. In this research, the researcher used descriptive qualitative research. In several literature reviews, researchers found several cases such as, problems that are often encountered by a teacher, namely; The teacher has difficulty in handling the class because the students make it too crowded by themselves, the teaching method is wrong, and requires students to share some vocabulary words in the meeting but students can only master some of them, and also some obstacles that are often encountered by a student in learning vocabulary, that is; Students find the teacher's explanation boring, and they perceive vocabulary learning as knowing the main meaning of new words obtained only from textbooks or from the teacher, so it is difficult for them to use words based on the appropriate context. Therefore, teaching English vocabulary applies crossword puzzle games is effective in increasing students' vocabulary.

Improving the Existence of Standard Indonesian among Elementary Schooler

The purpose this paper is three:(1) Formulates a program of habituation of writing and the medium of crossword games.  (2) Formulates the steps for implementing the program of habituation of writing the standard language and the medium of crossword puzzles.  (3) Formulate parties related to the implementation of the program. The approach used in this paper is descriptive qualitative based on literature review and observation. Primary data includes observational data. Secondary data includes: (1) books relevant to the topic of writing, (2) scientific papers, (3) articles from the internet, and (4) research results. The data collection is secondary data in the form of relevant theories were obtained by the literature review method. The data obtained were analyzed descriptively qualitatively. The preparation of this paper has gone through systematic steps, so that the results of a complete and structured study are obtained. The steps taken in writing this paper are: (1) finding and formulating problems, (2) finding and selecting relevant literature sources, (3) analyzing data to answer problems, (4) formulating alternatives solving problems, (5) drawing conclusions and recommending suggestions, and (6) compiling written papers. Crossword puzzle makes it easier for students to acquire vocabulary Indonesian to apply in everyday life. The steps are quite easy, which are as follows: (1) Students read readings and record words that are difficult to understand. After that with the teacher search in the dictionary, then the student fills in a crossword puzzle that is mostly derived from the text that has been read. (2) Students are tested for their vocabulary mastery through comprehension of the texts read.  (3) After successfully filling in all the columns in the crossword puzzle, the student creates a sentence and proceeds to make a paragraph or essay. This activity is carried out regularly so that students get used to it. (4) The teacher guides and accompanies the students during the activity

A digital library of language learning exercises

Recent years have seen widespread adoption of the Internet for language teaching and learning. Interactive systems on the World-Wide Web provide useful alternatives to face-to-face tuition, and both teachers and learners can benefit from the exercises available. However, although there is a wealth of suitable material, it is hard to find because it is scattered around the web. Moreover, teachers are restricted by the material that is available, and cannot provide their own. To tackle these problems we have constructed a digital library of language learning exercises that presents students with different kinds of exercise, and also lets teachers contribute new material. We first reviewed existing language learning systems on the web in order to develop a taxonomy of exercise types used for language activity. A prototype, ELLE, based on this taxonomy, provides various kinds of interactive exercises using material that teachers submit. The system has been evaluated by practicing language teachers

Order of Processing and Attention Allotment between Comprehending and Using Text Ideas

Several years ago Bertram Bruce, in a response to P. David Pearson\u27s description of the Comprehension Revolution, suggested that future studies will go beyond a focus on reading comprehension to a concern for the relationships between comprehension and more general thinking skills (1985). Bruce\u27s comments were written early in what might be called a Thinking Skills Revolution, and - given the manner in which this revolution has matured in recent years - they seem even more relevant today

Logology by Computer

Computers have the potential for playing many roles in the field of recreational linguistics. Six general categories are: a) making a list of all words with specified orthographic characteristics,b) managing logological data bases,c) acting as a practice opponent in world games,d) solving formal word puzzles such as crosswords, double-crostics, and the types dealt with by the National Puzzlers\u27 League and Games magazine,e) composing such puzzles,f) typesetting material for magazines of recreational linguistics

Moderation of age-related cognitive decline in older adults

Prior research has demonstrated a general decline in cognitive performance with age, especially in Fluid Intelligence. This study sought to find a way to slow, halt, or reverse the age-related decline in Fluid Intelligence. Participants aged 50 and older with no prior experience working crossword puzzles worked crossword puzzles for 4 hours per week for 8 weeks. The Constant Group worked easy puzzles for the whole 8 weeks while the Dynamic Group worked easy puzzles for 2 weeks, intermediate puzzles for 3 weeks, and hard puzzles for 3 weeks. All participants were pretested and posttest on 2 measures of Crystallized Intelligence and 4 measures of Fluid Intelligence. Data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) with age as the covariate. Although both groups showed improvement in cognitive performance on most measures results did not reach statistical significance. Trends in the data did not suggest any difference in the scheduling of the intervention task. Results and data trends were interpreted in light of the problem of low N because only 11 participants completed the study

Experimental evaluation of preprocessing algorithms for constraint satisfaction problems

This paper presents an experimental evaluation of two orthogonal schemes for preprocessing constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs). The first of these schemes involves a class of local consistency techniques that includes directional arc consistency, directional path consistency, and adaptive consistency. The other scheme concerns the prearrangement of variables in a linear order to facilitate an efficient search. In the first series of experiments, we evaluated the effect of each of the local consistency techniques on backtracking and its common enhancement, backjumping. Surprizingly, although adaptive consistency has the best worst-case complexity bounds, we have found that it exhibits the worst performance, unless the constraint graph was very sparse. Directional arc consistency (followed by either backjumping or backtracking) and backjumping (without any pre-processing) outperformed all other techniques; moreover, the former dominated the latter in computationally intensive situations. The second series of experiments suggests that maximum cardinality and minimum width arc the best pre-ordering (i.e., static ordering) strategies, while dynamic search rearrangement is superior to all the preorderings studied

Vocabulary Learning Exercises: Evaluating a Selection of Exercises Commonly Featured in Language Learning Materials

This chapter examines common second language (L2) vocabulary learning activities using a framework proposed by Nation (2013a). In particular, Nation’s first guideline, which focuses on efficacy, will be examined in detail. Nation and Webb’s (2011) Technique Feature Analysis (TFA) will be used to determine which components of the activities contribute to learning. The chapter aims to gauge the relative efficacy of three vocabulary learning activities: Learning from flashcards, cloze exercises, and crossword puzzles; shed some light on their strengths and weaknesses; and show how they might be modified to be made more effective