Effects of instruction in writing-to-learn in different disciplines and types of education

In the dissertation, writing-to-learn is defined as writing with the aim to gain insight into taught subject matter and topic knowledge of it. For this type of learning, it is assumed that a writing-to-learn process underlies students’ writing activities. To initiate the process, a teacher assigns students writing tasks about studied subject matter. Additionally, students are provided with instruction of (meta)cognitive strategies, which is meant as an incentive for learning. The results of such writing tasks are positive, as the literature study in the dissertation (Chapter 2) shows. In the 43 reviewed studies, instruction was designed in many various ways. This led to the question, whether it was possible to categorize instruction from the reviewed studies into four types of instruction. It appeared to be possible.The following step was to study effects of the most prominent type of instruction by means of two quasi experiments in teacher education (chapter 3) and another two in prevocational education (chapter 4). The quasi experiments were executed in the disciplines biology and mathematics. In teacher training, experimental students’ scores appeared larger than those of control students. In prevocational education, experimental mathematics students’ scores were larger than control students’ as well. However, experimental biology students’ scores were not larger than control students’. Finally, it was investigated whether evidence of the process of writing-to-learn could be determined by means of four think aloud studies, which were executed with small samples of experimental and control students from each of four quasi experiments. Reflection was considered characteristic for the process. The outcome was in accordance with the results of the quasi experiments: evidence was found for experimental students from teacher education and from prevocational mathematics education, whereas no evidence was found for students from prevocational biology education

Bayes estimates of the cyclical component in twentieth centruy US gross domestic product

Cyclical components in economic time series are analysed in a Bayesian framework, thereby allowing prior notions about periodicity to be used. The method is based on a general class of unobserved component models that encompasses a range of dynamics in the stochastic cycle. This allows for instance relatively smooth cycles to be extracted from time series. Posterior densities of parameters and estimated components are obtained using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, which we develop for both univariate and multivariate models. Features such as time-varying amplitude may be studied by examining different functions of the posterior draws for the cyclical component and parameters. The empirical application illustrates the method for annual US real GDP over the last 130 years

Characteristics Of The Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque

A major cause for the occurrence of stroke or TIA is atherosclerosis. Currently, the degree of the carotid artery stenosis is an important factor to select patients for a carotid endarterectomy (CEA). New imaging techniques such as MDCTA and MRI have made it possible to look in detail at the atherosclerotic plaque. This allows us to see which components (for example hemorrhage, calcifications, lipid core) are present in the atherosclerotic plaque. The exact plaque composition could help to determine which people have a higher risk of getting a recurrent stroke and could have an important impact on the choice of treatment. The PARISK study aims to answer the question which plaque characteristics – assessed with ultrasound, MDCTA and MRI – are associated with an increased risk of recurrent stroke. At this moment, final follow-up measurements are performed to answer this question. For now, we tried to get a better understanding of what happens in an atherosclerotic plaque and the role of blood clotting in atherosclerosis. Moreover, we looked at which imaging techniques and which plaque characteristics can be valuable in future clinical practice. A few examples of the topics discussed in this thesis: 1. Von Willebrand Factor (VWF) and ADAMTS13 are involved in blood clotting and previous research has shown that these blood biomarkers are also associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Atherosclerosis may play a role in this association. We investigated whether we could prove this hypothesis, unfortunately the precise mechanism of the relationship between VWF and ADAMTS13 and the risk of cardiovascular disease remains unknown. 2. In the PARISK study various imaging techniques to image the carotid artery are used. We have found a link between the presence of hemorrhage in the atherosclerotic plaque on MRI and plaque ulceration on MDCTA. In addition, we found that MRI plaque imaging techniques presently cannot be recommended to estimate volume of plaque calcifications in individual patients, and that giving a contrast medium in ultrasound can have additional value to assess plaque ulcerations

Trends and cycles in economic time series: A Bayesian approach

Trends and cyclical components in economic time series are modeled in a Bayesian framework. This enables prior notions about the duration of cycles to be used, while the generalized class of stochastic cycles employed allows the possibility of relatively smooth cycles being extracted. The posterior distributions of such underlying cycles can be very informative for policy makers, particularly with regard to the size and direction of the output gap and potential turning points. From the technical point of view a contribution is made in investigating the most appropriate prior distributions for the parameters in the cyclical components and in developing Markov chain Monte Carlo methods for both univariate and multivariate models. Applications to US macroeconomic series are presented

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Is locally advanced head and neck cancer ‘increasing’ in the Netherlands? The paradox of absolute numbers, standardized incidence rates and proportional share

Background: Several reports have indicated that locally advanced head and neck cancer (LAHNC) has increased in the past decade. However, incidence trends cannot be easily compared because slightly different definitions of LAHNC were used. Aim: To investigate if the incidence of locally advanced disease (LAD) in the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx is indeed increasing over time, considering the growing and ageing population in the Netherlands. Patients and methods: Data were obtained from the Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR). Primary head and neck squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx and larynx diagnosed between 1989 and 2017 were included. Yearly numbers and European standardized incidence rates (ESRs) were reported by extent of disease. The annual percentage change (APC) over time in ESRs was calculated to assess trends. Results: Absolute numbers and ESRs of LAD increased over time for oral cavity and most prominently for oropharynx carcinomas (before 1996, APC: 0.4, 95%CI: 0.1; 0.8 and APC: 5.7 (95%CI: 3.1; 8.4) after 1996: 1.5 (1.0; 2.0) respectively. For hypopharynx cancer the absolute number and ESR of LAD increased until 1997 and declined with 0.8% per year since 1997. Absolute numbers of patients with larynx cancer stayed stable over time, while ESR decreased (APC: −0.8 (95%CI: −1.1; −0.6)). Conclusion: The perception of an increasing trend in LAD in the Netherlands can be attributed to the increasing incidence of oral cavity and oropharynx carcinomas. For LAD of the hypopharynx a decreasing trend was observed. In larynx cancer, the proportional share of LAD of the larynx increased, even though incidence rates declined.</p