Mindfulness: Age and Gender Differences on a Bosnian Sample

The goal of this research was to examine age and gender differences in mindfulness on Bosnian general population. The study was conducted on a sample of 441 participants from the general population, from twelve cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As a measure of mindfulness we used Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire. Results showed that older participants’ scores were higher than for younger participants for all aspects of mindfulness. There was found a statistically significant difference between the three age groups on the subscales of Acting with awareness F(2, 435) = 7.39, p < .01 and of Non-judging of inner experience F(2, 428) = 5.67, p < .01. We found statistically significant difference for the Acting with awareness between 20-32 age group (M = 28.57, SD = 5.66) and 33-49 age group (M = 31.01, SD = 5.00, t(292) = -3.91, p < .001), and between 20-32 age group and 50+ group (M = 30.14, SD = 5,86, t(290) = -2.32, p < .05). Also, there was a significant difference for the Non-judging between 20-32 age group (M = 24.77, SD = 5.80) and 33-49 age group (M = 26.65, SD = 5.09, t(288) = -2.94, p < .01), and between 20-32 age group and 50+ group (M = 26.49, SD = 4.90, t(287) = -2,71, p < .05). According to the t-test results, there was statistically significant gender difference between the subscales Observing (t(432) = -2.259, p < .05) and Acting with awareness (t(432) = 2.197, p < .05), women scored higher than men on the subscale Observing, while men exhibited higher scores on the subscale Acting with awareness. Results of this research showed that there were found significant age and gender differences for some aspects of mindfulness in the sample of Bosnian general population

BIG FIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS AS PREDICTORS OF MINDFULNESS: A STUDY ON A BOSNIAN SAMPLE

Since the early 2000s, research on mindfulness has been expanding rapidly. Mindfulness can be defined as the degree of awareness that is achieved by purposefully paying attention to the present moment, without judging it (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). The main aspects of mindfulness, awareness and nonjudgmental acceptance of one's moment-to-moment experience, are regarded as potentially effective antidotes against common forms of psychological distress: rumination, anxiety, worry, fear, anger, and so on—many of which involve the maladaptive tendencies to avoid, suppress, or over-engage with one's distressing thoughts and emotions. Many researches also examine how personality traits can be related to mindfuless. One of the most empirically researched models of personality in this field is the Big five model which consists of five personality traits: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience. Relationship between these constructs has not been the subject of empirical research in Bosnia and Herzegovina, therefore the goal of present study is to examine relationship between mindfulness and Big five persionality traits on Bosnian sample. According to the results, there is moderete and inverese correlation between mindfulness and Neuroticism, and small to moderate positive correlations with other Big five personality traits (Openness, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness and Extraversion). Results of multiple regression analysis showed that Big five personality traits explain significant proportion of the variance for the criterion variable mindfulness and that the significant predictors for mindfulness were Neuroticism, Conscientiousness and Openness. More research is needed to explore this multi-faceted nature of both Big five personality traits and mindfulness

Characterization of selected members of the genera Campylobacter, Arcobacter, Helicobacter and Gallibacterium by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS), with applications in clinical diagnostics

Alle in dieser Studie verwendeten Bakterienarten generierten jeweils einzigartige und reproduzierbare Spektren, die zu einer eindeutigen Identifizierung und Differenzierung der Bakterienstämme führten. Eine Referenzdatenbank in der MALDI/Biotyper Software wurde mit Hilfe von Referenzstämmen erstellt, welche dann für die Identifizierung von Feldisolaten verwendet wurde. Die so gewonnenen Ergebnisse wurden mit den Ergebnissen molekulargenetischer Methoden verglichen. Um die Reproduzierbarkeit der Ergebnisse für den Einsatz im diagnostischen Labor zu untersuchen, wurden darüber hinaus Bakterienstämme, die unter verschiedenen Wachstums und Lagerbedingungen gehalten wurden, getestet. Neben den beiden wichtigsten thermophilen Campylobacter Arten, Campylobacter jejuni und Campylobacter coli, welche, zusammen mit Arcobacter butzleri und Helicobacter pullorum, als weltweit führende Erreger humaner gastrointestinaler Erkrankungen angesehen werden, wurden auch andere Arten dieser Gattungen mittels MALDI TOF MS untersucht. Darüber hinaus wurden 144 klinische Isolate schnell und korrekt identifiziert. Die relativ junge Gattung Gallibacterium stellt eine phänotypisch sehr heterogene Gruppe der, wodurch sich die Identifizierung und Differenzierung einzelner Spezies oft als sehr problematisch erweist. Daher wurden 66 Referenzstämme mittels MALDI TOF MS analysiert. Von einigen dieser stämme wurden 16S rRNA, rpoB, recN und infB sequenziert. Außerdem war mit der MALDI TOF Methode die korrekte Identifizierung und Zuordnung von klonalen Stämmen zu den jeweiligen Legehennenherden von 184 G. anatis möglich. Dabei konnten klonale Verbindungen von Isolaten innerhalb und zwischen Beständen identifiziert werden. Zusammenfassend wird der Einsatz von MALDI TOF MS im diagnostischen Labor diskutiert.In general, all species used in this study provided unique and reproducible whole cell spectra (fingerprints), contributing to identification and differentiation of the strains. Well characterized reference bacteria were used to generate reference databases in the MALDI Biotyper software, to be used for correct identification of clinical strains. These results were compared to the results obtained by molecular methods. In addition, for reproducibility of results different growth as well as storage conditions were tested which are relevant in a diagnostic laboratory. Besides the most important thermophilic species of Campylobacter genus, Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli which have important significance as food-borne pathogens, as well as Arcobacter butzleri and Helicobacter pullorum, several other members of these genera were investigated. In addition, 144 clinical isolates were identified correctly within a short period of time. The recently established genus Gallibacterium represents a phenotypically heterogeneous group, where identification of species belonging to this genus is difficult. Therefore, 66 reference species of Gallibacterium were analysed by MALDI-TOF MS and by sequencing 16S rRNA, rpoB, recN and infB genes of some strains. Moreover, MALDI-TOF MS/Biotyper correctly identified 184 Gallibacterium anatis isolated from different organs from layers. Remarkably, MALDI TOF MS revealed different clonal lineages of G. anatis between different flocks. Altogether, the ability of MALDI TOF MS to be used in diagnostic laboratories is discussed

Auditory perceptual learning in autistic adults

The automatic retuning of phoneme categories to better adapt to the speech of a novel talker has been extensively documented across various (neurotypical) populations, including both adults and children. However, no studies have examined auditory perceptual learning effects in populations atypical in perceptual, social, and language processing for communication, such as populations with autism. Employing a classic lexically-guided perceptual learning paradigm, the present study investigated perceptual learning effects in Australian English autistic and non-autistic adults. The findings revealed that automatic attunement to existing phoneme categories was not activated in the autistic group in the same manner as for non-autistic control subjects. Specifically, autistic adults were able to both successfully discern lexical items and to categorize speech sounds; however, they did not show effects of perceptual retuning to talkers. These findings may have implications for the application of current sensory theories (e.g., Bayesian decision theory) to speech and language processing by autistic individuals. Lay Summary Lexically guided perceptual learning assists in the disambiguation of speech from a novel talker. The present study established that while Australian English autistic adult listeners were able to successfully discern lexical items and categorize speech sounds in their native language, perceptual flexibility in updating speaker-specific phonemic knowledge when exposed to a novel talker was not available. Implications for speech and language processing by autistic individuals as well as current sensory theories are discussed

A comprehensive evaluation of colonic mucosal isolates of Sutterella wadsworthensis from inflammatory bowel disease

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Calcium Channel Blockers and the Risk of Exacerbation in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Nationwide Study of 48,488 Outpatients

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are prone to developing arterial hypertension, and many patients are treated with the calcium channel blocker amlodipine. However, it remains unclear whether using this drug potentially affects the risk of acute severe exacerbations (AECOPD) and all-cause mortality in these patients. The data were collected from Danish national registries, containing complete information on health, prescriptions, hospital admissions, and outpatient clinic visits. The COPD patients (n = 48,488) were matched via propensity score on known predictors of the primary outcome in an active comparator design. One group was exposed to amlodipine treatment, and the other was exposed to bendroflumethiazide, since both of these drugs are considered to be the first choice for the treatment of arterial hypertension according to Danish guidelines. The use of amlodipine was associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes at the 1-year follow-up (hazard ratio 0.69, 95% confidence interval: 0.62–0.76) compared with the use of bendroflumethiazide in the matched patients. No difference in the risk of severe AECOPD was found. In the COPD patients, amlodipine use was associated with a lower risk of death from all causes compared with the use of bendroflumethiazide. Amlodipine seems to be a safe first choice for the treatment of arterial hypertension in COPD patients.publishedVersio

Targeted AntiBiotics for Chronic pulmonary diseases (TARGET ABC):can targeted antibiotic therapy improve the prognosis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa-infected patients with chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis, and asthma? A multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label trial

BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection is seen in chronic pulmonary disease and is associated with exacerbations and poor long-term prognosis. However, evidence-based guidelines for the management and treatment of P. aeruginosa infection in chronic, non-cystic fibrosis (CF) pulmonary disease are lacking. The aim of this study is to investigate whether targeted antibiotic treatment against P. aeruginosa can reduce exacerbations and mortality in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), non-CF bronchiectasis, and asthma. METHODS: This study is an ongoing multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label trial. A total of 150 patients with COPD, non-CF bronchiectasis or asthma, and P. aeruginosa-positive lower respiratory tract samples will be randomly assigned with a 1:1 ratio to either no antibiotic treatment or anti-pseudomonal antibiotic treatment with intravenous beta-lactam and oral ciprofloxacin for 14 days. The primary outcome, analyzed with two co-primary endpoints, is (i) time to prednisolone and/or antibiotic requiring exacerbation or death, in the primary or secondary health sector, within days 20–365 from study allocation and (ii) days alive and without exacerbation within days 20–365 from the study allocation. DISCUSSION: This trial will determine whether targeted antibiotics can benefit future patients with chronic, non-CF pulmonary disease and P. aeruginosa infection in terms of reduced morbidity and mortality, thus optimizing therapeutic approaches in this large group of chronic patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03262142. Registered on August 25, 2017. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-022-06720-z

The relationship between speech perception and word learning at the initial state of second language acquisition

The goal of most adult second language (L2) learners is to confidently and efficiently communicate in their target L2. However, this task is not easy. In order to produce new L2 words a learner first needs to perceive the sounds that comprise these words. Considered effortless in one’s native language (L1), distinguishing novel L2 phonemes can be quite difficult for adult learners, and difficulties in L2 speech perception are often attributed to the negative transfer effects of the L1. Research suggests that the size of the L2 vowel inventory relative to the L1 inventory may affect the discrimination and acquisition of L2 vowels. Specifically, if the L1 has a smaller L1 vowel inventory than the L2 this may obstruct L2 vowel perception, while if the L1 has a larger vowel inventory it often facilitates vowel perception. However, the Second Language Linguistic Perception (L2LP) model specifies that it is the L1-L2 acoustic relationships that predict L2 vowel perception, regardless of L1 vowel inventory size. The model further posits that there is continuity between L2 perception and L2 word learning (Escudero, 2005, 2006, 2009; van Leussen & Escudero, 2015). In this view, sounds that are difficult to perceive would yield comparable difficulty in learning L2 words containing the same sounds. The present thesis investigates Australian English (AusE), Peruvian Spanish (PS) and Spanish adult listeners’ non-native vowel perception and word learning of Dutch and the interrelation between these two abilities. In order to establish the initial state of learning the present thesis examines naïve listeners (i.e., AusE, PS and Spanish monolinguals) with no prior knowledge of Dutch. This thesis comprises two studies, as well as an Introduction and General Discussion. Study 1 investigates the effects of vowel inventory size versus acoustic properties on non-native vowel perception. It compares XAB discrimination and categorization of five Dutch vowel contrasts between monolinguals whose L1 contains more (AusE) or fewer (PS) vowels than Dutch. It also examines whether cross-language discriminant analyses predict listeners’ categorization patterns and whether these in turn predict their discrimination ability. Study 2 investigates the interrelation between listeners’ initial perceptual and word learning abilities by comparing two sets of previously published data. AusE and PS listeners’ XAB discrimination of five Dutch vowel contrasts, which was presented in Study 1, is compared to AusE and Spanish non-native word learning of minimal pairs containing the same vowel contrasts, which was previously reported in Escudero (2015). This comparison between perception and word learning data sets is done quantitatively, using the same statistical models, and also qualitatively. Results show that the size of participants’ native vowel inventories did not affect performance in either task. Rather it is the L1-L2 acoustic relationships that predicted listeners’ non-native categorisation and discrimination patterns and these in turn predicted their word learning difficulties. Specifically, minimal pair words containing perceptually difficult vowel contrasts were more difficult to discriminate, while word pairs containing perceptually easy contrasts were easier. Results presented in both studies confirm the L2LP proposal that there is continuity between perception and recognition in L2 development

Systematic investigations in biology teaching in grades F-3 : Teachers reasoning with purposes and goals

The purpose of this study is to contribute to more knowledge about how teachers’ reason about the purpose and goals with systematic investigations in biology teaching in grades F - 3, as well as how these thoughts can relate to organising purposes. The data collection method was qualitative semi-structured interviews, where eight teachers were interviewed. The results show that the teachers in this study were somewhat insecure of how to define systematic investigations, although they share several different ideas on approaches using systematic investigations as a working method. In connection to organising purposes, the results could show that parts of teachers' planning are consistent with organising purposes. However no concrete didactic model was expressed for the planning process. The teachers also mention challenges such as a lack of time to plan the content to be taught, which can be related to missing strategies in the planning process for how they can teach with systematic investigations. One conclusion is that teachers can receive good help in the planning process with the didactic model of organising purposes, which resembles strategies in the planning of teaching.Syftet med den här studien är att bidra till mer kunskap om hur lärare resonerar kring syfte och mål med systematiska undersökningar inom biologiundervisningen i årskurserna F - 3, samt hur dessa tankar kan kopplas samman med organiserande syften. Datainsamlingsmetoden var kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer där åtta lärare intervjuades. Resultatet visar att lärarna i studien var något osäkra på hur de skulle definiera systematiska undersökningar, men delger trots det flera olika idéer på tillvägagångssätt med systematiska undersökningar som arbetsmetod. Vid kopplingen till organiserande syften kunde resultatet visa på att delar av lärares planering stämmer överens med organiserande syften, dock utrycktes ingen konkret didaktisk modell till planeringsprocessen. Lärarna nämner även utmaningar som bristande tid till planering av innehållet som ska undervisas vilket kan kopplas till saknade strategier i planeringsprocessen för hur de kan undervisa med systematiska undersökningar. En slutsats är att lärare kan få god hjälp i planeringsprocessen med den didaktiska modellen organiserande syften, vilket speglar strategier i planeringen av undervisningen.