Mitochondrial Genomes Reveal an Explosive Radiation of Extinct and Extant Bears near the Miocene-Pliocene Boundary

Background: Despite being one of the most studied families within the Carnivora, the phylogenetic relationships among the members of the bear family (Ursidae) have long remained unclear. Widely divergent topologies have been suggested based on various data sets and methods. Results: We present a fully resolved phylogeny for ursids based on ten complete mitochondrial genome sequences from all eight living and two recently extinct bear species, the European cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) and the American giant short-faced bear (Arctodus simus). The mitogenomic data yield a well-resolved topology for ursids, with the sloth bear at the basal position within the genus Ursus. The sun bear is the sister taxon to both the American and Asian black bears, and this clade is the sister clade of cave bear, brown bear and polar bear confirming a recent study on bear mitochondrial genomes. Conclusion: Sequences from extinct bears represent the third and fourth Pleistocene species for which complete mitochondrial genomes have been sequenced. Moreover, the cave bear specimen demonstrates that mitogenomic studies can be applied to Pleistocene fossils that have not been preserved in permafrost, and therefore have a broad application within ancient DNA research. Molecular dating of the mtDNA divergence times suggests a rapid radiation of bears in both the Old and New Worlds around 5 million years ago, at the Miocene-Pliocene boundary. This coincides with major global changes, such as the Messinian crisis and the first opening of the Bering Strait, and suggests a global influence of such events on species radiations

Safety of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose versus oral iron in patients with nondialysis-dependent CKD: an analysis of the 1-year FIND-CKD trial.

Background: The evidence base regarding the safety of intravenous (IV) iron therapy in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is incomplete and largely based on small studies of relatively short duration. Methods: FIND-CKD (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00994318) was a 1-year, open-label, multicenter, prospective study of patients with nondialysis-dependent CKD, anemia and iron deficiency randomized (1:1:2) to IV ferric carboxymaltose (FCM), targeting higher (400-600 µg/L) or lower (100-200 µg/L) ferritin, or oral iron. A post hoc analysis of adverse event rates per 100 patient-years was performed to assess the safety of FCM versus oral iron over an extended period. Results: The safety population included 616 patients. The incidence of one or more adverse events was 91.0, 100.0 and 105.0 per 100 patient-years in the high ferritin FCM, low ferritin FCM and oral iron groups, respectively. The incidence of adverse events with a suspected relation to study drug was 15.9, 17.8 and 36.7 per 100 patient-years in the three groups; for serious adverse events, the incidence was 28.2, 27.9 and 24.3 per 100 patient-years. The incidence of cardiac disorders and infections was similar between groups. At least one ferritin level ≥800 µg/L occurred in 26.6% of high ferritin FCM patients, with no associated increase in adverse events. No patient with ferritin ≥800 µg/L discontinued the study drug due to adverse events. Estimated glomerular filtration rate remained the stable in all groups. Conclusions: These results further support the conclusion that correction of iron deficiency anemia with IV FCM is safe in patients with nondialysis-dependent CKD

The Smart City Active Mobile Phone Intervention (SCAMPI) study to promote physical activity through active transportation in healthy adults: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Abstract Background The global pandemic of physical inactivity represents a considerable public health challenge. Active transportation (i.e., walking or cycling for transport) can contribute to greater total physical activity levels. Mobile phone-based programs can promote behaviour change, but no study has evaluated whether such a program can promote active transportation in adults. This study protocol presents the design and methodology of The Smart City Active Mobile Phone Intervention (SCAMPI), a randomised controlled trial to promote active transportation via a smartphone application (app) with the aim to increase physical activity. Methods/design A two-arm parallel randomised controlled trial will be conducted in Stockholm County, Sweden. Two hundred fifty adults aged 20–65 years will be randomised to either monitoring of active transport via the TRavelVU app (control), or to a 3-month evidence-based behaviour change program to promote active transport and monitoring of active travel via the TRavelVU Plus app (intervention). The primary outcome is moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA in minutes/day) (ActiGraph wGT3x-BT) measured post intervention. Secondary outcomes include: time spent in active transportation measured via the TRavelVU app, perceptions about active transportation (the Transport and Physical Activity Questionnaire (TPAQ)) and health related quality of life (RAND-36). Assessments are conducted at baseline, after the completed intervention (after 3 months) and 6 months post randomisation. Discussion SCAMPI will determine the effectiveness of a smartphone app to promote active transportation and physical activity in an adult population. If effective, the app has potential to be a low-cost intervention that can be delivered at scale. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03086837; 22 March, 2017

Inquiry-based Learning in Pre-Service Physical-EducationTeacher Education during Student Teaching: Evaluation of Students’ Inquiry-based Projects in Physical Education and Didactic Consequences

In der Ausbildungsregion Münster realisieren die Studierenden im Praxissemester drei Studienprojekte. Laut Orientierungsrahmen (Steuergruppe, 2014, S. 8) sollen sie Studierenden ermöglichen, „eigene Fragestellungen im Sinne des Forschenden Lernens zu entwickeln und ihnen im Rahmen des Praxissemesters eigenständig nachzugehen.“ Studienprojekte dienen der fachlichen, fachdidaktischen und unterrichtsmethodischen Kompetenzerweiterung sowie der professionellen Selbsterkundung der Studierenden. Seit Einführung des Praxissemesters im WS 2014/15 wurden 254 Studienprojekte an der WWU Münster im Fach Sport betreut und durchgeführt. Ziel des Beitrages ist es, diese Projekte genauer in den Blick zu nehmen, um Schlussfolgerungen für vorbereitende Lehrveranstaltungen zu ziehen und diese ggf. weiterentwickeln zu können. Im ersten Teil des Beitrags werden die Studienprojekte hinsichtlich der bearbeiteten Themen und forschungsmethodischen Zugänge ausgewertet und mit dem Rahmenthema des Vorbereitungsseminars verglichen. Zudem wird dargestellt, wie häufig Unterrichtsvorhaben und Studienprojekte miteinander verbunden werden. Auf Grundlage der Übersicht wird im zweiten Teil der Frage nachgegangen, inwiefern Indikatoren für Forschendes Lernen in den Studienprojekten identifiziert werden können. Dabei wird von der Annahme ausgegangen, dass Forschendes Lernen über die pragmatische Anwendung von Forschungsmethoden hinausgeht und sich erst in einer tiefgehenden, professionalisierungssensiblen Reflexionsleistung zeigt. Aus der Bilanzierung Forschenden Lernens in Studienprojekten werden Überlegungen zur Weiterentwicklung der vorbereitenden Veranstaltungsformate insbesondere hinsichtlich der Förderung Forschenden Lernens aufgezeigt. At the University of Münster, three inquiry-based projects are required during the pre-service teacher education practicum (cf. Steuergruppe,2014). According to these requirements students are expected to develop their own research questions – an aspect considered substantial in the concept of inquiry-based learning – and to complete their inquiry-based projects during the field practicum. The purpose of these projects is to enhance the students’ competences and professional self-investigation by relating and connecting theory and practice. Since the introduction of the field practicum in teacher education in the winter semester of 2014/15, 254 inquiry-based projects have been mentored at the University of Münster in physical education. The purpose of this study is to analyse these projects to draw conclusions for preparatory classes and to promote inquiry-based learning. In the first part of the article, the inquiry-based projects are analysed with regard to the students’ thematic preferences and research methods. Moreover, these themes are compared to the topics of the preparatory course. In addition, the que stion is addressed as to whether or not the inquiry-based projects are connected to the students’ own teaching projects. In the second part of the paper, the author attempts to identify the presence and type of indicators of inquiry-based learning in the students’ projects. The basic hypothesis is that inquiry-based learning is more than a pragmatic application of research methods and that it shows a profound and sensitive reflection on the learning experiences. The evaluation of inquiry-based learning as reflected in these projects is intended to enrich and improve preparatory classes, inquiry-based learning arrangements and finally the students’ appreciation of inquiry-based learning in physical-education teacher education

Forschendes Lernen in Studienprojekten im Fach Sport an der WWU Münster

In der Ausbildungsregion Münster realisieren die Studierenden im Praxissemester drei Studienprojekte. Laut Orientierungsrahmen (Steuergruppe, 2014, S. 8) sollen sie Studierenden ermöglichen, „eigene Fragestellungen im Sinne des Forschenden Lernens zu entwickeln und ihnen im Rahmen des Praxissemesters eigenständig nachzugehen.“ Studienprojekte dienen der fachlichen, fachdidaktischen und unterrichtsmethodischen Kompetenzerweiterung sowie der professionellen Selbsterkundung der Studierenden. Seit Einführung des Praxissemesters im WS 2014/15 wurden 254 Studienprojekte an der WWU Münster im Fach Sport betreut und durchgeführt. Ziel des Beitrages ist es, diese Projekte genauer in den Blick zu nehmen, um Schlussfolgerungen für vorbereitende Lehrveranstaltungen zu ziehen und diese ggf. weiterentwickeln zu können. Im ersten Teil des Beitrags werden die Studienprojekte hinsichtlich der bearbeiteten Themen und forschungsmethodischen Zugänge ausgewertet und mit dem Rahmenthema des Vorbereitungsseminars verglichen. Zudem wird dargestellt, wie häufig Unterrichtsvorhaben und Studienprojekte miteinander verbunden werden. Auf Grundlage der Übersicht wird im zweiten Teil der Frage nachgegangen, inwiefern Indikatoren für Forschendes Lernen in den Studienprojekten identifiziert werden können. Dabei wird von der Annahme ausgegangen, dass Forschendes Lernen über die pragmatische Anwendung von Forschungsmethoden hinausgeht und sich erst in einer tiefgehenden, professionalisierungssensiblen Reflexionsleistung zeigt. Aus der Bilanzierung Forschenden Lernens in Studienprojekten werden Überlegungen zur Weiterentwicklung der vorbereitenden Veranstaltungsformate insbesondere hinsichtlich der Förderung Forschenden Lernens aufgezeigt

Design and hydrodynamic characterization of a draft tube baffle tank for lab-scale

For process development on lab‐scale, it is necessary to have equipment that represents the industrial apparatuses as similar as possible to offer short time‐to‐market. Accordingly, a draft tube baffle (DTB) crystallizer was scaled down from typical m3‐scale to 1 L filling volume. The suspension characteristics were determined for fluidized crystals in saturated solution. For further characterization of the DTB tank, the residence time of the liquid and solid phases were experimentally determined for the continuous operation mode. Additionally, the classifying behavior of the particles in the DTB was investigated

Feasibility of present-centered therapy for prolonged grief disorder: results of a pilot study

Present-centered therapy (PCT) was originally developed as a strong comparator for the non-specific effects of psychotherapy in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. PCT qualifies as a not strictly supportive treatment as it is structured and homework is assigned between sessions. It does not focus on cognitive restructuring or exposure. A growing body of literature supports its beneficial effects. For example, it demonstrated only slightly inferior effect sizes and lower dropout rates compared to that of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy in several trials with patients suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. The current study is the first to evaluate the feasibility and the treatment effects of PCT in adults with prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Meta-analyses on psychotherapy for PGD have yielded moderate effect sizes. N = 20 individuals suffering from PGD were treated with PCT by novice therapists as part of a preparation phase for an upcoming RCT in an outpatient setting. Treatment consisted of 20–24 sessions á 50 min. All outcomes were assessed before treatment, at post-treatment, and at the 3-month follow-up. The primary outcome, PGD symptom severity, was assessed using the Interview for Prolonged Grief-13. Secondary outcomes were self-reported PGD severity, depression, general psychological distress, and somatic symptom severity. Furthermore, therapists evaluated their experiences with their first PCT patient and the treatment manual. In intent-to-treat analyses of all patients we found a significant decrease in interview-based PGD symptom severity at post-treatment (d = 1.26). Decreases were maintained up to the 3-month follow-up assessment (d = 1.25). There were also significant decreases in self-reported PGD symptoms, depression, and general psychological distress. No changes were observed for somatic symptoms. The completion rate was 85%. Therapists deemed PCT to be a learnable treatment program that can be adapted to the patient's individual needs. The preliminary results of PCT as a treatment for PGD demonstrate large effects and indicate good feasibility in outpatient settings. The treatment effects were larger than those reported in meta-analyses. Thus, PCT is a promising treatment for PGD. Possible future research directions are discussed

Feasibility of Present-Centered Therapy for Prolonged Grief Disorder: Results of a Pilot Study

Present-centered therapy (PCT) was originally developed as a strong comparator for the non-specific effects of psychotherapy in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. PCT qualifies as a not strictly supportive treatment as it is structured and homework is assigned between sessions. It does not focus on cognitive restructuring or exposure. A growing body of literature supports its beneficial effects. For example, it demonstrated only slightly inferior effect sizes and lower dropout rates compared to that of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy in several trials with patients suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. The current study is the first to evaluate the feasibility and the treatment effects of PCT in adults with prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Meta-analyses on psychotherapy for PGD have yielded moderate effect sizes. N = 20 individuals suffering from PGD were treated with PCT by novice therapists as part of a preparation phase for an upcoming RCT in an outpatient setting. Treatment consisted of 20–24 sessions á 50 min. All outcomes were assessed before treatment, at post-treatment, and at the 3-month follow-up. The primary outcome, PGD symptom severity, was assessed using the Interview for Prolonged Grief-13. Secondary outcomes were self-reported PGD severity, depression, general psychological distress, and somatic symptom severity. Furthermore, therapists evaluated their experiences with their first PCT patient and the treatment manual. In intent-to-treat analyses of all patients we found a significant decrease in interview-based PGD symptom severity at post-treatment (d = 1.26). Decreases were maintained up to the 3-month follow-up assessment (d = 1.25). There were also significant decreases in self-reported PGD symptoms, depression, and general psychological distress. No changes were observed for somatic symptoms. The completion rate was 85%. Therapists deemed PCT to be a learnable treatment program that can be adapted to the patient's individual needs. The preliminary results of PCT as a treatment for PGD demonstrate large effects and indicate good feasibility in outpatient settings. The treatment effects were larger than those reported in meta-analyses. Thus, PCT is a promising treatment for PGD. Possible future research directions are discussed.</jats:p

Utilization, quality, and spending for pediatric Medicaid enrollees with primary care in health centers vs non-health centers

Abstract Background Limited research has explored the performance of health centers (HCs) compared to other primary care settings among children in the United States. We evaluated utilization, quality, and expenditures for pediatric Medicaid enrollees receiving care in HCs versus non-HCs. Methods This national cross-sectional study utilized 2012 Medicaid Analytic eXtract (MAX) claims to examine children 0–17 years with a primary care visit, stratified by whether majority (> 50%) of primary care visits were at HCs or non-HCs. Outcome measures include utilization (primary care visits, non-primary care outpatient visits, prescription claims, Emergency Department (ED) visits, hospitalizations) and quality (well-child visits, avoidable ED visits, avoidable hospitalizations). For children enrolled in fee-for-service Medicaid, we also measured expenditures. Propensity score-based overlap weighting was used to balance covariates. Results A total of 2,383,270 Medicaid-enrolled children received the majority of their primary care at HCs, while 18,540,743 did at non-HCs. In adjusted analyses, HC patients had 20% more primary care visits, 15% less non-primary care outpatient visits, and 21% less prescription claims than non-HC patients. ED visits were similar across the two groups, while HC patients had 7% lower chance of hospitalization than non-HC. Quality of care outcomes favored HC patients in main analyses, but results were less robust when excluding managed care beneficiaries. Total expenditures among the fee-for-service subpopulation were lower by $239 (8%) for HC patients. Conclusions In this study of nationwide claims data to evaluate healthcare utilization, quality, and spending among Medicaid-enrolled children who receive primary care at HCs versus non-HCs, findings suggest primary care delivery in HCs may be associated with a more cost-effective model of healthcare for children

Additional file 1 of Utilization, quality, and spending for pediatric Medicaid enrollees with primary care in health centers vs non-health centers

Additional file 1: Appendix Table. Utilization and quality of care among all children enrolled in Medicaid by primary care setting in the United States, 2012, based on the definition of children having 100% of primary care visits at health centers versus 100% at non-health centers