The Building Blocks of Child Bilingual Code-Mixing: A Cross-Corpus Traceback Approach

This paper offers an inductive, exploratory study on the role of input and individual differences in the early code-mixing of bilingual children. Drawing on data from two German-English bilingual children, aged 2–4, we use the traceback method to check whether their code-mixed utterances can be accounted for with the help of constructional patterns that can be found in their monolingual data and/or in their caregivers’ input. In addition, we apply the tracebackmethod to checkwhether the patterns used by one child can also be found in the input of the other child. Results show that patterns found in the code-mixed utterances could be traced back to the input the children receive, suggesting that children extract lexical knowledge from their environment. Additionally, tracing back patterns within each child was more successful than tracing back to the other child’s corpus, indicating that each child has their own set of patterns which depends verymuch on their individual input. As such, these findings can shed new light on the interplay of the two developing grammars in bilingual children and their individual differences

The Traceback method in child language acquisition research: Identifying patterns in early speech

This paper discusses the traceback method, which has been the basis of some influential papers on first language acquisition. The method sets out to demonstrate that many or even all utterances in a test corpus (usually the last two sessions of recording) can be accounted for with the help of recurrent fixed strings (like What’s that?) or frame-and-slot patterns (like [What’s X?]) that can also be identified in the remaining dataset (i.e., the previous sessions of recording). This is taken as evidence that language learning is much more item-based than previously assumed. In the present paper we sketch the development of the method over the last two decades, and discuss its relation to usage-based theory, as well as the cognitive plausibility of its components, and we highlight both its potential and its limitations

Traceback and Chunk-Based Learning

Recent years have seen increased interest in code-mixing from a usage-based perspective. In usage-based approaches to monolingual language acquisition, a number of methods have been developed that allow for detecting patterns from usage data. In this paper, we evaluate two of those methods with regard to their performance when applied to code-mixing data: the traceback method, as well as the chunk-based learner model. Both methods make it possible to automatically detect patterns in speech data. In doing so, however, they place different theoretical emphases: while traceback focuses on frame-and-slot patterns, chunk-based learner focuses on chunking processes. Both methods are applied to the code-mixing of a German–English bilingual child between the ages of 2;3 and 3;11. Advantages and disadvantages of both methods will be discussed, and the results will be interpreted against the background of usage-based approaches

The Influence of Individual and Situational Factors on Teachers’ Justice Ratings of Classroom Interactions

Teachers, as role models, are crucial in promoting inclusion in society through their actions. Being perceived as fair by their students is linked to students’ feelings of belonging in school. In addition, their decisions of resource allocations also affect students’ academic success. Both aspects underpin the importance of teachers’ views on justice. This article aims to investigate what teachers consider to be just and how teacher characteristics and situational factors affect justice ratings of hypothetical student-teacher-interactions. In an experimental design, we randomly varied the description of the interacting student in text vignettes regarding his/her special educational need (SEN) (situational factor). We also collected data on teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion and experiences with persons with disabilities (individual factors). A sample of in-service teachers in Germany (N = 2,254) rated randomized versions of two text vignettes. To also consider the effect of professional status, a sample of pre-service teachers (N = 275) did the same. Linear mixed effect models point to a negative effect of the SEN on justice ratings, meaning situations in which the interacting student is described with a SEN were rated less just compared to the control condition. As the interacting student in the situations was treated worse than the rest, this was indicative for the application of the need principle. Teachers with more positive attitudes toward inclusion rated the vignettes as significantly less just. Professional status also had a negative effect on justice ratings, with in-service teachers rating the interactions significantly lower than the pre-service teachers. Our results suggest that the teachers applied the principle of need in their ratings. Implications for inclusive teaching practices and future research are discussed further.Peer Reviewe

Radiologic features of radiolucent foreign bodies ingestion in common mynah (Acridotheres tristis).

BACKGROUND In mynahs with foreign body ingestion, delayed diagnosis increases the risk of poor outcomes. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate various radiologic features on plain and contrast radiographs in mynahs for assessing the presence of ingested foreign bodies. METHODS In our cross-sectional study, a total of 41 mynahs were included. The diagnosis was made by history, surgery, excision by forceps or excretion in the faeces. Overall, 21 mynahs were considered not to have a foreign body in their gastrointestinal tract. Plain and post-contrast [oral administration of barium sulphate colloidal suspension of 25% weight/volume (20 mg/kg)] lateral and ventrodorsal radiographs from the cervical and coelomic cavity were taken. Different parameters including oesophageal, proventricular, and small intestinal diameters and opacities were assessed. Image evaluation was performed by two national board-certified radiologists blinded to the final diagnoses. RESULTS The inter- and intra-observer reliabilities of the diagnostic features were significant (p < 0.001). The diagnosis of the foreign body was highly accurate [90.2% (95% CI: 76.9%, 92.3%)] with the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the representative characteristic curve of 90.0%, 90.5%, and 0.93%, respectively for plain radiographs. The size and opacity of the oesophagus, proventriculus, and intestinal loops as well as serosal details were significantly different between mynahs with and without foreign body intake (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Lateral and ventrodorsal plain radiographs are highly reliable for diagnosing the presence of non-opaque obstructing objects in the gastrointestinal tract of mynahs. Attention should be paid to the size and opacity of the oesophagus, extension, and opacity of the proventriculus, segmental opacity of intestinal loops, and decrease in serosal details

Classroom climate and bullying experiences in relation to social acceptance and friendships in inclusive classes

Soziale Partizipation von Schüler:innen mit sonderpädagogischem Förderbedarf (SPF) ist ein zentrales Thema aktueller Inklusionsdebatten. Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es, zu untersuchen, ob sich die Wahrnehmung des Klassenklimas und der Bullyingerfahrungen von Jugendlichen mit SPF Lernen (LE) und emotional-soziale Entwicklung (ESE) von Schüler:innen ohne SPF unterscheidet und zu evaluieren, inwieweit soziale Akzeptanz sowie reziproke und gruppenübergreifende Freundschaften mit dem Klassenklima und Bullyingerfahrungen zusammenhängen. Dazu wurden von 894 Sechst- und Siebtklässler:innen aus 44 inklusiven Klassen soziometrische und Fragebogendaten erhoben. Mithilfe von Mehrebenen-Regressionsanalysen zeigte sich, dass ältere sowie Schüler:innen mit SPF ESE das Klassenklima negativer wahrnehmen. Für Jugendliche mit SPF LE und der Interaktion von Alter und SPF zeigten sich keine signifikanten Zusammenhänge mit dem wahrgenommenen Klassenklima und Bullyingerfahrungen. Darüber hinaus hingen alle drei soziometrischen Maße auf individueller Ebene signifikant mit dem Klassenklima und Bullyingerfahrungen zusammen. Für das Klassenklima ließen sich die ermittelten Zusammenhänge ebenfalls auf der Klassenebene beobachten. (DIPF/Orig.)Social participation of students with special educational needs (SEN) is a central topic in current inclusion debates. The goal of the present study was to analyze self-perceived classroom climate and bullying experiences of adolescents with SEN learning (LE) and social-emotional development (SED), and to investigate to what extent social acceptance, reciprocal, and cross-group friendships relate to classroom climate and bullying experiences. Sociometric and questionnaire data were collected from 894 sixth- and seventh-graders from 44 inclusive classes. Applying multilevel regression analyses findings revealed that older students and adolescents with SEN SED reported lower scores for classroom climate. For adolescents with SEN LE and the interaction of age and SEN, no significant relations were found with classroom climate and bullying experiences. Furthermore, all three sociometric measures were significantly related to classroom climate and bullying experiences at the individual level. For classroom climate, these relations were also evident at the class level. (DIPF/Orig.

Adrenocortical tumors and pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma initially mistaken as neuroblastoma — experiences from the GPOH-MET registry

In children and adolescents, neuroblastoma (NBL), pheochromocytoma (PCC), and adrenocortical tumors (ACT) can arise from the adrenal gland. It may be difficult to distinguish between these three entities including associated extra-adrenal tumors (paraganglioma, PGL). Precise discrimination, however, is of crucial importance for management. Biopsy in ACT or PCC is potentially harmful and should be avoided whenever possible. We herein report data on 10 children and adolescents with ACT and five with PCC/PGL, previously mistaken as NBL. Two patients with adrenocortical carcinoma died due to disease progression. Two (2/9, missing data in one patient) patients with a final diagnosis of ACT clearly presented with obvious clinical signs and symptoms of steroid hormone excess, while seven patients did not. Blood analyses indicated increased levels of steroid hormones in one additional patient; however, urinary steroid metabolome analysis was not performed in any patient. Two (2/10) patients underwent tumor biopsy, and in two others tumor rupture occurred intraoperatively. In 6/10 patients, ACT diagnosis was only established by a reference pediatric pathology laboratory. Four (4/5) patients with a final diagnosis of PCC/PGL presented with clinical signs and symptoms of catecholamine excess. Urine tests indicated possible catecholamine excess in two patients, while no testing was carried out in three patients. Measurements of plasma metanephrines were not performed in any patient. None of the five patients with PCC/PGL received adrenergic blockers before surgery. In four patients, PCC/PGL diagnosis was established by a local pathologist, and in one patient diagnosis was revised to PGL by a pediatric reference pathologist. Genetic testing, performed in three out of five patients with PCC/PGL, indicated pathogenic variants of PCC/PGL susceptibility genes. The differential diagnosis of adrenal neoplasias and associated extra-adrenal tumors in children and adolescents may be challenging, necessitating interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary efforts. In ambiguous and/or hormonally inactive cases through comprehensive biochemical testing, microscopical complete tumor resection by an experienced surgeon is vital to preventing poor outcome in children and adolescents with ACT and/or PCC/PGL. Finally, specimens need to be assessed by an experienced pediatric pathologist to establish diagnosis

P53 Codon 72 (Arg72Pro) Polymorphism and Prostate Cancer Risk: Association between Disease Onset and Proline Genotype

The tumor suppressor gene p53 plays an important role in the stress response of the cell and is mutated in 50% of all human tumors. The p53 Arg72Pro single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was found to be associated with an increased risk of various malignancies. Biochemical and biological differences between the 2 polymorphic variants of wild-type P53 might lead to distinct susceptibility to HPV- and non-HPV-induced tumors. For prostate cancer, only limited data are available, especially in the Caucasian pop-ulation. Therefore, we determined the distribution of the Arg72Pro SNP in a Caucasian case-control study including 118 prostate cancer patients and 194 male controls without any malignancy using restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. A subset of 33 tumors was tested for HPV infection, and no HPV DNA was found. Cases and controls showed similar distributions of alleles in the SNP (p = 0.720). Regarding the onset of the disease, patients diagnosed at ≤60 years of age and older patients (>60 years of age) showed a significant difference in genotype distribution (p = 0.035); there was also an increased occurrence of risk allele Pro72 in cases aged ≤60 years (p = 0.045). A subset of 64 prostate tumors was stained immunohistochemically for P53. 5 of 64 prostate tumors (7.8%) were positive for P53 expression, indicating integrity of the protein in the majority of cases. Genotype distribution showed no association with the Gleason score or additional histopathological characteristics. This study shows that the overall risk of prostate cancer was not associated with Arg72Pro SNP and HPV infection in our cohort. However, disease onset might be modulated by the p53 Pro72 allele, suggesting an important role of apoptosis regulation in prostate carcinogenesis

P53 Codon 72 (Arg72Pro) Polymorphism and Prostate Cancer Risk: Association between Disease Onset and Proline Genotype

The tumor suppressor gene p53 plays an important role in the stress response of the cell and is mutated in 50% of all human tumors. The p53 Arg72Pro single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was found to be associated with an increased risk of various malignancies. Biochemical and biological differences between the 2 polymorphic variants of wild-type P53 might lead to distinct susceptibility to HPV- and non-HPV-induced tumors. For prostate cancer, only limited data are available, especially in the Caucasian pop-ulation. Therefore, we determined the distribution of the Arg72Pro SNP in a Caucasian case-control study including 118 prostate cancer patients and 194 male controls without any malignancy using restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. A subset of 33 tumors was tested for HPV infection, and no HPV DNA was found. Cases and controls showed similar distributions of alleles in the SNP (p = 0.720). Regarding the onset of the disease, patients diagnosed at ≤60 years of age and older patients (>60 years of age) showed a significant difference in genotype distribution (p = 0.035); there was also an increased occurrence of risk allele Pro72 in cases aged ≤60 years (p = 0.045). A subset of 64 prostate tumors was stained immunohistochemically for P53. 5 of 64 prostate tumors (7.8%) were positive for P53 expression, indicating integrity of the protein in the majority of cases. Genotype distribution showed no association with the Gleason score or additional histopathological characteristics. This study shows that the overall risk of prostate cancer was not associated with Arg72Pro SNP and HPV infection in our cohort. However, disease onset might be modulated by the p53 Pro72 allele, suggesting an important role of apoptosis regulation in prostate carcinogenesis