18 research outputs found
Translanguaging as a strategy to boost human learning : an event-related potential (ERP) investigation
Bilingual education has witnessed a major shift towards mixing two languages in the
classroom. However, adequate methods taking into account the needs of today’s highly
multicultural world require scientific testing. Translanguaging is a method of learning in
which students produce an output of their learning in a language different to that of
instruction. So far, insights into the potential benefits of this method have been
exclusively qualitative. The aim of this thesis was to quantify the benefits of
translanguaging for new knowledge acquisition. In the main experiment (Chapter 4) I
have found neuroscientific evidence for facilitated access to existing semantic
representations for items used in learning mediated by translanguaging as compared to
control items presented in a monolingual learning context. Participants were tested
using a picture-picture priming paradigm after a learning phase involving either English
or a code-switch between English and Welsh simultaneous with a switch between
reading and speaking. Beyond the expected effect of semantic relatedness on the mean
N400 amplitude, well known to index semantic processing effort (Kutas and Hillyard,
1980), a striking main effect of translanguaging on the same N400 was found,
suggesting that relevant semantic representations had become selectively more
accessible in long-term memory. Moreover, this effect could still be measured 2 to 4
weeks later without participant training. In chapters 5 and 6, I have set out to test the
two components of translanguaging separately in order to determine the contribution to
the overall effect of code-switching on one hand and comprehension-to-production on
another. Chapter 5 focuses on the automaticity of semantic priming and the potential
impact of code-switching on the N400 in Welsh-English bilinguals. Chapter 6 focuses
on the effects of the comprehension-to-production switch on the N400 in Basque-Spanish bilinguals
Time is of the Essence: A Review of Electroencephalography (EEG) and Event-Related Brain Potentials (ERPs) in Language Research
Neke odrednice doživljaja roditeljske kompetentnosti u obiteljima djece s teškoćama u razvoju
Pozitivna slika o roditeljskoj kompetentnosti povezana je s osjećajem uspješnosti u roditeljstvu i kvaliteti interakcije djeteta i roditelja. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati doprinos socio-demografskih obilježja roditelja i djeteta s teškoćama u razvoju, pokazatelja dobrobiti roditelja, podrške neposredne i šire okoline te roditeljskog stresa u objašnjenju roditeljskog osjećaja kompetentnosti. U uzorku 308 roditelja djece predškolske dobi prediktorima roditeljske kompetentnosti pokazali su se: zdravlje, bračno stanje i zadovoljstvo brakom. Povrh varijabli unesenih u prvom koraku primjenom hijerarhijske regresijske analize u drugom koraku objašnjeno je 23% varijance u efikasnosti roditeljstva, te 44% varijance zadovoljstva u roditeljskoj ulozi. Dobiveni rezultati pridonose spoznajama o roditeljskoj kompetentnosti u obiteljima djece s teškoćama u razvoju, upućujući na potrebu daljnjeg istraživanja ovog za obitelj važnog područja
Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study
Summary
Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally.
Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies
have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of
the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income
countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality.
Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to
hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis,
exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a
minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical
status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary
intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause,
in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status.
We did a complete case analysis.
Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital
diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal
malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome
countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male.
Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3).
Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income
countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups).
Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome
countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries;
p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients
combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11],
p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20
[1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention
(ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety
checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed
(ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of
parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65
[0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality.
Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome,
middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will
be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger
than 5 years by 2030
Impact of simulated visual impairment on the cognitive test performance of young adults
Aims: This study investigated the effect of simulated visual impairment on the speed and accuracy of performance on a series of commonly used cognitive tests. ----- Methods: Cognitive performance was assessed for 30 young, visually normal subjects (M=22.0yrs ± 3.1 yrs) using the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), Trail Making Test (TMT) A and B and the Stroop Colour Word Test under three visual conditions: normal vision and two levels of visually degrading filters (VistechTM) administered in a random order. Distance visual acuity and contrast sensitivity were also assessed for each filter condition. ----- Results: The visual filters, which degraded contrast sensitivity to a greater extent than visual acuity, significantly increased the time to complete (p<0.05), but not the number of errors made, on the DSST and the TMT A and B and affected only some components of the Stroop test.----- Conclusions: Reduced contrast sensitivity had a marked effect on the speed but not the accuracy of performance on commonly used cognitive tests, even in young individuals; the implications of these findings are discussed