The influence of personality traits and facets on visuo-spatial task performance and self-assessed visuo-spatial inclinations in young and older adults.

Aims Personality traits are suggested to influence adults\u2019 cognitive performance, but little is known about their association with visuo-spatial competence, in terms of those visuo-spatial abilities and inclinations crucial to remaining autonomous, especially with aging. This study newly investigated whether, and to what extent, major traits and narrower facets of personality influence young and older adults\u2019 performance in the so-called objective visuo-spatial abilities (mental rotation and visuo-spatial working memory [VSWM]), and self-assessed visuo-spatial inclinations (pleasure and anxiety in exploring places). Method Seventy young adults (18\u201335 years old) and 70 older adults (65\u201375 years old) completed the Big-Five questionnaire, objective rotation and VSWM tasks, and spatial self-assessments on pleasure and anxiety in exploring places. Results Hierarchical regression models confirmed that age negatively predicted the variance in objective visuo-spatial tasks, but not in self-assessed visuo-spatial inclinations, while only the latter were slightly influenced by gender (in favor of men). Further, both objective visuospatial abilities (albeit modestly) and self-assessed visuo-spatial inclinations were predicted by higher Conscientiousness. The latter were also predicted by higher Emotional Stability. Finally, a better objective visuo-spatial performance was explained (again modestly) by lower Dynamism and Politeness, and higher Emotion Control, while higher Perseverance, Emotion Control and Cooperativeness explained a moderate part of the variance in the positive self-assessed visuo-spatial inclinations. Conclusions Our findings indicate that, beyond age and gender, some personality traits and facets predict self-assessed visuo-spatial inclinations to a larger extent than objective visuo-spatial performance. These results are discussed within the spatial cognition and aging framework

Image Analysis for Facility Siting: a Comparison of Lowand High-altitude Image Interpretability for Land Use/land Cover Mapping

For two test sites in Pennsylvania the interpretability of commercially acquired low-altitude and existing high-altitude aerial photography are documented in terms of time, costs, and accuracy for Anderson Level II land use/land cover mapping. Information extracted from the imagery is to be used in the evaluation process for siting energy facilities. Land use/land cover maps were drawn at 1:24,000 scale using commercially flown color infrared photography obtained from the United States Geological Surveys' EROS Data Center. Detailed accuracy assessment of the maps generated by manual image analysis was accomplished employing a stratified unaligned adequate class representation. Both 'area-weighted' and 'by-class' accuracies were documented and field-verified. A discrepancy map was also drawn to illustrate differences in classifications between the two map scales. Results show that the 1:24,000 scale map set was more accurate (99% to 94% area-weighted) than the 1:62,500 scale set, especially when sampled by class (96% to 66%). The 1:24,000 scale maps were also more time-consuming and costly to produce, due mainly to higher image acquisition costs

The relationship between intelligence, working memory, academic self-esteem, and academic achievement

Academic achievement is crucial for life and long-term outcomes. The aim of the present study is to examine the joint role of cognitive (intelligence and working memory) and non-cognitive (academic self-esteem) factors in predicting academic achievement (mathematics and reading literacy) in a sample of Italian sixth and eighth graders. The results showed that within the cognitive factors considered, intelligence was the best predictor of achievement. As regards to non-cognitive factors, academic self-esteem was effective at predicting achievement after controlling for cognitive measures. Academic self-esteem was also found to have an indirect effect, mediated by intelligence, on academic achievement. Both theoretical and practical implications of the present results are discussed

Separating math from anxiety: The role of inhibitory mechanisms.

Deficits in executive functions have been hypothesized and documented for children with severe mathematics anxiety (MA) or developmental dyscalculia, but the role of inhibition-related processes has not been specifically explored. The main aim of the present study was to shed further light on the specificity of these profiles in children in terms of working memory (WM) and the inhibitory functions involved. Four groups of children between 8 and 10 years old were selected: one group with developmental dyscalculia (DD) and no MA, one with severe MA and developmental dyscalculia (MA-DD), one with severe MA and no DD (MA), and one with typical development (TD). All children were presented with tasks measuring two inhibition-related functions, that is, proactive interference and prepotent response, and a WM task. The results showed that children with severe MA (but no DD) were specifically impaired in the proactive interference task, while children with DD (with or without MA) failed in the WM task. Our findings point to the importance of distinguishing the cognitive processes underlying these profiles

Noise, age and gender effects on speech intelligibility and sentence comprehension for 11- to 13-year-old children in real classrooms.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of type of noise, age, and gender on children\u2019s speech intelligibility (SI) and sentence comprehension (SC). The experiment was conducted with 171 children between 11 and 13 years old in ecologically-valid conditions (collective presentation in real, reverberating classrooms). Two standardized tests were used to assess SI and SC. The two tasks were presented in three listening conditions: quiet; traffic noise; and classroom noise (non-intelligible noise with the same spectrum and temporal envelope of speech, plus typical classroom sound events). Both task performance accuracy and listening effort were considered in the analyses, the latter tracked by recording the response time (RT) using a single-task paradigm. Classroom noise was found to have the worst effect on both tasks (worsening task performance accuracy and slowing RTs), due to its spectro-temporal characteristics. A developmental effect was seen in the range of ages (11\u201313 years), which depended on the task and listening condition. Gender effects were also seen in both tasks, girls being more accurate and quicker to respond in most listening conditions. A significant interaction emerged between type of noise, age and task, indicating that classroom noise had a greater impact on RTs for SI than for SC. Overall, these results indicate that, for 11- to 13-year-old children, performance in SI and SC tasks is influenced by aspects relating to both the sound environment and the listener (age, gender). The presence of significant interactions between these factors and the type of task suggests that the acoustic conditions that guarantee optimal SI might not be equally adequate for SC. Our findings have implications for the development of standard requirements for the acoustic design of classrooms

Association between non-O blood group and spontaneous abortion in women with inherited thrombophilia

Abstract Background Spontaneous abortion is reported to be one of the most frequent pregnancy complications reaching a prevalence up to 15%. The association between congenital thrombophilia and pregnancy loss has been debated in several studies with conflicting results. We aimed to retrospectively evaluate the prevalence of inherited thrombophilia (i.e antithrombin, protein S and C deficiencies, factor V Leiden and prothrombin variant) in a group of women with a personal history of miscarriage. The prevalence non-O blood group, considered the most common thrombophilic condition, was concomitantly considered. Materials and methods A group of n. 566 women with a personal history of spontaneous abortion recruited among caregivers of patients admitted to the Medical Department of our University Hospital between December 2011 and December 2019 were enrolled. Women under 18 yrs, those with a personal history of venous and/or arterial thrombosis and with an acquired thrombophilic condition were excluded. An equally number of healthy women without a personal history of pregnancy loss acted as controls. The Odds Ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated as an estimate of pregnancy loss developing. Results Out of n. 566 enrolled women, n. 127 (22.4%) had an inherited thrombophilic condition. The prevalence of congenital thrombophilia was significantly higher in women with miscarriage than controls (OR 2.12; CI 95% 1.51–2.92). Non-O blood type was observed in n. 325 (57.4%) women. The prevalence of non-O blood group was significantly higher in women with pregnancy loss (p 0.01) and the association of thrombophilia and non-O blood type further increased the risk of pregnancy loss (OR 3.28; CI 95% 2.01–5.36). Conclusions Both inherited thrombophilia and non-O blood type should be considered risk factors for pregnancy loss. The knowledge of this information may help the clinician to better manage women with pregnancy loss. Further studies are required to confirm our findings. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None

Afetividade e socialização como elementos facilitadores de inclusão em atividades de ginástica acrobática

A inclusão de alunos com necessidades especiais vem sendo alvo de muitos estudos e discussões. Este movimento de caráter mundial tem reflexos no Brasil, de um lado, inspirando todo o aporte legal, pós 1994; de outro lado, provocando intensos debates nos vários segmentos sociais, com especial destaque para a escola, o trabalho, o esporte e o lazer. Neste sentido, o presente estudo teve por objetivo verificar o fortalecimento da afetividade e da socialização entre alunos com necessidades especiais institucionalizados (tidos como deficientes mentais leves e moderados), e alunos da rede regular de ensino, nas faixas etárias de 08 a 10 anos, durante aulas de Ginástica Acrobática, tendo como norteadora, a prática da inclusão. Para se ter uma avaliação mais precisa no que se reporta à socialização e à afetividade, observadas a partir das atividades propostas, procuramos a referência de ROSADAS (1991) que apresenta situações vivenciadas, fichas de registros de dados, elementos preciosos para a consecução deste estudo. Pela análise dos resultados, verificou-se que a prática da Ginástica Acrobática possibilitou aos participantes, condições de desenvolver seu potencial criativo e espontâneo, favorecendo a criação de situações semelhantes às situações reais da vida, auxiliando na integração afetiva e social.Palavras-chave: Inclusão. Ginástica Acrobática. Necessidades Especiais.

Determinação do potássio em fertilizantes por fotometria de chama de emissão

In this paper was studied the flame photometric method for potassium determination in fertilizers using only aqueous extract of fertilizer and aqueous extract content ammonium oxalate, comparatively with the volumetric sodium tetraphenyboron (STPB) method. The flame photometric method using only aqueous extract presented results always down of that STPB method being its relative error on an avarage - 0.76% with potassium fertilizer materials and approximately - 3% with mixtures. The flame photometric method using aqueous extract content ammonium oxalate presented results enough near that STPB method, being its relative error on an avarage - 0.35% with potassium fertilizer materials and approximately 0.7% with mixtures but alternated among positive and negative error. The precision of both photometric method is very high but it must have much care with dilutions, that are larges.O presente trabalho teve por objetivo o estudo do método fotométrico de chama para a determinação do potássio em fertilizantes quando aplicado em extrato simplesmente aquoso e em extrato aquoso contendo oxalato de amônio, comparativamente com o método volumétrico do tetrafenilborato de sódio (TFBS). Os dados obtidos mostraram que o método fotométrico de chama baseado no emprego de extratos simplesmente aquosos de fertilizantes apresentou resultados sempre inferiores ao obtidos pelo método do T.F.B.S. e seu relativo foi, em média, de - 0,76% nos fertilizantes simples e em torno de - 3% nas misturas de fertilizantes. O método fotométrico de chama baseado no emprego de extratos aquosos contendo oxalato de amônio apresentou resultados bastante próximos aos obtidos com o método do T.F.B.S. e seu erro relativo foi, em média, de - 0,35% nos fertilizantes simples e em torno de 0,7% nas misturas de fertilizantes, mas com a alternância entre positivo e negativo. A preciasão foi elevada, mas esmerado cuidado é exigido nas diluições