O Rei – Um Teste para Avaliação da Fluência e Precisão da Leitura no 1º e 2º ciclos do Ensino Básico

In this article is presented an instrument that evaluates two essential reading components: the fluency (number of words read per minute) and the accuracy (percentage of words correctly read). The test has two forms (A and B), which reproduce two Portuguese traditional tales (one in prose and another in verse). It is individually applied and it includes a record of the time spent reading the text, the number of words read and the mistakes given. The sample was constituted by 1st to 6th grade school children (N=387) and it was stratified according to the gender, school year and urban area typology variables. The study of the test’s psychometric features is presented, namely those referring to its reliability and validity, concluding that they are both strong. The effect of the gender, the residence’s geographical area and the intelligence in the test results, were analyzed.On présente dans cet article un outil qui évalue deux compétences essentielles de la lecture, notamment la précision (nombre de mots lus en une minute) et la vitesse (pourcentage de mots correctement lus). Le Test utilise deux contes traditionnels, l’un en prose et l’autre en vers, Forme A et B de ce Test. L’application du test «O Rei» est individuelle et elle prévoit le registre du temps de lecture du texte, du nombre de mots lus et des erreurs commises pendant la lecture. L´échantillon a été constitué par élèves du 1er et du 2e cycle (N=387) et a été stratifié par sexe, année de scolarité et typologie d’aire urbaine. Les études des caractéristiques psychométriques de ce Test, notamment celles qui se rapportent à la fiabilité et validité, ont permis de confirmer leur consistance. On a aussi étudié l’effet du genre, de la zone géographique de résidence et de l’intelligence dans les résultats du Test «O Rei».Neste artigo é apresentado um instrumento que avalia dois componentes essenciais da leitura: a fluência (número de palavras lidas por minuto) e a precisão (percentagem de palavras correctamente lidas). O teste tem duas formas (A e B), que reproduzem dois contos tradicionais portugueses (um em prosa e outro em verso). A sua aplicação é individual e inclui o registo do tempo de leitura do texto, do número de palavras lidas e dos erros cometidos A amostra foi constituída por crianças do 1º ao 6º ano de escolaridade (N=387) e foi estratificada nas variáveis sexo, ano de escolaridade e tipologia de área urbana. Os estudos das características psicométricas do Teste, nomeadamente os que se referem à fiabilidade e validade, permitiram concluir acerca da robustez das mesmas. Foram ainda analisados o efeito do género, da área geográfica de residência e da inteligência nos resultados do teste

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities(.)(1,2) This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity(3-6). Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55% of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017-and more than 80% in some low- and middle-income regions-was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing-and in some countries reversal-of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories.Peer reviewe

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Evaluation of a quality improvement intervention to reduce anastomotic leak following right colectomy (EAGLE): pragmatic, batched stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial in 64 countries

Background Anastomotic leak affects 8 per cent of patients after right colectomy with a 10-fold increased risk of postoperative death. The EAGLE study aimed to develop and test whether an international, standardized quality improvement intervention could reduce anastomotic leaks. Methods The internationally intended protocol, iteratively co-developed by a multistage Delphi process, comprised an online educational module introducing risk stratification, an intraoperative checklist, and harmonized surgical techniques. Clusters (hospital teams) were randomized to one of three arms with varied sequences of intervention/data collection by a derived stepped-wedge batch design (at least 18 hospital teams per batch). Patients were blinded to the study allocation. Low- and middle-income country enrolment was encouraged. The primary outcome (assessed by intention to treat) was anastomotic leak rate, and subgroup analyses by module completion (at least 80 per cent of surgeons, high engagement; less than 50 per cent, low engagement) were preplanned. Results A total 355 hospital teams registered, with 332 from 64 countries (39.2 per cent low and middle income) included in the final analysis. The online modules were completed by half of the surgeons (2143 of 4411). The primary analysis included 3039 of the 3268 patients recruited (206 patients had no anastomosis and 23 were lost to follow-up), with anastomotic leaks arising before and after the intervention in 10.1 and 9.6 per cent respectively (adjusted OR 0.87, 95 per cent c.i. 0.59 to 1.30; P = 0.498). The proportion of surgeons completing the educational modules was an influence: the leak rate decreased from 12.2 per cent (61 of 500) before intervention to 5.1 per cent (24 of 473) after intervention in high-engagement centres (adjusted OR 0.36, 0.20 to 0.64; P < 0.001), but this was not observed in low-engagement hospitals (8.3 per cent (59 of 714) and 13.8 per cent (61 of 443) respectively; adjusted OR 2.09, 1.31 to 3.31). Conclusion Completion of globally available digital training by engaged teams can alter anastomotic leak rates. Registration number: NCT04270721 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)

Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents’ growth and development

Optimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was <1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified