Development and evaluation of a screening procedure estimating the risk of future literacy problems in children when entering primary school

Einen wichtigen Baustein im Rahmen der Prävention von Problemen beim Schriftspracherwerb stellen Screening-Verfahren dar. Die meisten Instrumente zur Prognose solcher Schwächen im Grundschulalter sind als Einzelverfahren konzipiert. Die damit verbundene extrem hohe Zeit- und Personalintensität erschwert den flächendeckenden Einsatz in der Praxis deutlich. Im vorliegenden Beitrag werden die Entwicklung und Evaluation eines Filter-Screenings an einer Stichprobe von N = 173 Kindern der ersten Klassenstufe beschrieben, das auf Gruppenebene durchgeführt werden kann. Auf der Basis der logistischer Regressionsanalyse konnte ein durch eine Kreuzvalidierung abgesichertes Drei-Variablen-Prognosemodell (nonverbaler IQ, Satzverstehen, Phonemsynthese) identifiziert werden, das sehr gute AUC-Werte (bis zu > .90) und vor dem Hintergrund eines optimalen Prognose-Cutoffs gute Sensitivitäts- und Spezifitätswerte (91.2%; 84.9%) bei einem RATZ-Index = 87.4% aufweist. (DIPF/Orig.)Screening methods play an important role in preventing problems with the acquisition of written language. Most of these instruments applied in children when entering primary school are designed as individual procedures. The associated extremely high time and personnel intensity makes it much more difficult to use them across the board in practice. This paper describes the development and evaluation of a filter screening-instrument on a sample of N = 173 first graders, which can be carried out at group level. On the basis of a logistic regression analysis, a three-variable prognosis model (nonverbal IQ, sentence comprehension, phoneme synthesis), secured by a cross-validation, could be developed, which has very good AUC-values (up to > .90) and, against the background of an optimal prognosis cutoff, good sensitivity and specificity values (91.2%; 84.9%) with a RATZ index = 87.4%. (DIPF/Orig.

Einfluss der Fellbach-Wasserfälle auf das Fliessverhalten von Murgängen und auf mögliche Schutzmassnahmen

Aufsatz veröffentlicht in: "Wasserbau-Symposium 2021: Wasserbau in Zeiten von Energiewende, Gewässerschutz und Klimawandel, Zurich, Switzerland, September 15-17, 2021, Band 1" veröffentlicht unter: https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-00049975

Forum: Feminism in German Studies

From Professor Wallach\u27s contribution entitled Jews and Gender : To consider Jews and gender within German Studies is to explore the evolution of German‐Jewish Studies with respect to feminist and gender studies. At times this involves looking beyond German Studies to other scholarship in Jewish gender studies, an interdisciplinary subfield in its own right. Over the past few decades, the focus on gender within German‐Jewish Studies has experienced several shifts in line with broader trends: an initial focus on the history of Jewish women and feminist movements gradually expanded to encompass the study of gender identity, masculinity, and sexuality. Historical and literary scholarly approaches now operate alongside and in dialogue with interdisciplinary scholarship in cultural studies, film and visual studies, performance studies, and other fields. [excerpt

International Research Infrastructure Landscape 2019 : A European Perspective

The report is the final product of the RISCAPE project, funded by the European Commission H2020 programme

Assessment of brain age in posttraumatic stress disorder: Findings from the ENIGMA PTSD and brain age working groups

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with markers of accelerated aging. Estimates of brain age, compared to chronological age, may clarify the effects of PTSD on the brain and may inform treatment approaches targeting the neurobiology of aging in the context of PTSD. Method: Adult subjects (N = 2229; 56.2% male) aged 18–69 years (mean = 35.6, SD = 11.0) from 21 ENIGMA-PGC PTSD sites underwent T1-weighted brain structural magnetic resonance imaging, and PTSD assessment (PTSD+, n = 884). Previously trained voxel-wise (brainageR) and region-of-interest (BARACUS and PHOTON) machine learning pipelines were compared in a subset of control subjects (n = 386). Linear mixed effects models were conducted in the full sample (those with and without PTSD) to examine the effect of PTSD on brain predicted age difference (brain PAD; brain age − chronological age) controlling for chronological age, sex, and scan site. Results: BrainageR most accurately predicted brain age in a subset (n = 386) of controls (brainageR: ICC = 0.71, R = 0.72, MAE = 5.68; PHOTON: ICC = 0.61, R = 0.62, MAE = 6.37; BARACUS: ICC = 0.47, R = 0.64, MAE = 8.80). Using brainageR, a three-way interaction revealed that young males with PTSD exhibited higher brain PAD relative to male controls in young and old age groups; old males with PTSD exhibited lower brain PAD compared to male controls of all ages. Discussion: Differential impact of PTSD on brain PAD in younger versus older males may indicate a critical window when PTSD impacts brain aging, followed by age-related brain changes that are consonant with individuals without PTSD. Future longitudinal research is warranted to understand how PTSD impacts brain aging across the lifespan

Maturation of Dendritic Cells Is Accompanied by Rapid Transcriptional Silencing of Class II Transactivator (Ciita) Expression

Cell surface expression of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) molecules is increased during the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs). This enhances their ability to present antigen and activate naive CD4+ T cells. In contrast to increased cell surface MHCII expression, de novo biosynthesis of MHCII mRNA is turned off during DC maturation. We show here that this is due to a remarkably rapid reduction in the synthesis of class II transactivator (CIITA) mRNA and protein. This reduction in CIITA expression occurs in human monocyte-derived DCs and mouse bone marrow–derived DCs, and is triggered by a variety of different maturation stimuli, including lipopolysaccharide, tumor necrosis factor α, CD40 ligand, interferon α, and infection with Salmonella typhimurium or Sendai virus. It is also observed in vivo in splenic DCs in acute myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein induced experimental autoimmune encephalitis. The arrest in CIITA expression is the result of a transcriptional inactivation of the MHC2TA gene. This is mediated by a global repression mechanism implicating histone deacetylation over a large domain spanning the entire MHC2TA regulatory region

Environmental and genetic risk factors and gene-environment interactions in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive lung disease.

Current understanding of the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a source of substantial morbidity and mortality in the United States, suggests that chronic inflammation leads to the airways obstruction and parenchymal destruction that characterize this condition. Environmental factors, especially tobacco smoke exposure, are known to accelerate longitudinal decline of lung function, and there is substantial evidence that upregulation of inflammatory pathways plays a vital role in this process. Genetic regulation of both inflammatory responses and anti-inflammatory protective mechanisms likely underlies the heritability of COPD observed in family studies. In alpha-1 protease inhibitor deficiency, the only genetic disorder known to cause COPD, lack of inhibition of elastase activity, results in the parenchymal destruction of emphysema. Other genetic polymorphisms have been hypothesized to alter the risk of COPD but have not been established as causes of this condition. It is likely that multiple genetic factors interacting with each other and with a number of environmental agents will be found to result in the development of COPD