A Family Strengths Approach to Early Language and Literacy Development

Language and literacy skills are an essential element of young children’s development and allow them to interact meaningfully with other people and to develop knowledge in all subject areas. Despite the importance of language and literacy development, however, more than one third of children in the United States enter school with significant differences in language, early literacy skills, and motivation to learn that place them at considerable risk for developing long-term reading difficulties. The quantity and quality of language interactions children have with their parents and exposure to print in their home environment prior to entering school have an important impact on these individual differences. This paper provides teachers with guidelines and tools for helping families identify and create language and literacy opportunities in their home environment that reflect their unique strengths and routines

An enquiry into the ideological coherence of black economic empowerment

Abstract Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) is an ambitious policy of the ANC-led South African (SA) government. The objectives of this far-reaching policy are outlined in the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act of 2003. This act, together with supporting policy and strategy documents, clearly indicates that BEE aims to achieve many and diverse objectives. These include: “achieving the constitutional right of equality; increasing participation of black people in the economy; promoting a higher growth rate; increased employment and more equitable income distribution”1. Analysing the ideological coherence of BEE requires a critical look at the competing ideological influences within the ANC, both contemporary and historical. The ANC’s commitment to an inclusive ideology of non-racialism has been a defining feature of the ANC, distinguishing the party from other factions of the liberation struggle. Although no reference is made to non-racialism in the Broad-Based BEE Act itself, ANC leaders frequently suggest that BEE is part of the ANC’s pursuit of a non-racial future. This report will highlight evidence of such claims and although such pronouncements were more prolific in ANC rhetoric in the 1990s, attention will also be drawn to the many recent references to this ideal in ANC documents and speeches. This contrasts with the enduring influence of African nationalism within the ANC. In examining the ideological foundations of BEE it is therefore essential that one trace the emergence of non-racial thinking within the ANC. This requires an investigation into the context in which non-racialism emerged, comparing and contrasting this ideology with the other ideological influences within the ANC. Such discussion will primarily focus on the competing influences of non-racialism and African nationalism, multi-racialism, and black consciousness. This examination will ultimately conclude that African nationalism has been the most enduring ideology within the ANC. The degree of inclusiveness in the ANC’s African nationalist thinking has shifted at various times, partly due to the influence of these other ideologies. This paper will argue that the current form approach to BEE reflects a shift towards a more exclusive form of African nationalism. 1 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act, 2003, Act No. 53, 200

Role of Educational Factors on College Students’ Creation Worldview

What one believes about origins is a significant component of an overall worldview. An ongoing study at Liberty University is being conducted to define and measure a creationist worldview while determining factors that influence the beliefs and attitudes about origins in a Christian college student population. The Creation Worldview Test (CWT) was administered before and after completion of a required apologetics course. Previous attendance at a creation seminar or course was associated with a stronger initial creation worldview, however prior completion of a college science course appeared to have no impact. Importantly, students who attended a public high school had a significantly weaker initial creation worldview than those who attended Christian high schools or home school. Following the apologetics course which was taught from a young-Earth Creation perspective, a large number of students showed a much stronger creation worldview. In particular, the number of students in the ‘conservative Biblical theism’ category doubled from 64 to 128 (out of 195 students in the study). These results demonstrate the importance and the clear impact of teaching students from a young-Earth Creation perspective

Comorbid conditions explain the association between posttraumatic stress disorder and incident cardiovascular disease

Background Posttraumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) is associated with risk of cardiovascular disease ( CVD ). Biopsychosocial factors associated with PTSD likely account for some or all of this association. We determined whether 1, or a combination of comorbid conditions explained the association between PTSD and incident CVD . Methods and Results Eligible patients used 1 of 5 Veterans Health Affairs medical centers distributed across the United States. Data were obtained from electronic health records. At index date, 2519 Veterans Health Affairs ( VA ) patients, 30 to 70 years of age, had PTSD diagnoses and 1659 did not. Patients had no CVD diagnoses for 12 months before index date. Patients could enter the cohort between 2008 and 2012 with follow-up until 2015. Age-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were computed before and after adjusting for comorbidities. Patients were middle aged (mean=50.1 years, SD ±11.0), mostly male (87.0%), and 60% were white. The age-adjusted association between PTSD and incident CVD was significant (hazard ratio=1.41; 95% CI : 1.21-1.63). After adjustment for metabolic conditions, the association between PTSD and incident CVD was attenuated but remained significant (hazard ratio=1.23; 95% CI : 1.06-1.44). After additional adjustment for smoking, sleep disorder, substance use disorder, anxiety disorders, and depression, PTSD was not associated with incident CVD (hazard ratio=0.96; 95% CI : 0.81-1.15). Conclusions PTSD is not an independent risk factor for CVD . Physical and psychiatric conditions and smoking that co-occur with PTSD explain why this patient population has an increased risk of CVD . Careful monitoring may limit exposure to CVD risk factors and subsequent incident CVD

Surgical procedure for the cure of atrioventricular junctional (“AV node”) reentrant tachycardia: Anatomic and electrophysiologic effects of dissection of the anterior atrionodal connections in a canine model

AbstractObjectives. This study was undertaken to examine the electrophysiologic and anatomic efects of a surgical procedure that cures the anterior (common) type of atrioventricular (AV) junciional reentrant tachycardia.Background. The procedure was designed to interrupt the reentrant circuit at the point of earliest atrial activation during AV junctional reentrant tachycardia, the anterior atrionodal connections.Methods. Atrioventricular node function and the sequence of electrical excitation of Koch's triangle were examined in 18 dogs. Excitation of Koch's triangle was mapped using a 60-channel mapping system. Surgical dissection was performed in 10 dogs and a sham procedure in 8. After 28 to 35 days, AV node function and the atrial excitation pattern were reassessed. The AV junction was examined using light microscopy.Results. Some degree of AV node damage was visible in all dogs in the dissection group, but it was minor in 40% of cases. The anterior part of the AV node was disconnected from the anterior atrionodal connections in all cases. Anterograde AV node function was mildly impaired. The median AH interval was increased (62 vs. 76 ms [interquartile ranges 48 to 72 and 64 to 104, respectively], P = 0.05), and the AV Wenckebach cycle length was increased (210 vs. 245 ms [interquartile ranges 200 to 230 and 210 to 260, respectively], p = 0.02). The degree of impairment of conduction was directly proportional to the length of dissection (p < 0.05) but not to the degree of damage to the AV node. Ventriculoatrial (VA) conduction was destroyed in 50% of dogs undergoing dissection but in none of those with a sham operation (p < 0.04). The AV node remained responsive to autonomic blocking drugs, and atrial mapping during ventricular pacing revealed that the site of exit from the AV node had been altered.Conclusions. The atrionodal connections closest to the His bundle are the preferred route of conduction through the AV node during normal AV or VA conduction. Destruction of these connections modifies AV node conduction. The surgical procedure selectively interrupts these connections, and this interruption is likely to be the mechanism of cure

Mechanism, localization and cure of atrial arrhythmias occurring after a new intraoperative endocardial radiofrequency ablation procedure for atrial fibrillation

AbstractOBJECTIVESThe purpose of this study was to test a new pattern of radiofrequency ablation for atrial fibrillation (AFib) intended to optimize atrial activation, and to demonstrate the usefulness of catheter techniques for mapping and ablation of postoperative atrial arrhythmias.BACKGROUNDLinear radiofrequency lesions have been used to cure AFib, but the optimal pattern of lesions is unknown and postoperative tachyarrhythmias are common.METHODSA radial pattern of linear radiofrequency lesions (Star) was made using an endocardial open surgical approach in 25 patients. Postoperative arrhythmias were induced and characterized during electrophysiological studies in 15 patients.RESULTSThe AFib was abolished in most patients (91%), but atrial flutter (AFlut) occurred in 96% of patients postoperatively. At postoperative electrophysiological studies, 37 flutter morphologies were studied in 15 patients (46% spontaneous, cycle length [CL] 223 ± 25 ms). Seven mechanisms (lesions discontinuity, n = 6; focal mechanism, n = 1) of AFlut were characterized in six patients. In these cases, flutter was abolished using further catheter radiofrequency ablation. In the remaining cases, flutter was usually localized to an area involving the interatrial septum, but no critical isthmus was identified for ablation. After 16 ± 10 months, 15 patients (65%) were asymptomatic with (n = 3) or without (n = 12) antiarrhythmic medications. Eight (35%) patients had persistent arrhythmias. Postoperative atrial electrical activation was near physiological.CONCLUSIONSThe AFib may be abolished using a radial pattern of linear endocardial radiofrequency lesions, but postoperative AFlut is common even when lesions are made under optimal conditions. Endocardial mapping techniques can be used to characterize the flutter mechanisms, thus enabling subsequent successful catheter ablation

Magnetization transfer ratio measures in normal-appearing white matter show periventricular gradient abnormalities in multiple sclerosis

In multiple sclerosis, grey matter pathology occurs mostly next to or near the outer surface of the brain. Using quantitative MRI, Liu et al. reveal that white matter abnormalities are also greatest near the surface of the brain, suggesting common elements in the genesis of grey and white matter patholog

ADvanced IMage Algebra (ADIMA): a novel method for depicting multiple sclerosis lesion heterogeneity, as demonstrated by quantitative MRI.

BACKGROUND: There are modest correlations between multiple sclerosis (MS) disability and white matter lesion (WML) volumes, as measured by T2-weighted (T2w) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans (T2-WML). This may partly reflect pathological heterogeneity in WMLs, which is not apparent on T2w scans. OBJECTIVE: To determine if ADvanced IMage Algebra (ADIMA), a novel MRI post-processing method, can reveal WML heterogeneity from proton-density weighted (PDw) and T2w images. METHODS: We obtained conventional PDw and T2w images from 10 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and ADIMA images were calculated from these. We classified all WML into bright (ADIMA-b) and dark (ADIMA-d) sub-regions, which were segmented. We obtained conventional T2-WML and T1-WML volumes for comparison, as well as the following quantitative magnetic resonance parameters: magnetisation transfer ratio (MTR), T1 and T2. Also, we assessed the reproducibility of the segmentation for ADIMA-b, ADIMA-d and T2-WML. RESULTS: Our study's ADIMA-derived volumes correlated with conventional lesion volumes (p < 0.05). ADIMA-b exhibited higher T1 and T2, and lower MTR than the T2-WML (p < 0.001). Despite the similarity in T1 values between ADIMA-b and T1-WML, these regions were only partly overlapping with each other. ADIMA-d exhibited quantitative characteristics similar to T2-WML; however, they were only partly overlapping. Mean intra- and inter-observer coefficients of variation for ADIMA-b, ADIMA-d and T2-WML volumes were all < 6 % and < 10 %, respectively. CONCLUSION: ADIMA enabled the simple classification of WML into two groups having different quantitative magnetic resonance properties, which can be reproducibly distinguished