The Impact of an Integrated iPad Daily Multiliteracies Pedagogy on Elementary Students' Reading Achievement, Skills, Engagement, Collaboration and Learning, and Self Perception

This study investigated the impact of the absence and presence of digital technology as part of a daily literacy program on second grade elementary students reading achievement, skill development and engagement, collaboration and learning, and student and parent perceptions of reading ability and engagement. A mixed methods approach including PM Benchmark Assessments, video footage, questionnaires, and interviews, was incorporated. Students in the Integrated iPad Literacy Program (IiLP) demonstrated greater gains than students in the Critical Reflective Literacy Program which used an approach that did not include technology. Both student and parent perceptions paired greater reading engagement with greater reading ability. With findings suggesting that infusing technology, multiliteracies, and multimodalities into a literacy program positively impacts student literacy and thinking development, recommendations for altering current literacy programs are discussed

Coisas com as quais os antropólogos se preocupam: grupos de descendência espacial entre os Panará

In 2010 Panará people built a new village upstream of the village where they have lived since 1997. This is the first time since the early 1970s that they have lived in multiple villages. In this paper I reflect on some of the issues that prompted the building of the new village, and the use of space therein. In particular I revisit the idea of ‘spatial descent groups’ and the notion that clans identify with specific locations in the village circle. Drawing on accounts dating back to the late 19th/early 20th century, as well as more recent ethnographic accounts I ask whether connections between space and identity among Ge-speaking groups are above all ‘things anthropologists worry about’. Em 2010, os Panará construíram uma nova aldeia, situada rio acima em relação à aldeia em que viviam desde 1997. Essa foi a primeira vez desde o começo dos anos 70 que eles ocuparam múltiplas aldeias. Neste artigo, faço uma reflexão sobre alguns dos pontos que levaram à construção da nova aldeia e sobre o uso do novo espaço. Em particular, retomo a ideia de “grupos de descendência espacial” e a noção de que clãs se identificam com locais específicos na aldeia circular. Usando relatos do fim do século XIX e começo do XX, bem como etnografias mais recentes, indago se as conexões entre espaço e identidade entre os grupos falante de línguas jê seriam, afinal, “coisas com as quais antropólogos se preocupam”.

“Helpless”: reflections on grief and sociality in three Amerindian societies

In this article, we reflect on one of Peter Gow’s key pieces of work, “Helpless,” tracing how his scholarship has informed and influenced our own work, from our experiences in the field to our approaches to analysis. We explore some of the main themes from this piece of writing, including how intersubjectivity is produced by creating relations of mutual dependence—a precondition for sociality. Helplessness is a characteristic of newborn babies as much as it is of those recently bereaved. In both cases, memories of love and care—in short, kinship—are in question. For babies, kin relations have not yet been produced, while for the recently bereaved these affective relations have become impossible. Death disrupts intersubjective relations by rendering mutual dependence and care a delusion. While the dead and the living may mutually desire to remain in each other’s company, it is the work of the living to persuade the dead that they are dead, and indeed to persuade the living that social relations with the dead are delusional. By reflecting on how humanity is made and unmade through sociality and kinship, we think through the importance of helplessness for the constitution of relationships, together with local understandings of death and the danger associated with prolonged grief. We situate these reflections in the ethnographic contexts we are most familiar with in southern Guyana, Central Brazil, and southern Chile

Evaluation of the Postgraduate Support Scheme 2015/16 : Report to HEFCE

HEFCE commissioned Paul Wakeling and Sally Hancock from the University of York to undertake an evaluation of the 2015-16 Postgraduate Support Scheme. The report evaluates and summarises findings from the £50 million scheme which aimed to deliver 10,000 postgraduate taught scholarships across the sector. The evaluation included a survey to all 131 providers that received an initial allocation of funding for the scheme; case-study visits at 10 institutions; and analysis of Higher Education Statistics Agency data relating to postgraduate taught students. The report finds that approximately three-quarters of the potential total awards were made. Awards holders were more likely to be from target student groups than the overall eligible population but the overall increase in student numbers from these groups between 2014-15 and 2015-16 was relatively modest

Continent-wide decoupling of Y-chromosomal genetic variation from language and geography in native South Americans

Numerous studies of human populations in Europe and Asia have revealed a concordance between their extant genetic structure and the prevailing regional pattern of geography and language. For native South Americans, however, such evidence has been lacking so far. Therefore, we examined the relationship between Y-chromosomal genotype on the one hand, and male geographic origin and linguistic affiliation on the other, in the largest study of South American natives to date in terms of sampled individuals and populations. A total of 1,011 individuals, representing 50 tribal populations from 81 settlements, were genotyped for up to 17 short tandem repeat (STR) markers and 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs), the latter resolving phylogenetic lineages Q and C. Virtually no structure became apparent for the extant Y-chromosomal genetic variation of South American males that could sensibly be related to their inter-tribal geographic and linguistic relationships. This continent-wide decoupling is consistent with a rapid peopling of the continent followed by long periods of isolation in small groups. Furthermore, for the first time, we identified a distinct geographical cluster of Y-SNP lineages C-M217 (C3*) in South America. Such haplotypes are virtually absent from North and Central America, but occur at high frequency in Asia. Together with the locally confined Y-STR autocorrelation observed in our study as a whole, the available data therefore suggest a late introduction of C3* into South America no more than 6,000 years ago, perhaps via coastal or trans-Pacific routes. Extensive simulations revealed that the observed lack of haplogroup C3* among extant North and Central American natives is only compatible with low levels of migration between the ancestor populations of C3* carriers and non-carriers. In summary, our data highlight the fact that a pronounced correlation between genetic and geographic/cultural structure can only be expected under very specific conditions, most of which are likely not to have been met by the ancestors of native South Americans

Evaluation of polygenic risk scores for breast and ovarian cancer risk prediction in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers

Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 94 common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with breast cancer (BC) risk and 18 associated with ovarian cancer (OC) risk. Several of these are also associated with risk of BC or OC for women who carry a pathogenic mutation in the high-risk BC and OC genes BRCA1 or BRCA2. The combined effects of these variants on BC or OC risk for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers have not yet been assessed while their clinical management could benefit from improved personalized risk estimates. Methods: We constructed polygenic risk scores (PRS) using BC and OC susceptibility SNPs identified through population-based GWAS: for BC (overall, estrogen receptor [ER]-positive, and ER-negative) and for OC. Using data from 15 252 female BRCA1 and 8211 BRCA2 carriers, the association of each PRS with BC or OC risk was evaluated using a weighted cohort approach, with time to diagnosis as the outcome and estimation of the hazard ratios (HRs) per standard deviation increase in the PRS. Results: The PRS for ER-negative BC displayed the strongest association with BC risk in BRCA1 carriers (HR = 1.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23 to 1.31, P = 8.2 x 10(53)). In BRCA2 carriers, the strongest association with BC risk was seen for the overall BC PRS (HR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.17 to 1.28, P = 7.2 x 10(-20)). The OC PRS was strongly associated with OC risk for both BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers. These translate to differences in absolute risks (more than 10% in each case) between the top and bottom deciles of the PRS distribution; for example, the OC risk was 6% by age 80 years for BRCA2 carriers at the 10th percentile of the OC PRS compared with 19% risk for those at the 90th percentile of PRS. Conclusions: BC and OC PRS are predictive of cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 carriers. Incorporation of the PRS into risk prediction models has promise to better inform decisions on cancer risk management

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London