The effects of range of notes, gender, and songs with text or without text on the vocal accuracy of first, second and third grade students

There are four problems that address the effects of range of notes, gender, and songs with text or without text on the vocal accuracy of first, second and third grade students. Thirty students each from grades one, two and three were recorded singing four songs in solo. Each student sang a song with a restricted range of notes with text and then on the neutral syllable loo. Each student then sang a song with a wide range of notes with text and then on the neutral syllable loo. The recordings of the students singing were then evaluated for accuracy of pitch and tonal quality by two judges. The results of the study indicate that children sing songs with a limited range of notes more accurately and with a better tonal quality than they sing songs with a wider range of notes. Additionally, students sing songs with the original song text better than they sing songs with the neutral syllable loo . Results also indicate that children in grade three sing better than children in grade one. For only one of the problems did the results indicate that children in grade three also sing better than children in grade two. Finally, the results indicate that girls sing more accurately and with a better tonal quality than boys

Sámi Time, Space, and Place: Exploring Teachers’ Metapragmatic Statements on Sámi Language Use, Teaching, and Revitalization in Sápmi

Late in the evening before a regular school day, the mother of a Sámi family gets a call from her husband working at the reindeer corral saying that the reindeer will be brought in for separation and round-up early in the next morning. In the morning the rest of the family will join the father and other relatives at the reindeer corral and will be working late with the reindeers that day. At school the teachers get the information about the reindeer roundup from those children that are present in the morning, or from Sámi colleagues that have also gone to the corral. That day must, for the most part, be rescheduled at very short notice. The reactions to the changes are varying amongst the staff. The time used for rescheduling and planning the rest of that school day, or the coming couple of days, is not something that any member of the staff is looking forward to, but the attitudes, frustration and values that relate to the unpredictability of everyday life and the peculiarities of this particular cultural context are experienced in many different ways

A population-based study of communicative participation in preschool children with speech-language impairments

Aim. To develop statistical models of preschoolers’ communicative participation development and explore variations by level of function. Methods. This was a secondary analysis of data from a longitudinal study of preschoolers with speech and language delays (N = 46,872, M age = 41.76, SD age = 11.92; 67% male) accessing publicly-funded services in Ontario Canada. Two measures were used: Focus on the Outcomes of Communication Under Six (FOCUS), measuring changes in communicative participation skills, and the Communication Function Classification System (CFCS), classifying communication function into one of five levels. We used mixed effects modeling to fit growth curves for each CFCS level. Models allowed for variation in initial FOCUS scores at 18 months, rate of growth with age, and rate of acceleration/deceleration with age. Results. Starting FOCUS score (18 months) varied inversely with CFCS level at entry to the program. Growth was initially rapid and then levelled off for children in levels I-III. Growth was less rapid for children in level IV, but levelled off, and was slow but continual for children in level V. Interpretation. This work can help us to move beyond traditional impairment-based thinking and shows that children can make meaningful communicative changes regardless of their function

Factors Contributing to Preschoolers\u27 Communicative Participation Outcomes: Findings From a Population-Based Longitudinal Cohort Study in Ontario, Canada

Purpose. To identify predictors of communicative participation outcomes for a large cohort of preschoolers with communication disorders. Method. A secondary analysis of longitudinal program evaluation data from Ontario Canada’s Preschool Speech and Language Program (PSLP). Data available for 46,872 children 18-67 months of age (M = 41.76 mo, SD = 11.92, 68% male) were previously used to predict children’s communicative participation skill development in five levels of function. Demographic and intervention-based variables were added to the models to identify new predictors of growth. Results. Three demographic and three intervention-based variables were statistically significant predictors of children’s communicative participation outcomes. Clinically significant predictors included participation in an early learning environment, receipt of speech-language interventions, and the amount of time spent in intervention. These variables impacted predicted outcomes differently depending on a child’s level of communicative function. Conclusions. This population-based study of preschoolers with speech and language disorders identified predictors of growth in communicative participation skills – an outcome important and meaningful to families but, not often explored. A broad picture emerged of factors that may influence the development of communicative participation skills, and may be used to predict outcomes for preschoolers. Given the large sample size, these robust findings may be used to predict outcomes outside the PSLP as well

Psychometric Evaluation and Design of Patient-Centered Communication Measures for Cancer Care Settings

Objective To evaluate the psychometric properties of questions that assess patient perceptions of patient-provider communication and design measures of patient-centered communication (PCC). Methods Participants (adults with colon or rectal cancer living in North Carolina) completed a survey at 2 to 3 months post-diagnosis. The survey included 87 questions in six PCC Functions: Exchanging Information, Fostering Health Relationships, Making Decisions, Responding to Emotions, Enabling Patient Self-Management, and Managing Uncertainty. For each Function we conducted factor analyses, item response theory modeling, and tests for differential item functioning, and assessed reliability and construct validity. Results Participants included 501 respondents; 46% had a high school education or less. Reliability within each Function ranged from 0.90 to 0.96. The PCC-Ca-36 (36-question survey; reliability=0.94) and PCC-Ca-6 (6-question survey; reliability=0.92) measures differentiated between individuals with poor and good health (i.e., known-groups validity) and were highly correlated with the HINTS communication scale (i.e., convergent validity). Conclusion This study provides theory-grounded PCC measures found to be reliable and valid in colorectal cancer patients in North Carolina. Future work should evaluate measure validity over time and in other cancer populations. Practice implications The PCC-Ca-36 and PCC-Ca-6 measures may be used for surveillance, intervention research, and quality improvement initiatives

Editor's choice

Editor's Cholice: Tuberculosis is one of the most common and lethal infections that afflict mankind. The study of its pathogenesis has occupied generations of investigators who have focused primarily on the role of host cellular immunity in containing the infection. Conversely, little attention has been paid to the initial stages of infection where the innate immune system’s ‘first responders’, the neutrophils, may play an important role. In this issue, Hilda et al. review the role of neutrophils in the early response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection and identify much-needed areas of investigation. They point out the importance of neutrophils in the early recruitment and activation of other immune responders through the generation of cytokines and, perhaps less appreciated, their role in the uptake and killing of the MTB bacilli. They also point out that the excessive neutrophil response may lead to tissue destruction which greatly facilitates granuloma formation, a hallmark of MTB infection. This well-balanced review updates our understanding of recent developments in neutrophil physiology and fairly represents the controversies in the field, as well as suggesting fruitful areas of further research

The neurodevelopmental spectrum of synaptic vesicle cycling disorders

Funder: Wellcome Trust; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100004440Abstract: In this review, we describe and discuss neurodevelopmental phenotypes arising from rare, high penetrance genomic variants which directly influence synaptic vesicle cycling (SVC disorders). Pathogenic variants in each SVC disorder gene lead to disturbance of at least one SVC subprocess, namely vesicle trafficking (e.g. KIF1A and GDI1), clustering (e.g. TRIO, NRXN1 and SYN1), docking and priming (e.g. STXBP1), fusion (e.g. SYT1 and PRRT2) or re‐uptake (e.g. DNM1, AP1S2 and TBC1D24). We observe that SVC disorders share a common set of neurological symptoms (movement disorders, epilepsies), cognitive impairments (developmental delay, intellectual disabilities, cerebral visual impairment) and mental health difficulties (autism, ADHD, psychiatric symptoms). On the other hand, there is notable phenotypic variation between and within disorders, which may reflect selective disruption to SVC subprocesses, spatiotemporal and cell‐specific gene expression profiles, mutation‐specific effects, or modifying factors. Understanding the common cellular and systems mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental phenotypes in SVC disorders, and the factors responsible for variation in clinical presentations and outcomes, may translate to personalized clinical management and improved quality of life for patients and families. imag

INK4/ARF Transcript Expression Is Associated with Chromosome 9p21 Variants Linked to Atherosclerosis

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have linked common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on chromosome 9p21 near the INK4/ARF (CDKN2A/B) tumor suppressor locus with risk of atherosclerotic diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus. To explore the mechanism of this association, we investigated whether expression of proximate transcripts (p16(INK4a), p15(INK4b), ARF, ANRIL and MTAP) correlate with genotype of representative 9p21 SNPs.We analyzed expression of 9p21 transcripts in purified peripheral blood T-cells (PBTL) from 170 healthy donors. Samples were genotyped for six selected disease-related SNPs spanning the INK4/ARF locus. Correlations among these variables were determined by univariate and multivariate analysis. Significantly reduced expression of all INK4/ARF transcripts (p15(INK4b), p16(INK4a), ARF and ANRIL) was found in PBTL of individuals harboring a common SNP (rs10757278) associated with increased risk of coronary artery disease, stroke and aortic aneurysm. Expression of MTAP was not influenced by rs10757278 genotype. No association of any these transcripts was noted with five other tested 9p21 SNPs.Genotypes of rs10757278 linked to increased risk of atherosclerotic diseases are also associated with decreased expression in PBTL of the INK4/ARF locus, which encodes three related anti-proliferative transcripts of known importance in tumor suppression and aging

Genetic control of renal tumorigenesis by the mouse Rtm1 locus

BACKGROUND: The genetic basis of susceptibility to renal tumorigenesis has not yet been established in mouse strains. Mouse lines derived by bidirectional phenotypic selection on the basis of their maximal (AIRmax) or minimal (AIRmin) acute inflammatory responsiveness differ widely in susceptibility to spontaneous and urethane-induced renal tumorigenesis. To map the functional loci modulating renal tumor susceptibility in these mice, we carried out a genome-wide genetic linkage study, using SNP arrays, in an (AIRmax x AIRmin)F2 intercross population treated with a single urethane dose at 1 week of age and phenotyped for renal tumors at 35 weeks of age. RESULTS: AIRmax mice did not develop renal tumors spontaneously nor in response to urethane, whereas in AIRmin mice renal tumors formed spontaneously (in 52% of animals) and after urethane induction (89%). The tumors had a papillary morphology and were positive for alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase and negative for CD10. By analysis of 879 informative SNPs in 662 mice, we mapped a single quantitative trait locus modulating the incidence of renal tumors in the (AIRmax x AIRmin)F2 intercross population. This locus, which we named Renal tumor modifier QTL 1 (Rtm1), mapped to chromosome 17 at 23.4 Mb (LOD score = 15.8), with SNPs rs3696835 and rs3719497 flanking the LOD score peak. The A allele of rs3719497 from AIRmin mice was associated with a 2.5-fold increased odds ratio for renal tumor development. The LOD score peak included the Tuberous sclerosis 2 (Tsc2) gene which has already been implicated in kidney disease: loss of function by germline retroviral insertion is associated with spontaneous renal tumorigenesis in the Eker rat, and heterozygous-null Tsc2((+/-)) mice develop renal cystadenomas. CONCLUSIONS: We mapped Rtm1 as a single major locus modulating renal tumorigenesis in a murine intercross population. Thus, the AIR mouse lines can be considered a new genetic model for studying the role of germline and somatic molecular alterations in kidney neoplastic disease