624 research outputs found
Encouraging versatile thinking in algebra using the computer
In this article we formulate and analyse some of the obstacles to understanding the notion of a variable, and the use and meaning of algebraic notation, and report empirical evidence to support the hypothesis that an approach using the computer will be more successful in overcoming these obstacles. The computer approach is formulated within a wider framework ofversatile thinking in which global, holistic processing complements local, sequential processing. This is done through a combination of programming in BASIC, physical activities which simulate computer storage and manipulation of variables, and specific software which evaluates expressions in standard mathematical notation. The software is designed to enable the user to explore examples and non-examples of a concept, in this case equivalent and non-equivalent expressions. We call such a piece of software ageneric organizer because if offers examples and non-examples which may be seen not just in specific terms, but as typical, or generic, examples of the algebraic processes, assisting the pupil in the difficult task of abstracting the more general concept which they represent. Empirical evidence from several related studies shows that such an approach significantly improves the understanding of higher order concepts in algebra, and that any initial loss in manipulative facility through lack of practice is more than made up at a later stage
Severe painful vaso-occlusive crises and mortality in a contemporary adult sickle cell anemia cohort study.
BACKGROUND: Frequent painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) were associated with mortality in the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease (CSSCD) over twenty years ago. Modern therapies for sickle cell anemia (SCA) like hydroxyurea are believed to have improved overall patient survival. The current study sought to determine the relevance of the association between more frequent VOCs and death and its relative impact upon overall mortality compared to other known risk factors in a contemporary adult SCA cohort.
METHODS: Two hundred sixty four SCA adults were assigned into two groups based on patient reported outcomes for emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalizations for painful VOC treatment during the 12 months prior to evaluation.
RESULTS: Higher baseline hematocrit (p = 0.0008), ferritin (p = 0.005), and HDL cholesterol (p = 0.01) were independently associated with 1 or more painful VOCs requiring an ED visit or hospitalization for acute pain. During a median follow-up of 5 years, mortality was higher in the ED visit/hospitalization group (relative risk [RR] 2.68, 95% CI 1.1-6.5, p = 0.03). Higher tricuspid regurgitatant jet velocity (TRV) (RR 2.41, 95% CI 1.5-3.9, p \u3c 0.0001), elevated ferritin (RR 4.00, 95% CI 1.8-9.0, p = 0.001) and lower glomerular filtration rate (RR=2.73, 95% CI 1.6-4.6, p \u3c 0.0001) were also independent risk factors for mortality.
CONCLUSIONS: Severe painful VOCs remain a marker for SCA disease severity and premature mortality in a modern cohort along with other known risk factors for death including high TRV, high ferritin and lower renal function. The number of patient reported pain crises requiring healthcare utilization is an easily obtained outcome that could help to identify high risk patients for disease modifying therapies.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00011648 http://clinicaltrials.gov
Seniors' experiences of living in special housing accommodation
This article presents a hermeneutic phenomenological analysis of interview material in which 12 seniors living in Special Housing Accommodation (SHA) facilities reflect on the experience of living in such facilities. Of particular interest in the analysis is living in a SHA as a phenomenon. The finding shows that the phenomenon of lived experience in a SHA seems to be a state of ambiguity regarding one's existence, which is made up of several constituents (elements of meaning). The analysis contributes to the understanding of how the phenomenon of SHA living is coming into existence as a need, due to an individual's failing health; however, the SHA is not considered to be a true home. Accordingly, this has consequences to the subject position for the seniors in that they have to navigate between existing and not existing. The seniors learn to cope with living in the SHA by lowering their expectations of life and existence while the SHA provides the prerequisites for their existence. An implication for promoting care is to support the seniors to enable a full existence of life within SHA living
Produção de memórias falsas com listas de associados : análise do efeito do nível de processamento e da natureza da prova de memória
As memórias falsas têm sido amplamente estudadas com base num procedimento experimental designado paradigma DRM (Deese/Roediger/McDermott). Esse paradigma promove a criação de ilusões de memória a partir da apresentação de listas de palavras associadas a um item que não consta da lista. Uma das linhas de investigação com o paradigma DRM visa identificar o momento da criação das falsas memórias e explicar os mecanismos que estão na sua origem. Neste artigo, pretendemos fazer uma revisão da investigação sobre o efeito do nível de processamento e da natureza da tarefa de memória na facilitação ou inibição da produção de memórias falsas com listas de associados semânticos.False memories have been widely studied using an
experimental procedure called DRM paradigm (Deese/Roediger/McDermott). This
paradigm produces memory illusions due to the presentation of lists of words
associated to a critical nonpresented word. One line of research on this topic aims at
identifying the moment when the false memories are created and the explanation of
the mechanisms underling false memories. In this paper we present a review about
the effect of level-of-processing and the nature of memory task for the boost or
inhibition of false memories created by means of lists of semantic associates.Le paradigme DRM (Deese/Roediger/McDermott) est
un des plus connus et plus robustes parmi les études des faux mémoires dans le
contexte du laboratoire. Ce paradigme permet la création d illusions de mémoire à
partir des mots sémantiquement associés à un item qui n a pas été présenté. Au milieu
des investigations basées sur le paradigme DRM il y a des études dont l objectif est
d identifier e d´expliquer les mécanismes qui sont à l origine de la production des
faux mémoires. Plus spécifiquement, on a pour but de faire une révision de la
recherche sur l effet du niveau de codification et de la nature des tâches de mémoire
sur la facilitation ou l´inhibition de la production de faux mémoires à partir des mots
sémantiquement associés.Los falsos recuerdos han sido muy estudiados mediante
la aplicación del paradigma DRM (Deese/Roediger/McDermott). El paradigma
permite producir ilusiones de memoria tras la presentación de listas de palabras
asociadas a una palabra que no se incluye en la lista. Una de las líneas de investigación
que utilizan el paradigma DRM busca identificar el preciso momento de la creación
de falsos recuerdos y explicar los mecanismos que originan ese efecto. El objetivo de
este artículo es hacer una revisión de la investigación sobre el efecto de los niveles
de procesamiento y la naturaleza de la tarea de memoria en la facilitación y inhibición
de la producción de falsos recuerdos con listas de asociados semánticos.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)Centro de Investigação em Psicologia da Universidade do Minho (CIPsi
Habit, Memory, and the Persistence of Socialist-Era Street Names in Postsocialist Bucharest, Romania
The critical study of toponymy has paid considerable attention to the renaming of urban places following revolutionary political change. Such renaming is intended to institutionalize a new political agenda through shaping the meanings in everyday practices and landscapes. Renaming, however, might not always be successful, and this article examines this issue with reference to a market in Bucharest, Romania. Originally named Piaţa Moghioroş during the socialist era to commemorate a leading Communist Party activist, the market was renamed in the postsocialist period. Yet, more than two decades on, the original name remains in widespread everyday use. Using a mixed-method approach, we seek to advance the critical toponymies literature by exploring the persistence of the socialist-era name within everyday practice. Although many authors have highlighted the issue of popular resistance to an unpopular renaming, we find little evidence of conscious resistance, and instead we explore the importance of habit within everyday practices as an explanation, drawing on an understanding of habit derived from sociocognitive psychology. This perspective proposes that habits are stable and hard to break if the broader context in which they are situated is stable. We suggest that this explanation, rather than popular contestation, has more to offer in understanding the persistence of the toponym Piaţa Moghioroş. We thus highlight the importance of considering how the “users” of place names react to the changes of such names and create their own meanings in relation to them in ways unintended by elites
Negotiating the modern cross-class ‘model home’:domestic experiences in Basil Spence’s Claremont Court
This article investigates the spatial articulation of architecture and home through the exploration of current domestic experiences in Basil Spence’s Claremont Court housing scheme (1959-1962), Edinburgh. How architecture and home are both idealized and lived is the backdrop for a discussion that draws on the concept of “model home,” or physical representation of a domestic ideal. The article reads Claremont Court as an architectural prototype of the modern domestic ideal, before exploring its reception by five of its households through the use of visual methods and semistructured interviews. Receiving the model home involves negotiating between ideal and lived homes. Building on this idea, the article contributes with a focus on the spatiality of such reception, showing how it is modulated according to the architectural affordances that the “model home” represents. The article expands on scholarship on architecture and home with empirical evidence that argues the reciprocal spatiality of home
Portuguese category norms for children
This study presents Portuguese category norms for children of three different age groups: preschoolers (3- to
4-year-olds), second graders (7- to 8-year-olds), and preadolescents (11- to 12-year-olds). Three hundred Portuguese
children (100 in each group) completed an exemplar-generation task. Preschoolers generated exemplars
for 13 categories, second graders generated exemplars for 17 categories, and preadolescents generated exemplars
for 21 categories. For each group, responses within each category were organized according to frequency of
production in order to derive exemplar-production norms for sets of tested categories. The results also included
information about the number of responses and exemplars, idiosyncratic and inappropriate responses, and commonality
and diversity indexes for all the categories. A comparison of these children’s norms with the Portuguese
adult norms was also presented. The full set of norms may be downloaded from www.psychonomic.org/archive
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Childhood adversities and risk of posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression following a motor vehicle collision in adulthood.
AIMS: Childhood adversities (CAs) predict heightened risks of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive episode (MDE) among people exposed to adult traumatic events. Identifying which CAs put individuals at greatest risk for these adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae (APNS) is important for targeting prevention interventions. METHODS: Data came from n = 999 patients ages 18-75 presenting to 29 U.S. emergency departments after a motor vehicle collision (MVC) and followed for 3 months, the amount of time traditionally used to define chronic PTSD, in the Advancing Understanding of Recovery After Trauma (AURORA) study. Six CA types were self-reported at baseline: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect and bullying. Both dichotomous measures of ever experiencing each CA type and numeric measures of exposure frequency were included in the analysis. Risk ratios (RRs) of these CA measures as well as complex interactions among these measures were examined as predictors of APNS 3 months post-MVC. APNS was defined as meeting self-reported criteria for either PTSD based on the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 and/or MDE based on the PROMIS Depression Short-Form 8b. We controlled for pre-MVC lifetime histories of PTSD and MDE. We also examined mediating effects through peritraumatic symptoms assessed in the emergency department and PTSD and MDE assessed in 2-week and 8-week follow-up surveys. Analyses were carried out with robust Poisson regression models. RESULTS: Most participants (90.9%) reported at least rarely having experienced some CA. Ever experiencing each CA other than emotional neglect was univariably associated with 3-month APNS (RRs = 1.31-1.60). Each CA frequency was also univariably associated with 3-month APNS (RRs = 1.65-2.45). In multivariable models, joint associations of CAs with 3-month APNS were additive, with frequency of emotional abuse (RR = 2.03; 95% CI = 1.43-2.87) and bullying (RR = 1.44; 95% CI = 0.99-2.10) being the strongest predictors. Control variable analyses found that these associations were largely explained by pre-MVC histories of PTSD and MDE. CONCLUSIONS: Although individuals who experience frequent emotional abuse and bullying in childhood have a heightened risk of experiencing APNS after an adult MVC, these associations are largely mediated by prior histories of PTSD and MDE
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