The Relationship Between Learning Styles and Student Performance on the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test in a Low Performing, Low Socioeconomic-Status School

The intention of this research was to bring light to the current state mandated testing, and possible solutions in assisting educators to address the issues of students not meeting the standards. In more general terms, this study is looking to prove to what extent a student\u27s learning style has on their performance on the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT). This study analyzed four of the twenty-six learning preference areas identified by the Learning Style Instrument (LSI) of middle school students in a traditional public middle school in seventh grade. The four areas that were looked at were kinesthetic, tactile, auditory, and visual preferences. Subjects on the PACT test that were used in the correlation included science, social studies, English Language Arts (ELA) and math. This process of investigation intended to reveal the significant or nonsignificant findings related to the learning styles of middle school students and their performance on this test as outlined by state guidelines. Students were grouped in a proficient and advanced group or a basic and below basic group. In order to complete this study, data was gathered from the LSI and the student\u27s score on certain areas of the PACT test were analyzed. The results rendered no significant groups except for the social studies kinesthetic group. All other academic groups and the preference areas including the auditory, visual, and tactile for social studies were not significant. The results may help educators as a whole identify other means of addressing deficiencies that may cause students to perform low on state mandated tests. Educators can use this research data to address the issues of learning styles in preparation and constructing state mandated tests for students across the nation. i

Génération de tests de vulnérabilité pour la structure des fichiers cap en Java Card

Les cartes à puce Java comportent plusieurs mécanismes de sécurité, dont le vérifieur de code intermédiaire (\emph{$\ll$Java Card bytecode verifier$\gg$}), qui est composé de deux parties, la vérification de structure et la vérification de type. Ce mémoire porte sur la génération de tests de vulnérabilité pour la vérification de structure. Il s'inspire des travaux sur la vérification de type de l'outil \textsc{VTG} (\emph{$\ll$Vulnerability Tests Generator$\gg$}) développé par Aymerick Savary. Notre approche consiste à modéliser formellement la spécification de la structure des fichiers \textsf{CAP} avec le langage \textsf{Event-B}, en utilisant des contextes. Cette modélisation permet de donner une définition formelle d'un fichier \textsf{CAP} valide. Nous utilisons ensuite la mutation de spécification pour insérer des fautes dans cette définition dans le but de générer des fichiers \textsf{CAP} (\emph{$\ll$Converted APplet$\gg$}) invalides. Nous utilisons \textsc{ProB}, un explorateur de modèles \textsf{Event-B}, pour générer des tests abstraits de fichiers CAP invalides. La spécification formelle étant d'une taille importante qui entraîne une forte explosion combinatoire (plus de 250 constantes, 450 axiomes, 100 contextes), nous guidons \textsc{ProB} dans sa recherche de modèles en utilisant des valeurs prédéterminées pour un sous-ensemble de symboles de la spécification. Ce mémoire propose un ensemble de patrons de spécification pour représenter les structures des fichiers CAP. Ces patrons limitent aussi l'explosion combinatoire, tout en facilitant la tâche de spécification. Notre spécification \textsf{Event-B} comprend toute la définition des structures des fichiers CAP et une partie des contraintes. Des tests abstraits sont générés pour une partie du modèle, à titre illustratif. Ces tests ont permis de mettre en lumière des imprécisions dans la spécification \textsf{Java Card}. Ces travaux ont permis d'étendre la méthode de génération de test de vulnérabilité aux contextes \textsf{Event-B}. De plus, le modèle proposé permet de tester, à l'aide du \textsc{VTG}, une partie plus importante de la vérification de structure du vérifieur de code intermédiaire

Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 in relation to future hearing impairment: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) is associated with cardiovascular disease, itself a risk factor for hearing impairment, and, in animal studies, molecular evidence suggests a role for IGF-1 in hearing function. However, the link between IGF-1 and the occurrence of hearing impairment is untested in population-based studies of humans. A total of 4390 participants aged ≥50 y (mean [SD] age 64.2 [8.0] years at baseline, 55% women) from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing provided serum levels of IGF-1 in 2008 and again in 2012. Hearing acuity was assessed by an objective hearing test (HearCheck handheld device) in 2014 when the prevalence was 38.2%. In the full cohort, IGF-1 was not associated with subsequent hearing impairment (OR5nmol/L increase; 95% CI: 1.01; 0.94, 1.09). However, this relationship appeared to differ by age (p-value for interaction = 0.03). Thus, in younger participants (aged 50-60 y, n = 1400), IGF-1 was associated with lower odds of hearing impairment (0.86; 0.73, 1.00) after adjustment for a range of potential confounders. Among people ≥60 y (n = 2990) there was a non-significant 'J'-shaped association. Our observational evidence that higher levels of IGF-1 appeared to confer some protection against hearing impairment in some older adults warrants replication in other prospective cohort studies

Alcohol intake in relation to non-fatal and fatal coronary heart disease and stroke: EPIC-CVD case-cohort study

Objective To investigate the association between alcohol consumption (at baseline and over lifetime) and non-fatal and fatal coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. Design Multicentre case-cohort study. Setting A study of cardiovascular disease (CVD) determinants within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition cohort (EPIC-CVD) from eight European countries. Participants 32 549 participants without baseline CVD, comprised of incident CVD cases and a subcohort for comparison. Main outcome measures Non-fatal and fatal CHD and stroke (including ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke). Results There were 9307 non-fatal CHD events, 1699 fatal CHD, 5855 non-fatal stroke, and 733 fatal stroke. Baseline alcohol intake was inversely associated with non-fatal CHD, with a hazard ratio of 0.94 (95% confidence interval 0.92 to 0.96) per 12 g/day higher intake. There was a J shaped association between baseline alcohol intake and risk of fatal CHD. The hazard ratios were 0.83 (0.70 to 0.98), 0.65 (0.53 to 0.81), and 0.82 (0.65 to 1.03) for categories 5.0-14.9 g/day, 15.0-29.9 g/day, and 30.0-59.9 g/day of total alcohol intake, respectively, compared with 0.1-4.9 g/day. In contrast, hazard ratios for non-fatal and fatal stroke risk were 1.04 (1.02 to 1.07), and 1.05 (0.98 to 1.13) per 12 g/day increase in baseline alcohol intake, respectively, including broadly similar findings for ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke. Associations with cardiovascular outcomes were broadly similar with average lifetime alcohol consumption as for baseline alcohol intake, and across the eight countries studied. There was no strong evidence for interactions of alcohol consumption with smoking status on the risk of CVD events. Conclusions Alcohol intake was inversely associated with non-fatal CHD risk but positively associated with the risk of different stroke subtypes. This highlights the opposing associations of alcohol intake with different CVD types and strengthens the evidence for policies to reduce alcohol consumption

Risk Factors for Hospital Admission After a Fall: A Prospective Cohort Study of Community-Dwelling Older People

Background: Falls in later life that require admission to hospital have well-established consequences for future disability and health. The likelihood and severity of a fall will result from the presence of one or more risk factors. The aim of this study is to examine risk factors identified for their ability to prevent falls and to assess whether they are associated with hospital admission after a fall. / Methods: Analyses of data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA), a prospective cohort study. In a sample of 3783 men and women older than 60 years old, a range of potential risk factors measured at Wave 4 (demographic, social environment, physical, and mental functioning) were examined as predictors of fall-related hospitalizations, identified using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) code from linked hospital records in the United Kingdom. Subdistribution hazard models were used to account for competing risk of death. / Results: Several risk factors identified by previous work were confirmed. Suffering from urinary incontinence (subdistribution hazard ratio = 1.49; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.95) and osteoporosis (subdistribution hazard ratio = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.05, 2.07), which are not commonly considered at an early stage of screening, were found to be associated with hospital admission after a fall. Both low and moderate levels of physical activity were also found to somewhat increase the risk of hospital admission after a fall. / Conclusions: Several predictors of having a fall, severe enough to require hospital admission, have been confirmed. In particular, urinary incontinence should be considered at an earlier point in the assessment of risk

Association of pre-pandemic high-density lipoprotein cholesterol with risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation and death: The UK Biobank cohort study

There is growing evidence of, and biological plausibility for, elevated levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) being related to lower rates of respiratory disease. We tested whether pre-pandemic HDL-C within the normal range is associated with subsequent COVID-19 hospitalisations and death. We analysed data on participants from UK Biobank, a prospective cohort study, baseline data for which were collected between 2006 and 2010. Follow-up for COVID-19 was via hospitalisation records (1845 events in 317,306 individuals) and a national mortality registry (458 deaths in 317,833 individuals). After controlling for a series of confounding factors which included health behaviours, inflammatory markers, and socio-economic status, higher levels of HDL-C were related to a lower risk of later hospitalisation. The effect was linear (p-value for trend 0.001), whereby a 0.2 mmol/L increase in HDL-C was associated with a 7% lower risk (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval: 0.93; 0.90, 0.96). Corresponding relationships for mortality were markedly weaker, such that statistical significance at conventional levels were not apparent for both the linear trend (p-value 0.25) and the odds ratio per 0.2 mmol/L increase (0.98; 0.91, 1.05). While our finding for HDL-C and hospitalisations for COVID-19 raise the possibility that favourable modification of this cholesterol fraction via lifestyle changes or drug intervention may impact upon the risk of the disease, it warrants testing in other studies

Ethnic Disparities in Hospitalization for COVID-19: a Community-Based Cohort Study in the UK

Importance: Differentials in COVID-19 incidence, hospitalization and mortality according to ethnicity are being reported but their origin is uncertain. Objective: We aimed to explain any ethnic differentials in COVID-19 hospitalization based on socioeconomic, lifestyle, mental and physical health factors. Design: Prospective cohort study with national registry linkage to hospitalisation for COVID-19. Setting: Community-dwelling. Participants: 340,966 men and women (mean age 56.2 (SD=8.1) years; 54.3% women) residing in England from the UK Biobank study. Exposures: Ethnicity classified as White, Black, Asian, and Others. Main Outcome(s) and Measure(s): Cases of COVID-19 serious enough to warrant a hospital admission in England from 16-March-2020 to 26-April-2020. Results: There were 640 COVID-19 cases (571/324,306 White, 31/4,485 Black, 21/5,732 Asian, 17/5,803 Other). Compared to the White study members and after adjusting for age and sex, Black individuals had over a 4-fold increased risk of being hospitalised (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval: =4.32; 3.00-6.23), and there was a doubling of risk in the Asian group (2.12; 1.37, 3.28) and the Other non-white group (1.84; 1.13, 2.99). After controlling for 15 confounding factors which included neighbourhood deprivation, education, number in household, smoking, markers of body size, inflammation, and glycated haemoglobin, these effect estimates were attenuated by 33% for Blacks, 52% for Asians and 43% for Other, but remained raised for Blacks (2.66; 1.82, 3.91), Asian (1.43; 0.91, 2.26) and other non-white groups (1.41; 0.87, 2.31). Conclusions and Relevance: Our findings show clear ethnic differences in risk of hospitalization for COVID-19 which do not appear to be fully explained by known explanatory factors. If replicated, our results have implications for health policy, including the targeting of prevention advice and vaccination coverage

Individual and Area-Based Socioeconomic Factors Associated With Dementia Incidence in England: Evidence From a 12-Year Follow-up in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

This is the final version. Available from the AMA via the DOI in this record.This article was corrected on July 3, 2018, to clarify ambiguous statements in the Results section of the Abstract and the Findings section of the Key Points that affected interpretation. Correction available at: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.1696Importance: Lower educational attainment is associated with a higher risk of dementia. However, less clear is the extent to which other socioeconomic markers contribute to dementia risk. Objective: To examine the relationship of education, wealth, and area-based deprivation with the incidence of dementia over the last decade in England and investigate differences between people born in different periods. Design, Setting, and Participants: Data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a prospective cohort study that is representative of the English population, were used to investigate the associations between markers of socioeconomic status (wealth quintiles and the index of multiple deprivation) and dementia incidence. To investigate outcomes associated with age cohorts, 2 independent groups were derived using a median split (born between 1902-1925 and 1926-1943). Main Outcomes and Measures: Dementia as determined by physician diagnosis and the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly. Results: A total of 6220 individuals aged 65 years and older enrolled in the study (median [interquartile range] age at baseline, 73.2 [68.1-78.3] years; 3410 [54.8%] female). Of these, 463 individuals (7.4%) had new cases of dementia ascertained in the 12 years between 2002-2003 and 2014-2015. In the cohort born between 1926 and 1943, the hazard of developing dementia was 1.68 times higher (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.68 [95% CI, 1.05-2.86]) for those in the lowest wealth quintile compared with those in the highest quintile, independent of education, index of multiple deprivation, and health indicators. Higher hazards were also observed for those in the second-highest quintile of index of multiple deprivation (HR = 1.62 [95% CI, 1.06-2.46]) compared with those in the lowest (least deprived) quintile. Conclusions and Relevance: In an English nationally representative sample, the incidence of dementia appeared to be socioeconomically patterned primarily by the level of wealth. This association was somewhat stronger for participants born in later years.The work was supported by the National Institute on Aging (grants 5218182, RO1AG7644-01A1, and RO1AG017644). The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing is funded by the National Institute on Aging (grant RO1AG7644) and by a consortium of UK government departments coordinated by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Office for National Statistics. Dr Batty is also supported by the UK Medical Research Council