Continuity and change in the home literacy environment as predictors of growth in vocabulary and reading

One hundred and ten English-speaking children schooled in French were followed from kindergarten to Grade 2 (Mage: T1 = 5;6, T2 = 6;4, T3 = 6;11, T4 = 7;11). The findings provided strong support for the Home Literacy Model (Sénéchal & LeFevre, 2002) because in this sample the home language was independent of the language of instruction. The informal literacy environment at home predicted growth in English receptive vocabulary from kindergarten to Grade 1, whereas parent reports of the formal literacy environment in kindergarten predicted growth in children's English early literacy between kindergarten and Grade 1 and growth in English word reading during Grade 1. Furthermore, 76% of parents adjusted their formal literacy practices according to the reading performance of their child, in support of the presence of a responsive home literacy curriculum among middle-class parents

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Numerical Cognition: Adding It Up

In this article, I provide a historical overview of the field of numerical cognition. I first situate the evolution and development of this field in the more general context of the cognitive revolution, which started in the mid-1950s. I then discuss the genesis of numerical cognition from 6 areas: psychophysics, information processing, neuropsychology, mathematics education, psychometrics, and cognitive development. This history is personal: I discuss some of my own work over the last 30 years and describe how each of the authors of the articles in this collection originally connected with the field. One important goal of the article is to highlight the major findings, both for experts and for those who are less familiar with research on numerical processing. In sum, I sketch a context within which to appreciate the neural, computational, and behavioural work that the other 4 authors summarise in their articles in this special section

The home numeracy environment: What do cross-cultural comparisons tell us about how to scaffold young children’s mathematical skills?

Children’s numeracy knowledge and performance varies across countries, regions, and languages. These cross-cultural differences occur even prior to formal schooling. Much existing cross-cultural numeracy research was focused on the role of language in accounting for these differences in children’s early numeracy development and performance. However, when cross-cultural research studies have assessed both language-related effects and differences in children’s numeracy-related experiences at home, both factors have been linked to performance differences. Longitudinal studies show that the frequency of parents’ numeracy-related activities at home is correlated with children’s numeracy knowledge in kindergarten and primary school. Thus, home experiences may be an important factor in cross-cultural differences in young children’s numerical development. In this chapter, we summarize cross-cultural differences in young children’s early educational experiences and the parental practices that have been linked to superior performance. On the basis of that research, we suggest ways that parents and educators can facilitate the numeracy development of all young children. We also identify gaps in cross-cultural home numeracy research and briefly discuss ways to overcome some of the methodological challenges of such work

Cross-cultural comparisons of young children’s early numeracy performance: Effects of an explicit midpoint on number line performance for canadian and chinese-canadian children Comparaisons interculturelles de la performance en matière de numérotation précoce des jeunes enfants: Effets d’un point médian explicite sur la performance de ligne numérique des enfants canadiens et sino-canadiens Comparaciones interculturales del rendimiento numérico temprano de niños pequeños: Efectos de un punto medio explícito en el desempeño en recta numérica en niños canadienses y chino-canadienses

INTRODUCTION. Children’s ability to place numbers on a line, where only the endpoints are marked, is related to other aspects of their mathematical understanding. In the present research, we examined the effects of a midpoint reference (e.g., marking the location of 5 on a 0-10 number line) on young children’s performance (3-to 5-year-olds) on a number line task. METHOD. We compared children with shared educational experiences but different cultural backgrounds: Chinese-Canadian children (n = 47) and Canadian children whose parents were educated in Canada or elsewhere (n = 47). All children completed a standard condition with only the endpoints marked and a midpoint condition where a midpoint reference was presented on the number line. RESULTS. The early numeracy skills of Chinese-Canadian children were better than those of the other Canadian children. Chinese-Canadian children made more accurate number line estimates when a midpoint reference at 5 was provided compared to Canadian children whereas the groups did not differ on a standard number line (i.e., no midpoint).Cultural differences persisted when mothers’ education, children’s age, and kindergarten attendance were controlled. DISCUSSION. These results suggest that strong fundamental numeracy skills are related to children’s performance on novel and complex tasks, such as the number line. These findings also indicate that differences across cultural groups may be related to language of instruction, parents’ education, or differences in home activities and emphasize the importance of developing more comprehensive frameworks for interpreting cultural differences in mathematical performance