Curriculum architecture - a literature review

The analysis of almost 400 abstracts, articles, books from academic sources, policy documents and the educational press has been undertaken to attempt to illuminate the concept of Curriculum Architecture. The phrase itself is not current in the Scottish educational discourse. This review has attempted to look at the international research literature, available over the past ten years or so, on the sub-themes identified in the SEED specification

Construct Validity of Cognitive Reserve in a Multiethnic Cohort: The Northern Manhattan Study

Cognitive reserve is a hypothetical construct that has been used to inform models of cognitive aging and is presumed to be indicative of life experiences that may mitigate the effects of brain pathology. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the construct validity of cognitive reserve by examining both its convergent and its discriminant validity across three different samples of participants using structural equation modeling. The cognitive reserve variables were found to correlate highly with one another (thereby providing evidence of convergent validity), but demanding tests of discriminant validity indicated that, in two of the samples, the cognitive reserve construct was highly related to an executive functioning construct

Embodied truths: How dynamic gestures and speech contribute to mathematical proof practices

Grounded and embodied theories of cognition suggest that both language and the body play crucial roles in grounding higher-order thought. This paper investigates how particular forms of speech and gesture function together to support abstract thought in mathematical proof construction. We use computerized text analysis software to evaluate how speech patterns support valid proof construction for two different tasks, and we use gesture analysis to investigate how dynamic gestures—those gestures that depict and transform mathematical objects—further support proof practices above and beyond speech patterns. We also evaluate the degree to which speech and gesture convey distinct information about mathematical reasoning during proving. Dynamic gestures and speech indicating logical inference support valid proof construction, and both dynamic gestures and speech uniquely predict variance in valid proof construction. Thus, dynamic gestures and speech each make separate and important contributions to the formulation of mathematical arguments, and both modalities can convey elements of students’ understanding to teachers and researchers

Procalcitonin and midregional proatrial natriuretic peptide as biomarkers of subclinical cerebrovascular damage: the northern manhattan study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Chronic infections and cardiac dysfunction are risk factors for stroke. We hypothesized that blood biomarkers of infection (procalcitonin) and cardiac dysfunction (midregional proatrial natriuretic peptide [MR-proANP]), previously associated with small vessel stroke and cardioembolic stroke are also associated with subclinical cerebrovascular damage, including silent brain infarcts and white matter hyperintensity volume. METHODS: The NOMAS (Northern Manhattan Study) was designed to assess risk factors for incident vascular disease in a multiethnic cohort. A subsample underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging and had blood samples available for biomarker measurement (n=1178). We used logistic regression models to estimate the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the association of these biomarkers with silent brain infarcts after adjusting for demographic, behavioral, and medical risk factors. We used linear regression to assess associations with log-white matter hyperintensity volume. RESULTS: Mean age was 70±9 years; 60% were women, 66% Hispanic, 17% black, and 15% were white. After adjusting for risk factors, subjects with procalcitonin or MR-proANP in the top quartile, compared with the lowest quartile were more likely to have silent brain infarcts (adjusted odds ratio for procalcitonin, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.3-3.7 and for MR-proANP, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.7-6.3) and increased white matter hyperintensity volume (adjusted mean change in log-white matter hyperintensity volume for procalcitonin, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.13-0.44 and for MR-proANP, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.004-0.36). CONCLUSIONS: Higher concentrations of procalcitonin, a marker of infection, and MR-proANP, a marker of cardiac dysfunction, are independently associated with subclinical cerebrovascular damage. If further studies demonstrate an incremental value for risk stratification, biomarker-guided primary prevention studies may lead to new approaches to prevent cerebrovascular disease

High-resolution global maps of tidal flat ecosystems from 1984 to 2019

Assessments of the status of tidal flats, one of the most extensive coastal ecosystems, have been hampered by a lack of data on their global distribution and change. Here we present globally consistent, spatially-explicit data of the occurrence of tidal flats, defined as sand, rock or mud flats that undergo regular tidal inundation. More than 1.3 million Landsat images were processed to 54 composite metrics for twelve 3-year periods, spanning four decades (1984–1986 to 2017–2019). The composite metrics were used as predictor variables in a machine-learning classification trained with more than 10,000 globally distributed training samples. We assessed accuracy of the classification with 1,348 stratified random samples across the mapped area, which indicated overall map accuracies of 82.2% (80.0–84.3%, 95% confidence interval) and 86.1% (84.2–86.8%, 95% CI) for version 1.1 and 1.2 of the data, respectively. We expect these maps will provide a means to measure and monitor a range of processes that are affecting coastal ecosystems, including the impacts of human population growth and sea level rise

Cerebral white matter disease and functional decline in older adults from the Northern Manhattan Study: A longitudinal cohort study

Background Cerebral white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) on MRI are common and associated with vascular and functional outcomes. However, the relationship between WMHs and longitudinal trajectories of functional status is not well characterized. We hypothesized that whole brain WMHs are associated with functional decline independently of intervening clinical vascular events and other vascular risk factors. Methods and findings In the Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS), a population-based racially/ethnically diverse prospective cohort study, 1,290 stroke-free individuals underwent brain MRI and were followed afterwards for a mean 7.3 years with annual functional assessments using the Barthel index (BI) (range 0–100) and vascular event surveillance. Whole brain white matter hyperintensity volume (WMHV) (as percentage of total cranial volume [TCV]) was standardized and treated continuously. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) models tested associations between whole brain WMHV and baseline BI and change in BI, adjusting for sociodemographic, vascular, and cognitive risk factors, as well as stroke and myocardial infarction (MI) occurring during follow-up. Mean age was 70.6 (standard deviation [SD] 9.0) years, 40% of participants were male, 66% Hispanic; mean whole brain WMHV was 0.68% (SD 0.84). In fully adjusted models, annual functional change was −1.04 BI points (−1.20, −0.88), with −0.74 additional points annually per SD whole brain WMHV increase from the mean (−0.99, −0.49). Whole brain WMHV was not associated with baseline BI, and results were similar for mobility and non-mobility BI domains and among those with baseline BI 95–100. A limitation of the study is the possibility of a healthy survivor bias, which would likely have underestimated the associations we found. Conclusions In this large population-based study, greater whole brain WMHV was associated with steeper annual decline in functional status over the long term, independently of risk factors, vascular events, and baseline functional status. Subclinical brain ischemic changes may be an independent marker of long-term functional decline

Physical inactivity is a strong risk factor for stroke in the oldest old: Findings from a multi-ethnic population (the Northern Manhattan Study)

Background The fastest growing segment of the population is those age ≥80 who have the highest stroke incidence. Risk factor management is complicated by polypharmacy-related adverse events. Aims To characterize the impact of physical inactivity for stroke by age in a multi-ethnic prospective cohort study (NOMAS, n = 3298). Methods Leisure time physical activity was assessed by a validated questionnaire and our primary exposure was physical inactivity (PI). Participants were followed annually for incident stroke. We fit Cox-proportional hazard models to calculate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (HR 95% CI) for the association of PI and other risk factors with risk of stroke including two-way interaction terms between the primary exposures and age (<80 vs. ≥80). Results The mean age was 69 ± 10.3 years and 562 (17%) were ≥80 at enrolment. PI was common in the cohort (40.8%). Over a median of 14 years, we found 391 strokes. We found a significant interaction of age ≥80 on the risk of stroke with PI (p = 0.03). In stratified models, PI versus any activity (adjusted HR 1.60, 95%CI 1.05–2.42) was associated with an increased risk of stroke among those ≥80. Conclusion Physical inactivity is a treatable risk factor for stroke among those older than age 80. Improving activity may reduce the risk of stroke in this segment of the population

Creatinine- versus cystatin C-based renal function assessment in the Northern Manhattan Study

Background Accurate glomerular filtration rate estimation informs drug dosing and risk stratification. Body composition heterogeneity influences creatinine production and the precision of creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFRcr) in the elderly. We compared chronic kidney disease (CKD) categorization using eGFRcr and cystatin C-based estimated GFR (eGFRcys) in an elderly, racially/ethnically diverse cohort to determine their concordance. Methods The Northern Manhattan Study (NOMAS) is a predominantly elderly, multi-ethnic cohort with a primary aim to study cardiovascular disease epidemiology. We included participants with concurrently measured creatinine and cystatin C. eGFRcr was calculated using the CKD-EPI 2009 equation. eGFRcys was calculated using the CKD-EPI 2012 equation. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of factors associated with reclassification from eGFRcr≥60ml/min/1.73m2 to eGFRcys<60ml/min/1.73m2. Results Participants (n = 2988, mean age 69±10yrs) were predominantly Hispanic, female, and overweight/obese. eGFRcys was lower than eGFRcr by mean 23mL/min/1.73m2. 51% of participants’ CKD status was discordant, and only 28% maintained the same CKD stage by both measures. Most participants (78%) had eGFRcr≥60mL/min/1.73m2; among these, 64% had eGFRcys65 years, obesity, current smoking, white race, and female sex. Conclusions In a large, multiethnic, elderly cohort, we found a highly discrepant prevalence of CKD with eGFRcys versus eGFRcr. Determining the optimal method to estimate GFR in elderly populations needs urgent further study to improve risk stratification and drug dosing