The effectiveness of a structured note taking and written retell intervention on increasing overall reading comprehension

This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of a structured note-taking and written retell intervention on improving reading comprehension in high school age students. The participants for this study were two freshmen, one male and one female, at a high school in a large urban Midwestern city. In order to qualify for the study, participants needed to score at least two levels below their current grade level on the Qualitative Reading Inventory (QRI-5: Caldwell & Leslie, 2011). Reading comprehension growth was measured using the QRI-5 as the pretest and the posttest. One student was chosen at random to participate in the experimental condition, while the other student only attended typical coursework as the control condition. The student in the experimental condition participated in ten one-to-one intervention sessions over the course of five weeks. Each intervention session included modeling of the note-taking skill, practice retelling a text, and answer comprehension questions. After the intervention, both participants were given a posttest to determine growth. The participant in the experimental condition increased her reading comprehension level more than the student in the control group. This suggests that the intervention was successful at improving reading comprehension in high school age students

The effectiveness of creative writing on lowering mathematics anxiety and increasing standardized test scores in middle school

This study was designed to determine whether or not creative writing prior to “high-stakes” mathematics examinations was affective in reducing mathematics stress, anxiety, and/or worry. The participants chosen for the study were 26 sixth grade students in a middle school mathematics class. All participants were assigned to either a High Anxiety or Low Anxiety distinction based on an anxiety survey requiring students to rank the level of math anxiety they felt in various mathematics scenarios. Participants were then screened for mathematics ability by scores on standardized and district mathematics exams, and assigned to experimental and control conditions. Results were comprised of individual test scores on two high stakes exams, and analyzed specifically for growth across two installments of each exam. Analysis of growth scores showed that exposure to the experimental creative writing condition was successful for some groups

The Effects of Food on Mood: Can symptoms associated with depression be improved by what you eat?

The purpose of this research and literature review is to determine whether adherence to a Mediterranean diet or a plant-based diet has better effects on decreasing depression prevalence and/or symptom severity. A variety of keywords were used to search the online database, PubMed. Clinical trials and randomized controlled trials conducted within the last 20 years were included in the initial search. Exclusions were made if studies were not specific to Mediterranean or plant-based diets, or if they were focused on other psychiatric illnesses besides depression. For the final review, ten articles were selected. After thorough analyses and comparisons of the studies, it was concluded that adherence to a Mediterranean diet had superior benefits in both preventing depression onset and aiding in treatment of depressive symptoms. The current research regarding the effects a plant-based diet has on preventing and treating depressive symptoms is inconclusive. Some studies concluded that following a plant-based diet is beneficial in prevention and treatment of depression while others reported that the lack of animal products in a diet can actually increase risk of developing depression and/or worsen depressive symptoms. Further research must be done to clarify if a modern-day plant-based diet is beneficial or detrimental in the prevention and treatment of depression.https://commons.und.edu/pas-grad-posters/1281/thumbnail.jp

Modifikation des morphologischen Scores DES-OSA zur präklinischen Einschätzung einer Obstruktiven Schlafapnoe

Einleitung: Viele OSA-Screening-Scores basieren auf anamnestischen Angaben. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, den 2016 publizierten DES-OSA Score zur Vorhersage der Schwere einer OSA zu modifizieren. Der DES-OSA Score erfasst ausschließlich anthropometrische und faziale Parameter. Durch eine Modifikation soll der Score vereinfacht und in einem unabhängigen Kollektiv validiert werden. Methode: Die Modifizierung wurde mit 150 deutschen Patienten aus einer multizentrischen Studie (SAGIC, Sleep Apnea Global Interdisciplinary Consortium) vorgenommen und mit einer Gruppe von 50 deutschen SAGIC-Patienten validiert. Die Stärke des Scores wurde separat getestet für die Vorhersage der schweren OSA (AHI ≥ 30/h), der milden bis mittelschweren OSA (5/h ≤ AHI < 30/h) und für den Ausschluss von OSA (AHI < 5/h). Zusätzlich wurde der Score an einem Kollektiv von 150 asiatischen SAGIC-Patienten getestet, um einen ethnischen Vergleich darzustellen und mögliche Grenzen des Scores aufzuzeigen. Ergebnisse: Der modifizierte Score besteht aus fünf Variablen: Body Mass Index, Halsumfang, männliches Geschlecht, einer modifizierten Friedman Scale und Taillenumfang. Nur für Frauen wurde zusätzlich das Alter in den Score integriert. Der Score (≥ 8 Punkte) zeigte bei der Vorhersage der schweren OSA eine Sensitivität von 82%, eine Spezifität von 82% und eine ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) AUC (area under the curve) von 0,899. Der Score (5 bis 7 Punkte) zeigte für die Prädiktion der milden bis mittelschweren OSA eine Sensitivität von 68%, eine Spezifität von 73% und eine ROC-AUC von 0,886. Der Score (≤ 4 Punkte) konnte OSA mit einer Sensitivität von 62% und einer Spezifität von 95% und einer ROC-AUC von 0,886 ausschließen. Der modifizierte Score konnte in der Validierungsgruppe mit gleichen Resultaten bestätigt werden. Geschlechteranalysen ergaben eine Schwierigkeit in der Diagnostik der schweren OSA bei Frauen und dem OSA-Ausschluss bei Männern. Der Score versagte bei der Anwendung in der asiatischen Kohorte. Zusammenfassung: Der modifizierte DES-OSA Score (M-DES-OSA Score) konnte erfolgreich angewendet werden, unter anderem durch die Integration einer adaptierten Friedman Scale. Stärken zeigt der Score hinsichtlich der Prädiktion der schweren OSA, was für die damit verbundenen kardiovaskulären Erkrankungen besonders wichtig ist. Auch für den Ausschluss von OSA liefert der Score gute Ergebnisse. Es besteht noch Forschungsbedarf für die Anwendung des Scores nach Geschlecht und in anderen ethnischen Bevölkerungsgruppen.Many obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) prescreening instruments use subjective ratings. The objective of this scientific work was to adapt and validate a fairly new OSA prediction score (DES-OSA) that is based solely on anthropometric measures and facial structures. Methods: The adapted morphologic score was developed with 150 German participants from a multicenter clinical trial called SAGIC (Sleep Apnea Global Interdicsiplinary Consortium) and validated with an independent cohort of 50 German SAGIC participants. Its predictive abilities were tested for severe OSA (AHI ≥ 30/h), mild-to-moderate OSA (5/h ≤ AHI < 30/h), as well as the exclusion of OSA (AHI < 5/h). Gender differences were also analysed, especially due to the huge imbalance in the prevalence of OSA between men and women. Additionally, the score was applied to 150 Asian SAGIC participants for the purpose of ethnical comparison and to reveal possible limits of the score. Results: The adapted score involved five variables: body mass index, neck circumference, male gender, an adapted Friedman Scale, and waist circumference. For women only, age was included. The adapted score (≥ 8 points) predicted severe OSA with a sensitivity of 82%, a specificity of 82%, and a ROC- (Receiver Operating Characteristic) AUC (area under curve) of 0.899. The adapted score (5-7 points) predicted mild-to-moderate OSA with a sensitivity of 68%, a specificity of 73%, and a ROC-AUC of 0.886. The score (≤ 4 points) was able to exclude OSA with a sensitivity of 62%, a specificity of 95%, and a ROC-AUC of 0.886. The adapted score was successfully validated with similar results. Gender analyses revealed that the score was weak to predict severe OSA for women and to predict exclusion of OSA for men. The application with an Asian cohort failed. Conclusion: The morphologic OSA prediction score DES-OSA was adapted successfully. The new score (M-DES-OSA Score) includes, inter alia, a completely new variation of the Friedman Scale. It best predicted severe OSA, especially important due to its high risk of cardiovascular disease, but also predicted the exclusion of OSA. However, the results imply that the score needs to be adjusted for gender specific results and international application

Urban Regeneration and Human Rehabilitation - Thriven by Fourth Nature

It is nowadays quite usual to hear the affirmation everything is connected and this banalization makes us sometimes not take its real importance into account We live in an intrinsically complex living world Everything breathes everything moves everything dances What about being able to hear the same music Once we allow our senses to perceive our surroundings a previous unknown dimension of life opens for us Andreas Weber 2016 says that only in the mirror of other life can we understand our own lives Only in the eyes of the other we become ourselves This reinforces the Fourth Nature Concept that talks about the reciprocity existing in the relation man Nature through a new consciousness PROCHNOW 202

Connexons and cell adhesion: a romantic phase

Recent evidence indicates, that gap junction forming proteins do not only contribute to intercellular communication (Kanno and Saffitz in Cardiovasc Pathol 10:169–177, 2001; Saez et al. in Physiol Rev 83:1359–1400, 2003), ion homeostasis and volume control (Goldberg et al. in J Biol Chem 277:36725–36730, 2002; Saez et al. in Physiol Rev 83:1359–1400, 2003). They also serve biological functions in a mechanical sense, supporting adherent connections between neighbouring cells of epithelial and non-epithelial tissues (Clair et al. in Exp Cell Res 314:1250–1265, 2008; Shaw et al. in Cell 128:547–560, 2007), where they stabilize migratory pathways in the developing central nervous system (Elias et al. in Nature 448:901–907, 2007; Malatesta et al. in Development 127:5253–5263, 2000; Noctor et al. in Nature 409:714–720, 2001; Rakic in Brain Res 33:471–476, 1971; J Comp Neurol 145:61–83 1972; Science 241:170–176, 1988), or mediate polarized movements and directionality of neural crest cells during organogenesis (Kirby and Waldo in Circ Res 77:211–215, 1995; Xu et al. in Development 133:3629–3639, 2006). Since, most data describing adhesive properties of gap junctions delt with connexin 43 (Cx43) (Beardslee et al. in Circ Res 83:629–635, 1998), we will focus our brief review on this isoform

Process disturbances in agricultural biogas production—causes, mechanisms and effects on the biogas microbiome: A review

Disturbances of the anaerobic digestion process reduce the economic and environmental performance of biogas systems. A better understanding of the highly complex process is of crucial importance in order to avoid disturbances. This review defines process disturbances as significant changes in the functionality within the microbial community leading to unacceptable and severe decreases in biogas production and requiring an active counteraction to be overcome. The main types of process disturbances in agricultural biogas production are classified as unfavorable process temperatures, fluctuations in the availability of macro- and micronutrients (feedstock variability), overload of the microbial degradation potential, process-related accumulation of inhibiting metabolites such as hydrogen (H 2 ), ammonium/ammonia (NH 4 + /NH 3 ) or hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S) and inhibition by other organic and inorganic toxicants. Causes, mechanisms and effects on the biogas microbiome are discussed. The need for a knowledge-based microbiome management to ensure a stable and efficient production of biogas with low susceptibility to disturbances is derived and an outlook on potential future process monitoring and control by means of microbial indicators is provided

Circulação de cromo entre os compartimentos biótico e abiótico com indícios de bioindicação em uma turfeira não alterada no município de Guaíba, RS, Brasil

Amostras de sedimento, água e tecido vegetal (Mimosa bimucronata e Paspalum notatum)foram analisadas com respeito a seu conteúdo em cromo. Estas amostras foram coletadas de umaturfeira numa baixada entre elevações graníticas na Fazenda São Maximiniano, município de Guaíba,RS, Brasil. Os resultados indicam que em um meio sem contaminação antrópica do metal propostoas concentrações do metal pesado estão totalmente dependentes da fonte para este, ou seja, arocha granítica. O presente trabalho permitiu estabelecer os níveis naturais de cromo (background)em um ambiente geologicamente conhecido e não alterado antropicamente, assim como o comportamentogeoquímico deste metal entre os compartimentos abióticos e biótico. Foi possívelestabelecer, também, o comportamento de absorção do metal por duas espécies vegetais tidascomo bioindicadoras.Samples of sediment, water and vegetational tissue (Mimosa bimucronata and Paspalumnotatum) were analised with respect of its chromium content. These samples were collected from apeatland located in a basin among granitic elevations in the São Maximiniano Farm, Guaíba municipality,Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The results indicate that in a non antropic contaminated environment by theproposed heavy metal, the concentration are totally source dependent for it, the granitic rocks. Thiswork led us to establish the natural levels of chromium (background) in a geologically well known andnon antropically changed environment, as well as geochemical behavior of this metal among theabiotics and biotic compartments. It was also possible to establish the biosorption behavior of the twovegetal species, known as bioindicators