Infection of red foxes with Echinococcus multilocularis in western Switzerland

In the Jura mountains, Plateau and Alps of western Switzerland important variations in the prevalence of Echinococcus multilocularis infection in red foxes were observed between geographical areas from 1990 to 1995. The Jura mountains and the Plateau had higher mean prevalence levels than the Alps with 30.6, 32.4 and 18.8%, respectively. The highest rate was recorded in the Plateau in the canton of Fribourg with a prevalence of 52.3%. The prevalence of E. multilocularis infection in foxes in the alpine canton of Valais was the lowest (7.1%). Juvenile foxes were found to be more susceptible to E. multilocularis than adults. Adult foxes were less heavily infected in summer and autumn, while the prevalence in juveniles (less than 1 year old) increased between the spring and winter, when they are more than 6 months old. The retrospective data relate to the beginning of the 1990s, since when a drastic prevalence increase of E. multilocularis infection in foxes has occurred in several regions of Europe. Nevertheless, the study is a major contribution to the epidemiological situation of E. multilocularis in central Europe, in that it contains valuable information on spatial distribution and seasonal differences in different age groups of foxe

Estrategias didácticas inclusivas en TDAH

Núm. monogràfic: Estrategias didácticas inclusivasCongreso Internacional Estrategias Didácticas InclusivasEl aula exige muchas demandas a los alumnos para que sigan normas, interactúen adecuadamente con sus compañeros y profesores, participen en actividades instruccionales, aprendan lo que se les está enseñando y respeten el aprendizaje y las actividades de los otros alumnos. El cumplimento de estas exigencias es especialmente complejo para los niños con TDAH que encuentran este contexto especialmente adverso. El resultado para la mayoría de estos estudiantes es una variedad de problemas que afectan de forma cualitativa y cuantitativa al logro académico, al desempeño escolar, al comportamiento, a las relaciones con los iguales y al autoconcepto. La formación de profesores para mejorar la instrucción de alumnos con TDAH es esencial ya que el microsistema escolar es un contexto idóneo para llevar a cabo programas de intervención que desarrollen el autocontrol y la conducta dirigida a metas. Diferentes trabajos han mostrado que la utilización de estrategias didácticas inclusivas por parte de los profesores ha mostrado su eficacia para que se produzca el progreso académico, social y emocional del niño con TDAH. Este trabajo recoge las principales estrategias para potenciar la atención, para desarrollar la autorregulación y el aprendizaje y para regular la motivación y las emociones de los niños con TDAH en sus aulas.The classroom demands a lot of pupils, since it requires them to follow rules, interact in an appropriate manner with their classmates and teachers, take part in instructional activities, learn what they are being taught and respect the learning and activities of the other pupils. Complying with these requirements is especially complicated for children with ADHD, who find this context particularly challenging. The outcome for most of these students is a variety of problems that have qualitative and quantitative effects on their academic achievement, performance at school, behaviour, relationships with peers and self-concept. The training of teachers to improve the education of pupils with ADHD is essential, since the school microsystem is an ideal context for carrying out intervention programmes that develop self-control and goal-oriented behaviour. Different studies have shown that the use of inclusive didactic strategies by teachers has proved to be effective in bringing about the academic, social and emotional progress of children with ADHD. This work looks at the main strategies for enhancing attention, for developing self-regulation and learning, and for regulating motivation and the emotions of children with ADHD in their classrooms

Aspectos motivacionales y habilidades matemáticas en niños de educación infantil

XVIII Jornades de Foment de la Investigació de la Facultat de Ciències Humanes i Socials (Any 2013

Análisis de factores moduladores de la intervención psicosocial en preescolares con trastorno por déficit de atención/hiperactividad

INTRODUCTION. Although the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in preschoolers is increasingly common, relatively little is known about the treatment in this developmental period. Some side effects of pharmacological intervention discourage its use as first-line intervention at this age. AIM. To analyze the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions designed to respond to the needs presented by these children, especially those based on cognitive-behavioral and socio-constructivist models. DEVELOPMENT. The review highlights the effectiveness of parent training programs, alone or combined with interventions at school and with the children. Communication between parents and teachers has been shown to be a determinant of their success. Another aspect that seems to favor the efficacy of treatment in this stage of education is the inclusion in the school curriculum of mediated activities aimed at developing self-regulation. CONCLUSIONS. In preschoolers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, preventive action based on these models, increasing the intensity of the intervention depending on the student’s response, can help to avoid future problems.Introducción. Aunque el diagnóstico del trastorno por déficit de atención/hiperactividad (TDAH) en preescolares es cada vez más frecuente, se sabe relativamente poco acerca de su tratamiento en este período evolutivo. Algunos efectos adversos de la intervención farmacológica no aconsejan su uso como primera opción de intervención en estas edades. Objetivo. Analizar la eficacia de las intervenciones psicosociales para responder tempranamente a las necesidades de niños con TDAH, especialmente las enmarcadas en los modelos cognitivoconductuales y socioconstructivistas. Desarrollo. La revisión de las investigaciones realizadas en los últimos años en relación con este tema destaca la eficacia de los programas de entrenamiento a padres, solos o combinados con intervenciones en la escuela y con los propios niños. La comunicación entre padres y profesores se ha mostrado como factor determinante del éxito de dichos programas. Otro aspecto que parece propiciar la eficacia del tratamiento en esta etapa educativa es la inclusión dentro del currículo escolar de actividades mediadas encaminadas a desarrollar la autorregulación. Conclusiones. En preescolares con TDAH, una actuación preventiva basada en estos modelos, que incremente la intensidad de la intervención en función de la respuesta del alumno, podrá evitar problemas futuros

Mosaics of canopy openness induced by tropical cyclones in lowland rain forests with contrasting management histories in northeastern Australia

Tropical Cyclone 'Rona' crossed the coast of the Daintree lowlands of northeastern Australia in 1999. This study reports on its impact on forest canopy openness at six lowland rain forest sites with contrasting management histories (old-growth, selectively logged and regrowth). Percentage canopy openness was calculated from individual hemispherical photographs taken from marked points below the forest canopy at nine plots per site 3±4 mo before the cyclone, and at the same points a month afterwards. Before the cyclone, when nine sites were visited, canopy openness in old-growth and logged sites was similar, but significantly higher in regrowth forest. After the cyclone, all six revisited sites showed an increase in canopy openness, but the increase was very patchy amongst plots and sites and varied from insignificant to severe. The most severely impacted site was an old-growth one, the least impacted a logged one. Although proneness to impact was apparently related to forest management history (old-growth being the most impacted), underlying local topography may have had an equally strong influence in this case. It was concluded that the likelihood of severe impact may be determined at the landscape-scale by the interaction of anthropogenic with meteorological, physiographic and biotic factors. In the long term, such interactions may caution against pursuing forest management in cyclone-prone areas

Long-term (10 years) prognostic value of a normal thallium-201 myocardial exercise scintigraphy in patients with coronary artery disease documented by angiography

In order to assess the prognostic significance of normal exercise thallium-210 myocardial scintigraphy in patients with documented coronary artery disease, we studied the incidence of cardiac death and non-fatal myocardial infarction in 69 symptomatic patients without prior Q wave myocardial infarction, who demonstrated one or more significant coronary lesions (stenosis ≤70%) on an angiogram performed within 3 months of scintigraphy (Group 1). These patients were compared to a second group of 136 patients with an abnormal exercise scintigram, defined by the presence of reversible defect(s) and angiographically proven coronary artery disease (Group 2), and to a third group of 102 patients with normal exercise scintigraphy without significant coronary lesions (stenosis ≥30%) or with normal coronary angiography (Group 3). In contrast to coronary lesions observed in Group 2, patients in Group I presented more frequently with single- vessel disease (83% vs 35%, P>0·0001) and with more distal lesions (55% vs 23%, P>0·0001). Over a mean follow-up period of 8·6 years, one fatal and eight non-fatal cases of myocardial infarction were observed in Group 1. The majority of patients in Group 1 were treated medically: only 24 (35%) underwent myocardial revascularization, usually by coronary angioplasty. There was no significant difference in the incidence of combined major cardiac events (cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction) in patients with normal exercise scintigraphy, with or without documented coronary artery disease (Groups 1 and 3), while the incidence was higher in Group 2. However, while the mortality remained very low in Group 1, the incidence of non-fatal myocardial infraction was not different from that of Group 2, where most patients underwent revascularization procedures. In conclusion, patients with coronary artery disease and a normal exercise thallium-201 myocardial scintigram usually have mild coronary lesions (single-vessel disease, distal location) and good long-term prognosis, with a low incidence of cardiac deat

Perioperative Nerve Blockade: Clues from the Bench

Peripheral and neuraxial nerve blockades are widely used in the perioperative period. Their values to diminish acute postoperative pain are established but other important outcomes such as chronic postoperative pain, or newly, cancer recurrence, or infections could also be influenced. The long-term effects of perioperative nerve blockade are still controversial. We will review current knowledge of the effects of blocking peripheral electrical activity in different animal models of pain. We will first go over the mechanisms of pain development and evaluate which types of fibers are activated after an injury. In the light of experimental results, we will propose some hypotheses explaining the mitigated results obtained in clinical studies on chronic postoperative pain. Finally, we will discuss three major disadvantages of the current blockade: the absence of blockade of myelinated fibers, the inappropriate duration of blockade, and the existence of activity-independent mechanisms

Motivation and academic achievement in mathematics: a longitudinal study in the early stages of education

Se analiza longitudinalmente la capacidad predictiva de un conjunto de variables motivacionales sobre el rendimiento matemático. Los análisis se realizan, en una muestra de 180 sujetos, con datos evaluados en dos momentos (Educación Infantil 5 años y 2º curso de Primaria). También se estudian las diferencias entre dos grupos, con rendimiento matemático medio y bajo al finalizar el primer ciclo de Primaria, en las variables motivacionales evaluadas en el primer momento. Los resultados muestran un importante poder predictivo sobre el rendimiento matemático posterior de la competencia percibida. También la persistencia, la actitud y la dimensión atribucional de internalidad positiva aportan una contribución significativa adicional. Los resultados muestran igualmente que los grupos con rendimiento medio y bajo al finalizar 2º de Primaria presentaban diferencias significativas a los 5 años, tanto en internalidad positiva como en persistencia. Se discuten las implicaciones teóricas y prácticas de los resultados.This longitudinal study analyzes the predictive value of a set of motivational variables on academic performance in mathematics area. Analyses were performed, in a sample of 180 subjects, with the data evaluated in two stages in formal educational settings (from kindergarten through 2nd grade of Primary School). Likewise, differences between groups, with average (AM) and low math performance (LM) at the end of the second year of Primary School, in motivational and attributional variables assessed at the first moment, are also studied. The results show a significant predictive power on later mathematics achievement for self-competence. Also persistence, attitude and positive attributional dimension of internality have an additional significant contribution. The results also show that average and low yield groups at the end of 2nd grade of Primary School, showed significant differences at 5 years both positive internality and persistence. These results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications