Quantifying Sources of Variability in Infancy Research Using the Infant-Directed-Speech Preference

Psychological scientists have become increasingly concerned with issues related to methodology and replicability, and infancy researchers in particular face specific challenges related to replicability: For example, high-powered studies are difficult to conduct, testing conditions vary across labs, and different labs have access to different infant populations. Addressing these concerns, we report on a large-scale, multisite study aimed at (a) assessing the overall replicability of a single theoretically important phenomenon and (b) examining methodological, cultural, and developmental moderators. We focus on infants’ preference for infant-directed speech (IDS) over adult-directed speech (ADS). Stimuli of mothers speaking to their infants and to an adult in North American English were created using seminaturalistic laboratory-based audio recordings. Infants’ relative preference for IDS and ADS was assessed across 67 laboratories in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia using the three common methods for measuring infants’ discrimination (head-turn preference, central fixation, and eye tracking). The overall meta-analytic effect size (Cohen’s d) was 0.35, 95% confidence interval = [0.29, 0.42], which was reliably above zero but smaller than the meta-analytic mean computed from previous literature (0.67). The IDS preference was significantly stronger in older children, in those children for whom the stimuli matched their native language and dialect, and in data from labs using the head-turn preference procedure. Together, these findings replicate the IDS preference but suggest that its magnitude is modulated by development, native-language experience, and testing procedure

Panorama brasileiro do ensino de Enfermagem On-line Panorama brasileño de la enseñanza de Enfermería vía On-line A panorama of Brazil's online nursing teaching

O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar os cursos de Ensino Superior Nacional de EAD por área de concentração, região geográfica, nível de formação e os cursos de EAD no ensino superior de Enfermagem. O método adotado foi um estudo exploratório descritivo em que foi realizado um levantamento nos sites e portais governamentais e não-governamentais relacionados à educação nacional e EAD das Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES) que praticam EAD. Nos resultados foram identificados apenas dois cursos de pós-graduação lato sensu oferecidos especificamente em Enfermagem. Assim, há necessidade de maior investimento das IES de Enfermagem na criação e avaliação de cursos de EAD, bem como de infra-estrutura e de implementação de uma política de capacitação tecnológica.<br>El objetivo de este estudio fue identificar los cursos de Enseñanza Superior Nacional de la Educación a Distancia (EAD) por área de concentración, región geográfica, nivel de formación y los cursos de EAD en la enseñanza superior de Enfermería. El método adoptado fue un estudio exploratorio descriptivo en el que se llevó a cabo un levantamiento en los sitios y páginas web gubernamentales y no gubernamentales relacionados a la educación nacional y a la EAD de las Instituciones de Enseñanza Superior (IES) que practican EAD. En los resultados fueron identificados apenas dos cursos de post-grado lato sensu ofrecidos específicamente en Enfermería. De este modo, hay necesidad de mayor inversión de las IES de Enfermería en la creación y evaluación de cursos de EAD, así como de infraestructura e implementación de una política de capacitación tecnológica.<br>The aim of this study was to identify the National Superior Teaching courses in distance education by concentration area, geographic region, graduation level and distance education Nursing courses in higher education. The method used was an exploratory descriptive study in which was carried out a survey in government and non-government sites and portals related to national and distance education of higher education schools that offer distance education. The results identified only two latu sensu Graduate courses that offer Nursing specifically. Thus Nursing higher education schools must invest more on creating and evaluating distance education courses, as well as on infra-structure and on the implementation of a policy of technological capacity-building

Disruptions of the novel KIAA1202 gene are associated with X-linked mental retardation

The extensive heterogeneity underlying the genetic component of mental retardation (MR) is the main cause for our limited understanding of the aetiology of this highly prevalent condition. Hence we set out to identify genes involved in MR. We investigated the breakpoints of two balanced X;autosome translocations in two unrelated female patients with mild/moderate MR and found that the Xp11.2 breakpoints disrupt the novel human KIAA1202 (hKIAA1202) gene in both cases. We also identified a missense exchange in this gene, segregating with the Stocco dos Santos XLMR syndrome in a large four-generation pedigree but absent in >1,000 control X-chromosomes. Among other phenotypic characteristics, the affected males in this family present with severe MR, delayed or no speech, seizures and hyperactivity. Molecular studies of hKIAA1202 determined its genomic organisation, its expression throughout the brain and the regulation of expression of its mouse homologue during development. Transient expression of the wild-type KIAA1202 protein in HeLa cells showed partial colocalisation with the F-actin based cytoskeleton. On the basis of its domain structure, we argue that hKIAA1202 is a new member of the APX/Shroom protein family. Members of this family contain a PDZ and two ASD domains of unknown function and have been shown to localise at the cytoskeleton, and play a role in neurulation, cellular architecture, actin remodelling and ion channel function. Our results suggest that hKIAA1202 may be important in cognitive function and/or development.Olivier Hagens, Aline Dubos, Fatima Abidi, Gotthold Barbi, Laura Van Zutven, Maria Hoeltzenbein, Niels Tommerup, Claude Moraine, Jean-Pierre Fryns and Jamel Chelly, et al