Examining subjective understanding of participants and trained coders in adolescent romantic couples\u27 interactions

The purpose of this study was to examine the similarities and differences of adolescent romantic couple members\u27 and trained coders\u27 subjective understanding and to assess simultaneously their unique contributions to predicting relationship satisfaction and whether couples were dating a year later. Data were collected from 211 couples over two years (median age = 17 years of age; median week dating = 31.5 weeks). Couples and trained coders used Video-recall procedures, which included recording couples\u27 conversations and ascertaining couple members\u27 and trained coders\u27 understanding of the conversations. Individual couples were followed up approximately 1 year after Time 1 data collection. Multilevel modeling was utilized in order to maximize the reliability of the models by addressing the non-independence of partner members\u27 data. Findings indicate that both couple members\u27, as well as trained coders\u27 perceive interactions differently. In addition, couple members\u27 and trained coders\u27 perceptions of the interactions and not couple members\u27 attitude about the relationship predicted couple members\u27 relationship satisfaction at Time 2. Couple members who felt more connection or closeness during their interaction, regardless of perceived conflict, were more likely to be together a year later. Although not hypothesized, there appears to be consistent findings suggesting that adolescent romantic relationships may serve more of an individual developmental role in facilitating identity development rather than being about the development of dyadic intimacy. Future research needs to investigate this possibility further

The Value of ERP Curriculum Integration: Perspectives from the Research

In the current economic conditions, many institutions face dwindling budgets and an increased focus on proving the value of the education provided. The effort and costs required to integrate Enterprise Resource Planning systems into course curricula are a significant investment of resources for any university. This paper examines the expense of Enterprise Resource Planning integrated curricula (ERP-ICs) and the documented benefits. Evidence is still needed to place a quantitative value on many of the benefits provided to students completing an ERP-IC and to the college and university making that investment. A review of research literature regarding Enterprise Resource Planning based curricula is summarized in relation to costs and benefits. Benefits documented with quantified research are specifically examined. Finally a discussion of important benefits and costs that have yet to be quantified is given. In this age, universities are examining the cost-benefits of each investment and research on ERP-ICs lacks the data to make this case. Additional research is suggested to enrich this field of research beyond the current case studies and curriculum models

Developing and Implementing an Accessible, Touch-based Web App for Inclusive Learning

With the prevalence of mobile devices and platforms used throughout the world and the increasing number of organizations with mobile versions of their web sites, it is essential that those applications and sites are accessible, usable and flexible. This project involved the inclusive development and iterative evaluation of a platform-independent, web-based learning app. Usability testing with students, faculty, and individuals with disabilities were combined with manual accessibility evaluations to ensure that a wide range of users and devices would be able to benefit from the structure of such an application. The results of this project detail the process of creating a flexible, platform-independent mobile learning app as well as some of the broader benefits that can result from accessibility and usability improvements to a mobile application. The resulting prototype has been implemented in a “live” environment at a non-profit organization that serves individuals with disabilities

Eskers in a complete, wet-based glacial system in the Phlegra Montes region, Mars

Although glacial landsystems produced under warm/wet based conditions are very common on Earth, even here, observations of subglacial landforms such as eskers emerging from extant glaciers are rare. This paper describes a system of sinuous ridges emerging from the in situ but now degraded piedmont terminus of a Late Amazonian-aged (∼150 Ma) glacier-like form in the southern Phlegra Montes region of Mars. We believe this to be the first identification of martian eskers that can be directly linked to their parent glacier. Together with their contextual landform assemblage, the eskers are indicative of significant glacial meltwater production and subglacial routing. However, although the eskers are evidence of a wet-based regime, the confinement of the glacial system to a well-defined, regionally significant graben, and the absence of eskers elsewhere in the region, is interpreted as evidence of sub-glacial melting as a response to locally enhanced geothermal heat flux rather than climate-induced warming. These observations offer important new insights to the forcing of glacial dynamic and melting behaviour on Mars by factors other than climate

Diagnosing Dementia in the Clinical Setting: Can Amyloid PET Provide Additional Value Over Cerebrospinal Fluid?

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) measures of amyloid and tau are the first-line Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in many clinical centers. We assessed if and when the addition of amyloid PET following CSF measurements provides added diagnostic value. Twenty patients from a cognitive clinic, who had undergone detailed assessment including CSF measures, went on to have amyloid PET. The treating neurologist's working diagnosis, and degree of diagnostic certainty, was assessed both before and after the PET. Amyloid PET changed the diagnosis in 7/20 cases. Amyloid PET can provide added diagnostic value, particularly in young-onset, atypical dementias, where CSF results are borderline and diagnostic uncertainty remains

Low Dose Daily Iron Supplementation Improves Iron Status and Appetite but not Anemia, Whereas Quarterly Anthelminthic Treatment Improves Growth, Appetite and Anemia in Zanzibari Preschool Children.

Iron deficiency and helminth infections are two common conditions of children in developing countries. The consequences of helminth infection in young children are not well described, and the efficacy of low dose iron supplementation is not well documented in malaria-endemic settings. A 12-mo randomized, placebo controlled, double-blind trial of 10 mg daily iron and/or mebendazole (500 mg) every 3 mo was conducted in a community-based sample of 459 Zanzibari children age 6-71 mo with hemoglobin > 70 g/L at baseline. The trial was designed to examine treatment effects on growth, anemia and appetite in two age subgroups. Iron did not affect growth retardation, hemoglobin concentration or mild or moderate anemia (hemoglobin < 110 g/L or < 90 g/L, respectively), but iron significantly improved serum ferritin and erythrocyte protoporphyrin. Mebendazole significantly reduced wasting malnutrition. but only in children <30 mo old. The adjusted odds ratios (AORs) for mebendazole in this age group were 0.38 (95% CI: 0.16, 0.90) for weight-for-height less than -1 Z-score and 0.29 (0.09, 0.91) for small arm circumference. In children <24 mo old, mebendazole also reduced moderate anemia (AOR: 0.41, 0.18, 0.94). Both iron and mebendazole improved children's appetite, according to mothers' report. In this study, iron's effect on anemia was limited, likely constrained by infection, inflammation and perhaps other nutrient deficiencies. Mebendazole treatment caused unexpected and significant reductions in wasting malnutrition and anemia in very young children with light infections. We hypothesize that incident helminth infections may stimulate inflammatory immune responses in young children, with deleterious effects on protein metabolism and erythropoiesis

Using florbetapir positron emission tomography to explore cerebrospinal fluid cut points and gray zones in small sample sizes

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to assess the feasibility of determining Alzheimer's disease cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cut points in small samples through comparison with amyloid positron emission tomography (PET). METHODS: Twenty-three individuals (19 patients, four controls) had CSF measures of amyloid beta (Aβ)1-42 and total tau/Aβ1-42 ratio, and florbetapir PET. We compared CSF measures with visual and quantitative (standardized uptake value ratio [SUVR]) PET measures of amyloid. RESULTS: Seventeen of 23 were amyloid-positive on visual reads, and 14 of 23 at an SUVR of ≥1.1. There was concordance (positive/negative on both measures) in 20 of 23, of whom 19 of 20 were correctly classified at an Aβ1-42 of 630 ng/L, and 20 of 20 on tau/Aβ1-42 ratio (positive ≥0.88; negative ≤0.34). Three discordant cases had Aβ1-42 levels between 403 and 729 ng/L and tau/Aβ1-42 ratios of 0.54-0.58. DISCUSSION: Comparing amyloid PET and CSF biomarkers provides a means of assessing CSF cut points in vivo, and can be applied to small sample sizes. CSF tau/Aβ1-42 ratio appears robust at predicting amyloid status, although there are gray zones where there remains diagnostic uncertainty

A role for North Pacific salinity in stabilizing North Atlantic climate

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2007. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Paleoceanography 22 (2007): PA3102, doi:10.1029/2007PA001420.A simple ocean/atmosphere feedback may reduce the amplitude of climate variability in around the North Atlantic during interglacial compared to glacial states. When climate is warm in the North Atlantic region, the Intertropical Convergence Zone has a relatively northward position, and moisture is exported from the tropical Atlantic to the tropical Pacific. At the same time the east Asian summer monsoon is strong, which helps maintain a positive balance of precipitation over evaporation in the subpolar North Pacific. This is thought to account for lower salinity in the North Pacific relative to the North Atlantic, which, in turn, drives northward flow through the Bering Strait to the northern North Atlantic. Freshening in the North Atlantic by water of Pacific origin suppresses the meridional overturning circulation and reduces the heat flux. The opposite situation exists during cold climate. Thus the combination of atmospheric vapor transport and flow through Bering Strait tends to cool the North Atlantic region when warm and warm the region when cool.Ideas presented in this paper were developed while surveying and coring in the Panama Basin to reconstruct the history of salinity and ITCZ changes (OCE0317702) and in the Bering and Chukchi seas to study the role of sea level and Bering Strait in climate change (OPP9912122). M.S.C. was funded by Oak Foundation to participate on the Chukchi Sea expedition