Meeting the Needs of the Marginally Learning Disabled Intermediate Grade Child

This study focused on the needs of 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students who have I.Q. scores of roughly 75-95. These students often function two or more years below grade level in school and are referred to as Marginally Learning Disabled (MLD), or slow learners. Factors which contribute to the existence of this situation were discussed as were problems of accurate identification. It was found that most school districts do not provide special help for these students. MLD students are usually placed in the regular classroom. A few school districts have experimented with special resource classes or self-contained classes. Parental involvement was found to be a major factor in the academic progress of the slow learner. Teacher effectiveness is also extremely important. An effective teacher was found to, (a) believe the child could learn, (b) be organized and run a structured program, and (c) provide direct, group instruction rather than individualized lessons

Genotype-Based Bayesian Analysis of Gene-Environment Interactions with Multiple Genetic Markers and Misclassification in Environmental Factors

A key component to understanding etiology of complex diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, alcohol dependence, is to investigate gene-environment interactions. This work is motivated by the following two concerns in the analysis of gene-environment interactions. First, multiple genetic markers in moderate linkage disequilibrium may be involved in susceptibility to a complex disease. Second, environmental factors may be subject to misclassification. We develop a genotype based Bayesian pseudolikelihood approach that accommodates linkage disequilibrium in genetic markers and misclassification in environmental factors. Since our approach is genotype based, it allows the observed genetic information to enter the model directly thus eliminating the need to infer haplotype phase and simplifying computations. Bayesian approach allows shrinking parameter estimates towards prior distribution to improve estimation and inference when environmental factors are subject to misclassification. Simulation experiments demonstrated that our method produced parameter estimates that are nearly unbiased even for small sample sizes. An application of our method is illustrated using a case-control study of interaction between early onset of drinking and genes involved in dopamine pathway

Semiparametric Bayesian analysis of gene-environment interactions with error in measurement of environmental covariates and missing genetic data

Case-control studies are widely used to detect geneenvironment interactions in the etiology of complex diseases. Many variables that are of interest to biomedical researchers are difficult to measure on an individual level, e.g. nutrient intake, cigarette smoking exposure, long-term toxic exposure. Measurement error causes bias in parameter estimates, thus masking key features of data and leading to loss of power and spurious/masked associations. We develop a Bayesian methodology for analysis of case-control studies for the case when measurement error is present in an environmental covariate and the genetic variable has missing data. This approach offers several advantages. It allows prior information to enter the model to make estimation and inference more precise. The environmental covariates measured exactly are modeled completely nonparametrically. Further, information about the probability of disease can be incorporated in the estimation procedure to improve quality of parameter estimates, what cannot be done in conventional case-control studies. A unique feature of the procedure under investigation is that the analysis is based on a pseudo-likelihood function therefore conventional Bayesian techniques may not be technically correct. We propose an approach using Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling as well as a computationally simple method based on an asymptotic posterior distribution. Simulation experiments demonstrated that our method produced parameter estimates that are nearly unbiased even for small sample sizes. An application of our method is illustrated using a population-based case-control study of the association between calcium intake with the risk of colorectal adenoma development

Assessing the in vivo data on low/no-calorie sweeteners and the gut microbiota

Low/no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) are continually under the spotlight in terms of their safety and benefits; in 2014 a study was published linking LNCS to an enhanced risk of glucose intolerance through modulation of the gut microbiota. In response, an in-depth review of the literature was undertaken to evaluate the major contributors to potential changes in the gut microbiota and their corresponding sequelae, and to determine if consuming LNCS (e.g., acesulfame K, aspartame, cyclamate, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, steviol glycosides) contributes to changes in the microbiome based on the data reported in human and animal studies. A few rodent studies with saccharin have reported changes in the gut microbiome, but primarily at high doses that bear no relevance to human consumption. This and other studies suggesting an effect of LNCS on the gut microbiota were found to show no evidence of an actual adverse effect on human health. The sum of the data provides clear evidence that changes in the diet unrelated to LNCS consumption are likely the major determinants of change in gut microbiota numbers and phyla, confirming the viewpoint supported by all the major international food safety and health regulatory authorities that LNCS are safe at currently approved levels

The sacred lakes of the Dvina region (northwest Belarus)

Прадметам даследавання з'яўляецца сакральная геаграфія Беларускага Падзвіння (паўночна-заходняй Беларусі), святыя азёры, што размешчаны ў гэтым рэгіёне, мясцовыя легенды аб знікнуўшых цэрквах, звязаныя з гэтымі азёрамі. Аўтар выкарыстоўвае аналітычны метад і інтэрпрэтуе фальклорныя крыніцы, гістарычныя факты і даныя, атрыманыя ў этнаграфічных экспедыцыях. Галоўная выснова артыкула: мясцовыя легенды аб цэрквах, што зніклі (праваліліся) указваюць на сакральнасць гэтых вадаёмаў. У мінулым сакральнасць, магчыма, утрымлівала два цесна звязаных пласта: архаічны, што ўзнік у дахрысціянскія часы, і раннесярэднявечны, які звязаны з хрышчэннем насельніцтва Полацкага княства. Предметом исследования является сакральная география Белорусского Подвинья (северо-западной Беларуси), святые озера, расположенные в этом регионе, местные легенды об исчезнувших церквях, связанные с этими озерами. Автор основывается на аналитическом методе и интерпретирует фольклорные источники, исторические факты и данные, собранные во время этнографических экспедиций. Основной вывод статьи: местные легенды об исчезнувших (провалившихся) церквях указывают на сакральность этих водоемов. В прошлом сакральность, возможно, содержала два тесно взаимосвязанных пласта: архаический, который возник в дохристианские времена, и раннесредневекового, связанного с крещением населения Полоцкого княжества.The subject of research is the sacral geography of the Dvina region (in northwest Belarus), the sacred lakes situated in this region, and place-legends about vanished churches relating to these lakes. The author bases his research on the analytical method, and interprets folkloric sources, historical facts and data collected during ethnographic feld trips. The main conclusion of the article attests to the fact that place-legends about a vanished church (they relate to the majority of the lakes) indicate the sacrality of these bodies of water. In the past, sacrality might have contained two closely interrelated planes: an archaic one, which originated from pre-Christian times, and that of the Early Middle Ages, related to the baptism of the people of the Duchy of Polotsk

Case-control studies of genetic and environmental factors with error in measurement of environmental factors

It is widely believed that risks of many complex diseases are determined by genetic susceptibilities, including environmental exposures, and their interaction. Chatterjee and Carroll (2005) have recently developed an efficient retrospective maximum-likelihood method for analysis of case-control studies that exploits an assumption of gene-environment independence and leaves the distribution of the environmental covariates to be completely nonparametric. We generalize the semiparametric maximum-likelihood approach to situations when some of the environmental covariates are measured with error and allow genetic information to be missing on some subjects, e.g., unphased haplotypes. Profile likelihood techniques and an EM algorithm are developed, resulting in a relatively simple procedure for parameter estimation. We prove consistency and derive the resulting asymptotic covariance matrix of parameter estimates when variance of measurement error is known and when it is estimated using replications. The performance of the proposed method is illustrated using simulation studies emphasizing the case when genetic information is in the form of a haplotype and missing data arises from haplotype-phase ambiguity and missing genetic data. Inference is performed via a likelihood-ratio type procedure, one that we show has better small-sample performance thanWald-type inferences. An application of this method is illustrated using a case-control study of an association of calcium intake with early stages of colorectal tumor development