Self-Reported Cognitive Functions Predict the Trajectory of Paranoid Ideation Over a 15-Year Prospective Follow-Up

Background This study investigated whether self-reported cognitive functions (i.e. task orientation, distractibility, persistence, flexibility, and perseverance) predict the trajectory of paranoid ideation over a 15-year prospective follow-up in adulthood. Methods The participants came from the population-based Young Finns study (N = 1210-1213). Paranoid ideation was assessed with the Paranoid Ideation Scale of the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90R) in 1997, 2001, 2007, and 2012. Self-reported cognitive functions were evaluated in 1997 with the Task orientation, Distractibility, Persistence, and Flexibility scales of the DOTS-R (the Revised Dimensions of Temperament Survey) and the Perseverance scale of the FCB-TI (the Formal Characteristics of Behaviour - Temperament Inventory). The data was analyzed using growth curve models that were adjusted for age, sex, and socioeconomic factors in childhood and adulthood. Results Low self-reported task orientation, low persistence, high distractibility, low flexibility, and high perseverance predicted higher level of paranoid ideation over the 15-year follow-up. Conclusions Self-reported cognitive functions seem to predict paranoid ideation over a long-term follow-up. Promoting cognitive functions in early interventions may have long-term protective influences against the development of paranoid ideation in non-clinical populations.Peer reviewe

Testing Equid Body Mass Estimate Equations on Modern Zebras-With Implications to Understanding the Relationship of Body Size, Diet, and Habitats of Equus in the Pleistocene of Europe

The monodactyl horses of the genus Equus originated in North America during the Pliocene, and from the beginning of the Pleistocene, they have been an essential part of the large ungulate communities of Europe, North America and Africa. Understanding how body size of Equus species evolved and varied in relation to changes in environments and diet thus forms an important part of understanding the dynamics of ungulate body size variation in relation to Pleistocene paleoenvironmental changes. Here we test previously published body mass estimation equations for the family Equidae by investigating how accurately different skeletal and dental measurements estimate the mean body mass (and body mass range) reported for extant Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi) and Burchell's zebra (Equus quagga). Based on these tests and information on how frequently skeletal elements occur in the fossil record, we construct a hierarchy of best practices for the selection of body mass estimation equations in Equus. As a case study, we explore body size variation in Pleistocene European Equus paleopopulations in relation to diet and vegetation structure in their paleoenvironments. We show a relationship between diet and body size in Equus: very large-sized species tend to have more browse-dominated diets than small and medium-sized species, and paleovegetation proxies indicate on average more open and grass-rich paleoenvironments for small-sized, grazing species of Equus. When more than one species of Equus co-occur sympatrically, the larger species tend to be less abundant and have more browse-dominated diets than the smaller species. We suggest that body size variation in Pleistocene Equus was driven by a combined effect of resource quality and availability, partitioning of habitats and resources between species, and the effect of environmental openness and group size on the body size of individuals.Peer reviewe

Spatial epidemiological patterns suggest mechanisms of land-sea transmission for Sarcocystis neurona in a coastal marine mammal.

Sarcocystis neurona was recognised as an important cause of mortality in southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) after an outbreak in April 2004 and has since been detected in many marine mammal species in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. Risk of S. neurona exposure in sea otters is associated with consumption of clams and soft-sediment prey and is temporally associated with runoff events. We examined the spatial distribution of S. neurona exposure risk based on serum antibody testing and assessed risk factors for exposure in animals from California, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska. Significant spatial clustering of seropositive animals was observed in California and Washington, compared with British Columbia and Alaska. Adult males were at greatest risk for exposure to S. neurona, and there were strong associations with terrestrial features (wetlands, cropland, high human housing-unit density). In California, habitats containing soft sediment exhibited greater risk than hard substrate or kelp beds. Consuming a diet rich in clams was also associated with increased exposure risk. These findings suggest a transmission pathway analogous to that described for Toxoplasma gondii, with infectious stages traveling in freshwater runoff and being concentrated in particular locations by marine habitat features, ocean physical processes, and invertebrate bioconcentration

The Use of Digital Technologies at School and Cognitive Learning Outcomes : A Population-Based Study in Finland

Recently, the use of information and communications technology (ICT) at school has been extensively increased in Finland. This study investigated whether the use of ICT at school is linked to students 'learning outcomes in Finland. We used the Finnish PISA 2015 data (N=5037). Cognitive learning outcomes (i.e. science, mathematics, reading, collaborative problem-solving) were evaluated with computer-based tests. ICT use at school, ICT availability at school, and students' perceived ICT competence were assessed with self-rating questionnaires. Frequent ICT use at school predicted students' weaker performance in all the cognitive learning outcomes, when adjusted for age, gender, parental socioeconomic status, students' ICT competence, and ICT availability at school. Further, the effect of ICT use on learning outcomes was more negative in students with higher than lower ICT skills. Frequent use of ICT at school appears to be linked to weaker cognitive learning outcomes in Finland. This may be explained by working memory overload and task-switching during the use of digital technologies. This finding also suggests that even though students with ICT skills are good at mechanical use of digital device, they may not have abilities for a goal-oriented and self-directed use of digital technologies that could promote their learning.Peer reviewe

Vacancy-Impurity Complexes in Highly Sb-Doped Si Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Positron annihilation measurements, supported by first-principles electron-structure calculations, identify vacancies and vacancy clusters decorated by 1–2 dopant impurities in highly Sb-doped Si. The concentration of vacancy defects increases with Sb doping and contributes significantly to the electrical compensation. Annealings at low temperatures of 400–500 K convert the defects to larger complexes where the open volume is neighbored by 2–3 Sb atoms. This behavior is attributed to the migration of vacancy-Sb pairs and demonstrates at atomic level the metastability of the material grown by epitaxy at low temperature.Peer reviewe

Prolonged injury symptoms and later visits to psychiatric care after mild traumatic brain injury in school-age

Objective To investigate demographic and pre-injury factors in Finnish school-aged children admitted to pediatric neurology services after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The relation of these factors to prolonged injury symptoms and later visits into psychiatric care was assessed. Methods Demographic information, pre-injury learning status, and neuropsychological test results of 120 patients aged 7-16 years were retrospectively collected from the hospital medical records. Data were compared with self- or parent-reported injury symptoms at 1-3 months post-injury and later visits to psychiatric care. Results According to medical records, 14.2% of the children with mTBI had a diagnosed neurobehavioral or psychiatric condition pre-injury. Additionally, 53.3% of the children had some neurobehavioral or psychiatric concerns or traits prior to the injury. Over half (56.7%) of the children studied were symptomatic at 1-3 months following the injury. Female gender and presence of prolonged symptoms were predictive for later visit into psychiatric care. Conclusions Pre-injury neurobehavioral or psychiatric problems may predict prolonged injury symptoms following pediatric mTBI. In this retrospective patient series, prolonged symptoms and female gender seem to predict the need for later psychiatric care. Monitoring the recovery of children with mTBI and pre-injury risk factors is important for timely interventions.Peer reviewe

Flaxseed Ingestion Alters Ratio of Enterolactone Enantiomers in Human Serum

Enterolactone (EL) is an enterolignan found in human subjects. In this pilot study, the enantiomeric ratios of serum EL were determined in serum from healthy adults during consumption of habitual diet, and after an 8-day supplementation with flaxseed (25 g/day). (−)EL dominated in all serum samples collected during habitual diet consumption. However, the ratio of (−)EL and (+)EL enantiomers differed markedly between individuals. Flaxseed ingestion increased significantly the proportion of (+)EL in all subjects. Moreover, a small but significant increase in serum (−)EL concentration was measured. After flaxseed ingestion, (−)EL concentrations correlated with those of (+)EL suggesting that the stereochemistry of the parent plant lignan in flaxseed is not a major determinant of EL formation in human subjects. Comparison of EL concentrations obtained with the validated chromatographic methods (HPLC-MS/MS, HPLC-CEAD, and GC-MS) and the time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA) revealed that the immunoassay method underestimates human serum EL concentrations after the flaxseed ingestion

Luokanopettajat säveltämiskasvattajina:kokemuksia säveltämiskasvatuksesta musiikintuntien ulkopuolella

Tiivistelmä. Pro gradu -tutkielmamme käsittelee säveltämiskasvatusta osana luokanopettajien toteuttamaa perusopetusta. Tavoitteenamme on selvittää, millaisia säveltämiskasvattajia luokanopettajat ovat, ja millaisia kokemuksia heillä on säveltämiskasvatuksen toteuttamisesta musiikintuntien ulkopuolella. Tutkimuskysymyksemme ovat: Millaisia kokemuksia luokanopettajilla on säveltämiskasvatuksen toteuttamisesta musiikintuntien ulkopuolella? Miten luokanopettaja voi hyödyntää säveltämiskasvatusta musiikintuntien ulkopuolella? Miten luokanopettaja toteuttaa säveltämiskasvatusta käytännössä? Säveltämiskasvatus on sekä käsitteenä että tutkimusaiheena melko tuore, mutta silti sitä on tutkittu niin kotimaassa kuin kansainvälisellä kentälläkin. Etenkin kotimaisessa tutkimuksessa pääpaino on ollut säveltämiskasvatuksen käsitteen määrittelyssä ja musiikintunneilla tapahtuvassa säveltämiskasvatuksessa. Valitsimme tutkimusaiheeksemme nimenomaan luokanopettajien toteuttaman säveltämiskasvatuksen musiikintuntien ulkopuolisessa kontekstissa, koska aihetta ei ole tästä näkökulmasta käsitelty aiemmin. Tutkimuksemme teoreettinen viitekehys koostuu säveltämiskasvatuksen taustalla vaikuttavien lähtökohtien, keskeisten käsitteiden ja työtapojen määrittelystä. Käsittelemme aihetta sekä oppilaan että luokanopettajan valmiuksien näkökulmasta. Aiempien opetussuunnitelmien ja Perusopetuksen opetussuunnitelman perusteiden 2014 valossa tarkastelemme, miten säveltämiskasvatus näkyy opetussuunnitelmassa, ja kuinka siellä määritellyt sisällöt ja tavoitteet voidaan sitoa käytäntöön. Tutkimuksessamme tätä lähestytään erityisesti tulevaisuuden taitojen sekä opetussuunnitelmasta nousevan oppiainerajat ylittävän monialaisen oppimisen näkökulmasta. Toteutimme tutkimuksemme laadullisena tutkimuksena, jonka aineisto kerättiin puolistrukturoidulla kyselylomakkeella ja analysoitiin sisällönanalyysin avulla. Tutkimukseemme osallistui seitsemän luokanopettajaa, joista kaikilla on kokemusta säveltämiskasvatuksesta. Tutkimukseemme osallistuneilla luokanopettajilla on säveltämiskasvatuksesta pääasiassa positiivisia kokemuksia. Säveltämiskasvatusta hyödynnetään monipuolisesti osana muiden oppiaineiden opetusta. Tutkimustulostemme perusteella säveltämiskasvatuksen integrointi tukee oppilaan kasvua, kehitystä ja oppimista, mutta sen toteuttaminen vaatii opettajalta riittäviä valmiuksia. Omien taitojen kartuttamista edistää opettajan oma kiinnostus valmiuksiensa kehittämiseen harrastuneisuuden ja lisäkoulutuksen kautta