Fostering a Growth Mindset: Elementary Teacher Experiences Using Mindfulness Practices

The purpose of the present study was to explore the experiences of eight elementary school educators in Saskatchewan using mindfulness within their classrooms, and their ideas as to how mindfulness can impact the children’s body esteem. The present study utilized a thematic analytical research design using semi-structured interviews to explore teachers’ observations about using mindfulness practices with their students. A Four-Component Theoretical Model of Mindfulness (Hölzel, Lazar, Gard, Schuman-Olivier, Vago, & Ott, 2011) contextualized the analysis of the data generated from the participant interviews. Six major themes emerged from the interview data: (1) The Minds of Mindfulness: MindUp, Tech-Minded, and the Creative Mind, which described the types of formal and informal mindfulness programming that Saskatchewan-based teachers were using in their classrooms; (2) Tools in the Toolbox: Kids’ Personal Use of the Language and Techniques of Mindfulness, which focused on the spontaneous use of the mindfulness principles and emotional language learned within the classroom as it is applied to other contexts, and the ability of the students to grasp the concepts of mindfulness and use it independently; (3) Capability and Confidence, which described how mindfulness impacted the students’ mindset by helping them to focus on their abilities and possibilities for growth, rather than on fixed concepts, such as their physical appearance; (4) Differences and Diversity: How They Affect Body Image, which centred on how the participants viewed differences in race, culture, and sexuality as stronger contributing factors to body image than the traditional factors of weight and shape; (5) Teacher Talk: How Teachers Aren’t Hearing About Body Image in Their Young Classes, which focused on the participants’ lack of awareness of any body image issues in their young children, with students only beginning to talk to teachers about any negative perceptions of their bodies in the upper age range of this study (i.e., Grade 4 and 5); and (6) The Drawback Duo and the Benefit Bunch, which described the main drawbacks (i.e., time away from curriculum and initial scepticism from the children) and benefits (i.e., better focus, calmer students) of using mindfulness practices with their students

Comparison of Data Warehousing and Big Data Principles from an Economic and Technical Standpoint and Their Applicability to Natural Gas Remote Readout Systems

In natural gas remote reading, a large amount of data is collected, posing a problem of storing and processing such data to the companies involved. Two major technologies have recently appeared, becoming a de facto standard in processing large amounts of data, i.e., data warehousing and big data. Each of these technologies provides different data processing techniques. In this paper, serial data processing and parallel data processing are considered in data warehousing and big data, respectively. The paper analyzes the feasibility of implementing new technologies for processing a large amount of data generated by remote reading of natural gas consumption. The research conducted in this paper was made in collaboration with a local natural gas distribution company. A comparison of potential software vendors has shown that Qlik offers the best software package for the requirements provided by the local natural gas distribution company. Comparison results have also shown that other potential vendors also offer software packages of good quality

Characterization of Corning EPMA Standard Glasses 95IRV, 95IRW, and 95IRX

The preparation, synthesis, and characterization of Corning trace-element glasses 95IRV, 95IRW, and 95IRX by bulk chemical and electron microprobe techniques is discussed. Working values for the doped elements in the 95-series glasses are established. Blank values have been determined by both bulk chemical and electron microprobe analysis, and important x-ray interferences are highlighted. Chemical homogeneity both within a rod cross-section, and along cane length has been documented. These glasses are standard reference materials intended for use as both primary and secondary electron microprobe standards

The Complex Unified Evolutionary Approach to the Creation of the Multilevel Distributed Control System of a Gas-transport Company

The objects of a large-scale gas-transport company (GTC) suggest a complex unified evolutionary approach, which covers basic building concepts, up-to-date technologies, models, methods and means that are used in the phases of design, adoption, maintenance and development of the multilevel automated distributed control systems (ADCS).. As a single methodological basis of the suggested approach three basic Concepts, which contain the basic methodological principles and conceptual provisions on the creation of distributed control systems, were worked out: systems of the lower level (ACS of the technological processes based on up-to-date SCADA), of the middle level (ACS of the operative-dispatch production control based on MES-systems) and of the high level (business process control on the basis of complex automated systems ERP)

A comparison of Data Warehouse and Big Data principles and their application to systems of remote natural gas and electrical energy meter reading

U daljinskom očitanju prirodnog plina prikuplja se velika količina podataka, zbog toga se u tvrtkama koje se bave time javlja problem kako te podatke skladištiti i obraditi. U novije vrijeme dvije osnovne tehnologije koje se pojavljuju u tu svrhu su Data Warehouse i Big Data te svaka od njih omogućuje različitu tehniku obrade podataka; Data Warehouse serijski obrađuje podatke dok Big Data koristi paralelnu obradu podataka. Za potrebe pilot projekta sastavljeni su zahtjevi koji će biti poslani potencijalnim ponuditeljima programskog rješenja pilot projekta. Prikazana je usporedba potencijalnih ponuditelja rješenja te je utvrđeno da za potrebe distributera prirodnog plina najviše odgovara ponuditelj Qlik. Navedeni rezultati također pokazuju da preostali potencijalni ponuditelji nude kvalitetna programska rješenja.In the remote reading of natural gas, a large amount of data is collected causing the problem of storing and processing such a type of data for the companies involved. More recently, two main technologies that appear for this purpose are Data Warehouse and Big Data, and each of them provides different data processing techniques; Data Warehouse uses serial data processing while Big Data uses parallel data processing. For the purpose of pilot project, in colaboration with the local natural gas distributer, the requirements for processing and storing the data collected are compiled and sent to the potential vendros. A comparison of the software packages provided by the potential vendors had shown that Qlik offers the best software package for the needs of the local natural gas distributor. The results also show that the other potential vendors also offer quality software packages

Wpływ migotania przedsionków na przebieg kliniczny i leczenie pacjentów z niewydolnością serca — dane z wieloośrodkowego rejestru

Introduction. When heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF) afflict the same patient simultaneously, it becomes a challenge for cardiologists. This is not only due to the need to intensify preventive measures to reduce the prevalence of common aetiological factors, but also due to growing healthcare costs, particularly care costs for elderly patients at high risk of accumulated complications of both diseases. Our study was aimed at evaluating the concomitant incidence of AF on the natural history and treatment of Polish HF patients on the basis of data obtained in a multicentre registry study. Material and methods. In this study, the population subjected to retrospective analysis consisted of Polish patients included in the long-term ESC-HF registry study (N = 1,126). A comparative analysis of the study group (AF+) and the control group (AF−) was carried out. Results. No differences were observed in the rates of in-hospital deaths between the (AF+) and the (AF−) group: 2.9% versus 2.8%, [p = not significant (NS)]. The average duration of hospitalisation in the AF+ group was 9.8 ± 14.7 days compared to 8.8 ± 10.9 days in the AF− group (p = NS). In the AF+ group, compared to the AF− group, significantly higher frequencies were recorded for the following parameters: exacerbation of chronic HF as the cause of hospitalisation, intravenous diuretics usage during hospitalisation, electrical cardioversion, as well as in-hospital use of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, diuretics, digoxin, oral antithrombotic agents and amiodarone. Conclusions. In the population of HF patients requiring hospitalisation, the AF+ subgroup is characterised by poorer clinical condition (biventricular cardiac decompensation, lower systolic blood pressure, higher heart rate on admission, and more frequent use of intravenous diuretics). The concomitance of AF significantly impacts the natural history and treatment of HF patients.Wstęp. Współwystępowanie niewydolności serca (HF) i migotania przedsionków (AF) staje się wyzwaniem dla kardiologii nie tylko ze względu na konieczność intensyfikacji działań prewencyjnych w kierunku ograniczenia rozpowszechnienia wspólnych czynników etiologicznych, lecz również z powodu rosnących kosztów opieki nad głównie starszymi pacjentami obciążonymi wysokim ryzykiem skumulowanych powikłań obu chorób, w tym trwałej niepełnosprawności z powodu ciężkiej HF i powikłań zakrzepowo-zatorowych w przebiegu AF. Głównym celem pracy była ocena wpływu współwystępowania AF na przebieg kliniczny oraz leczenie polskich pacjentów z HF na podstawie danych z wieloośrodkowego badania rejestrowego. Materiał i metody. Populacja poddana retrospektywnej analizie w prezentowanej pracy obejmowała polskich pacjentów włączonych do Rejestru Niewydolności Serca ESC w trakcie fazy długoterminowej (n = 1126). Przeprowadzono analizę porównawczą grupy badanej (AF+) i grupy kontrolnej (AF–). Wyniki. Nie stwierdzono różnic w częstości zgonów wewnątrzszpitalnych między grupami AF+ oraz AF–: 2,9% w porównaniu z 2,8% (p = nieistotne [NS]). Średni czas hospitalizacji w grupie AF+ wynosił 9,8 ± 14,7 dnia w porównaniu z 8,8 ± 10,9 w grupie AF– (p = NS). W grupie AF+ w porównaniu z grupą AF– istotnie częściej: zaostrzenie przewlekłej HF występowało jako przyczyna hospitalizacji, podczas hospitalizacji stosowano leki moczopędne dożylnie, wykonywano kardiowersję elektryczną, a także istotnie częściej stosowano w trakcie hospitalizacji antagonistów receptorów mineralokortykoidowych, diuretyki, digoksynę, doustne leki przeciwzakrzepowe oraz amiodaron. Wnioski. W populacji chorych z HF wymagających hospitalizacji podgrupa z AF charakteryzuje się gorszym stanem klinicznym (częściej występujące objawy dekompensacji układu krążenia, głównie obukomorowej, niższe ciśnienie skurczowe, wyższa częstość rytmu serca przy przyjęciu oraz częstsze stosowanie diuretyków dożylnie). Współwystępowanie AF istotnie wpływa na przebieg kliniczny oraz leczenie pacjentów z HF

Vestibular receptors contribute to the cortical auditory evoked potentials

Abstract: Acoustic sensitivity of the vestibular apparatus is well-established, but the contribution of vestibular receptors to the late auditory evoked potentials of cortical origin is unknown. Evoked potentials from 500 Hz tone pips were recorded using 70 channel EEG at several intensities below and above the vestibular acoustic threshold, as determined by vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs). In healthy subjects both auditory mid- and long-latency auditory evoked potentials (AEPs), consisting of Na, Pa, N1 and P2 waves, were observed in the sub-threshold conditions. However, in passing through the vestibular threshold, systematic changes were observed in the morphology of the potentials and in the intensity dependence of their amplitude and latency. These changes were absent in a patient without functioning vestibular receptors. In particular, for the healthy subjects there was a fronto-central negativity, which appeared at about 42 ms, referred to as an N42, prior to the AEP N1. Source analysis of both the N42 and N1 indicated involvement of cingulate cortex, as well as bilateral superior temporal cortex. Our findings are best explained by vestibular receptors contributing to what were hitherto considered as purely auditory evoked potentials and in addition tentatively identify a new component that appears to be primarily of vestibular origin

Source analysis of short and long latency vestibular-evoked potentials (VsEPs) produced by left versus right ear air-conducted 500 Hz pips

Todd et al. (2014) have recently demonstrated the presence of vestibular dependent changes both in the morphology and in the intensity dependence of auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) when passing through the vestibular threshold as determined by vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs). In this paper we extend this work by comparing left vs. right ear stimulation and by conducting a source analysis of the resulting evoked potentials of short and long latency. Ten healthy, right-handed subjects were recruited and evoked potentials were recorded to both left- and right-ear sound stimulation, above and below vestibular threshold. Below VEMP threshold, typical AEPs were recorded, consisting of mid-latency (MLR) waves Na and Pa followed by long latency AEPs (LAEPs) N1 and P2. In the supra-threshold condition, the expected changes in morphology were observed, consisting of: (1) short-latency vestibular evoked potentials (VsEPs) which have no auditory correlate, i.e. the ocular VEMP (OVEMP) and inion response related potentials; (2) a later deflection, labelled N42/P52, followed by the LAEPs N1 and P2. Statistical analysis of the vestibular dependent responses indicated a contralateral effect for inion related short-latency responses and a left-ear/right-hemisphere advantage for the long-latency responses. Source analysis indicated that the short-latency effects may be mediated by a contralateral projection to left cerebellum, while the long-latency effects were mediated by a contralateral projection to right cingulate cortex. In addition we found evidence of a possible vestibular contribution to the auditory T-complex in radial temporal lobe sources. These last results raise the possibility that acoustic activation of the otolith organs could potentially contribute to auditory processing