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Early-initiated childhood reading for pleasure : associations with better cognitive performance, mental well-being and brain structure in young adolescence
Get PDFChildhood is a crucial neurodevelopmental period. We investigated whether childhood reading for pleasure (RfP) was related to young adolescent assessments of cognition, mental health, and brain structure. We conducted a cross-sectional and longitudinal study in a large-scale US national cohort (10 000 + young adolescents), using the well-established linear mixed model and structural equation methods for twin study, longitudinal and mediation analyses. A 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis for potential causal inference was also performed. Important factors including socio-economic status were controlled. Early-initiated long-standing childhood RfP (early RfP) was highly positively correlated with performance on cognitive tests and significantly negatively correlated with mental health problem scores of young adolescents. These participants with higher early RfP scores exhibited moderately larger total brain cortical areas and volumes, with increased regions including the temporal, frontal, insula, supramarginal; left angular, para-hippocampal; right middle-occipital, anterior-cingulate, orbital areas; and subcortical ventral-diencephalon and thalamus. These brain structures were significantly related to their cognitive and mental health scores, and displayed significant mediation effects. Early RfP was longitudinally associated with higher crystallized cognition and lower attention symptoms at follow-up. Approximately 12 h/week of youth regular RfP was cognitively optimal. We further observed a moderately significant heritability of early RfP, with considerable contribution from environments. MR analysis revealed beneficial causal associations of early RfP with adult cognitive performance and left superior temporal structure. These findings, for the first time, revealed the important relationships of early RfP with subsequent brain and cognitive development and mental well-being
Inequalities in the management of diabetic kidney disease in UK primary care : a cross‐sectional analysis of a large primary care database
No full textAims
To determine differences in the management of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) relevant to patient sex, ethnicity and socio-economic group in UK primary care.
Methods
A cross-sectional analysis as of January 1, 2019 was undertaken using the IQVIA Medical Research Data dataset, to determine the proportion of people with DKD managed in accordance with national guidelines, stratified by demographics. Robust Poisson regression models were used to calculate adjusted risk ratios (aRR) adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity and social deprivation.
Results
Of the 2.3 million participants, 161,278 had type 1 or 2 diabetes, of which 32,905 had DKD. Of people with DKD, 60% had albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) measured, 64% achieved blood pressure (BP, <140/90 mmHg) target, 58% achieved glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c, <58 mmol/mol) target, 68% prescribed renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitor in the previous year. Compared to men, women were less likely to have creatinine: aRR 0.99 (95% CI 0.98–0.99), ACR: aRR 0.94 (0.92–0.96), BP: aRR 0.98 (0.97–0.99), HbA1c: aRR 0.99 (0.98–0.99) and serum cholesterol: aRR 0.97 (0.96–0.98) measured; achieve BP: aRR 0.95 (0.94–0.98) or total cholesterol (<5 mmol/L) targets: aRR 0.86 (0.84–0.87); or be prescribed RAAS inhibitors: aRR 0.92 (0.90–0.94) or statins: aRR 0.94 (0.92–0.95). Compared to the least deprived areas, people from the most deprived areas were less likely to have BP measurements: aRR 0.98 (0.96–0.99); achieve BP: aRR 0.91 (0.8–0.95) or HbA1c: aRR 0.88 (0.85–0.92) targets, or be prescribed RAAS inhibitors: aRR 0.91 (0.87–0.95). Compared to people of white ethnicity; those of black ethnicity were less likely to be prescribed statins aRR 0.91 (0.85–0.97).
Conclusions
There are unmet needs and inequalities in the management of DKD in the UK. Addressing these could reduce the increasing human and societal cost of managing DKD
Trigger warnings as tools for learning—theorising an evolving cultural concept
No full textBackground
While definitions of trigger warnings vary, it is generally accepted that they caution about potential reactions arising from exposure to distressing material. Controversy surrounds use of warnings in education, with concerns noted regarding impacts on academic freedom, “coddling”, thereby undermining resilience, reinforcement of traumatised identity and enablement of avoidance. Proponents of warnings position them as accommodations for those affected by trauma, enhancing inclusion, and suggest warnings empower choice and enable informed engagement in learning. A recent meta-analysis of warnings' efficacy demonstrated no effect on affective responses or comprehension. Findings regarding avoidance suggested warnings may increase engagement with material. Synthesis of heterogeneous results relating to context of warning application necessitates cautious interpretation of findings. Furthermore, controlled experimental designs do not reflect complex ecologies of social learning environments.
Methods
Evidence relating to warnings in healthcare professions education remains limited. We undertake a narrative review and synthesis of evidence regarding the role and functions of trigger warnings from a range of disciplines, to inform healthcare education practice. We apply this evidence in considering how warnings may act within a range of theoretical frameworks for healthcare professionals educations including andragogy, self-directed learning and, ultimately, transformative learning. Tensions between exposure to emotionally stimulating learning episodes and the necessity of emotion for learning while simultaneously attending to learners' needs and fulfilling educators' responsibilities are explored. We probe gaps and contentions in existing theoretical frameworks for learning, and consider implications of recognised limitations with reference to warnings. We summarise by proposing a conceptual model for the role of warnings that considers wider salient factors for fostering effective learning.
Discussion and conclusions
Difficulties associated with deriving contextually-relevant evidence and conclusions relating to warnings as an evolving cultural concept are highlighted. We propose warnings as tools to enable critical reflection and emotional literacy, to curate effective learning environments and support humanistic healthcare professional identity formation, within wider trauma-informed pedagogies and educator practice
An ecology of absences : remapping North-South border narratives in Valeria Luiselli’s 'Lost Children Archive'
No full textCritical properties of bipartite permutation graphs
Get PDFThe class of bipartite permutation graphs enjoys many nice and important properties. In particular, this class is critically important in the study of clique‐ and rank‐width of graphs, because it is one of the minimal hereditary classes of graphs of unbounded clique‐ and rank‐width. It also contains a number of important subclasses, which are critical with respect to other parameters, such as graph lettericity or shrub‐depth, and with respect to other notions, such as well‐quasi‐ordering or complexity of algorithmic problems. In the present paper we identify critical subclasses of bipartite permutation graphs of various types
The influence of sleep on subjective well-being : an experience sampling study
Get PDFPrevious research has associated sleep with subjective well-being (SWB), but less is known about the underlying within-person processes. In the current study, we investigated how self-reported and actigraphy-measured sleep parameters (sleep onset latency, sleep duration, sleep satisfaction, social jetlag, and sleep efficiency) influence SWB (positive affect [PA], negative affect [NA], and life satisfaction [LS]) at the within- and between-person levels. Multilevel analyses of data from 109 university students who completed a 2-week experience sampling study revealed that higher within-person sleep satisfaction was a significant predictor of all three components of next day’s SWB (ps < .005). Higher between-person sleep satisfaction was also related to higher levels of PA and LS (ps < .005), whereas shorter self-reported between-person sleep onset latency was associated with higher PA and LS, and lower NA (ps < .05). However, longer actigraphy-measured within-person sleep onset latency was associated with higher next day’s LS (p = .028). When including within- and between-person sleep parameters into the same models predicting SWB, only within- and between-person sleep satisfaction remained a significant predictor of all components of SWB. Additionally, we found an effect of higher self-reported within-person sleep onset latency on PA and of shorter self-reported within-person sleep duration on LS (ps < .05). Our results indicate that the evaluative component of sleep—sleep satisfaction—is most consistently linked with SWB. Thus, sleep interventions that are successful in not only altering sleep patterns but also enhancing sleep satisfaction may stand a better chance at improving students’ SWB. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved
Understanding the geographical distribution of innovation in England : density, accessibility and spillover effects
Get PDFWe examine the role of population density and accessibility in shaping innovation intensity in the 32,000 lower super output areas (LSOAs) in England. Our analysis focuses on firms’ registered intellectual property – patents, trademarks and registered designs – and using spatial autoregression models suggests four key results. We find a positive relationship between population density and innovation intensity, a consistent negative relationship between longer journey times to the nearest town centre and innovation intensity, and a strong interaction effect between population density and accessibility. Finally, we find strong evidence of local innovation spillovers reflecting either competition or demonstration effects
Interactions of long-term grazing and woody encroachment can shift soil biogeochemistry and microbiomes in savanna ecosystems
Get PDFSemi-arid grasslands and savannas in the southern Great Plains USA are extensively used for livestock grazing. Over the past century, Juniperus (juniper) and Quercus (oak) species abundance have increased due to intensive grazing and reduced fire frequency. We investigated the interactions between livestock grazing history (none, moderate, heavy) and vegetation cover (grassland, juniper, oak) using a ∼ 70-year grazing experiment in west-central Texas. We explored effects on soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), microbial community composition, and function. SOC and TN were 50–150 % higher under juniper and oak compared to grasslands, and 10–30 % lower in grazed vs. ungrazed areas. Vegetation × grazing interaction showed greater SOC and TN loss under oak than juniper or grasslands. Ungrazed controls had higher soil TP than grazed areas, with oak and juniper soils having more TP than grasslands. Bacterial and fungal communities differed between grassland and woody vegetation. Grazing affected only bacterial communities. SOC, TN, TP accounted for differences in community structure. Abundances of genes related to methane, nitrogen, sulfur metabolisms, and dominant fungal trophic modes were linked to soil C, N, P ratios. These findings highlight how long-term livestock grazing and woody plant encroachment influence soil C, N, P cycles, altering soil microbial community structure and function. This study provides insights for savanna ecosystem management and integrating land cover effects into biogeochemical models for global change scenarios
Engaging data literacies in displacement
No full textData-driven humanitarianism is changing the face of aid. More data potentially enables quicker and more efficient evidence-based responses to situations of conflict and disaster. Yet the proliferation of data also challenges traditional lines of accountability, exacerbates the drive toward extractive relations and processes, while deepening communication barriers and asymmetric relations between humanitarians and affected communities. This article reflects on critical data literacy as a transformative method in the context of the datafication of the humanitarian sector. It draws on research carried out with internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria and South Sudan as part of a collaborative international project examining the practice and ethics of data collection and use. The article discusses the project’s participatory ethos, its engagement of IDPs with the project over time, and the importance of developing co-produced tools of critical data literacy together with IDPs. Reflecting on the significance of our findings for humanitarian practitioners as well as for academics working in the field of humanitarianism and displacement, the article argues for a collective commitment to engaging with affected communities while cautioning against viewing data literacy as an easy fix to empowerment challenges, both in the conduct of humanitarian work and in the implementation of research