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No full textSupplementary files for https://doi.org/10.2337/dc25-0737
(ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05417646
School Nurse–Led Intervention Framework for Intestinal Parasitic Infections in Conflict-Affected Yemen: A Cross-Sectional Study Informing Public Health Action
No full textStudy Overview:
A school-based cross-sectional study conducted between January and June 2024 in Ad'Dla Governorate, Yemen, involving 480 primary school children (6-12 years). The study aimed to determine the prevalence, distribution, and risk factors of intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) and to develop an evidence-based, nurse-led intervention framework for resource-limited, conflict-affected settings.
Key Findings:
· Overall IPI prevalence: 46.0% (221/480)
· Protozoan infections predominated (86.0%), primarily Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (48.9%) and Giardia lamblia (37.6%)
· Significant risk factors: Rural residence (AOR=2.25), unimproved water (AOR=1.71), unimproved sanitation (AOR=1.68)
· No significant associations with age or sex
Repository Contents:
1. Data Files:
· Raw_Dataset.csv: De-identified individual participant data (N=480)
· Data_Dictionary.pdf: Comprehensive variable descriptions and coding schemes
· Analysis_Scripts.zip: R and SPSS syntax for all statistical analyses
2. Research Instruments:
· Questionnaire_English_Arabic.pdf: Bilingual structured questionnaire
· Laboratory_Protocol.pdf: Standardized microscopy and FECT procedures
· Training_Manual_School_Nurses.pdf: Complete nurse training curriculum
3. Supplementary Materials:
· Ethical_Approvals.pdf: IRB approvals and administrative permissions
· Cost_Effectiveness_Analysis.pdf: Economic evaluation of proposed intervention
· Stakeholder_Framework.pdf: Engagement strategies for implementation
· Policy_Brief.pdf: Evidence-based recommendations for policymakers
4. Documentation:
· STROBE_Checklist.pdf: Completed reporting guideline checklist
· Methodology_Protocol.pdf: Detailed study protocol
· Codebook.pdf: Complete data documentation
Ethical Compliance:
· Approved by Local Health Research Ethics Committee (Ref: DHL-REC/2024/088)
· Written informed consent obtained from all parents/guardians
· Child assent obtained appropriately
· All data fully de-identified
Access and Use:
License: CC-BY 4.0 Internationa
The effectiveness of the BOOST policy (Building Optimal Outcomes through Systematic Transitions) on Academic Outcomes in Swedish schools: A pragmatic two-arm cluster randomized trial.
No full textSchool entry marks an important milestone in every child’s life, introducing a new physical, social, and academic arena for children to navigate and adjust to. Studies implicate that the perceived quality of the early school experiences serve as precursors of concurrent and long-term academic outcomes and school engagement (Chetty et al., 2011; Harrison & Murray, 2015), possibly through setting off “achievement trajectories” where early behavioral patterns and perceptions of school may cascade throughout schooling (Cook & Coley, 2017). One key moment during early childhood in the schooling career is the transition from daycare to primary education. Research has shown that children who are facilitated in their school transitions by the use of transition practices can yield positive school outcomes. In the literature, transition practices are referred to as activities that preschools and schools implement in order to facilitate the transition for children and their caregivers (e.g., Boyle et al., 2018). Examples of commonly reported transition practices are information transfer regarding school entrants (e.g., passing on written and/or oral information), familiarization with the future school (e.g., visits to future classroom), joint events for caregivers (e.g., open houses), individual meetings with teachers, information sent to caregivers, home visits by teachers, and shorter school days at the beginning of school (e.g., Ahtola, 2010; Cook & Coley; 2016; Schulting et al., 2005). Several studies report that participation in various transition practices is linked to higher levels of self-regulation, social competence, and academic achievement (e.g., LoCasale-Crouch et al., 2008).
However, certain transition practices have been shown to be of larger importance than others. Ahtola and colleagues (2010) report that teacher collaboration over curriculum and information transfer regarding school entrants between teachers are the strongest predictors of academic competence. LoCasale-Crouch and colleagues (2008) find that communication between preschool and elementary school teachers regarding curriculum and/or specific children showed the most consistent association with teacher-rated social and behavioral adjustment at the beginning of the first school year, but not academic competencies. The authors speculate that faster adjustment may lead to children subsequently gaining more from available learning opportunities, which may facilitate higher academic competencies towards the end of the first school year. This is also in line with the idea of dynamic complementarities in economics (Cunha and Heckman, 2007). Thus, existing literature attests to the importance of transition practices, and particularly those involving joint revision of curriculum and information transfer on school entrants, in promoting school success.
However, previous studies have largely relied on correlational evidence to demonstrate these relations. It is plausible that better-functioning schools and preschools are more inclined to implement transition practices and/or engage in other activities that may explain these associations. Consequently, the intrinsic value of transition practices remains unclear, necessitating randomized trials examining the effectiveness of transition practices in promoting academic outcomes. Examining the efficiency of transition practices for childhood outcomes is important, both the most optimally design programs, but also because it requires resources from both sets of teachers that could have been used for classroom teaching. To this end, the current randomized trial will examine the effectiveness of transition practices, and in particular, whether implementing information transfer relating to school entrants into preschool/school policies (i.e., the BOOST policy, more on this below) can improve academic outcomes both short and long-term.
The implementation of BOOST policies will be conducted by the local Board of Education and academic outcomes will be observed through existing registry data from national screenings and tests performed in all schools across the nation.
The objective of the randomized control trial is to expand the knowledge on ways to facilitate children in their transitions to school and between school grades, and subsequently how this relates to academic outcomes. More specifically, the objective is to investigate the effectiveness of implementing BOOST (Building Optimal Outcomes through Systematic Transitions) policies for children’s transitions from preschool to preschool-class and from preschool-class to year 1 in increasing short-term (preschool-class), medium-term (year 1 of elementary school), and long-term (year 3 of elementary school) academic outcomes. The BOOST policies comprise an extended information transfer procedure between teachers collaborating throughout the transitions.
Beyond the impact on children’s academic outcomes, teacher perceptions are crucial for informing future policy. In Uppsala municipality there is a working group dedicated to improving transitions, as these have been identified by teachers as highly important for children’s schooling and as an area in which the organizations need to strengthen their practices, a view that aligns with our informal conversations with teachers and headmasters. Therefore, we will also evaluate potential differences in teacher perceptions of factors such as the transition process, child adjustment and workload between teachers in control and intervention clusters, as a complement to child academic outcomes.
Against the background of previous findings, namely that communication between preschool and elementary school teachers regarding curriculum and/or specific children was predictive of behavioral adjustment but not academic achievement in the beginning of the school year (LoCasale-Crouch et al., 2008) whilst Ahthola and colleagues (2010) found that the same transition practices were predictive of academic achievement in the spring of the first school year (i.e., a year after receiving transition practices), it could be speculated that the effectiveness of transition practices needs time to consolidate in order to yield benefits in academic outcomes. Moreover, it has been postulated in previous studies that positive early school experiences may contribute to the launch of achievement trajectories, whereby positive attitudes and higher levels of engagement may cascade academic achievement throughout schooling (Cook & Coley, 2017). In this sense, several time points are of interest in order to map out the schooling trajectories potentially launched by the use of transition practices. In the current study, we will assess the short, medium and long-term academic outcomes of transition practices. Although the largest effects are expected in year 1 of elementary school (medium-term outcomes), short and long-term outcomes are important in extending knowledge on the trajectories spiraled by transition practices. In addition, the current study will only be utilizing existing registry data to assess academic outcomes, using screenings and tests performed in all schools across the nation. These tests vary in terms of how objectively they are scored (see Variables), making them all important in order to gain more precise measures of academic outcomes throughout schooling
Culture in psychology and neuroscience: Concepts, relevance, and empirical evidence in rhythm perception
No full textPerceptual systems adapt through individual experience across the lifespan, an ability referred to as plasticity. To understand perceptual plasticity, a promising avenue is to investigate how perception is shaped by cultural experience, as a process deeply embedded within collective practices of cultural production and social learning. The current review synthesizes findings from recent behavioral experiments investigating cross-cultural variation in rhythm perception. Specifically, these studies show that fundamental perceptual processes, such as event timing and rhythm categorization, display shared features but also systematic differences across cultural groups. Critically, these differences correlate with statistically prominent and socially relevant features of cultural production, revealing how perceptual systems are tuned to their music-cultural environments. Yet, how can cross-cultural differences in perception be related back to the collective practices that produce the diversity of cultural environments in the first place? To bridge this gap, we propose perceptual niche construction as an evolutionary approach that positions culture as both a source and a product of perceptual plasticity. That is, cultural experience tunes individual perception, yielding culturally diverse perceptual processes. These processes, in turn, create selection pressures shaping cultural production across nested timescales, resulting in diverse cultural environments. This approach presents implications for research in psychology and neuroscience, notably in proposing to operationalize culture as communities of learning and practice. Moreover, it highlights the relevance of contextually situated research, in view of accounting for the dynamic nature of culture-driven perceptual plasticity
Physical Exercise and Loneliness in the Community-Dwelling Older Population: rapid review of the literature
No full textLoneliness in the elderly is a growing problem, intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is associated with risk factors for physical and mental health problems. Interventions based on physical activity have been proposed as strategies to reduce loneliness, promoting social interaction and quality of life. We will explore the available evidence on the effect of physical activity or exercise programs in reducing loneliness in older adults. We will search the EBSCO Host platform database (MEDLINE and CINAHL) to identify and select articles that address the relationship between physical exercise and physical activity and loneliness in older adults. The review will include studies published in the last 5 years in English and in Portuguese. Two reviewers will independently screen the search results. Risk of bias assessment will be done by two reviewers on the first 5 studies, and data extraction will be done by one reviewer with verification of 10% of articles by a second reviewer (as per Cochrane guidelines for rapid review). In assessing the risk of bias, we will use the critical appraisal checklists of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). We intend to obtain evidence on the role of physical exercise and physical activity in reducing loneliness among older adults, in order to support the development of clinical intervention guidelines and training strategies
Personal Rhythms of Memory: Investigating Individual Effects of Preferred Theta Phase Lag between Sensory Inputs on Associative Memory
No full textStage 1 IPA at PCI R
