The relation between cognitive and motor performance and their relevance for children’s transition to school: A latent variable approach

Both theoretically and empirically there is a continuous interest in understanding the specific relation between cognitive and motor development in childhood. In the present longitudinal study including three measurement points, this relation was targeted. At the beginning of the study, the participating children were 5-6-year-olds. By assessing participants' fine motor skills, their executive functioning, and their non-verbal intelligence, their cross-sectional and cross-lagged interrelations were examined. Additionally, performance in these three areas was used to predict early school achievement (in terms of mathematics, reading, and spelling) at the end of participants' first grade. Correlational analyses and structural equation modeling revealed that fine motor skills, non-verbal intelligence and executive functioning were significantly interrelated. Both fine motor skills and intelligence had significant links to later school achievement. However, when executive functioning was additionally included into the prediction of early academic achievement, fine motor skills and non-verbal intelligence were no longer significantly associated with later school performance suggesting that executive functioning plays an important role for the motor-cognitive performance link.

Logical omniscience as infeasibility

Logical theories for representing knowledge are often plagued by the so-called Logical Omniscience Problem. The problem stems from the clash between the desire to model rational agents, which should be capable of simple logical inferences, and the fact that any logical inference, however complex, almost inevitably consists of inference steps that are simple enough. This contradiction points to the fruitlessness of trying to solve the Logical Omniscience Problem qualitatively if the rationality of agents is to be maintained. We provide a quantitative solution to the problem compatible with the two important facets of the reasoning agent: rationality and resource boundedness. More precisely, we provide a test for the logical omniscience problem in a given formal theory of knowledge. The quantitative measures we use are inspired by the complexity theory. We illustrate our framework with a number of examples ranging from the traditional implicit representation of knowledge in modal logic to the language of justification logic, which is capable of spelling out the internal inference process. We use these examples to divide representations of knowledge into logically omniscient and not logically omniscient, thus trying to determine how much information about the reasoning process needs to be present in a theory to avoid logical omniscience.

Impacts of a word-picture training on reading in youth with mixed intellectual disabilities. A waiting-list control group comparison

Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) often struggle with learning how to read. Reading difficulties seem to be the most common secondary condition of ID. Only one in five children with mild or moderate ID achieves even minimal literacy skills. However, literacy education for children and adolescents with ID has been largely overlooked by researchers and educators. While there is little research on reading of children with ID, many training studies have been conducted with other populations with reading difficulties. The most common approach of acquiring literacy skills consists of sophisticated programs that train phonological skills and auditory perception. Only few studies investigated the influence of implicit learning on literacy skills. Implicit learning processes seem to be largely independent of age and IQ. Children are sensitive to the statistics of their learning environment. By frequent word reading they acquire implicit knowledge about the frequency of single letters and letter patterns in written words. Additionally, semantic connections not only improve the word understanding, but also facilitate storage of words in memory. Advances in communication technology have introduced new possibilities for remediating literacy skills. Computers can provide training material in attractive ways, for example through animations and immediate feedback .These opportunities can scaffold and support attention processes central to learning. Thus, the aim of this intervention study was to develop and implement a computer based word-picture training, which is based on statistical and semantic learning, and to examine the training effects on reading, spelling and attention in children and adolescents (9-16 years) diagnosed with mental retardation (general IQ  74). Fifty children participated in four to five weekly training sessions of 15-20 minutes over 4 weeks, and completed assessments of attention, reading, spelling, short-term memory and fluid intelligence before and after training. After a first assessment (T1), the entire sample was divided in a training group (group A) and a waiting control group (group B). After 4 weeks of training with group A, a second assessment (T2) was administered with both training groups. Afterwards, group B was trained for 4 weeks, before a last assessment (T3) was carried out in both groups. Overall, the results showed that the word-picture training led to substantial gains on word decoding and attention for both training groups. These effects were preserved six weeks later (group A). There was also a clear tendency of improvement in spelling after training for both groups, although the effect did not reach significance. These findings highlight the fact that an implicit statistical learning training in a playful way by motivating computer programs can not only promote reading development, but also attention in children with intellectual disabilities.

Prospective memory, executive functions, and metacognition are already differentiated in young elementary school children: Evidence from latent factor modelling

This study investigated the empirical differentiation of prospective memory, executive functions, and metacognition and their structural relationships in 119 elementary school children (M = 95 months, SD = 4.8 months). These cognitive abilities share many characteristics on the theoretical level and are all highly relevant in many everyday contexts when intentions must be executed. Nevertheless, their empirical relationships have not been examined on the latent level, although an empirical approach would contribute to our knowledge concerning the differentiation of cognitive abilities during childhood. We administered a computerized event-based prospective memory task, three executive function tasks (updating, inhibition, shifting), and a metacognitive control task in the context of spelling. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the three cognitive abilities are already empirically differentiable in young elementary school children. At the same time, prospective memory and executive functions were found to be strongly related, and there was also a close link between prospective memory and metacognitive control. Furthermore, executive functions and metacognitive control were marginally significantly related. The findings are discussed within a framework of developmental differentiation and conceptual similarities and differences.

A new universal, standardized implant database for product identification: a unique tool for arthroplasty registries.

INTRODUCTION Every joint registry aims to improve patient care by identifying implants that have an inferior performance. For this reason, each registry records the implant name that has been used in the individual patient. In most registries, a paper-based approach has been utilized for this purpose. However, in addition to being time-consuming, this approach does not account for the fact that failure patterns are not necessarily implant specific but can be associated with design features that are used in a number of implants. Therefore, we aimed to develop and evaluate an implant product library that allows both time saving barcode scanning on site in the hospital for the registration of the implant components and a detailed description of implant specifications. MATERIALS AND METHODS A task force consisting of representatives of the German Arthroplasty Registry, industry, and computer specialists agreed on a solution that allows barcode scanning of implant components and that also uses a detailed standardized classification describing arthroplasty components. The manufacturers classified all their components that are sold in Germany according to this classification. The implant database was analyzed regarding the completeness of components by algorithms and real-time data. RESULTS The implant library could be set up successfully. At this point, the implant database includes more than 38,000 items, of which all were classified by the manufacturers according to the predefined scheme. Using patient data from the German Arthroplasty Registry, several errors in the database were detected, all of which were corrected by the respective implant manufacturers. CONCLUSIONS The implant library that was developed for the German Arthroplasty Registry allows not only on-site barcode scanning for the registration of the implant components but also its classification tree allows a sophisticated analysis regarding implant characteristics, regardless of brand or manufacturer. The database is maintained by the implant manufacturers, thereby allowing registries to focus their resources on other areas of research. The database might represent a possible global model, which might encourage harmonization between joint replacement registries enabling comparisons between joint replacement registries.

Discursive Practices Of Organizational Identity Negotiations

How do organizations discursively negotiate organizational identity? In a longitudinal interpretive case study, we investigate the discursive practices of identity negotiations in a non-profit organization. Drawing on semi-structured interviews, documents and participant observations, and in applying a discourse analytical framework, we first identify three distinct discourses that provide the discursive resources for three different identity propositions. Then and in order to understand how these discursive resources are activated and utilized, we reconstruct four distinct discursive practices of organizational identity negotiations: (1) external comparison and differentiation (2) denial of trade-offs and harmonization (3) historization, and (4) moralization. We discuss how this structure relates to other similarly pluralistic organizational contexts.

Collaborative Research in Childhood Cancer Survivorship: The Current Landscape.

Survivors of childhood cancer carry a substantial burden of morbidity and are at increased risk for premature death. Furthermore, clear associations exist between specific therapeutic exposures and the risk for a variety of long-term complications. The entire landscape of health issues encountered for decades after successful completion of treatment is currently being explored in various collaborative research settings. These settings include large population-based or multi-institutional cohorts and single-institution studies. The ascertainment of outcomes has depended on self-reporting, linkage to registries, or clinical assessments. Survivorship research in the cooperative group setting, such as the Children's Oncology Group, has leveraged the clinical trials infrastructure to explore the molecular underpinnings of treatment-related adverse events, and to understand specific complications in the setting of randomized risk-reduction strategies. This review highlights the salient findings from these large collaborative initiatives, emphasizing the need for life-long follow-up of survivors of childhood cancer, and describing the development of several guidelines and efforts toward harmonization. Finally, the review reinforces the need to identify populations at highest risk, facilitating the development of risk prediction models that would allow for targeted interventions across the entire trajectory of survivorship.

Ophthalmic epidemiology in Europe: the "European Eye Epidemiology" (E3) consortium.

The European Eye Epidemiology (E3) consortium is a recently formed consortium of 29 groups from 12 European countries. It already comprises 21 population-based studies and 20 other studies (case-control, cases only, randomized trials), providing ophthalmological data on approximately 170,000 European participants. The aim of the consortium is to promote and sustain collaboration and sharing of data and knowledge in the field of ophthalmic epidemiology in Europe, with particular focus on the harmonization of methods for future research, estimation and projection of frequency and impact of visual outcomes in European populations (including temporal trends and European subregions), identification of risk factors and pathways for eye diseases (lifestyle, vascular and metabolic factors, genetics, epigenetics and biomarkers) and development and validation of prediction models for eye diseases. Coordinating these existing data will allow a detailed study of the risk factors and consequences of eye diseases and visual impairment, including study of international geographical variation which is not possible in individual studies. It is expected that collaborative work on these existing data will provide additional knowledge, despite the fact that the risk factors and the methods for collecting them differ somewhat among the participating studies. Most studies also include biobanks of various biological samples, which will enable identification of biomarkers to detect and predict occurrence and progression of eye diseases. This article outlines the rationale of the consortium, its design and presents a summary of the methodology.

Comparability of Outcome Frameworks in Medical Education: Implications for framework development

Background: The demand for international harmonization in medical education increases with the growing mobility of students and health professionals. Many medical societies and governmental offices have issued outcome frameworks (OF), which describe aims and contents of medical education based on competencies. These national standards affect the development of curricula as well as assessment and licensing procedures. Comparing OF and identifying factors that limit their comparability may thus foster international harmonization of medical education. Summary of Work: We conducted a systematic search for national OF in MedLine, EmBase and the internet. We included all OF in German or English that resulted from a national consensus process and were published or endorsed by a national society or governmental body. We extracted information in five predetermined categories: history of origin, audience, formal structure, medical schooling system and key terms. Summary of Results: Out of 1816 results, 13 OF were included into further analyses. OF reference each other, often without addressing existing differences (e.g. in target audiences). The two most cited OF are “CanMEDs” and “Scottish Doctor”. OF differ especially in their level of detail as well as in the underlying educational system. Discussion and Conclusions: Based on our results we propose a two-step blueprint for OF, that may help to establish comparability for internationally aligned key features – so-called “core competencies” – while at the same time allowing for necessary regional adaptations in terms of “secondary competencies”. Take-home messages: Considerable differences in at least five categories of OF currently hinder the comparability of outcome frameworks.

La adquisición de conocimiento ortográfico en español

El objetivo de la presente tesis fue el de analizar de qué manera niños y niñas hablantes de español adquieren conocimiento ortográfico. Con tal fin, se realizó una investigación longitudinal en la cual se realizó el seguimiento, durante tres años, de un grupo de sujetos que ingresaba a la escuela primaria. En este seguimiento se administraron pruebas de las habilidades consideradas predictoras de la adquisición de conocimiento ortográfico a principio y a fin de primer grado y pruebas de escritura y lectura de palabras ortográficamente complejas a fin de primer, segundo y tercer grado. Asimismo, se realizaron dos situaciones experimentales de adquisición de conocimiento ortográfico a fin de segundo y tercer grado. El análisis de los resultados obtenidos a principio de primer grado se relacionó con el conocimiento de las letras. Los resultados permitieron observar una parcial independencia entre el conocimiento del nombre y del sonido de las letras del alfabeto. En efecto, los sujetos de este estudio conocían en mayor medida los nombres que los sonidos de letras, hecho que permite suponer que el nombre constituye la primera etiqueta aprendida y que el conocimiento de los sonidos sería, al menos en parte, inferido a partir del nombre de las letras. Asimismo, el conjunto de resultados referidos al conocimiento de las letras permite sugerir que el aprendizaje de las mismas se encuentra asociado fuertemente a su nivel de frecuencia. A fin de primer grado, se observa un escaso dominio del conocimiento ortográfico por parte de los niños y niñas. En efecto, los resultados obtenidos sugieren que los sujetos estarían operando con un alfabeto simplificado, esto es, como si todas las correspondencias fonema-grafema fueran unívocas. De hecho, el conjunto de resultados obtenidos sugiere que, en esta instancia del desarrollo, los niños y las niñas escriben recurriendo a mecanismos fonológicos y que la complejidad fonológica de las palabras afecta en mayor medida el desempeño al escribir que al leer. A fin de segundo grado, se encontraron importantes diferencias entre los tiempos de lectura de palabras y pseudopalabras. En efecto, los niños y las niñas reconocieron una palabra por segundo mientras que necesitaron en 4 promedio 5 segundos para leer cada pseudopalabra. Este resultado podría estar dando cuenta de un proceso de lexicalización de ciertos ítems léxicos. Sin embargo, el desempeño en la escritura de palabras no mostró en la misma medida evidencia de un proceso de lexicalización, dado que la representación de las correspondencias inconsistentes no dominantes alcanzó apenas un 48. Se observó también que el mejor predictor de la escritura fue el desempeño en la prueba de fluidez en el trazado de las letras, resultado que sugiere un importante efecto de las tareas motoras en el desarrollo de la escritura. A fin de tercer grado, si bien la lectura de palabras había llegado prácticamente al techo en el desempeño, los sujetos todavía no superaban el 70 de la escritura de palabras ortográficamente complejas. Estos resultados, aparentemente contradictorios, pueden encontrar explicación en la existencia de representaciones ortográficas de diferente calidad. Es decir, existirían representaciones de cierto nivel que permitirían un desempeño satisfactorio en la lectura de palabras, pero que no serían suficientes para la escritura convencional de las mismas. En relación a las situaciones experimentales de aprendizaje ortográfico, pudo observarse que los sujetos, a fin de segundo grado, se desempeñan operando con un sistema simplificado de correspondencias que la lectura repetida de nuevas palabras no puede contrarrestar. A fin de tercer grado, la recodificación fonológica parece actuar como un mecanismo de aprendizaje de la forma ortográfica de las palabras aunque el análisis en detalle del desempeño muestra que los niños y niñas obtuvieron un desempeño bajo en el post test que incluía la escritura de pseudopalabras con grafemas de frecuencia baja

La adquisición de conocimiento ortográfico en español

El objetivo de la presente tesis fue el de analizar de qué manera niños y niñas hablantes de español adquieren conocimiento ortográfico. Con tal fin, se realizó una investigación longitudinal en la cual se realizó el seguimiento, durante tres años, de un grupo de sujetos que ingresaba a la escuela primaria. En este seguimiento se administraron pruebas de las habilidades consideradas predictoras de la adquisición de conocimiento ortográfico a principio y a fin de primer grado y pruebas de escritura y lectura de palabras ortográficamente complejas a fin de primer, segundo y tercer grado. Asimismo, se realizaron dos situaciones experimentales de adquisición de conocimiento ortográfico a fin de segundo y tercer grado. El análisis de los resultados obtenidos a principio de primer grado se relacionó con el conocimiento de las letras. Los resultados permitieron observar una parcial independencia entre el conocimiento del nombre y del sonido de las letras del alfabeto. En efecto, los sujetos de este estudio conocían en mayor medida los nombres que los sonidos de letras, hecho que permite suponer que el nombre constituye la primera etiqueta aprendida y que el conocimiento de los sonidos sería, al menos en parte, inferido a partir del nombre de las letras. Asimismo, el conjunto de resultados referidos al conocimiento de las letras permite sugerir que el aprendizaje de las mismas se encuentra asociado fuertemente a su nivel de frecuencia. A fin de primer grado, se observa un escaso dominio del conocimiento ortográfico por parte de los niños y niñas. En efecto, los resultados obtenidos sugieren que los sujetos estarían operando con un alfabeto simplificado, esto es, como si todas las correspondencias fonema-grafema fueran unívocas. De hecho, el conjunto de resultados obtenidos sugiere que, en esta instancia del desarrollo, los niños y las niñas escriben recurriendo a mecanismos fonológicos y que la complejidad fonológica de las palabras afecta en mayor medida el desempeño al escribir que al leer. A fin de segundo grado, se encontraron importantes diferencias entre los tiempos de lectura de palabras y pseudopalabras. En efecto, los niños y las niñas reconocieron una palabra por segundo mientras que necesitaron en 4 promedio 5 segundos para leer cada pseudopalabra. Este resultado podría estar dando cuenta de un proceso de lexicalización de ciertos ítems léxicos. Sin embargo, el desempeño en la escritura de palabras no mostró en la misma medida evidencia de un proceso de lexicalización, dado que la representación de las correspondencias inconsistentes no dominantes alcanzó apenas un 48. Se observó también que el mejor predictor de la escritura fue el desempeño en la prueba de fluidez en el trazado de las letras, resultado que sugiere un importante efecto de las tareas motoras en el desarrollo de la escritura. A fin de tercer grado, si bien la lectura de palabras había llegado prácticamente al techo en el desempeño, los sujetos todavía no superaban el 70 de la escritura de palabras ortográficamente complejas. Estos resultados, aparentemente contradictorios, pueden encontrar explicación en la existencia de representaciones ortográficas de diferente calidad. Es decir, existirían representaciones de cierto nivel que permitirían un desempeño satisfactorio en la lectura de palabras, pero que no serían suficientes para la escritura convencional de las mismas. En relación a las situaciones experimentales de aprendizaje ortográfico, pudo observarse que los sujetos, a fin de segundo grado, se desempeñan operando con un sistema simplificado de correspondencias que la lectura repetida de nuevas palabras no puede contrarrestar. A fin de tercer grado, la recodificación fonológica parece actuar como un mecanismo de aprendizaje de la forma ortográfica de las palabras aunque el análisis en detalle del desempeño muestra que los niños y niñas obtuvieron un desempeño bajo en el post test que incluía la escritura de pseudopalabras con grafemas de frecuencia baja

La adquisición de conocimiento ortográfico en español

El objetivo de la presente tesis fue el de analizar de qué manera niños y niñas hablantes de español adquieren conocimiento ortográfico. Con tal fin, se realizó una investigación longitudinal en la cual se realizó el seguimiento, durante tres años, de un grupo de sujetos que ingresaba a la escuela primaria. En este seguimiento se administraron pruebas de las habilidades consideradas predictoras de la adquisición de conocimiento ortográfico a principio y a fin de primer grado y pruebas de escritura y lectura de palabras ortográficamente complejas a fin de primer, segundo y tercer grado. Asimismo, se realizaron dos situaciones experimentales de adquisición de conocimiento ortográfico a fin de segundo y tercer grado. El análisis de los resultados obtenidos a principio de primer grado se relacionó con el conocimiento de las letras. Los resultados permitieron observar una parcial independencia entre el conocimiento del nombre y del sonido de las letras del alfabeto. En efecto, los sujetos de este estudio conocían en mayor medida los nombres que los sonidos de letras, hecho que permite suponer que el nombre constituye la primera etiqueta aprendida y que el conocimiento de los sonidos sería, al menos en parte, inferido a partir del nombre de las letras. Asimismo, el conjunto de resultados referidos al conocimiento de las letras permite sugerir que el aprendizaje de las mismas se encuentra asociado fuertemente a su nivel de frecuencia. A fin de primer grado, se observa un escaso dominio del conocimiento ortográfico por parte de los niños y niñas. En efecto, los resultados obtenidos sugieren que los sujetos estarían operando con un alfabeto simplificado, esto es, como si todas las correspondencias fonema-grafema fueran unívocas. De hecho, el conjunto de resultados obtenidos sugiere que, en esta instancia del desarrollo, los niños y las niñas escriben recurriendo a mecanismos fonológicos y que la complejidad fonológica de las palabras afecta en mayor medida el desempeño al escribir que al leer. A fin de segundo grado, se encontraron importantes diferencias entre los tiempos de lectura de palabras y pseudopalabras. En efecto, los niños y las niñas reconocieron una palabra por segundo mientras que necesitaron en 4 promedio 5 segundos para leer cada pseudopalabra. Este resultado podría estar dando cuenta de un proceso de lexicalización de ciertos ítems léxicos. Sin embargo, el desempeño en la escritura de palabras no mostró en la misma medida evidencia de un proceso de lexicalización, dado que la representación de las correspondencias inconsistentes no dominantes alcanzó apenas un 48. Se observó también que el mejor predictor de la escritura fue el desempeño en la prueba de fluidez en el trazado de las letras, resultado que sugiere un importante efecto de las tareas motoras en el desarrollo de la escritura. A fin de tercer grado, si bien la lectura de palabras había llegado prácticamente al techo en el desempeño, los sujetos todavía no superaban el 70 de la escritura de palabras ortográficamente complejas. Estos resultados, aparentemente contradictorios, pueden encontrar explicación en la existencia de representaciones ortográficas de diferente calidad. Es decir, existirían representaciones de cierto nivel que permitirían un desempeño satisfactorio en la lectura de palabras, pero que no serían suficientes para la escritura convencional de las mismas. En relación a las situaciones experimentales de aprendizaje ortográfico, pudo observarse que los sujetos, a fin de segundo grado, se desempeñan operando con un sistema simplificado de correspondencias que la lectura repetida de nuevas palabras no puede contrarrestar. A fin de tercer grado, la recodificación fonológica parece actuar como un mecanismo de aprendizaje de la forma ortográfica de las palabras aunque el análisis en detalle del desempeño muestra que los niños y niñas obtuvieron un desempeño bajo en el post test que incluía la escritura de pseudopalabras con grafemas de frecuencia baja

A fractional vegetation cover remote sensing product on pan-arctic scale with link to geotiff image

The paper presents first results of a pan-boreal scale land cover harmonization and classification. A methodology is presented that combines global and regional vegetation datasets to extract percentage cover information for different vegetation physiognomy and barren for the pan-arctic region within the ESA Data User Element Permafrost. Based on the legend description of each land cover product the datasets are harmonized into four LCCS (Land Cover Classification System) classifiers which are linked to the MODIS Vegetation Continuous Field (VCF) product. Harmonized land cover and Vegetation Continuous Fields products are combined to derive a best estimate of percentage cover information for trees, shrubs, herbaceous and barren areas for Russia. Future work will concentrate on the expansion of the developed methodology to the pan-arctic scale. Since the vegetation builds an isolation layer, which protects the permafrost from heat and cold temperatures, a degradation of this layer due to fire strongly influences the frozen conditions in the soil. Fire is an important disturbance factor which affects vast processes and dynamics in ecosystems (e.g. biomass, biodiversity, hydrology, etc.). Especially in North Eurasia the fire occupancy has dramatically increased in the last 50 years and has doubled in the 1990s with respect to the last five decades. A comparison of global and regional fire products has shown discrepancies between the amounts of burn scars detected by different algorithms and satellite data.

On Labor Complementarity, Cultural Frictions and Strategic Immigration Policies

In this paper we consider a model with two industrialized countries that face a flow of immigration from the "rest of the world." The countries differ in three characteristics: the labor complementarity between the "native" population and immigrants, the population size, and the magnitude of the cultural friction between the natives and immigrants. We consider a non-cooperative game between two countries' when their strategic instrument is the choice of an immigration quota and the world immigrant wages introduce the spill-over effect between two countries. We first show that the quota game admits unique pure strategies Nash equilibrium. We then compare the equilibrium choices of two countries and show that even though the larger country attracts more immigrants, it chooses lower quota than its smaller counterpart. It also turns out that higher degree of labor complementarity between natives and immigrants and a lower degree of cultural friction between two groups yield higher immigration quota. We also examine the welfare implications of countries choices' and argue that coordinated and harmonized immigration policies may improve the welfare of both countries.