Low-income preschoolers have lower average performance on measures of early numerical skills than middle-income children. The present study examined the effectiveness of numerical card games in ...improving children's numerical and executive functioning skills. Low-income preschoolers (N = 76) were randomly assigned to play a numerical magnitude comparison card game, a numerical memory and matching card game, or a shape and color matching card game across four 15-minute sessions. Children who played either of the numerical games improved their numeral identification skills, while only children who played the numerical magnitude comparison game improved their symbolic magnitude comparison skills. These improvements were maintained eight weeks later. The results suggest that a brief, low-cost intervention can successfully improve the numerical skills of low-income children.
Abstract The aim of this retrospective study was to assess respiratory and cardiac function in a large cohort of patients with congenital muscular dystrophies (CMD) with reduced glycosylation of ...alphadystroglycan (α-DG). Thirteen of the 115 patients included in the study died between the age of 1 month and 20 years. The age at last follow up of the surviving 102 ranged between 1 year and 68 years (median: 9.3 years). Cardiac involvement was found in 7 of the 115 (6%), 5 with dilated cardiomyopathy, 1 cardiac conductions defects and 1 mitral regurgitation. Respiratory function was impaired in 14 (12%). Ten of the 14 required non invasive nocturnal respiratory support, while the other four required invasive ventilation. Cardiac or respiratory involvement was found in patients with mutations in FKRP , POMT1 , POMT2 . All of the patients in whom mutation in POMGnT1 were identified had normal cardiac and respiratory function.
Young children often endorse explanations of the natural world that appeal to functions or purpose--for example, that rocks are pointy so animals can scratch on them. By contrast, most ...Western-educated adults reject such explanations. What accounts for this change? We investigated 4- to 5-year-old children's ability to generalize the form of an explanation from examples by presenting them with novel teleological explanations, novel mechanistic explanations, or no explanations for 5 nonliving natural objects. We then asked children to explain novel instances of the same objects and novel kinds of objects. We found that children were able to learn and generalize explanations of both types, suggesting an ability to draw generalizations over the form of an explanation. We also found that teleological and mechanistic explanations were learned and generalized equally well, suggesting that if a domain-general teleological bias exists, it does not manifest as a bias in learning or generalization.
Minerals are the fundamental record of abiotic processes over time, while biominerals are one of the most common records of life due to their easy preservation and abundance. However, distinguishing ...between biominerals and abiotic minerals is challenging due to the superimposition and repetition of geologic processes and the interference of ubiquitous and diverse life on Earth's surface and crust. Mineral dubiofossils, being potential outcomes of both abiotic and biotic environments, emerge as valuable entities that can contribute significantly to the understanding of this issue, facilitating the testing and refinement of biogenicity criteria. The aim of this contribution is to decipher the origin and history of branched mineralized structures that were previously considered mineral dubiofossils from the Pennsylvanian of the Paraná Basin, Brazil. While this material has different forms and refers to biological aspects, it is challenging to associate it with any known fossil group due to the overlapping geological processes occurring in a transitional deposit of Rio do Sul Formation (Itararé Group of the Paraná Basin), particularly in close proximity to a sill from the Serra Geral Group (Lower Cretaceous), which has undergone thermal effects. Given the absence of attributes essential for supporting the initial hypotheses proposing the material as a potential set of sponge spicules or a result of contact metamorphism in Pennsylvanian turbidites, the objects are now investigated as mineral dubiofossils. To address this challenge, we have developed a descriptive protocol for dubiofossils, building upon prior research in the field. This protocol evaluates the following aspects: (1) morphology, texture, and structure;
(2) relationship with the matrix; (3) composition; and (4) context. This is done by assessing indigeneity and syngenicity and comparing the specimens with abiotic and biotic products. Applying this protocol to our samples revealed
a wide range of morphologies with internal organization, predominantly composed of calcite with impurities such as iron, magnesium, aluminum, and
oxygen. The inferred indigeneity suggests the presence of these minerals concurrently with or prior to the intrusion of the sill. Extensive comparisons were made between the studied samples and a broad spectrum of abiotic minerals, as well as controlled, induced, and influenced biominerals from similar contexts. These comparative analyses encompassed sponge spicules; sea urchin and algae skeletons; minerals induced or influenced by fungi, bacteria, and microbial mats; and inorganic pre- and synsedimentary–eodiagenetic minerals like evaporites, springs, and other precipitates, and mesodiagenetic–metamorphic crystals. Despite this
comprehensive analysis, no hypothesis emerged as significantly more likely
than others. The comparative analysis did allow us to exclude the possibility of the samples being controlled biominerals due to their
patternless diversity of morphologies, as well as purely thermometamorphic in origin due to their branched elongated forms. The occurrence of these
structures suggests a complex history: a syn-depositional or eodiagenetic
origin of some carbonate or sulfate (gypsum, ikaite, dolomite, calcite,
aragonite, siderite), potentially associated with the presence of microbial
mats, which may have served as templates for mineralization and mediated
mineral growth. Mesodiagenesis could have further modified the occurrence
through processes such as mineral stabilization, agglutination, aging, and
growth. However, the primary agent responsible for the formation of the
dubiofossil was the Cretaceous intrusion, which dissolved and replaced the
initial minerals, resulting in the precipitation of calcite. Throughout
these steps, a combination of physical–chemical and biological reactions,
influenced by intrinsic matrix characteristics, organic matter content, and
distance from the intrusive body, may have contributed to the heightened
morphological complexity observed, thus corroborating the origin of the
material becomes even more challenging. Consequently, both the hypotheses
pertaining to the formation of biotic and abiotic sulfates and carbonates
remain plausible explanations, hence sustaining the classification of the
material as a dubiofossil. This material illustrates how dubiofossils can be a result of a complex history and overlapping geological processes. It also highlights the difficulty in differentiating biominerals from abiotic
minerals due to the scarcity of biogenicity arguments.
In the last few years a number of therapeutical approaches have become available for patients affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The majority of the approaches proposed so far are ...specifically targeting distinct group of mutations, such as stop codon point mutations or groups of deletions as in exon skipping studies. Because of this, the number of patients eligible for these studies is limited to those having specific mutations or groups of mutations. This has raised the question of whether natural history data should be used as controls in studies with few eligible patients and, more specifically, whether individual groups of mutations follow the general natural history of boys of DMD or have distinct profiles of progression of functional impairment. The aim of this study was to report 12 month longitudinal changes of the 6 min walk test (6MWT) in a large cohort of DMD ambulant patients subdivided according to type and site of mutations. 6MWT was performed in 198 DMD ambulant boys, older than 4 years at baseline and repeated after 12 months. 137 had deletions, 18 had duplications and 43 point mutations. Patients with deletions were further subdivided into subgroups according to whether they had mutations eligible for skipping in different exons, selecting those who were currently or likely to be part of clinical trials, eligible for skipping 44 ( n = 18), eligible for skipping 45 ( n = 16), eligible for skipping 51 ( n = 27), eligible for skipping 53 ( n = 28). Patients with point mutations were also subdivided identifying those with stop codon mutations. The 6MWD showed 12 months changes between −325 and 175 (mean −10) m. There was no significant difference between deletions, duplications and point mutations neither at baseline nor in the 12 month changes. When patients were subdivided into different subgroups of deletions according to their eligibility to skip specific exons, there was little difference between the individual subgroups and the patients with the whole cohort. The subgroup eligible for skipping exon 44 however had a trend to perform better at baseline and to show less deterioration than the other subgroups.
•Head Start families were provided with mathematical card games to play at home.•Playing a shape and color matching card game improved children’s shape knowledge.•Duration and frequency of game ...playing related to children’s learning.•Parents used a range of guidance and assistance techniques during the games.
Discrepancies in early mathematical knowledge between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds have been found before the start of kindergarten. The early home environment is one context that can address these discrepancies. This study examined whether an informal mathematical activity that has been successful at promoting children’s numerical knowledge could be translated into a home activity for families from lower-income backgrounds. Families from Head Start programs (n = 39) were randomly assigned to play either a numerical magnitude comparison game or a shape and color matching game. Results showed that playing the numerical magnitude comparison game did not improve children’s numerical knowledge, although playing the shape and color matching game did improve children’s shape knowledge. However, parental reports of the frequency of game playing at home related to children’s learning from both games. Analyses of audio recordings of the families playing the games at home revealed there was wide variability in how parents assisted the children during the card game play. Results are discussed in terms of the benefits and challenges of mathematical interventions targeting the home context.
Abstract Cognitive abilities have been extensively studied in children and adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) but less has been reported on younger children. This is not surprising as the ...diagnosis of DMD remains at a mean age of 4 and 6 months. The aim of this study was to assess neurodevelopmental abilities before the age of 4 years in a cohort of DMD patients in whom early diagnosis was possible because of incidental raised creatine kinase levels, family history or neonatal screenings. Sixty-six children with a diagnosis of DMD of age between 7 and 43 months (mean 27 months) were included in the study. All children were assessed using the Griffiths Mental Development Scales, establishing both total scores and subscores for each of the subscales. Thirty-six of the 66 children had a developmental quotient (DQ) > 85, 21 had a DQ between 70 and 84 and 9 below 70. The mean total DQ was 86 (SD 16.07) and the mean scores for each subscale were as follows: (A) locomotor: 79 (19.47), (B) personal social: 91 (18.48), (C) hearing and speech: 85 (23.59), (D) eye hand coordination: 87 (17.20), (E) performance: 88 (18.40), (F) practical reasoning: 95 (16.08). (Scale F only for patients older than 2 years.) Details of mutations were available in 58 of the 66 children included. Low DQ were found in five of the 26 (18.5 %) patients with mutations before exon 44, in 15 of the 29 with mutations between 44 and 55 (51.7 %) and in all three with mutations in the exons beyond exon 55. it Conclusions: The DQ found in our cohort was on average one SD below a DQ of 100 with approximately 45% of the children having a DQ below 85. The locomotor scale had the lowest scores but even when we excluded the locomotor scale, a DQ below 85 was found in 28 patients (43%).
Abstract Six minute walk test (6MWT), timed items and North Star Ambulatory Assessment (NSAA) are increasingly used as possible outcome measures in clinical trials in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy ...(DMD). Longitudinal data have previously been reported following changes in their scores over a 12 month period. The aim of the study was to assess 6MWT and NSAA in a cohort of 119 ambulant DMD boys over 24 months in order to establish the spectrum of possible changes over a longer period of time. The study is a longitudinal multicentric cohort study. 119 ambulant DMD patients were assessed using 6MWT, NSAA at baseline 12 and 24 months. Clinical data including age and steroid treatment were collected. During the 24 months of the study, we observed a progressive decline in both measures that was more obvious in the second year. Not all the DMD boys in our cohort showed a decline as young boys showed some improvement in their 6MWT and NSAA scores up to the age of 7. Fifteen patients (12.6%) lost the ability to walk independently: 2/15 by the end of the first year and the other 13 in the second year. Another 22 patients (21.1%) were still able to walk independently but were unable to get up from supine (8/22 at baseline, 4 at 12 months, 10 at 24 months). Four children also lost the ability to perform the 6MWT (2 at 12 months and the other 2 at 24 months). This study provides longitudinal data of NSAA and 6MWT over a 24 month period. These data can be useful when designing a clinical trial.
•Efforts to promote early family math engagement are growing.•We conducted a systematic review of research on family math engagement.•Findings highlight strengths and gaps in ongoing family math ...engagement work.•We propose a broader family math framework that incorporates sociocultural context.•We provide directions for future family math work, emphasizing equity and inclusion.
Young children’s math learning opportunities in families appear to relate to long-term math achievement and attitudes. While there is growing interest in promoting families’ support of children’s math learning, existing family math models do not fully capture sources of variation in how families support early math learning. We propose an expanded conceptual framework incorporating macrosystem and mesosystem dimensions, along with developmental considerations, that may influence family math engagement and children’s math learning. We use this framework to guide a systematic review on family math engagement from birth through early elementary school. Reviewing 194 articles from peer-reviewed journals, we asked three questions: 1) How do different aspects of family engagement relate to math outcomes? 2) What accounts for variation in family math engagement? and 3) What evidence is there for effective intervention approaches to support family math engagement? Building on prior models, we identify five facets of family engagement associated with children’s math learning, including math attitudes and expectations, math activities, math talk, the general home learning environment, and school involvement. We also identified sociocultural differences in family math engagement linked to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender. Finally, family math intervention studies showed some short-term, but limited long-term, benefits to math engagement and children’s math learning. Our review also identified gaps in the family math engagement literature, particularly in understanding family math engagement across contexts and development. We use our expanded framework to propose future research considering sociocultural, community, and developmental dimensions of family math engagement.
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