Mixed Analysis Of Covariance Research Articles

Acute physical activity and delayed attention in primary school students.

To examine the influence of different types of exertion on immediate and delayed attention in 116 primary school children divided in three groups of exertion [cognitive exertion - CE (school curricular lesson), physical exertion - PE (traditional physical education lesson), mixed cognitive and physical exertion - CPE (coordinative physical education lesson)]. CPE was the combination of physical load due to the practice of physical exercises and of cognitive load requested to perform movement-based problem solving tasks requiring accurate timing, temporal estimations, temporal production, and spatial adjustments. Children's attentional capacity was tested before (pre) and after (at 0 min and at 50 min post) a CE, a PE, or a CPE lesson, using the d2-test of attention, and analyzed using a 3 × 3 × 2 mixed analysis of covariance with exertion type and time as within factors, gender as between factor, and baseline data as covariate. Effect sizes were calculated as partial eta squared (ƞ(2)). Results showed that participants' attentional performance was significantly affected by exertion type (P < 0.0001), by time (P < 0.0001) and by exertion type × time interactions (P < 0.0001). The effect sizes ranged from medium (0.039) to large (0.437). Varying the type of exertion has different beneficial influences on the level of attention in school children.

Longitudinal Study of Liver Transplant Recipients' Quality of Life as a Function of Their Perception of General Health: At Waiting List and at 3, 6, and 12 Months Post-Transplantation

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to compare the evolution (at waiting list, and at 3, 6, and 12 months post-transplantation) of quality of life of cadaveric liver transplant recipients as a function of their perception of general health. MethodsTwo groups (15 patients with better and 15 with worse self-perception of health 1 year after transplantation) were assessed at the pretransplantation and post-transplantation phases using the EuroQol (EQ-5D) questionnaire. Mixed analysis of covariance was performed with 2 factors: phase (at waiting list and at 3, 6, and 12 months post-transplantation) and perception of general health (better and worse). Cohen’s d was also calculated. ResultsInteractive effects were found in the variables pain/discomfort (P = .010) and anxiety/depression (P = .001). The following simple effects reached large effect sizes. Transplant recipients presented more pain/discomfort when on the waiting list than at 3 months (worse self-perception, P = .022, d = 1.35; better self-perception, P = .001, d = 0.95). At 6 months (P = .001, d = −1.45) and at 12 months (P = .001, d = −1.75), transplant recipients with worse self-perception displayed more pain/discomfort. Transplant recipients with better self-perceived health showed more anxiety/depression when on the waiting list than at 3 months (P = .004, d = 1.49), at 6 months (P = .005, d = 1.48), and at 12 months (P = .001, d = 1.97). Patients with worse self-perception presented more anxiety/depression when on the waiting list than at 6 months (P = .030, d = 1.21) and 12 months compared with at 3 months (P = .011, d = −0.97) and 6 months (P = .001, d = −1.39). At 12 months, transplant recipients with worse self-perception showed more anxiety/depression (P = .001, d = −2.18). ConclusionPain/discomfort and, especially, anxiety/depression contribute to liver transplant recipients' worse general health status 1 year after transplantation.

Evolution of Anxious-Depressive Symptomatology in Liver and Kidney Transplant Recipients: Hospitalization and 12-Month Post-Transplantation Phases

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to compare the evolution (hospitalization in the transplantation unit and at 12 months post-transplantation) of anxious and depressive symptomatology in cadaveric transplant recipients as a function of type of organ implanted (liver or kidney). MethodsUsing a 2 × 2 mixed factorial design, 2 groups were selected: 34 liver transplant recipients and 41 kidney transplant recipients. Both groups were assessed in 2 phases: (1) in the transplantation unit after discharge from the intensive care unit; and (2) 12 months after discharge from the hospital following implantation surgery. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Scale for the Assessment of Social Support were administered. A mixed analysis of covariance was used to assess the influence on transplant recipients' anxious-depressive symptomatology of 2 independent factors: phase (hospitalization in the transplantation unit and at 12 months post-transplantation) and organ (liver and kidney). Perceived social support and age were included as covariates in the analyses. We also calculated d and w as effect size indexes. ResultsInteractive effects of the factors phase and organ were found in the variable anxiety (P = .005). Specifically, the following simple effects were significant: (1) kidney transplant recipients presented more anxious symptomatology while hospitalized in the transplantation unit than at 12 months post-transplantation (P = .001; d = 0.52; medium effect size); and (2) kidney transplant recipients presented more anxious symptomatology than liver transplant recipients while hospitalized in the transplantation unit (P = .013; d = −0.59; medium effect size). No statistically significant effect was obtained for the variable depression. ConclusionWorse mental health (anxious symptoms) was associated with kidney transplant recipients but not with liver recipients while recovering from the implantation surgery in the transplantation unit.

Evolution of Quality of Life in Renal Transplant Recipients and Patients With Multiple Sclerosis: A Follow-up Study

ObjectiveWe aimed to compare the evolution of quality of life in 2 medical conditions under immunotherapy (cadaveric renal transplantation [G1] and multiple sclerosis [G2]), and to assess the clinical significance of the results compared with a representative age-adjusted sample of the general Spanish population (G3). MethodsUsing a mixed design (2 × 2), the SF-36 Health Survey was administered to 60 patients with one of these clinical conditions (30 in each group; the patient group factor), matched for gender, and homogenized regarding age and working status. All renal patients had undergone transplantation 6 months before the first assessment, and all neurological patients presented a relapsing-remitting course and a mild-moderate disability level. Both patient groups were assessed a second time 6 months later (the phase factor). A mixed analysis of covariance was computed controlling for age as a covariate. Cohen's d was reported as an effect size index and to analyze the clinical significance regarding a representative age-adjusted sample of the general Spanish population (n = 5821). ResultsStatistically significant differences were found between patient groups in vitality, bodily pain, social functioning, and mental health (P < .01), in which worse levels were displayed by patients with multiple sclerosis in both phases (Cohen's ds1-2 from 0.61 to 1.40). Likewise, an interactive effect was observed in physical functioning [F(1,57) = 12.93; P = .001], such that the performance of daily physical activities improved in renal recipients after 6 months, but it decreased in neurological patients. Patients with multiple sclerosis showed higher, clinically significant impairment in all SF-36 dimensions in both phases compared with renal recipients (Cohen's ds2-3 from −0.50 to −1.61), who presented clinically significant impairment in general health, role-physical, and role-emotional (Cohen's ds1-3 from −0.73 to −1.28). ConclusionsRenal transplant recipients need specialized health care 1 year after transplantation because they still display relevant impairment in daily functioning compared with the general population.

Testing the Effect of an Educational Intervention

Step-Up is a university-based scheme designed to encourage school children from disadvantaged backgrounds from both sides of the community divide in the north-west of Northern Ireland to study science at university. The rationale behind the scheme is attributable to the notion that children from disadvantaged backgrounds generally attend secondary school as opposed to grammar school as a result of their 11-plus examination results. The Department of Education reported that throughout Northern Ireland, 11.5% of secondary school pupils’ progress to higher education compared to 74.4% of grammar school pupils. An integral element of the Step-Up programme is its aim to increase levels of self-esteem and self-efficacy in participants in order to facilitate learning, as these have been shown to be positively correlated with academic achievement. A longitudinal study was conducted employing the use of mixed analysis of covariance to examine the changes in these variables in Step-Up pupils compared to non-Step-Up ...

Identification of Candidate SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) for Growth and Carcass Traits Related to QTL on Chromosome 6 in Hanwoo (Korean Cattle)

As genetic markers, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) are very appropriate for the development of genetic tests for economic traits in livestock. Several microsatellite markers have been identified as useful markers for the genetic improvement of Hanwoo. Among those markers, ILSTS035 was recently mapped at a similar position with four SNPs (AH1_11, AH1_9, 31465_446, and 12273_165) in a linkage map of EST-based SNP in BAT6. Among the four SNPs, two SNPs (31465_446 and 12273_165) were analyzed using BLAST at the NCBI web site. The sequences including the 12273_165 SNP were identified at the intron region within the LOC534614 gene on the gene sequence map (Bos taurus NCBI Map view, build 3.1). The LOC534614 gene represents a protein similar to myosin heavy chain, fat skeletal muscle, embryonic isoform 1 in the dog, and myosin_1 (Myosin heavy chain D) in Macaca mulatta. In cattle, the myosin heavy chain was associated with muscle development. The phenotypic data for growth and carcass traits in the 415 animals were analyzed by the mixed ANCOVA (analysis of covariance) linear model using PROC GLM module in SAS v9.1. By the genotyping of Hanwoo individuals (n = 415) to evaluate the association of SNP with growth and carcass traits, it was shown that the 12273_165 SNP region within LOC534614 may be a candidate marker for growth. The results of the statistical analyses suggested that the genotype of the 12273_165 SNP significantly affected birth weight, weight of the cattle at 24 months of age, average daily gain and carcass cold weight (p<0.05). Consequently, the 12273_165 SNP polymorphisms at the LOC534614 gene may be associated with growth in Hanwoo, and functional validation of polymorphisms in LOC534614 should be performed in the future. (Key Words : SNP, QTL, BTA6, Growth, Hanwoo)

Effectiveness of progressive relaxation on test anxiety and visual perception.

Progressive relaxation as a modifier of self-reported test anxiety and cognitive visual perception in undergraduates was tested on 23 volunteers found susceptible to progressive relaxation as indicated by selected items from the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility. Subjects were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. Pretreatment consisted of the Test Anxiety Inventory and the Hidden Figures Test. Posttreatment measures were the Test Anxiety Inventory and the Witkin's Group Embedded Figures Test. A mixed analysis of covariance for repeated measures with two levels of treatment (between subjects) and two levels of time (within subjects) showed a significant reduction in reported test-anxiety test-retest for all subjects but no significant effect on the Embedded Figures Test scores.