Subsequent Grade Research Articles

Trajectories of Suicidal Ideation from Sixth through Tenth Grades in Predicting Suicide Attempts in Young Adulthood in an Urban African American Cohort.

The trajectory of suicidal ideation across early adolescence may inform the timing of suicide prevention program implementation. This study aimed to identify developmental trajectories of suicidal ideation among an urban cohort of community-residing African Americans (AA) longitudinally followed from middle school through early adulthood (ages 11-19years). Subtypes based on the developmental course of suicidal ideation from late childhood through mid-adolescence were identified using longitudinal latent class analysis (LLCA) with 581 AA adolescents (52.7% male; 71.1% free or reduced school meals). The developmental trajectories of suicidal ideation were then used to predict suicide attempts in young adulthood. Our LLCA indicated two subtypes (i.e., ideators and nonideators), with 8% of the sample in the ideator class. This trajectory class shows a peak of suicidal ideation in seventh grade and a steady decline in ideation in subsequent grades. Additionally, suicidal ideation trajectories significantly predicted suicide attempt. Results of these analyses suggest the need for suicide prevention approaches prior to high school for AA youth.

Using ACT Subscores to Identify At Risk Students in Business Statistics and Principles of Management Courses

The American College Test (ACT) is utilized to determine academic success in business core courses at a midlevel state university. Specifically, subscores are compared to subsequent student grades in selected courses. The results indicate that ACT Mathematics and English subscores are a valid predictor of success or failure of business students in statistics and management classes.

Concurrent and longitudinal predictors of calculation skills in preschoolers

Early calculation abilities in preschoolers are predictive of mathematics achievement in subsequent grades (e.g., Jordan et al. 2009). Two studies were conducted to evaluate concurrent and longitudinal predictors of early calculation skills. In the first study, 102 preschoolers (57.8 % female; mean age = 60.57 ± 8.66 months) were given vocabulary, language comprehension, and verbal working memory tasks and a test battery that evaluated components of early number competence (quantity comparison, counting, number line, size seriation, semantic knowledge of digits, visual-spatial memory). The children were also asked to complete early calculation tasks, including addition and subtraction calculations. The results of this task constituted the dependent variable. The results showed that vocabulary, size seriation, and visual-spatial memory were significant concurrent predictors of early calculation competence. In the second study, 43 children completed the early number competence battery at time 1 (53.5 % female; mean age = 59.30 ± 3.46 months) and the linguistic and early calculation tasks at time 2, about 10 months later (mean age = 69.43 ± 3.31 months). The analysis of the longitudinal predictors of early calculation showed significant effects for counting and size seriation. The implications for preschool assessment and intervention are discussed.

Plasma biomarkers of acute GVHD and nonrelapse mortality: predictive value of measurements before GVHD onset and treatment

AbstractWe identified plasma biomarkers that presaged outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) by measuring 23 biomarkers in samples collected before initiation of treatment. Six analytes with the greatest accuracy in predicting grade 3-4 GVHD in the first cohort (74 patients) were then tested in a second cohort (76 patients). The same 6 analytes were also tested in samples collected at day 14 ± 3 from 167 patients free of GVHD at the time. Logistic regression and calculation of an area under a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve for each analyte were used to determine associations with outcome. Best models in the GVHD onset and landmark analyses were determined by forward selection. In samples from the second cohort, collected a median of 4 days before start of treatment, levels of TIM3, IL6, and sTNFR1 had utility in predicting development of peak grade 3-4 GVHD (area under ROC curve, 0.88). Plasma ST2 and sTNFR1 predicted nonrelapse mortality within 1 year after transplantation (area under ROC curve, 0.90). In the landmark analysis, plasma TIM3 predicted subsequent grade 3-4 GVHD (area under ROC curve, 0.76). We conclude that plasma levels of TIM3, sTNFR1, ST2, and IL6 are informative in predicting more severe GVHD and nonrelapse mortality.

(291) - Genetic Risk Score (GRS) Predicts Worse Survival in African American Heart Transplant Recipients at 10 Years

s S115 additional serial samples were obtained from each pt (82 samples total). 21 pts were treated for the rejection event, with 17 having consecutive samples available from both the treatment and post-treatment visits required to determine the change in dd-cfDNA following treatment for rejection. Results: For these 17 cases, dd-cfDNA increased more than 2-fold in 3 cases, decreased more than 2-fold in 6 cases, and changed modestly (less than a 2-fold increase or decrease) in 8 cases. In 5 cases where the post-treatment biopsy was graded 0R, suggesting the pt responded favorably to treatment, dd-cfDNA decreased by more than 1.8-fold in 3 cases. Of the 11 samples that did not decrease by at least 2-fold, 6 cases experienced a subsequent 1R or 2R grade rejection event within 30 days of the post-treatment visit, suggesting that the initial treatment may not have been sufficient. Two samples with relatively large (1.9and 3.6-fold) increases in dd-cfDNA following treatment did not show any clinical signs of rejection. Conclusion: Consistent with previously observed rapid-clearance of ddcfDNA from peripheral blood, dd-cfDNA is a quantitative indicator of allograft health. Preliminary data suggest that levels of dd-cfDNA immediately following treatment of a rejection event often decrease when the rejection resolves, but may stay elevated or increase if signs of rejection persist. ddcfDNA may be a useful, non-invasive biomarker to ascertain clinical response to rejection treatment. (Study sponsored by CareDx, Inc.)

Explorations of the structure-agency dialectic as a tool for framing equity in science education

Explorations of the structure-agency dialectic as a tool for framing equity in science education

Does grading affect educational attainment? A longitudinal study

The purpose of the study was to investigate how grading in primary school affected students’ achievement measured by grades in 7th, 8th and 9th Grade and educational attainment in upper secondary school (12th Grade), and how the effect varied as a function of students’ cognitive ability, gender and socio-economic status. The data derived from the Evaluation Through Follow-Up (ETF) longitudinal project containing information on students who received grades in Grade 6 and students who did not. The subjects were 8558 students born in 1967. A quasi-experimental design was applied where multiple growth and logistic models were fitted to data. The result showed a main significant negative effect of grading on subsequent achievement (Grade 7–9) and there were important differential effects: graded low-ability students received lower subsequent grades through Grades 7–9 and had lower odds to finish upper secondary education, compared to ungraded low-ability students. The gender difference seems to increase over time: graded girls achieve higher grades throughout Grades 7–9 and had higher odds to finish upper secondary education, compared to ungraded girls and graded and ungraded boys.

Clearing the Air: Steps for Lung Cancer Screening Success

The results from the National Lung Screening Trial and the subsequent United States Preventative Services Task Force grade B recommendation in favor of using a screening low-dose chest computed tomography (S-LDCT) for early detection of lung cancer have generated a lot of excitement in the lung cancer community. Although that excitement has been tempered by the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee's recent decision not to recommend that Medicare cover S-LDCT, screening computed tomography remains a popular topic in medical imaging literature. As many practices are now considering implementing these S-LDCT programs, we review the challenges for establishing such a screening program and discuss some tips for successfully implementing a lung cancer screening program.

Unexpected Geometric Changes of the Gall Bladder During Liver Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

A patient who received liver stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) was identified as having a subsequent grade 3 duodenal bleed. Review of the radiation plan and image guidance revealed substantial unexpected geometric change of the gall bladder during treatment, despite instructions to fast 2-4 hours prior, potentially resulting in unintended high doses delivered to the duodenum. Since this has never been described in the literature, a review of the last 50 consecutive patients treated with liver SBRT was performed to determine the prevalence and magnitude of clinically significant gall bladder geometric changes during liver SBRT.

The effect of being graded on later achievement: evidence from 13-year olds in Swedish compulsory school

The purpose of the study was to investigate how grading of students in primary school affected achievement measured by grades one year later, and how the effect varied as a function of cognitive ability, gender and socio-economic status. The data derive from The Evaluation Through Follow Up longitudinal project. Through a national curriculum change one group of students received grades and one group of students did not receive grades in the 6th Grade, while both groups of students received grades in the 7th Grade. A quasi-experimental design was thus created, with two comparable groups of students. The subjects were 8558 students born in 1967. Several multiple regression models were fitted to the data. The results showed no main effects of grading on subsequent achievement, but there were important differential effects: graded students with low cognitive ability received lower subsequent grades. The results also showed interaction effects between gender and grading and between gender and cognitive ability.

The reciprocal internal/external frame of reference model using grades and test scores.

The reciprocal I/E model (RI/EM) combines the internal/external frame of reference model (I/EM) with the reciprocal effects model (REM). The RI/EM extends the I/EM longitudinally and the REM across domains. The model predicts that, within domains, mathematics and verbal achievement (VACH) and academic self-concept have positive effects on subsequent mathematics and VACH and academic self-concept within domains but have negative effects across domains. The main purpose is to validate the RI/EM and extend it using objective achievement indicators and grades. Two waves of data collection from grade 5 to grade 9 with N = 1,045 secondary school students were used. Test scores, grades, and self-concept data were obtained. The main analyses were conducted using hierarchical linear modelling. The positive longitudinal effects of grades and test scores on subsequent grades, test scores and academic self-concept within domains and the negative effects of grades and test scores on subsequent academic self-concept across domains supported the RI/EM. The effects of academic self-concept on subsequent grades and test scores across domains were near zero when prior achievement indicators were controlled for. Overall, the results using school grades as achievement measures were replicated using standardized achievement test scores. The results serve to highlight the importance of the combination of common theories, which are mostly investigated individually, to enhance our understanding of the complexity of within- and across-domain relations between academic self-concepts and achievement using grades as well as test scores.

The emergence of “groupitizing” in children’s numerical cognition

Improvements in enumeration abilities that emerge over late childhood are primarily thought to reflect perceptual developments such as increases in subitizing limits for small sets and faster shifting of attention associated with serially counting larger sets. Contributions of conceptual knowledge development, such as the growing appreciation of how whole numbers are composed of subsets of whole numbers, are not as well understood. This study examined the emergence of a process referred to as “groupitizing,” which captures how children may capitalize on grouping information to facilitate enumeration processes. We examined enumeration speed in a cross-sectional sample of children (N=378), spanning kindergarten through third grade, using arrays of dots. Arrays were either unstructured or grouped by proximity into subsets in the subitizing range (i.e., three subgroups of 1–3 items). Kindergarten children showed no evidence of grouping structure on enumeration. First-grade children enumerated grouped arrays faster than unstructured arrays. This structure effect grew progressively stronger in subsequent grades. Enumeration speed for unstructured arrays increased with set size, yet for grouped arrays the impact of set size was dependent on grade level. For kindergartners, the grouping manipulation had no impact on the effect of set size. For older children, the grouping manipulation reduced the effect of set size on enumeration. Furthermore, individual differences in how set size affected enumeration of grouped arrays showed unique patterns of association with performance on standardized symbolic arithmetic fluency tests, suggesting a unique role for the construct of groupitizing in the development of enumeration fluency and symbolic math skills.

Chlamydia trachomatis and risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or worse in women with persistent human papillomavirus infection: a cohort study

ObjectivesSome studies suggest that Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) enhances cervical carcinogenesis; however, a possible confounding effect of persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection was not addressed. We examined the potential role of...

Aging and Risk of Severe, Disabling, Life-Threatening, and Fatal Events in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study

The first generation of childhood cancer survivors is now aging into their fourth and fifth decades of life, yet health risks across the aging spectrum are not well established. Analyses included 14,359 5-year survivors from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, who were first diagnosed when they were younger than 21 years old and who received follow-up for a median of 24.5 years after diagnosis (range, 5.0 to 39.3 years) along with 4,301 of their siblings. Among the survivors, 5,604 were at least 35 years old (range, 35 to 62 years) at last follow-up. Severe, disabling, life-threatening, and fatal health conditions more than 5 years from diagnosis were classified using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, grades 3 to 5 (National Cancer Institute). The cumulative incidence of a severe, disabling, life-threatening, or fatal health condition was greater among survivors than siblings (53.6%; 95% CI, 51.5 to 55.6; v 19.8%; 95% CI, 17.0 to 22.7) by age 50 years. When comparing survivors with siblings, hazard ratios (HR) were significantly increased within the age group of 5 to 19 years (HR, 6.8; 95% CI, 5.5 to 8.3), age group of 20 to 34 years (HR, 3.8; 95% CI, 3.2 to 4.5), and the ≥ 35 years group (HR, 5.0; 95% CI, 4.1 to 6.1), with the HR significantly higher among those ≥ 35 years versus those 20 to 34 years old (P = .03). Among survivors who reached age 35 years without a previous grade 3 or 4 condition, 25.9% experienced a subsequent grade 3 to 5 condition within 10 years, compared with 6.0% of siblings (P < .001). Elevated risk for morbidity and mortality among survivors increases further beyond the fourth decade of life, which affects the future clinical demands of this population relative to ongoing surveillance and interventions.

Putting interpreting admissions exams to the test

With increasing numbers of students wishing to become conference interpreters, but limited capacities in most university degree programs, accurate admission testing is an important means of predicting an applicant’s chances of completing the program successfully. This article focuses on three aptitude tests for simultaneous interpretation: Pöchhacker’s SynCloze test; Chabasse’s cognitive shadowing test; and Timarová’s personalized cloze test. The test battery was administered at the start of the 2009/2010 academic year to students beginning the two-year Master’s program in conference interpreting (MA KD) at Germersheim. Correlations between test performance and subsequent exam grades at the end of the second semester were examined for all three tests. Given the large number of applicants each year, practical feasibility of the tests was taken into consideration with a view to scheduling the format and content of the entrance exam for the 2012/2013 academic year. In this perspective, cognitive shadowing was identified as the most useful test under the existing time constraints.

A quantitative image analysis model of prostate biopsies for predicting clinical risk in men enrolled in an active surveillance program.

111 Background: Quantitative image analysis of the prostate needle biopsy (PNB) has proven to be a robust and predictive platform for prostate cancer (PCa) prognosis. We sought to determine the performance of quantitative metrics in identifying which patients enrolled in an active surveillance (AS) program are most likely to present with significant clinical risk, including subsequent biopsy Gleason grade (GG) upgrading and/or a short (less than 24 month) prostate-specific antigen (PSA) doubling time (PSADT). Methods: One hundred sixty two AS patients (median age 70, 94% cT1-T2a, 85% &lt;=GS6, median PSA 5.9 ng/mL) with overall 8 year median follow up and available diagnostic PNB specimens were analyzed. Computerized image analysis derived quantitative biometric features representing PCa morphology and immunofluorescent (IF) biomarkers from the PNB. Multivariate models predicting either GG upgrading on a subsequent PNB or a PSADT less than 24 months were evaluated. The AUC/concordance index (CI), sensitivity, specificity and hazard ratio (HR) were used to assess performance. Results: Univariate distribution of selective features, notably expression levels of AR and Ki67, were reflective of a low risk cohort.A multivariate model with three quantitative imaging metrics was trained with a CI of 0.77. Men at high risk within 24 months of the PNB were identified with 80% sensitivity and 73% specificity, HR of 5.7. The most important feature measured the relative proportion of tumor epithelial nuclei that were both Androgen Receptor and alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase positive. The other two features were morphological assessments of epithelial cellular area compared to luminal area. Of note, clinical features such as age, GG and PSA were not selected in competition with the imaging metrics. Conclusions: Quantitative image analysis of morphology and IF biomarker expression in the PNB outperformed standard clinical features in a multivariate model to accurately predict which AS patients are at risk for Gleason upgrading and/or a shortened PSADT. Identifying such patients may prove beneficial in the primary treatment decision process.

Perceived Helpfulness of Peer Editing Activities: First-Year Students' Views and Writing Performance Outcomes

The perceived value of peer editing to students is unclear. To investigate, first-year students ( N = 35) completed a writing attitudes scale and first writing assignment in September 2012. The expected writing requirements were explained and handouts provided, as well as subsequent instructor feedback and grades. A second writing assignment was completed in October with peer editing taking place before the due date. Perceived helpfulness of giving and receiving peer feedback was evaluated. This was repeated in November for a third writing assignment. Rating means for both assignments indicated that students viewed editing a peer's paper as more helpful in improving their own writing than receiving a peer's feedback. For the first assignment, acting as peer editor was negatively correlated with the assignment grades, but not for the second assignment. With repeated assignments of similar format, perhaps a single peer editing experience is sufficient for building students' understanding of expectations and confidence.

Long term outcome of primary urothelial papilloma: a single institution cohort

The aim of this study was to investigate the long term outcome of primary urothelial papilloma (UP). We retrieved 41 primary UP, diagnosed between January 2000 and December 2009. Follow-up was obtained by searching pathology and clinical electronic databases. Mean patient age was 57 years (range 30-84 years), with a male-to-female ratio of 1.9:1. Mean follow-up was 81 months (range 3-127 months). In 37 (90.2%) patients, no recurrence and/or progression were documented and no subsequent higher grade neoplasms were diagnosed. Three male patients were diagnosed with UP at 1, 31, and 43 months after the initial resection; the repeat diagnosis of UP at 1 month likely represented an incomplete resection. Thus, only two of 41 patients (4.9%) had a recurrent UP. One of these patients had a subsequent papillary urothelial neoplasm of low malignant potential (PUNLMP), 17 months after the recurrent UP (48 months after the initial UP). Only one additional male had a subsequent PUNLMP, 76 months after the initial UP. Thus, only two of 41 patients (4.9%) had a subsequent PUNLMP, both presenting with haematuria. Primary UP does not progress to UC when diagnosed using strict criteria, when no previous or concurrent neoplasms are documented, and when complete initial resection is performed.

The Effects of Different Teaching Approaches in Introductory Financial Accounting

The purpose of the research is to examine the effect of the two different teaching approaches in the first accounting course on student performance in a subsequent finance course. The study compares 128 accounting and finance students who took introductory financial accounting by either a user approach or a traditional preparer approach to examine their academic performance on a subsequent finance course. The results indicate that there is no significant difference in the finance course grade between students who took the traditional introductory accounting course and students who were taught under the user approach. These findings support the argument that the user approach has no impact on subsequent finance course grade and either method can be used to teach introductory financial accounting. Three factors were found to affect subsequent performance in an introductory finance course: GPA prior to taking the finance course, grades in macroeconomics, and statistics.

Do prior online course outcomes provide more information than G.P.A. alone in predicting subsequent online course grades and retention? An observational study at an urban community college

In this study, prior online course outcomes and pre-course enrollment G.P.A. were used as predictors of subsequent online course outcomes, and the interaction between these two factors was assessed in order to determine the extent to which students with similar G.P.A.'s but with different prior online course outcomes may differ in their likelihood of successfully completing a subsequent online course. This study used a sample of 962 students who took an online course at a large urban community college from 2004 to 2010. Results indicate that prior online course experience is a very significant predictor of successful completion of subsequent online courses, even more so than G.P.A. For students with no prior online course experience, G.P.A. was a good predictor of future online course outcomes; but for students with previous online course experience prior online course outcomes was a more significant predictor of future online course grades and retention than G.P.A.