Research-based knowledge: researchers’ contribution to evidence-based practice and policy making in career guidance

To present evidence for the outcomes of career guidance is increasingly seen as pivotal for a further professionalization of policy making and service provision. This paper puts an emphasis on researchers’ contribution to evidence-based practice and policy making in career guidance. We argue for a broader and more pluralistic research strategy to meet the complexity of possible questions needed to be asked to provide evidence in career guidance. The article puts a specific focus on the need for a stronger involvement of the voice of users.     

Protein folding pathology in domestic animals

Fibrillar proteins form structural elements of cells and the extracellular matrix. Pathological lesions of fibrillar microanatomical structures, or secondary fibrillar changes in globular proteins are well known. A special group concerns histologically amorphous deposits, amyloid. The major characteristics of amyloid are: apple green birefringence after Congo red staining of histological sections, and non-branching 7-10 nm thick fibrils on electron microscopy revealing a high content of cross beta pleated sheets. About 25 different types of amyloid have been characterised. In animals,AA-amyloid is the most frequent type. Other types of amyloid in animals represent: AIAPP (in cats), AApoAⅠ, AApoAⅡ,localised AL-amyloid, amyloid in odontogenic or mammary tumors and amyloid in the brain. In old dogs Aβ and in sheep APrPsc-amyloid can be encountered. AA-amyloidosis is a systemic disorder with a precursor in blood, acute phase serum amyloid A (SAA). In chronic inflammatory processes AA-amyloid can be deposited. A rapid crystallization of SAA to shown to penetrate the enteric barrier. Amyloid fibrils can aggregate from various precursor proteins in vitro in particular at acidic pH and when proteolytic fragments are formed. Molecular chaperones influence this process. Tissue data point to amyloid fibrillogenesis in lysosomes and near cell surfaces. A comparison can be made of the fibrillogenesis in prion diseases and in enhanced AA-amyloidosis. In the reactive form, acute phase SAA is the supply of the precursor protein,whereas in tho prion diseases, cell membrane proteins form a structural source. Aβ-amyloid in brain tissue of aged dogs showing signs of dementia forms a canine counterpart of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (ccSDAT) in man. Misfolded proteins remain potential food hazards. Developments concerning prevention of amyloidogenesis and therapy of amyloid deposits are shortly commented.     

A novel method to grip a golf club for a quadruple amputee golfer

A device was created to enable a quadruple amputee golfer to securely hold a golf club and play the game. The device also offers a way to easily and independently switch one golf club for another during the round. It comprises a spring-loaded cylindrical fixture to hold the club to the prosthetic arm and a J-slot to twist and release the club to exchange it for a different club on the course. The device has been used to play golf for 5 years. The engineered solution attaches to the golfer’s right arm and he swings using a right-handed stance. It includes a bend in the prosthetic arm to enable a more functional golf swing. A series of club fittings were conducted over a number of years and experiments were conducted on both driving ranges and golf courses with the aim of optimizing performance. The complete set of club specifications is included along with typical shot results for selected clubs.     

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Inattention,Hyperactivity-Impulsivity,and Reading: Kindergarten to Grade 2

Twin children from Australia, Scandinavia, and the United States were assessed for inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and reading across the first 3 school years. Univariate behavior-genetic analyses indicated substantial heritability for all three variables in all years. Longitudinal analyses showed one genetic source operating across the time span and a second entering in the second school year for each variable, though possibly not reliable for inattention. Other analyses confirmed previous findings of pleiotropy (shared genes) between inattention and reading and showed that this genetic overlap is in place from kindergarten onwards and is restricted to one of the genetic sources that affect reading and inattention. The results extend previous conclusions about the developmental trajectories of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and reading and their relationships. Limitations of this study are discussed, as are educational implications.     

Word reading and reading comprehension: stability, overlap and independence

Longitudinal twin data were analyzed to investigate the etiology of the stability of genetic and environmental influences on word reading and reading comprehension, as well as the stability of those influences on their relationship. Participating twin pairs were initially tested at a mean age of 10.3 years, and retested approximately five years later. Both word reading and comprehension were found to be highly stable, and genetic influences were primarily responsible for that stability. In contrast to studies with younger participants, no unique genetic influences were observed at follow-up testing in this older sample. High genetic correlations were obtained between word reading and reading comprehension at both ages, indicating common genetic influences. However, significant genetic influence on comprehension was also observed, independent of that on word reading. Although the phenotypic relation between the two measures appeared to decline across time, the genetic etiology of this relation was highly stable.     

Effectiveness of Reading-Strategy Interventions in Whole Classrooms: a Meta-Analysis

Research has demonstrated that in controlled experiments in which small groups are being tutored by researchers, reading-strategy instruction is highly effective in fostering reading comprehension (Palincsar & Brown, Cognition and Instruction, 1(2), 117–175, 1984). It is unclear, however, whether reading-strategy interventions are equally effective in whole-classroom situations in which the teacher is the sole instructor for the whole class. This meta-analysis focuses on the effects of reading-strategy interventions in whole-classroom settings. Results of studies on the effectiveness of reading-strategy interventions in whole-classroom settings were summarized (N_studies?=?52, K?=?125) to determine the overall effects on reading comprehension and strategic ability. In addition, moderator effects of intervention, study, and student characteristics were explored. The analysis demonstrated a very small effect on reading comprehension (Cohen’s d?=?.186) for standardized tests and a small effect (Cohen’s d?=?.431) on researcher-developed reading comprehension tests. A medium overall effect was found for strategic ability (Cohen’s d?=?.786). Intervention effects tended to be lower for studies that did not control for the hierarchical structure of the data (i.e. multilevel analyses).For interventions in which “setting reading goals” was part of the reading-strategy package, effects tended to be larger. In addition, effects were larger for interventions in which the trainer was the researcher as opposed to teachers and effect sizes tended to be larger for studies conducted in grades 6–8. Implications of these findings for future research and educational practice are discussed.