title: Improving prospective memory in normally developing pre-school aged children.

authors: Hamling, Chelsea Sara Jean

subjects: prospective memory

abstract: Prospective Memory (PM) is a type of memory where an intention needs to be remembered in the future. As existing literature in the area of PM abilities generally, and improving PM through the delivery of reinforcements, specifically, has been both inconsistent and sparse, this study aims to help clarify and extend this knowledge using three separate PM tasks. In this study I aimed to investigate PM abilities in pre-school aged children and examine whether these abilities could be improved through the delivery of positive reinforcement. A computer-based Shopping trip simulation game was used where I used PowerPoint slides to show pictures of different local locations and children were asked to remember which shops needed to be stopped at. They then were required to state what items were needed in each location, using a Multiple baseline design with four children aged 2-5 years old. Two separate naturalistic PM tasks were also included in order to remove any bias that may have been found with the laboratory-type task. They included a simple recognition task embedded in the Shopping task and a second task where the children were asked to remind the experimenter to ask for stickers at the conclusion of the initial task. Results from the naturalistic tasks showed ceiling or near ceiling effects across all scores in all participants. The results of the ‘Shopping trip’ task found a positive effect of reinforcement on PM performance with two of the four participants with no to little effect shown with the remaining two children. Possible reasons for those individual differences occurred are discussed.

text: Improving prospective memory in normally developing pre-school aged children. Prospective Memory (PM) is a type of memory where an intention needs to be remembered in the future. As existing literature in the area of PM abilities generally, and improving PM through the delivery of reinforcements, specifically, has been both inconsistent and sparse, this study aims to help clarify and extend this knowledge using three separate PM tasks. In this study I aimed to investigate PM abilities in pre-school aged children and examine whether these abilities could be improved through the delivery of positive reinforcement. A computer-based Shopping trip simulation game was used where I used PowerPoint slides to show pictures of different local locations and children were asked to remember which shops needed to be stopped at. They then were required to state what items were needed in each location, using a Multiple baseline design with four children aged 2-5 years old. Two separate naturalistic PM tasks were also included in order to remove any bias that may have been found with the laboratory-type task. They included a simple recognition task embedded in the Shopping task and a second task where the children were asked to remind the experimenter to ask for stickers at the conclusion of the initial task. Results from the naturalistic tasks showed ceiling or near ceiling effects across all scores in all participants. The results of the ‘Shopping trip’ task found a positive effect of reinforcement on PM performance with two of the four participants with no to little effect shown with the remaining two children. Possible reasons for those individual differences occurred are discussed.

year: 2016

title: Impacts of hatchery-reared mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi stocking on wild fish community and water quality in a shallow Yangtze lake

authors: Li, Wei

subjects: Science & Technology

abstract: Mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi, a valuable piscivorous fish, have been stocked into many lakes in China since the 1990s. This study did the first attempt to evaluate the ecological effects of hatchery-reared mandarin fish stocking in the Yangtze River basin lakes. Our study demonstrated a significant change in fish community composition after mandarin fish stocking, but no fish extinction was observed. No significant difference was observed in the total density of 13 forage fish before and after mandarin fish stocking, but the total biomass showed a significant decline after mandarin fish stocking. Significant differences in length-frequency distributions were observed for Carassius auratus, Pseudorasbora parva and Toxabramis swinhonis captured before and after stocking mandarin fish. No significant change in habitat distribution was detected before and after mandarin fish stocking. A marked decline in total nitrogen and a slight decline in total phosphorus were observed while a slight increasing trend for Secchi depth was found after stocking. Our findings suggested that mandarin fish stocking can increase predation pressure on forage fish and subsequently optimize the food web structure. Also, mandarin fish stocking has the potential to improve water quality and may be a feasible strategy to alleviate eutrophication of shallow Yangtze lakes.

text: Impacts of hatchery-reared mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi stocking on wild fish community and water quality in a shallow Yangtze lake Mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi, a valuable piscivorous fish, have been stocked into many lakes in China since the 1990s. This study did the first attempt to evaluate the ecological effects of hatchery-reared mandarin fish stocking in the Yangtze River basin lakes. Our study demonstrated a significant change in fish community composition after mandarin fish stocking, but no fish extinction was observed. No significant difference was observed in the total density of 13 forage fish before and after mandarin fish stocking, but the total biomass showed a significant decline after mandarin fish stocking. Significant differences in length-frequency distributions were observed for Carassius auratus, Pseudorasbora parva and Toxabramis swinhonis captured before and after stocking mandarin fish. No significant change in habitat distribution was detected before and after mandarin fish stocking. A marked decline in total nitrogen and a slight decline in total phosphorus were observed while a slight increasing trend for Secchi depth was found after stocking. Our findings suggested that mandarin fish stocking can increase predation pressure on forage fish and subsequently optimize the food web structure. Also, mandarin fish stocking has the potential to improve water quality and may be a feasible strategy to alleviate eutrophication of shallow Yangtze lakes.

year: 2018

title: Characteristics and outcomes of patients with small cell lung cancer - findings from a New Zealand SACT database

authors: Lawrenson, Ross

abstract: Background Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) SCLC generally presents late and is treated with systemic anti-cancer treatment (SACT). Māori are over represented in Lung Cancer statistics but disparities between Māori and non-Māori in patterns of care and survival from SCLC have not been previously reported. 
Methods We used the custom-built SACT database collected by the Oncology Department at Waikato Hospital NZ, which recorded comprehensive lung cancer patient factors and SACT regimens from 2000 to 2021. We reported summary statistics to review the treatment by ethnicity, explored Kaplan Meier all-cause survival of patients, and estimated the unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios of surviving 12 months. 
Results 742 patients with SCLC were included in this study, with 43% identified as Māori. Approximately 75% of patients received SACT, and there was no difference in the uptake of SACT between Māori and non-Māori. The median survival for SCLC was 8.5 months. After adjustment, patients treated with carboplatin plus etoposide (with/without durvalumab) or cisplatin plus etoposide were 1.5 times or 4.9 times respectively more likely to survive 12 months than those without a SACT regimen.
Conclusion There was no significant evidence of disparities in patterns of care and outcomes between Māori and non-Māori with SCLC. Carboplatin/cisplatin in combination with etoposide remained the primary first line SACT regimen for patients with SCLC in this New Zealand cancer treatment centre.

text: Characteristics and outcomes of patients with small cell lung cancer - findings from a New Zealand SACT database Background Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) SCLC generally presents late and is treated with systemic anti-cancer treatment (SACT). Māori are over represented in Lung Cancer statistics but disparities between Māori and non-Māori in patterns of care and survival from SCLC have not been previously reported. 
Methods We used the custom-built SACT database collected by the Oncology Department at Waikato Hospital NZ, which recorded comprehensive lung cancer patient factors and SACT regimens from 2000 to 2021. We reported summary statistics to review the treatment by ethnicity, explored Kaplan Meier all-cause survival of patients, and estimated the unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios of surviving 12 months. 
Results 742 patients with SCLC were included in this study, with 43% identified as Māori. Approximately 75% of patients received SACT, and there was no difference in the uptake of SACT between Māori and non-Māori. The median survival for SCLC was 8.5 months. After adjustment, patients treated with carboplatin plus etoposide (with/without durvalumab) or cisplatin plus etoposide were 1.5 times or 4.9 times respectively more likely to survive 12 months than those without a SACT regimen.
Conclusion There was no significant evidence of disparities in patterns of care and outcomes between Māori and non-Māori with SCLC. Carboplatin/cisplatin in combination with etoposide remained the primary first line SACT regimen for patients with SCLC in this New Zealand cancer treatment centre.

year: 2023-02-10