Mårdh, Selina, Nägga, Katarina, and Samuelsson, Stefan
Subjects
Alzheimer’s disease; Semantic memory impairment; Longitudinal study
Abstract
Introduction The present study explored the nature of the semantic deterioration normally displayed in the course of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The aim was to disentangle the extent to which semantic memory problems in patients with AD are best characterized as loss of semantic knowledge rather than difficulties in accessing semantic knowledge. Method A longitudinal approach was applied. The same semantic tests as well as same items were used across three test occasions a year apart. Twelve Alzheimer patients and 20 matched control subjects, out of a total of 25 cases in each group, remained at the final test occasion. Results and Conclusions Alzheimer patients were impaired in all the semantic tasks as compared to the matched comparison group. A progressing deterioration was evident during the study period. Our findings suggest that semantic impairment is mainly due to loss of information rather than problems in accessing semantic information.
LCCC, logistics, logistics central, management, construction industry, traffic, partnering, and cooperation.
Abstract
The construction industry is similar to other manufacturing industries. Aproduction is made up of several small moments and the final product ariseswhen all these steps are completed. Each one of these operations is equallyimportant and increased efficiency is required at all stages. An oftenforgotten step when discussing efficiency in the construction industry is the logisticprocess.The main problems which emerge, when increasing the efficiency of logisticswithin a city centre, are the location itself, the required close collaborationbetween different actors and the industry’s unwillingness to change itscurrent habits. These problems are relevant as they not only address theconcrete problem of a congested inner city but also handle an abstractproblem which is the attitudes and relationships within the constructionindustry. If these problems were tackled, a more structured industry could arise withadditional economical benefits for the entire industry.The aim is to acquire a more efficient and effective logistic process byreducing the number of transports as well as increasing the time efficiency,standard and service of the required transports. The constituent for thisreport is Skanska AB and Uppsala University.The study consists of an in depth study of literature, as well as an analysis ofprevious executed projects and interviews with different actors within theconstruction industry. The results describe the answers given by each actorand a comparison is made with the literature study.The main conclusions of the study are that without collaboration and therightful incentives a development of the logistics process within the industry is notlikely to happen. In addition to the conclusion some suggestions for changes towardsimprovement are recognized.
Nilsson, Karin, Danielsson, Henrik, Elwér, Åsa, Messer, David, Henry, Lucy, and Samuelsson, Stefan
Journal of Cognition. 4(1):1-16
Subjects
Social Sciences, Educational Sciences, Pedagogy, Samhällsvetenskap, Utbildningsvetenskap, and Pedagogik
Abstract
Decoding abilities in individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) are substantially lower than for typical readers. The underlying mechanisms of their poor reading remain uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the concurrent predictors of decoding ability in 136 adolescents with non-specific ID, and to evaluate the results in relation to previous findings on typical readers. The study included a broad range of cognitive and language measures as predictors of decoding ability. A LASSO regression analysis identified phonological awareness and rapid automatized naming (RAN) as the most important predictors. The predictors explained 57.73% of the variance in decoding abilities. These variables are similar to the ones found in earlier research on typically developing children, hence supporting our hypothesis of a delayed rather than a different reading profile. These results lend some support to the use of interventions and reading instructions, originally developed for typically developing children, for children and adolescents with non-specific ID.
Nilsson, Karin, Danielsson, Henrik, Elwér, Åsa, Messer, David, Henry, Lucy, and Samuelsson, Stefan
Journal of Cognition. 4(1):1-20
Subjects
Social Sciences, Educational Sciences, Pedagogy, Samhällsvetenskap, Utbildningsvetenskap, Pedagogik, reading comprehension, intellectual disability, simple view of reading, vocabulary, delay, difference, and structural equation modelling
Abstract
Reading comprehension difficulties are common in individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID), but the influences of underlying abilities related to reading comprehension in this group have rarely been investigated. One aim of this study was to investigate the Simple View of Reading as a theoretical framework to describe cognitive and linguistic abilities predicting individual differences in reading comprehension in adolescents with non-specific ID. A second aim was to investigate whether predictors of listening comprehension and reading comprehension suggest that individuals with ID have a delayed pattern of development (copying early grade variance in reading comprehension) or a different pattern of development involving a new or an unusual pattern of cognitive and linguistic predictors. A sample of 136 adolescents with non-specific ID was assessed on reading comprehension, decoding, linguistic, and cognitive measures. The hypotheses were evaluated using structural equation models. The results showed that the Simple View of Reading was not applicable in explaining reading comprehension in this group, however, the concurrent predictors of comprehension (vocabulary and phonological executive-loaded working memory) followed a delayed profile.
Mardh, Selina, Nägga, Katarina, and Samuelsson, Stefan
Cortex MultiPark: Multidisciplinary research focused on Parkinson´s disease. 49(2):528-533
Subjects
Alzheimer's disease, Semantic memory impairment, Longitudinal study, Medicin och hälsovetenskap, Klinisk medicin, Neurologi, Medical and Health Sciences, Clinical Medicine, and Neurology
Abstract
Introduction: The present study explored the nature of the semantic deterioration normally displayed in the course of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim was to disentangle the extent to which semantic memory problems in patients with AD are best characterized as loss of semantic knowledge rather than difficulties in accessing semantic knowledge. Method: A longitudinal approach was applied. The same semantic-tests as well as same items were used across three test occasions a year apart. Twelve Alzheimer patients and 20 matched control subjects, out of a total of 25 cases in each group, remained at the final test occasion. Results and Conclusions: Alzheimer patients were impaired in all the semantic tasks as compared to the matched comparison group. A progressing deterioration was evident during the study period. Our findings suggest that semantic impairment is mainly due to loss of information rather than problems in accessing semantic information. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Leijon, Ingemar, Ingemansson, Fredrik, Nelson, Nina, Samuelsson, Stefan, and Wadsby, Marie
Acta Paediatrica. 107(11):1937-1945
Subjects
Medical and Health Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Pediatrics, Medicin och hälsovetenskap, Klinisk medicin, Pediatrik, Cognition, development, reading skills, schoolchildren, and very low birthweight
Abstract
AIM: We evaluated the development of reading skills in very low birthweight (VLBW) children and controls at 8-10 years of age.METHODS: This study was part of a longitudinal study of VLBW infants born between January 1998 and December 1999 in Sweden. We recruited 49 VLBW children and 44 sex and age-matched full-term controls when they started school at the age of seven and tested them using identical methods for decoding, rapid naming ability, reading comprehension, and spelling and cognitive skills at about eight and 10 years of age. Univariate analysis of variance was performed to assess the effects of VLBW on reading performance at each age and to evaluate the differences between the groups and ages.RESULTS: Very low birthweight children scored significantly lower in all domains of reading at 7.8 ± 0.3 years, but the performance gap had narrowed by 9.8 ± 0.3 years. Significant catch-up gains were found in phonological awareness, rapid naming ability and reading comprehension. The differences between the groups were minor at 10 years, when controlled for non-verbal cognition.CONCLUSION: Very low birthweight children demonstrated worse reading performance at eight years of age than term-born controls. The gap in reading skills between the groups had largely narrowed two years later.
Leijon, Ingemar, Ingemansson, Fredrik, Nelson Follin, Nina, Wadsby, Marie, and Samuelsson, Stefan
Acta Paediatrica. 105(1):60-68
Subjects
Medical and Health Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Medicin och hälsovetenskap, Klinisk medicin, Social Sciences, Educational Sciences, Samhällsvetenskap, Utbildningsvetenskap, Behavioural problems, Parental factors, Reading ability, School children, and Very low birthweight
Abstract
AimThis Swedish study compared reading skills between seven-year-old children with a very low birthweight (VLBW) and controls with a normal birthweight, exploring associations between reading variables and cognition, parent-rated behaviour, perinatal factors and family factors. MethodsWe studied 51 VLBW children, with no major neurodevelopmental impairments and attending their first year at a regular school, and compared them with the 51 sex- and age-matched controls. The test battery, carried out at 7.80.4years of age, included reading skills, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - III and the Child Behaviour Checklist. ResultsVery low birthweight children with a mean birthweight of 1105g (+/- 291g) and a gestational age of 28.8 (+/- 2.2) weeks scored significantly lower in all reading subtests and cognition and demonstrated more behavioural problems than normal birthweight controls. We also found significant associations between poor vocabulary, combined with attention problems, and phonological awareness, rapid naming and spelling control. Perinatal factors had no association with reading function, and socio-economic factors had very few. ConclusionVery low birthweight children demonstrated deficits in all reading domains and had poorer cognition and more behavioural problems at the age of seven, with reading ability related to vocabulary and attention.
Elwér, Åsa, Gustafson, Stefan, Byrne, Brian, Olson, Richard K., Keenan, Janice M., and Samuelsson, Stefan
Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. 56(2):157-166
Subjects
Social Sciences, Educational Sciences, Samhällsvetenskap, Utbildningsvetenskap, Poor comprehenders, reading comprehension, longitudinal study, preschool language skills, and core deficits
Abstract
Fifty-six specific poor reading comprehenders (SPRC) were selected in Grade 4 and retrospectively compared to good comprehenders at preschool (age 5) and at the end of kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2. The results revealed deficits in vocabulary, grammar, verbal memory and early deficits in phonological awareness in most of the SPRC sample, beginning in preschool. The reading comprehension deficits in children with SPRC were not as marked in earlier assessments in Grade 1 and 2, probably because of the greater dependence on word decoding in reading comprehension in the early grades.
Christopher, Micaela E., Hulslander, Jacqueline, Samuelsson, Stefan, DeFries, John C., Wadsworth, Sally J., Willcutt, Erik, Byrne, Brian, Keenan, Janice M., Pennington, Bruce, and Olson, Richard K.
Mårdh, Selina, Nägga, Katarina, and Samuelsson, Stefan
Cortex. 49(2):528-533
Subjects
Social Sciences, Psychology, Applied Psychology, Samhällsvetenskap, Psykologi, Tillämpad psykologi, Cognition, Dementia, and Do Psychology
Abstract
The present study explored the nature of the semantic deterioration normally displayed in the course of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The aim was to disentangle the extent to which semantic memory problems in patients with AD are best characterized as loss of semantic knowledge rather than difficulties in accessing semantic knowledge.A longitudinal approach was applied. The same semantic tests as well as same items were used across three test occasions a year apart. Twelve Alzheimer patients and 20 matched control subjects, out of a total of 25 cases in each group, remained at the final test occasion.Alzheimer patients were impaired in all the semantic tasks as compared to the matched comparison group. A progressing deterioration was evident during the study period. Our findings suggest that semantic impairment is mainly due to loss of information rather than problems in accessing semantic information.
Elwér, Åsa, Keenan, Janice, Olson, Richard, Byrne, Brian, and Samuelsson, Stefan
Journal of experimental child psychology (Print). 115(3):497-516
Subjects
Social Sciences, Educational Sciences, Samhällsvetenskap, Utbildningsvetenskap, Early identification, Simple view of reading, Poor decoders, Poor oral comprehenders, Reading disability, and Longitudinal study
Abstract
Two groups of fourth-grade children were selected from a population sample (N = 926) to be either poor oral comprehenders (poor oral comprehension but normal word decoding) or poor decoders (poor decoding but normal oral comprehension). By examining both groups in the same study with varied cognitive and literacy predictors, and examining them both retrospectively and prospectively, we could assess how distinctive and stable the predictors of each deficit are. Predictors were assessed retrospectively at preschool and at the end of kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2. Group effects were significant at all test occasions, including those for preschool vocabulary (worse in poor oral comprehenders) and rapid automatized naming (RAN) (worse in poor decoders). Preschool RAN and vocabulary prospectively predicted Grade 4 group membership (77–79% correct classification) within the selected samples. Reselection in preschool of “at-risk” poor decoder and poor oral comprehender subgroups based on these variables led to significant but relatively weak prediction of subtype membership at Grade 4. Implications of the predictive stability of our results for identification and intervention of these important subgroups are discussed.
Christopher, Micaela E., Hulslander, Jacqueline, Byrne, Brian, Samuelsson, Stefan, Keenan, Janice M., Pennington, Bruce, DeFries, John C., Wadsworth, Sally J., Willcutt, Erik, and Olson, Richard K.
In Journal of Experimental Child Psychology July 2013 115(3):453-467
Livingstone, Luisa T., Coventry, William L., Corley, Robin P., Willcutt, Erik G., Samuelsson, Stefan, Olson, Richard K., and Byrne, Brian
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology: An official publication of the International Society for Research in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology. November 2016 44(8):1487-1501
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