Occupational Therapy Feeding and Eating Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorders and Pervasive Developmental Disorders: A Systematic Review

Due to the limited evidence and lack of methodological rigor regarding feeding and issues in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD), clinicians who treat children with these diagnoses rely on the limited amount of information and many are not aware of evidence-based interventions (Ahearn, Castine, Nault, & Green, 2001; Marshall, Hill, & Dodrill, 2013). The purpose of this scholarly project is to gather, critique, and determine efficacy of occupational therapy feeding and eating interventions for children with ASD and PDD. We systematically reviewed literature for higher-level evidence, as defined by Level III evidence or above, in regards to occupational therapy feeding and eating interventions for children with ASD and PDD in studies that were published between January 2000 and December 2015 and located in PubMed, OT Search, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and the American Journal of Occupational Therapy (AJOT). Our search yielded a total of 7,189 titles and abstracts that were narrowed through the screening process to 27 articles for review. The secondary review resulted in 11 articles, which received a full-text review. A total of 9 articles were found to meet inclusion criteria and be appropriate for critical appraisal. The results of these articles were compiled in an evidence table and a systematic review manuscript was specifically written for the AJOT. Our scholarly project highlights the various discrepancies regarding research for occupational therapy feeding and eating interventions for children with ASD and PDD. Recommendations for future research and implications for occupational therapy practice include the need for higher-level evidence to support the practice of occupational therapy practitioners and the development of a specific protocol to standardize occupational therapy treatment for feeding and eating difficulties among children with ASD and PDD

Zooplankton abundance in relation to state and type of intrusions onto the southeastern United States shelf during summer

The vertical distribution of zooplankton on the continental shelf of northeastern Florida was determined in and around upwelling events and related to concentrations of particulate matter. Doliolida and the cladoceran Penilia avirostris were significantly more abundant in upwelled water \u3c22°C and the cyclopoid genus Oncaea more abundant at warmer temperatures. The abundance of doliolida, Oithona and Oncaea in intrusions and the thermocline was significantly higher in older than in recently upwelled waters. The vertical sequences of the abundance of zooplankton and particulate matter (2-114 μm ESD) were identical. Zooplankton maxima co-occurred primarily with maxima in phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll a) and only partly with primary productivity

Pengaruh Model Pembelajaran Treffinger Berbantuan Alat Peraga Terhadap Pemahaman Konsep Matematis Peserta Didik

Pemahaman konsep matematis merupakan kemampuan yang harus dimiliki peserta didik untuk menguasai materi matematika. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh model pembelajaran treffinger berbantuan alat peraga terhadap kemampuan pemahaman konsep matematis. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian eksperimen semu dan metode yang digunakan adalah penelitian kuantitatif. Populasi pada penelitian ini adalah peserta didik kelas XI di SMK Amal Bakti Jatimulyo. Sampel dalam penelitian ini terbagi menjadi tiga kelas yaitu kelas XI Ak.1 dan XI Ak.2 sebagai kelas eksperimen dan kelas XI TKR sebagai kelas kontrol. Dalam penelitian ini instrumen yang digunakan adalah instrumen tes berupa soal. Analisis data yang digunakan adalah uji hipotesis dengan Anova dan uji komparasi ganda. Dari hasil perhitungan analisis data menunjukkan bahwa adanya pengaruh model pembelajaran treffinger  terhadap peningkatan kemampuan pemahaman konsep matematis

Ultraviolet Imaging of the Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae

We have used the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope to obtain deep far-UV (1620 Angstrom), 40' diameter images of the prototypical metal-rich globular cluster 47 Tucanae. We find a population of about 20 hot (Teff > 9000 K) objects near or above the predicted UV luminosity of the hot horizontal branch (HB) and lying within two half-light radii of the cluster center. We believe these are normal hot HB or post-HB objects rather than interacting binaries or blue stragglers. IUE spectra of two are consistent with post-HB phases. These observations, and recent HST photometry of two other metal-rich clusters, demonstrate that populations with rich, cool HB's can nonetheless produce hot HB and post-HB stars. The cluster center also contains an unusual diffuse far-UV source which is more extended than its V-band light. It is possible that this is associated with an intracluster medium, for which there was earlier infrared and X-ray evidence, and is produced by C IV emission or scattered light from grains.Comment: 13 pages AASLaTeX including one postscript figure and one bitmapped image, JPEG format. Submitted to the Astronomical Jorunal. Full Postscript version available at http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~bd4r

An evaluation of South Africa's public-private partnership for the localisation of vaccine research, manufacture and distribution

BACKGROUND : Public–private partnerships (PPPs), widely used as a means of leveraging the skills, expertise and resources of the private sector to mutual advantage, were similarly adopted by South Africa to support public sector delivery. This study has evaluated one such partnership, namely the Biovac Institute, which was established in 2003 to cover vaccine research and development, manufacturing, and supply. The initiative was highly unusual given that it attempted to combine all three aspects in a single PPP. METHODS : The research has followed a concurrent mixed methods approach. In the quantitative study, data for prices and product volumes were extracted from secondary data sources and used to calculate the economic cost and valuefor- money of the PPP. Simultaneously, a qualitative study was undertaken in which a number of key stakeholders were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire on their perceptions of the PPP’s value. RESULTS : The institute earns a premium on the procurement cost of a broad range of vaccines required by the South African National Department of Health for its immunisation programme, the net value of which was US$85.7 million over the period 2010 to 2014. These funds were used to finance the institute’s operations, including vaccine research, distribution and quality control. Capital expenditure to support the establishment of facilities for laboratory testing, packaging and labelling, filling, formulation and, finally, active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacture, approximately US$40 million in total, had to be secured through loans and grants. According to the respondents in the qualitative survey, the principal benefit of the PPP has been the uninterrupted supply of vaccines and the ability to respond quickly to vaccine shortages. The main disadvantages appear to have been a slow and ineffectual establishment of a vaccine manufacturing centre and, initially, a limited ability to negotiate highly competitive vaccine prices. CONCLUSIONS : Overall, it is concluded that a positive value-for-money has been achieved and the institute has been of significant public benefit. Relationships of this nature can be used to achieve public health goals, but need to be realistic about timeframes, costs and the limitations of relational governance in ensuring that complex programmatic outcomes are achieved. It is recommended that a more incremental approach, with clearer contractual goals, penalties and incentives, is adopted in attempting initiatives aimed at the localisation of manufacturing technology by leveraging public procurement.http://www.health-policy-systems.comam2018Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM

Correlation of the crack initiation stress with epoxy network topology

Much controversy surrounds the dependence of stress intensity factor of glassy thermosets, epoxies in particular, with crosslink density. One could scan the literature and find references that claim K{sub Ic} increases with crosslink density, decreases with crosslink density, or is independent of crosslink density. The authors feel that two factors contribute to this confusion. First, a typical method for assessing this dependence relies on modifying the crosslink density by changing the precursor epoxy molecular weight. On the other hand, one could change stoichiometry or quench the reaction at intermediate extents of reaction to obtain large changes in crosslink density. However, most studies have not measured the resulting stress intensity factor of these partially cured systems at constant T-T{sub g}, where T{sub g} is the glass transition temperature of the epoxy. Since T{sub g} can change significantly with cure and since fracture processes at the crack tip are dissipative, they must work at constant T-T{sub g} to ensure that the nonlinear viscoelastic mechanisms are fairly compared. In this study, they quenched the reaction of the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and diethanolamine (DEA) at various stages past the gel point and measured the three-point-bend stress intensity factor at a constant T-T{sub g} = {minus}50 C. The trend is clear and significant; increasing crosslink density directly increases the load-to-fail

Quantum Smoluchowski equation: Escape from a metastable state

We develop a quantum Smoluchowski equation in terms of a true probability distribution function to describe quantum Brownian motion in configuration space in large friction limit at arbitrary temperature and derive the rate of barrier crossing and tunneling within an unified scheme. The present treatment is independent of path integral formalism and is based on canonical quantization procedure.Comment: 10 pages, To appear in the Proceedings of Statphys - Kolkata I

Drivers of U.S. toxicological footprints trajectory 1998–2013

By exploiting data from the Toxic Release Inventory of the United States, we have established that the toxicological footprint (TF) increased by 3.3% (88.4 Mt) between 1998 and 1999 and decreased by 39% (1088.5 Mt) between 1999 and 2013. From 1999 to 2006, the decreasing TF was driven by improvements in emissions intensity (i.e. gains in production efficiency) through toxic chemical management options: cleaner production; end of pipe treatment; transfer for further waste management; and production scale. In particular, the mining sector reduced its TF through outsourcing processes. Between 2006 and 2009, decreasing TF was due to decrease in consumption volume triggered by economic recession. Since 2009, the economic recovery increased TF, overwhelming the influence of improved emissions intensity through population growth, consumption and production structures. Accordingly, attaining a less-toxic economy and environment will be influenced by a combination of gains in production efficiency through improvement in emissions mitigation technologies and changes in consumption patterns. Overall, the current analysis highlights the structural dynamics of toxic chemical release and would inform future formulation of effective mitigation standards and management protocols towards the detoxification of the environmen