Infant Hearing Screening 1984 to 1989: The Henry Ford Hospital Experience

From 1984 to 1989 the Infant Hearing Screening (IHS) program at Henry Ford Hospital identified 1,300 infants as being at risk for hearing loss. The prevalence of significant sensorineural hearing loss in this sample was 1.4%. Additionally, 80 infants who passed the IHS program and reached 3 years of age were found to have normal hearing sensitivity by conventional audiometric techniques (ie, no false-negative predictions). There were three false-positive predictions. It was discovered that infants of low birthweight (ie, \u3c 1,500 g) were three times more likely to fail IHS than those whose weight exceeded 1,500 g. A higher return rate was found for infants failing an initial hearing screening conducted in the neonatal intensive care unit in comparison to those screened as outpatients one week postdischarge. The sensitivity and specificity of behavioral observation audiometry were 43% and 92%, respectively, when brainstem auditory-evoked potentials was used as the criterion validity measure

Extra-pair parentage and personality in a cooperatively breeding bird

Why so much variation in extra-pair parentage occurs within and among populations remains unclear. Often the fitness costs and benefits of extra-pair parentage are hypothesised to explain its occurrence; therefore, linking extra-pair parentage with traits such as personality (behavioural traits that can be heritable and affect reproductive behaviour) may help our understanding. Here, we investigate whether reproductive outcomes and success are associated with exploratory behaviour in a natural population of cooperatively breeding Seychelles warblers (Acrocephalus sechellensis) on Cousin Island. Exploratory behaviour correlates positively with traits such as risk-taking behaviour and activity in other wild bird species and might promote extra-pair mating by increasing the rate at which potential extra-pair partners are encountered. We therefore predicted that fast-exploring individuals would have more extra-pair offspring. There is also a potential trade-off between pursuing extra-pair parentage and mate guarding in males. We therefore also predicted that fast-exploring males would be more likely to pursue extra-pair parentage and that this would increase the propensity of their mate to gain extra-pair parentage. We found that neither the total number of offspring nor the number of extra-pair offspring were associated with a male’s or female’s exploratory behaviour. However, there was a small but significant propensity for females to have extra-pair fertilisations in pairs that were behaviourally disassortative. Overall, we conclude that, due to the small effect size, the association between exploratory behaviour and extra-pair paternity is unlikely to be biologically relevant. Significance statement: True genetic monogamy is rare, even in socially monogamous systems, and multiple factors, such as behaviour, social structure, morphology and physiology, determined by the biological system can cause variation in extra-pair parentage (EPP). Therefore, investigating the inherent differences in these factors among individuals could be informative. We investigated whether reproductive outcomes/success are associated with differences in the propensity to explore novel environments/objects in a promiscuous, island-dwelling cooperatively breeding bird, the Seychelles warbler. Our results showed that exploratory behaviour was not associated with the number of offspring produced by an individual, and thus the long-term fitness consequences of different exploratory tendencies did not differ. We also found that the propensity to engage in EPP in females was higher in dissimilar behavioural pairs, but due to the small effect size, we hesitate to conclude that there are personality-dependent mating outcomes in the population

Effects of the maternal and current social environment on female body mass and reproductive traits in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

The social environment of breeding females can affect their phenotype, with potential adaptive maternal effects on offspring that experience a similar environment. We housed Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) females in two group sizes (pairs versus groups of four) and studied the effects on their offspring under matched and mismatched conditions. We measured F1 body mass, reproduction, and plasma levels of androgens and corticosterone. F1 group housing led to an increase in body mass. In addition, F1 group housing had a positive effect on mass in daughters of pair-housed P0 females only, which were heaviest under mismatched conditions. At the time of egg collection for the F2 generation, F1 group-housed females were heavier, irrespective of the P0 treatment. F1 females in groups laid heavier eggs, with higher hatching success, and produced heavier offspring, most likely a maternal effect of F1 mass. F1 plasma hormones were affected by neither the P0 nor the F1 social environment. These results contrasted with effects in the P0 generation (reported previously), in which plasma hormone levels, but not mass, differed between social environments. This may be due to changes in adult sex ratios as P0 females were housed with males, whereas F1 females encountered males only during mating. Our study demonstrates potentially relevant mismatch effects of the social environment on F1 body mass and maternal effects on F2 offspring, but further study is needed to understand their adaptive significance and physiological mechanisms

Teaching and Learning: The Impact of the Hope College Summer Enrichment Program on Hope Students and Child Attendees

The present study collected anonymous data, using questionnaires, from Hope student teachers and the parents of children who attended the Summer Enrichment Program (SEP). The SEP provided a learning laboratory experience for four Hope students in the Early Childhood Education (ECE) program. Hope students planned, implemented and assessed developmentally appropriate activities and experiences to meet the needs of a diverse group of 3- and 4-yearold children, with the support of the Director of the ECE program. Recruitment for the SEP intentionally targeted children who attend local Head Start and Great Start to Readiness programs, in order to include a diverse group of children who typically would not have educational/enrichment opportunities during the summer months. The program was designed to benefit Hope student teachers through opportunities to apply what they learned during ECE coursework and to participate in a co-investigation with faculty. The program design also benefitted child attendees and their families through opportunities to interact with well-qualified educators, experience low student-teacher ratios and participate in a research-based, developmentally appropriate program. Hope student and parent questionnaire responses provided quantitative data using a Likert scale and qualitative data from responses to follow-up, open-ended questions about the perceived effects of the overall experience. Preliminary data analysis was focused by question and analyzed across all respondents to identify consistencies and differences. Responses from parents and Hope student teachers were overwhelmingly positive. Responses from parent questionnaires included that children enjoyed the experience and benefitted from program activities and interactions with teachers. Responses from Hope student teacher questionnaires included that they benefitted from having the responsibility to plan and teach for an entire week, and they would like to have more opportunities to interact with families