Systematic Review: Comparative Efficacy of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) to Other Augmentative Communication Systems in Increasing Social Communication Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Purpose: This systematic review aims to compare the efficacy of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) to other forms of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) in increasing social communication skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods: A systematic review of the literature on PECS and other forms of AAC written between 2007 and 2018 was conducted. Studies were selected based on the established inclusionary and exclusionary criteria. The inclusionary criteria incorporated subjects with a formal diagnosis of ASD under the age of 18. Exclusionary criteria included individuals with severe sensory, motor, and/or other medical conditions that may have affected their use of PECS. 25 articles of varying study designs were critically appraised for validity and reliability to minimize bias. Results: Results suggest that both PECS and other forms of AAC are conducive to improving social communication in children (\u3c18 \u3eyears) with ASD. Advancements in conversation initiation, requesting behaviors and joint attention were noted, resulting in a global increase in communication interactions. However, studies demonstrated mixed results with specific consideration of rate of acquisition, modality preference, and overall effectiveness of the system. Conclusion: Synthesis of results from the 25 studies suggest that both PECS and other AAC systems show favorable outcomes for encouraging social-communicative behavior. The clinical implications of these results suggest the implementation of an AAC system may be client dependent. Single design designs were included in this review due to the lack of research in the areas of ASD and AAC. Further research of this comparison should be conducted on larger populations of children with ASD to improve clinical decision making to target social communication and increase generalizability.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/csdms/1000/thumbnail.jp

The Effects of Acute Urban Mixture Exposure on the T cells of Fathead Minnows (Pimephales promelas)

Contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, industrial, and agricultural byproducts, have a myriad of effects on aquatic organisms. Numerous endpoints were studied in fathead minnow, which is a native species in the Great Lakes tributaries, and a standard model for aquatic toxicology research. It is critical to investigate the effects of urban CECs on the adaptive immune system due to its importance as a defense system in vertebrates. However, there are rare investigations into the effects of CECs on the adaptive immune system of fathead minnows. Generally, T cells and their major subpopulations, T helper and T cytotoxic cells, are important cell types in the adaptive immune system. Zeta-chain associated protein kinase 70 (zap70), cluster of differentiation 4-1 (CD4-1), and eomesodermin homolog A (eomesa) are T cell-, T helper- and T cytotoxic-selective proteins, respectively. In order to study the effects of urban CECs exposure on the adaptive immune system, adult male fathead minnows were exposed to eight CECs commonly detected in surface waters of the Great Lakes tributaries, either singularly or in a mixture. After a 96-hour exposure to CECs, splenic mRNA abundance for zap70, CD4-1 and eomesawere analyzed using quantitative RT-PCR. Of the four compouds hypothesized to increase the abundance of T cell-specific mRNA in the spleens of fathead minnows, the exposures to desvenlafaxine, sulfamethoxazole, triclosan and urban mixture were found to cause an increase. Furthermore, fluoranthene and metformin, of the four hypothesized urban CEC exposures, induced a decrease in the abundance of T cell-specific mRNA. Further research is needed to evaluate the effects of chronic and multigenerational exposures on the T cells of fathead minnows

Measurement of the Nodal Precession of WASP-33 b via Doppler Tomography

We have analyzed new and archival time series spectra taken six years apart during transits of the hot Jupiter WASP-33 b, and spectroscopically resolved the line profile perturbation caused by the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect. The motion of this line profile perturbation is determined by the path of the planet across the stellar disk, which we show to have changed between the two epochs due to nodal precession of the planetary orbit. We measured rates of change of the impact parameter and the sky-projected spin-orbit misalignment of $db/dt=-0.0228_{-0.0018}^{+0.0050}$ yr$^{-1}$ and $d\lambda/dt=-0.487_{-0.076}^{+0.089}$~$^{\circ}$ yr$^{-1}$, respectively, corresponding to a rate of nodal precession of $d\Omega/dt=0.373_{-0.083}^{+0.031}$~$^{\circ}$ yr$^{-1}$. This is only the second measurement of nodal precession for a confirmed exoplanet transiting a single star. Finally, we used the rate of precession to set limits on the stellar gravitational quadrupole moment of $9.4\times10^{-5}<J_2<6.1\times10^{-4}$.Comment: Published in ApJL. 5 pages, 3 figures. Corrected error in the calculation of J_

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) pipeline operating temperature effects on UK soils: The first empirical data

This paper presents the first empirical data of soil temperature and soil moisture profiles with depth in the context of a buried Carbon Capture and Storage transportation pipeline operating at higher than ambient soil temperatures. In an experimental approach, soil temperature responses are non-linear and are raised and restricted to within 45 cm of the subsurface heat source (hypothetical pipeline). A surface heat source is included to investigate interactions of natural seasonal surface heating of soils with subsurface heat. There is no interaction between subsurface and surface heat sources in the experimental system. Soil moisture profiles vary with soil type, with overall soil moisture losses of >10% over experimental time courses. Modelled soil temperature profiles show that the ability of soils to buffer thermal movement from depths up to 1.2 m from the surface is currently inadequately represented. Measurements provide the first elementary data of soil temperature changes resulting from a subsurface heat source for more accurate modelling of soil/pipeline interactions

Policy shift or program drift? Implementing housing first in Australia

This Essay critically analysed how the Housing First approach can be successfully applied to the system of supported housing in Australia

Maximal induced matchings in triangle-free graphs

An induced matching in a graph is a set of edges whose endpoints induce a $1$-regular subgraph. It is known that any $n$-vertex graph has at most $10^{n/5} \approx 1.5849^n$ maximal induced matchings, and this bound is best possible. We prove that any $n$-vertex triangle-free graph has at most $3^{n/3} \approx 1.4423^n$ maximal induced matchings, and this bound is attained by any disjoint union of copies of the complete bipartite graph $K_{3,3}$. Our result implies that all maximal induced matchings in an $n$-vertex triangle-free graph can be listed in time $O(1.4423^n)$, yielding the fastest known algorithm for finding a maximum induced matching in a triangle-free graph.Comment: 17 page

Peripheral Ulcerative Keratitis and Necrotizing Scleritis Initiated by Trauma in the Setting of Mixed Cryoglobulinemia

Purpose: To report a case of peripheral ulcerative keratitis and necrotizing scleritis precipitated by trauma in a patient with mixed cryoglobulinemia due to hepatitis C viral infection. Methods: Case report and literature review. Results: A 62-year-old man with a history of mixed cryoglobulinemia developed an episode of necrotizing scleritis and peripheral ulcerative keratitis one month after repair of a traumatic scleral defect with patch grafting. This episode resolved following treatment with high-dose corticosteroids and the patient underwent successful repeat patch grafting along with a free conjunctival autograft. This is the second reported case of necrotizing scleritis and peripheral ulcerative keratitis associated with mixed cryoglobulinemia. Conclusion: Ophthalmologists should be aware of the association between mixed cryoglobulinemia and necrotizing scleritis/peripheral ulcerative keratitis. Patients with this condition experiencing ocular trauma or undergoing ocular surgery should be monitored closely