The Osborne Collection of Early Children’s Books: Toronto Public Library’s Research Collection of Juvenile Material

'Viewing in my mind your vast and enterprising country, it is a great pleasure to feel that Toronto possesses a storehouse of rare and valuable children’s books which should enable students from all quarters of the globe to study in comfort the development and also the effects on young people of the books that have been written for them over the ages.' Edgar Osborne, letter to Harry Campbell, Chief Librarian of Toronto Public Library. April 22, 1964. At the time he wrote this letter, Edgar Osborne (1890-1978) had just received a doctor of laws degree, honoris causa, from the University of Toronto, in recognition of his contribution to Canadian literary history and education through the gift of the collection subsequently named in his honour. The conferral had been the highlight of a colloquium, joined by guests from around the world, held to celebrate the donation, made fifteen years earlier. Osborne had cause to be satisfied, for already the original 2,000 items had increased by some thousands, through gifts and purchases; the Collection was properly housed and a subject expert, Judith St. John, had prepared a scholarly catalogue of its holdings

Canadian Children’s Shoe Stories and Their Antecedents: Fortune’s Footwear

DOI: 10.1353/jeu.2016.001

Assessment of gene copy number in the homosporous ferns Ceratopteris thalictroides and C. richardii ( Parkeriaceae ) by restriction fragment length polymorphisms

Homosporous ferns are generally considered polyploid due to high chromosome numbers, but genetically diploid since the expression of isozymes is generally controlled by a single locus. Gene silencing over evolutionary time is one means by which this apparent contradiction can be explained. A prediction of this hypothesis is that silenced gene sequences still reside in the genomes of homosporous ferns. We examined the genomes of Ceratopteris richardii and C. thalictroides for sequences which are similar to expressed gene sequences. Genomic DNA blots hybridized with C. richardii cDNA clones showed that the majority of these clones detected multiple fragments, suggesting that most gene-like sequences are duplicated in Ceratopteris. Hybridization signal intensity often varied between fragments of the same size between accessions, sometimes dramatically, which indicates that not all sequences are equivalent, and may represent the products of silenced genes. Observed reciprocal differences in intensity could be due to reciprocally silenced genes. In addition, an unusual segregation pattern for one locus followed by one probe may indicate homeologous chromosome pairing and segregation.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/41638/1/606_2004_Article_BF00939726.pd

The European Cycle Route Network, EuroVelo

This study evaluates the challenges and opportunities of developing a cycle tourism network across Europe. It focuses on EuroVelo, a network of 12 long-distance routes managed by the European Cyclists’ Federation, which is being developed in different countries by a wide range of partners. The study reviews the market for cycle tourism in Europe and presents a EuroVelo demand modal. It reviews the carriage of cycles on trains. Finally, it evaluates the potential of the Iron Curtain Trail

The European Cycle Route Network, EuroVelo

This update of the 2009 study evaluates the challenges and opportunities of developing a cycle tourism network across Europe. It focuses on EuroVelo, a network of 14 long distance routes managed by the European Cyclists’ Federation which is being developed in different countries by a wide range of partners. The study reviews the market for cycle tourism and presents a model of demand for EuroVelo. It also evaluates the recent developments on the Iron Curtain Trail

From Flashlight to Searchlight: A Sustainable Information Program for Sex Trafficking Victims in Texas

This project is a product of the Bush School of Government and Public Service Capstone Program. It expands upon a previous project that mapped the legal pathways for domestic minor sex trafficking victims and the resources available to them in the Brazos Valley. It expands victim information and resource models by applying them to broader geographic areas and additional categories of victims for the Human Trafficking and Transnational/Organized Crime Section of the Texas Office of the Attorney General. This project lasted one academic year and involved ten second-year Master students. They have reviewed the literature on trafficking, validated and revised the previous project, created a visual model for the legal pathways of international trafficking victims, mapped the victim resources available in two additional Texas counties, and developed a more comprehensive, bilingual resource model and website that can be updated by community leaders into specific resource guides for any Texas region.Human Trafficking and Transnational/Organized Crime Section within the Office of the Attorney General of Texa

The impact of COVID-19 school disruptions on children's learning

Introduction: National health policies to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the US resulted in widespread school closures and disrupted learning in Spring 2020. Methods: This study draws on unique individual-level data from n = 282 5–12 year olds enrolled in the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Research Program to investigate associations between caregiver-reported duration of Spring 2020 learning disruptions and academic achievement. Results: Linear regression analyses estimated that children who experienced more than 4 weeks of instruction disruptions in Spring 2020 scored 4.5 points [95% CI: −8.77, −0.22] lower on age-normed math assessments compared to peers who had four or fewer weeks of disruption, adjusting for sociodemographic variables, pre-pandemic vocabulary, and COVID-19 family hardships and stress. No differences were found for reading. Children whose caregivers had higher levels of pandemic-related traumatic stress and lower educational attainment also had lower math scores, adjusting for all other covariates. Discussion: Results suggest educators and schools focus additional attention on supporting math instruction for children who experienced extended learning disruptions

Latent Class Analysis of Prenatal Substance Exposure and Child Behavioral Outcomes

Objectives To predict behavioral disruptions in middle childhood, we identified latent classes of prenatal substance use. Study design As part of the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Program, we harmonized prenatal substance use data and child behavior outcomes from 2195 women and their 6- to 11-year-old children across 10 cohorts in the US and used latent class–adjusted regression models to predict parent-rated child behavior. Results Three latent classes fit the data: low use (90.5%; n = 1986), primarily using no substances; licit use (6.6%; n = 145), mainly using nicotine with a moderate likelihood of using alcohol and marijuana; and illicit use (2.9%; n = 64), predominantly using illicit substances along with a moderate likelihood of using licit substances. Children exposed to primarily licit substances in utero had greater levels of externalizing behavior than children exposed to low or no substances (P = .001, d = .64). Children exposed to illicit substances in utero showed small but significant elevations in internalizing behavior than children exposed to low or no substances (P < .001, d = .16). Conclusions The differences in prenatal polysubstance use may increase risk for specific childhood problem behaviors; however, child outcomes appeared comparably adverse for both licit and illicit polysubstance exposure. We highlight the need for similar multicohort, large-scale studies to examine childhood outcomes based on prenatal substance use profiles

Latent Class Analysis of Prenatal Substance Exposure and Child Behavioral Outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: To predict behavioral disruptions in middle childhood, we identified latent classes of prenatal substance use. STUDY DESIGN: As part of the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Program, we harmonized prenatal substance use data and child behavior outcomes from 2195 women and their 6- to 11-year-old children across 10 cohorts in the US and used latent class-adjusted regression models to predict parent-rated child behavior. RESULTS: Three latent classes fit the data: low use (90.5%; n = 1986), primarily using no substances; licit use (6.6%; n = 145), mainly using nicotine with a moderate likelihood of using alcohol and marijuana; and illicit use (2.9%; n = 64), predominantly using illicit substances along with a moderate likelihood of using licit substances. Children exposed to primarily licit substances in utero had greater levels of externalizing behavior than children exposed to low or no substances (P = .001, d = .64). Children exposed to illicit substances in utero showed small but significant elevations in internalizing behavior than children exposed to low or no substances (P < .001, d = .16). CONCLUSIONS: The differences in prenatal polysubstance use may increase risk for specific childhood problem behaviors; however, child outcomes appeared comparably adverse for both licit and illicit polysubstance exposure. We highlight the need for similar multicohort, large-scale studies to examine childhood outcomes based on prenatal substance use profiles