Early Intervention Speech-Language Pathologists: A Systematic Review

Purpose: The purpose of this Thesis is to describe the current supporting evidence base for speech-language pathologists working within early intervention with the birth through two-years-old population. Aims: The aims of this systematic review are to determine: (a) the current evidence base of early intervention by speech-language pathologists with infants and toddlers and (b) the quality of research available. Method: An exhaustive systematic review method is used. Search terms are based on subject or index headings related to the aims of this systematic review, i.e. early intervention and speech-language pathologists. A screening method is used to identify eligible publications for the review. Results: Eight publications are considered eligible for review. Three articles are considered to have a higher-quality level of evidence. Description of all publications are included. General features of the studies are described. Conclusions: Future research is needed to add to the research-base supporting positive communication benefits by speech-language pathologists working with the birth through two-years-old population. The current evidence base for speech-language pathologists is discussed and the preliminary evidence is identified. Recommendations to continue ongoing research efforts are provided

Evaluation of the Maine Child Development Services-Part C Improvement Plan

This poster presents information on the improvement plan for the Maine Child Development Services-Part C.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/ccids_posters/1014/thumbnail.jp

Interview of Margaret McGuinness, Ph.D.

Dr. Margaret McGuinness was born in 1953, in Providence, Rhode Island. She went to an all-girls Catholic high school called St. Mary’s Academy Bayview in Providence where she graduated in 1971. McGuinness went on to major in American Studies and Civilization as an undergraduate at Boston University graduating with a B.A in 1975. She continued her work at Boston University where McGuinness earned a master’s of theological studies (M.T.S) focusing on Biblical and Historical Studies in 1979. She would move to New York to work on her dissertation at Union Theological Seminary finishing with her Ph.D. in 1985 concentrating on American Church History. Her dissertation was titled “Response to Reform: The History of the Catholic Social Settlement Movement, 1897-1915.” Dr. McGuinness would go on to teach at Cabrini College located in Radnor, PA from 1985 to 2006 and in 1993 became chair of their religion department. In 2006 she moved from Cabrini College and served as the chair of La Salle\u27s Religion Department from 2006 until 2011. Her two most well-known books are Neighbors and Missionaries: A History of the Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine (Fordham Press 2012) and Called to Serve: A History of American Nuns (New York University Press, 2013). She has also published numerous articles and is currently doing work on the life of the Philadelphia religious sister Katharine Drexel. Dr. McGuinness is also the first woman to be Vice President for Mission Integration where she served from 2010 to 2014. She is married to her husband Bill and has two children William and Erin. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her family

An exploration of differences in judgements of computer ethical behavior by sex, education, age, and other demographic factors

When faced with an ambiguous ethical situation related to information technology (IT), the individual\u27s course of action is influenced by personal experiences, consideration of what co-workers would do in the same situation, and an expectation of what the company would sanction. In this article, the approval/disapproval ratings of over three-hundred Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) members concerning the actions taken in a series of IT ethical scenarios are evaluated. Respondents expressed their personal opinion, as well as their perception of their co-workers\u27 opinion, and their understanding of the company s opinion of the actions relating to IT described in the scenarios. Differences in responses by sex, education, age, years in the profession, years with current employer, job of respondent, and type of industry of respondent are explored

Pelvic floor health in the nursing and midwifery workforce

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Health.BACKGROUND Integral to pelvic floor (PF) health are social practices that preserve continence. When PF health is diminished, urinary symptoms may be experienced, which by their very nature remain under-reported despite negative effects on quality of life. Many people spend large portions of their lives at work; employers and organisations have a duty to support PF health in the workplace. AIMS This research sought to investigate PF health in the female nursing and midwifery workforce. The questions addressed were: 1. What is the prevalence and impact of PF dysfunction in the nursing and midwifery workforce? 2. What factors negatively influence the experience of symptoms at work, and what strategies will ameliorate these? 3. Based on these findings, what are key recommendations to nurses, midwives, managers and policy makers for PF health promotion in this workforce? METHODS Firstly, an operational definition for the concept ‘PF health’ is offered. Then, a review of the literature with respect to the prevalence and impact of PF dysfunctions in workforce groups determined gaps in knowledge. A mixed methods observational study using surveys and focus groups investigates PF dysfunctions in female nurses and midwives. The first survey is a state-wide investigation, the second involves three urban hospitals, examining the relationship of urinary symptoms to work ability and future work plans. Experiences of symptoms in the workplace, explored though focus group discussion, provide in-depth understanding, informing recommendations for PF health at work. FINDINGS PF health encompasses the physical and functional integrity of the PF unit through an individual’s life stages to permit optimal quality of life, where access to knowledge empowers the ability to prevent or manage dysfunctions. Of the nurses and midwives surveyed in this research, half experience urinary symptoms while at work. Those with severe incontinence are likely to leave their job and moderate incontinence negatively impacts concentration and time management at work. Delaying voiding and limiting fluid intakes are common work practices linked to nurses’ and midwives’ experiences of urinary symptoms, reflecting poor self-care. Workplace team relationships, workforce management and adequacy of amenities are key influences on nurses’ and midwives’ health practices. SIGNIFICANCE PF dysfunctions are common in this workforce, associated with poor self-care and reduced work ability. Policies for PF health at work will support cultural, social and organisational change. Equitable and dignified access to amenities will empower female nurses and midwives to self-care, enabling them to care for others

Milk production of Holstein-Friesian cows of divergent Economic Breeding Index evaluated under seasonal pasture-based management

peer-reviewedThe objective of this study was to validate the effect of genetic improvement using the Irish genetic merit index, the Economic Breeding Index (EBI), on total lactation performance and lactation profiles for milk yield, milk solids yield (fat plus protein; kg), and milk fat, protein, and lactose content within 3 pasture-based feeding treatments (FT) and to investigate whether an interaction exists between genetic group (GG) of Holstein-Friesian and pasture-based FT. The 2 GG were (1) extremely high EBI representative of the top 5% nationally (referred to as the elite group) and (2) representative of the national average EBI (referred to as the NA group). Cows from each GG were randomly allocated each year to 1 of 3 pasture-based FT: control, lower grass allowance, and high concentrate. The effects of GG, FT, year, parity, and the interaction between GG and FT adjusted for calving day of year on milk and milk solids (fat plus protein; kg) production across lactation were studied using mixed models. Cow was nested within GG to account for repeated cow records across years. The overall and stage of lactation-specific responses to concentrate supplementation (high concentrate vs. control) and reduced pasture allowance (lower grass allowance vs. control) were tested. Profiles of daily milk yield, milk solids yield, and milk fat, protein, and lactose content for each week of lactation for the elite and NA groups within each FT and for each parity group within the elite and NA groups were generated. Phenotypic performance was regressed against individual cow genetic potential based on predicted transmitting ability. The NA cows produced the highest milk yield. Milk fat and protein content was higher for the elite group and consequently yield of solids-corrected milk was similar, whereas yield of milk solids tended to be higher for the elite group compared with the NA group. Milk lactose content did not differ between GG. Responses to concentrate supplementation or reduced pasture allowance did not differ between GG. Milk production profiles illustrated that elite cows maintained higher production but with lower persistency than NA cows. Regression of phenotypic performance against predicted transmitting ability illustrated that performance was broadly in line with expectation. The results illustrate that the superiority of high-EBI cattle is consistent across diverse pasture-based FT. The results also highlight the success of the EBI to deliver production performance in line with the national breeding objective: lower milk volume with higher fat and protein content

Teaching with CAS in a time of transition

Integrating a powerful instrument such as CAS into teaching and learning mathematics requires changes to many aspects of the classroom, which teachers will make from the base of their prior teaching styles and their beliefs about mathematics and how it should be taught. The paper describes the different ways in which two pioneering Australian teachers adapted their teaching to use CAS. One teacher used CAS with the primary goal of increasing understanding but restricted students’ use. The other teacher adopted CAS as an extra technique for solving standard problems, emphasising timesaving routines by hand and with CAS. Through these case studies we comment on the following issues related to teaching with CAS: different ways of organising the classroom, variety in approaches to teaching the use of CAS, the increased range of methods for solving problems and for teaching, the contrast between using of graphics calculators and CAS, the challenge of finding the place of by-hand skills and CAS use, and the curriculum and assessment changes required in schools.C

Comparison of Satellite Observations of Nitrogen Dioxide to Surface Monitor Nitrogen Dioxide Concentration

Nitrogen dioxide is one of the U. S. EPA s criteria pollutants, and one of the main ingredients needed for the production of ground-level ozone. Both ozone and nitrogen dioxide cause severe public health problems. Existing satellites have begun to produce observational data sets for nitrogen dioxide. Under NASAs Earth Science Applications Program, we examined the relationship between satellite observations and surface monitor observations of this air pollutant to examine if the satellite data can be used to facilitate a more capable and integrated observing network. This report provides a comparison of satellite tropospheric column nitrogen dioxide to surface monitor nitrogen dioxide concentration for the period from September 1996 through August 1997 at more than 300 individual locations in the continental US. We found that the spatial resolution and observation time of the satellite did not capture the variability of this pollutant as measured at ground level. The tools and processes developed to conduct this study will be applied to the analysis of advanced satellite observations. One advanced instrument has significantly better spatial resolution than the measurements studied here and operates with an afternoon overpass time, providing a more representative distribution for once-per-day sampling of this photochemically active atmospheric constituent