Addressing Swim Safety in Autistic Children: A Pilot Feasibility Study Using Aquatic Occupational Therapy

Drowning is a leading cause of accidental death for children under 14 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine the feasibility of aquatic occupational therapy to increase swim skills for children with ASD following 10 weeks of intervention. Eight children, ages three to seven years old, participated in aquatic group-based occupational therapy to increase their swim skills. The Water Orientation Test Alyn-2 (WOTA2) and Goal Attainment Scaling were utilized to assess the change in participant swimmers’ skills. Qualitative data were gathered through individual parent interviews. All participants increased in total score on the WOTA2 and 81% of all individualized goals were met or exceeded. Themes derived from parent interviews included benefits of participation, acquired skills, and value of the occupational therapy approach. The results of this study supported the value and feasibility of aquatic occupational therapy to increase swim skills in children with ASD

The Effect of Dietary Patterns & Mental State

The most common forms of mental disorder treatment include therapy, medication and physical activity. However, it is not quite as common to look at dietary habits to improve mental health. An anonymous online survey was administered through a google form. The survey included questions on the individuals general demographic, diet parameters, and various aspects of their mental health and mood states. There is an association between positive mood states and a healthy dietary pattern. Through the results that were obtained via the survey, it is concluded that there is a correlation between a healthy, balanced diet and a positive mental state.https://orb.binghamton.edu/research_days_posters_2023/1041/thumbnail.jp

Selectors' Choices: Statistics for Evaluating E-Resources

This study reports the interview responses of ten electronic resource selectors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The interviews were conducted to determine how selectors analyze usage statistics and whether selectors would prefer to use less specific, more specific, or a combination of both kinds of statistics to evaluate electronic indexes and databases. Another goal was to determine whether selectors would prefer to use citation analysis, vendor-generated statistics, or a combination of these methods to evaluate electronic journals. Most participants consider statistics within the context of the cost and the content of the resources. Most selectors would prefer to use a combination of less and more specific measures for evaluating electronic indexes and databases and a combination of citation analysis and vendor-generated statistics for evaluating electronic journals. Selectors' rankings of individual measures varied considerably according to their judgments of which measures indicated the highest level of use

Evaluation of Hempseed Meal as a Protein Source in Swine Finishing Rations

Hempseed meal (HSM) was studied as an alternative protein source for grow-finish swine diets. This study utilized 44 barrows randomly assigned to a treatment diet containing HSM or control diet containing soybean meal (SBM) as the primary protein source. Diets did not affect (P > 0.05) feed intake, feed conversion, or average daily gain. Barrows were harvested over 5 days. No differences (P > 0.05) were found between diets for hot carcass weight, liver and lung scores, carcass pH, dressing percentage, or quality and yield grades. Carcasses were fabricated and additional quality attributes investigated via shelf-life, Warner Bratzler Shear (WBS) force, and proximate analysis. SBM chops had less (P = 0.0438) drip loss than HSM. Interaction between diet and chop type was significant (P 0.05) were found for L*, a*, and b* values. Aerobic plate counts were higher (P 0.05) were seen for estimated prices to producers for carcasses, major and minor cuts, or slaughter costs when premiums/discounts were applied based on 10th rib backfat

Establishing the international prevalence of self-reported child maltreatment: a systematic review by maltreatment type and gender

Background Estimating the prevalence of child maltreatment is challenging due to the absence of a clear ‘gold standard’ as to what constitutes maltreatment. This systematic review aims to review studies using self-report maltreatment to capture prevalence rates worldwide. Methods PubMed, Ovid SP and grey literature from the NSPCC, UNICEF, The UK Government, and WHO from 2000 to 2017 were searched. The literature review focused on the variation found in self-reported lifetime prevalence for each type of maltreatment between studies by continent and gender, and how methodological differences may explain differences found. Results Sexual abuse is the most commonly studied form of maltreatment across the world with median (25th to 75th centile) prevalence of 20.4% (13.2% to 33.6%) and 28.8% (17.0% to 40.2%) in North American and Australian girls respectively, with lower rates generally for boys. Rates of physical abuse were more similar across genders apart from in Europe, which were 12.0% (6.9% to 23.0%) and 27.0% (7.0% to 43.0%) for girls and boys respectively, and often very high in some continents, for example, 50.8% (36.0% to 73.8%) and 60.2% (43.0% to 84.9%) for girls and boys respectively in Africa. Median rates of emotional abuse were nearly double for girls than boys in North America (28.4% vs 13.8% respectively) and Europe (12.9% vs 6.2% respectively) but more similar across genders groups elsewhere. Median rates of neglect were highest in Africa (girls: 41.8%, boys: 39.1%) and South America (girls: 54.8%, boys: 56.7%) but were based on few studies in total, whereas in the two continents with the highest number of studies, median rates differed between girls (40.5%) and boys (16.6%) in North America but were similar in Asia (girls: 26.3%, boys: 23.8%). Conclusions Median prevalence rates differ substantially by maltreatment category, gender and by continent. The number of studies and available data also varies and relatively little is known about prevalence for some forms of maltreatment, particularly outside of the North American context. Prevalence rates require caution in interpretation as some variation will reflect methodological differences, including the data collection methods, and how the maltreatment is defined

Catalog/cataloging changes and Web 2.0 functionality: New directions for serials

ABSTRACT. This article presents an overview of some of the important recent developments in cataloging theory and practice and online catalog design. Changes in cataloging theory and practice include the incorporation of the Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records principles into catalogs, the new Resource Description and Access cataloging manual, and the new CONSER Standard Record. Web 2.0 functionalities and advances in search technology and results displays are influencing online catalog design. The paper ends with hypothetical scenarios in which a catalog, enhanced by the developments described, fulfills the tasks of finding serials articles and titles

Ladarixin, a dual CXCR1/2 inhibitor, attenuates experimental melanomas harboring different molecular defects by affecting malignant cells and tumor microenvironment.

CXCR1 and CXCR2 chemokine receptors and their ligands (CXCL1/2/3/7/8) play an important role in tumor progression. Tested to date CXCR1/2 antagonists and chemokine-targeted antibodies were reported to affect malignant cells in vitro and in animal models. Yet, redundancy of chemotactic signals and toxicity hinder further clinical development of these approaches. In this pre-clinical study we investigated the capacity of a novel small molecule dual CXCR1/2 inhibitor, Ladarixin (LDX), to attenuate progression of experimental human melanomas. Our data showed that LDX-mediated inhibition of CXCR1/2 abrogated motility and induced apoptosis in cultured cutaneous and uveal melanoma cells and xenografts independently of the molecular defects associated with the malignant phenotype. These effects were mediated by the inhibition of AKT and NF-kB signaling pathways. Moreover, systemic treatment of melanoma-bearing mice with LDX also polarized intratumoral macrophages to M1 phenotype, abrogated intratumoral de novo angiogenesis and inhibited melanoma self-renewal. Collectively, these studies outlined the pre-requisites of the successful CXCR1/2 inhibition on malignant cells and demonstrated multifactorial effects of Ladarixin on cutaneous and uveal melanomas, suggesting therapeutic utility of LDX in treatment of various melanoma types

Nitroxyl, the novel redox sibling of NO, suppresses cerebrovascular NADPH oxidase

Background: Nitroxyl (HNO), the reduced and protonated congener of nitric oxide (NO), is emerging as a novel entity with distinct pharmacology and therapeutic advantages over NO• [1]. Importantly, HNO has vasoprotective actions with the potential to serve as an antioxidant. Here we explored the ability of HNO to modulate cerebrovascular NADPH oxidase activity, a major source of superoxide (.O2-) in the vasculature. Materials and methods: Intracranial (pooled middle cerebral and basilar) and extracranial (carotid) cerebral arteries from male C57BL/6J mice were treated with angiotensin II (10 nM) acutely (30 min) and chronically (24 h), respectively, in the absence and presence of the HNO donor, Angeli's salt (AS). NADPH (100 μM)-stimulated .O2- production was then measured using lucigenin (5 μM)-enhanced chemiluminescence. Results: AS (1 μM) did not scavenge .O2- generated in a cell free xanthine (100 μM)/xanthine oxidase (0.05 U/ml) activity assay (control: 447.9 ± 90.8; AS 507.1 ± 113.3 counts, n = 4). In contrast, acute and chronic treatment with AS (0.01–1 μM) caused a concentration-dependent decrease in NADPH oxidase-derived .O2- production by intracranial and extracranial cerebral arteries, respectively (carotid 0.59 ± 0.05; AS 0.1 μM 0.33 ± 0.08; AS 1 μM 0.16 ± 0.03 103 counts/s/mg, P < 0.05, n = 8). The effects of AS were reversed by the HNO scavenger, L-cysteine (3 mM) but unchanged in the presence of the NO• scavenger carboxy-PTIO (200 μM) and sGC inhibitor, ODQ (10 μM). Conclusion: HNO suppresses vascular NADPH-oxidase activity both acutely and chronically, possibly via a cGMP-independent mechanism. Such antioxidant actions of HNO may confer therapeutic advantages in the treatment of cerebrovascular disorders

Technology and Teaching: A Conversation among Faculty Regarding the Pros and Cons of Technology

Technology is often touted as the savior of education (Collins & Haverson, 2009). However, is technology the panacea that it is made out to be? This paper is an extended conversation among a group of faculty members at three different universities and their attitudes and beliefs about technology and education. Three professors shared their pro-technology stance and three took a less favorable view. The contents of the conversation were then analyzed by a neutral party to extract the various themes that emerged. What was discovered was that were three major threads to the conversation: technology and educational access, online education, and technology and instructional strategies. While there was little agreement, throughout the evolution of the conversation, both sides began to understand each other a little more