Increasing support staff fluency with the content of behaviour support plans : an application of precision teaching

Background: Behaviour Support Plans (BSPs) are at the core of Positive Behavioural Support for challenging behaviour, but non-adherence to BSPs is common. Generally, non-fluent component knowledge prevents learners achieving fluent application and retention of information and we hypothesised that this may apply to staff learning BSPs. Method: We compared the effectiveness of fluency training (FT) and precision teaching on staff learning of BSPs with staff receiving consultation as usual (CAU), comprising standard support for learning BSPs. All staff completed pre- and post-intervention tests measuring frequency of component skill recall and application of component knowledge (composite skills). Results: The FT group made and maintained greater gains in component skill recall and achieved higher composite test scores, suggesting greater application of component skills. These effects were associated with moderate effect sizes. Conclusions: This study offers initial support for the application of fluency training and precision teaching for staff learning BSP content

Adaptation at the output of the chemotaxis signalling pathway

In the bacterial chemotaxis network, receptor clusters process input1–3, and flagellar motors generate output4. Receptor and motor complexes are coupled by the diffusible protein CheY-P. Receptor output (the steady-state concentration of CheY-P) varies from cell to cell5. However, the motor is ultrasensitive, with a narrow [CheY-P] operating range6. How might the match between receptor output and motor input be optimized? Here we show that the motor can shift its operating range by changing its composition. The number of FliM subunits in the C-ring increases in response to a decrement in the concentration of CheY-P, increasing motor sensitivity. This shift in sensitivity explains the slow partial adaptation observed in mutants that lack the receptor methyltransferase and methylesterase7–8 and why motors exhibit signal-dependent FliM turnover9. Adaptive remodelling is likely to be a common feature in the operation of many molecular machines.Molecular and Cellular Biolog

Changes in the size structure of marine fish communities

Marine ecosystems have been heavily impacted by fishing pressure, which can cause major changes in the structure of communities. Fishing directly removes biomass and causes secondary effects such as changing predatory and competitive interactions and altering energy pathways, all of which affect the functional groups and size distributions of marine ecosystems. We conducted a meta-analysis of eighteen trawl surveys from around the world to identify if there have been consistent changes in size-structure and life history groups across ecosystems. Declining biomass trends for larger fish and invertebrates were present in nine systems, all in the North Atlantic, while seven ecosystems did not exhibit consistent declining trends in larger organisms. Two systems had alternative patterns. Smaller taxa, across all ecosystems, had biomass trends with time that were typically flat or slightly increasing. Changes in the ratio of pelagic taxa to demersal taxa were variable across the surveys. Pelagic species were not uniformly increasing, but did show periods of increase in certain regions. In the western Atlantic, the pelagic-to-demersal ratio increased across a number of surveys in the 1990s and declined in the mid 2000s. The trawl survey data suggest there have been considerable structural changes over time and region, but the patterns are not consistent across all ecosystems

QUANTIFYING DAMAGE POTENTIAL OF THREE RODENT SPECIES ON SUGARCANE

ABSTRACT Cotton rats, roof rats, and rice rats collectively inflict significant damage to sugarcane crops in the Everglades Agricultural Area; however, the relative damage inflicted by each species is unknown. A feeding trial experiment showed that some differences existed in the grams of sugarcane consumed per gram of body mass among species (male cotton rats: 0.39 ± 0.03g; female cotton rats: 0.34 ± 0.03g; male roof rats: 0.25 ± 0.04g; female roof rats: 0.26 ± 0.04g; male rice rats: 0.49 ± 0.08g; female rice rats: 0.20 ± 0.06g); however, because mean body mass differed for each species (male cotton rats: 120.5 ± 4.5g; female cotton rats: 111.4 ± 5.3g; male roof rats: 182.3 ± 6.9g; female roof rats: 157.1 ± 5.5g; male rice rats: 81.8 ± 3.8g; female rice rats: 58.1 ± 1.9g), the projected amount of sugarcane consumed will be approximately the same for all rodents. Therefore, overall abundance of rodents in sugarcane fields is an adequate predictor of rodent damage and knowledge of relative abundance of different species is not necessary. Periodic estimates of within field rodent abundance may be used to prioritize locations for rodent control. Integrated pest management that incorporates ecologically friendly methods, such as the elimination of rodent refugia habitat, may reduce the need for chemical rodenticides while maintaining or enhancing the effectiveness of rodent control

Belief bias and representation in assessing the Bayesian rationality of others

People often assess the reasonableness of another person’s judgments. When doing so, the evaluator should set aside knowledge that would not have been available to the evaluatee to assess whether the evaluatee made a reasonable decision, given the available information. But under what circumstances does the evaluator set aside information? On the one hand, if the evaluator fails to set aside prior information, not available to the evaluatee, they exhibit belief bias. But on the other hand, when Bayesian inference is called for, the evaluator should generally incorporate prior knowledge about relevant probabilities in decision making. The present research integrated these two perspectives in two experiments. Participants were asked to take the perspective of a fictitious evaluatee and to evaluate the reasonableness of the evaluatee’s decision. The participant was privy to information that the fictitious evaluatee did not have. Specifically, the participant knew whether the evaluatee’s decision judgment was factually correct. Participants’ judgments were biased (Experiments 1 and 2) by the factuality of the conclusion as they assessed the evaluatee’s reasonableness. We also found that the format of information presentation (Experiment 2) influenced the degree to which participants’ reasonableness ratings were responsive to the evaluatee’s Bayesian rationality. Specifically, responsivity was greater when the information was presented in an icon-based, graphical, natural-frequency format than when presented in either a numerical natural-frequency format or a probability format. We interpreted the effects of format to suggest that graphical presentation can help organize information into nested sets, which in turn enhances Bayesian rationality

Passive Coping Strategies During Repeated Social Defeat Are Associated With Long-Lasting Changes in Sleep in Rats

Exposure to severe stress has immediate and prolonged neuropsychiatric consequences and increases the risk of developing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Importantly, PTSD develops in only a subset of individuals after exposure to a traumatic event, with the understanding of this selective vulnerability being very limited. Individuals who go on to develop PTSD after a traumatic experience typically demonstrate sleep disturbances including persistent insomnia and recurrent trauma-related nightmares. We previously established a repeated social defeat paradigm in which rats segregate into either passively or actively coping subpopulations, and we found that this distinction correlates with measures of vulnerability or resilience to stress. In this study, we examined differences between these two behavioral phenotypes in sleep changes resulting from repeated social defeat stress. Our data indicate that, compared to control and actively coping rats, passively coping rats have less slow-wave sleep (SWS) for at least 2 weeks after the end of a series of exposures to social defeat. Furthermore, resilient rats show less exaggerated motor activation at awakenings from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and less fragmentation of REM sleep compared to control and passively coping rats. Together, these data associate a passive coping strategy in response to repeated social defeat stress with persisting sleep disturbances. Conversely, an active coping strategy may be associated with resilience to sleep disturbances. These findings may have both prognostic and therapeutic applications to stress-associated neuropsychiatric disorders, including PTSD

Adaptive Remodelling by FliN in the Bacterial Rotary Motor

Sensory adaptation in the Escherichia coli chemosensory pathway has been the subject of interest for decades, with investigation focusing on the receptors that process extracellular inputs. Recent studies demonstrate that the flagellar motors responsible for cell locomotion also play a role, adding or subtracting FliM subunits to maximise sensitivity to pathway signals. It is difficult to reconcile this FliM remodelling with the observation that partner FliN subunits are relatively static fixtures in the motor. By fusing a fluorescent protein internally to FliN, we show that there is in fact significant FliN remodelling. The kinetics and stoichiometry of FliN in steady state and in adapting motors are investigated and found to match the behaviour of FliM in all respects except for timescale where FliN rates are about 4 times slower. We notice that motor adaptation is slower in the presence of the fluorescent protein, indicating a possible source for the difference. The behaviour of FliM and FliN is consistent with a kinetic and stoichiometric model that contradicts the traditional view of a packed, rigid motor architecture.Molecular and Cellular BiologyPhysic

Direct Analysis of Spectra of the Peculiar Type Ia Supernova 2000cx

The Type Ia SN 2000cx exhibited multiple peculiarities, including a lopsided B-band light-curve peak that does not conform to current methods for using shapes of light curves to standardize SN Ia luminosities. We use the parameterized supernova synthetic-spectrum code SYNOW to study line identifications in the photospheric-phase spectra of SN 2000cx. Previous work established the presence of Ca II infrared-triplet features forming above velocity about 20,000 km/s, much higher than the photospheric velocity of about 10,000 km/s. We find Ti II features forming at the same high velocity. High-velocity line formation is partly responsible for the photometric peculiarities of SN 2000cx: for example, B-band flux blocking by Ti II absorption features that decreases with time causes the B light curve to rise more rapidly and decline more slowly than it otherwise would. SN 2000cx contains an absorption feature near 4530 A that may be H-beta, forming at the same high velocity. The lack of conspicuous H-alpha and P-alpha signatures does not necessarily invalidate the H-beta identification if the high-velocity line formation is confined to a clump that partly covers the photosphere and the H-alpha and P-alpha source functions are elevated relative to that of resonance scattering. The H-beta identification is tentative. If it is correct, the high-velocity matter must have come from a nondegenerate companion star.Comment: 41 pages including 21 figures, accepted by Ap

Field Demonstration of a Real-time Non-intrusive Monitoring System for Condition-based Maintenance

The performance of important electrical loads on mission critical systems like warships or off-shore platforms is often tracked by dedicated monitoring equipment. Individual monitoring of each load is expensive and risky. Expense occurs because of the need for individual sensors and sensor wiring for every load of interest. Reliability is compromised because detected failures or fault conditions might legitimately be due to load failure, but might also be due to errors or failure in the sensor network or recording instruments. The power distribution network on a warship could be pressed into “dual-use” service, providing not only power distribution but also a diagnostic monitoring capability based on observations of the way in which loads draw power from the distribution service. This paper describes field tests of a prototype system that monitors multiple loads using existing electrical wiring. Initial results are presented from a device that monitors a small collection of motors and two other devices that monitor an entire engine room.Grainger Foundation; National Science Foundation (U.S.); United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration; United States. Coast Guard; United States. Office of Naval Research. Electric Ship Research and Development Consortium; NAVSEA; University of North Carolin