Loon abundance and behaviour over four decades at a remote ecological reserve on Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada

Early studies (1976–1982) of the Drizzle Lake Ecological Reserve on Haida Gwaii, British Columbia focussed on the endemic Giant Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and their predators. These surveys showed daily visits to the small lake (110 ha) by up to 59 adult non-breeding Common Loon (Gavia immer), an important stickleback predator and up to 19 breeding and non-breeding adult Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata), which leave daily to forage in nearby marine waters. We continued loon surveys for 17 additional years (1983–1989, 2011–2020) and found that aggregations of non-breeding Common Loons occurred annually on the lake during July with maximum daily numbers of 78–83 individuals in 1987, 2018, and 2020 and a large increase from 2011 to 2020. We did not detect any relationship of these differences with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation but a significant inverse correlation with average wind speed. Average yearly numbers of Red-throated Loons declined by 50% from 1976 to 1989 and have remained low, with lowest numbers (<2) occurring in 2017. Two Red-throated Loon nesting territories on the lake were occupied from 1976 to 1995, with chicks occurring in 24 of 36 nests, but no successful nesting was observed on the lake over the last decade. The relative decline of Red-throated Loon in this reserve is similar to that reported in Arctic and Subarctic surveys of the species in the north Pacific and northern Europe. We discuss the implications for the evolutionary ecology of the sticklebacks and the conservation of the ecological reserve

Detection of monosomy 7 in interphase cells of patients with myeloid disorders

Six patients, five with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and one with a myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), were found to have monosomy 7 by conventional cytogenetics at diagnosis. Repetitive DNA sequences from the heterochromatic region of human chromosomes 1 and 7 were used as probes for in situ hybridization experiments on interphase cells of these patients. A double hybridization protocol was used to reveal the particular chromosomes as distinct spots or clusters of signals within interphase nuclei. The chromosome 1 sequence served as an internal control. Simultaneous detection of the sequences showed the presence of two normal number 1 chromosomes and a missing 7 chromosome from individual cells. While cytogenetic preparations showed only -7 metaphases in 3 AML and 1 MDS patients, in situ hybridization of interphase cells showed many normal cells as well as the presence of -7 in fully mature granulocytes. One AML patient studied in remission showed only normal metaphases yet had 9% interphase cells with a missing 7 and relapsed within 3 months. We conclude that examination of interphase cells by in situ hybridization provides clinically useful data since every cell including mature granulocytes can be examined, the lineage of a cell can be determined, and efficacy of differentiation therapy can be evaluated

Designing Dental Student Portfolios to Assess Performance

The purpose of this poster is to share a project developed by Marquette University’s liaisons to the American Dental Education Association’s Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education with others interested in learning about the use of portfolios to assess the quality of student performance in dental school. Sample components from the pilot portfolios will be integrated into the poster to provide participants with a view from portfolio design to completion. Portfolios are becoming a more common method of assessing the quality of student performance in health professions education. Portfolios can assist in documenting evidence of specific competencies at the student level and also serve as a longitudinal measure of a student’s development

Inhibition in Preschool Children at Risk of Developmental Language Disorder

© The Author(s) 2022. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)It has been hypothesised that executive function deficits, specifically inhibition difficulties, may play a central role in Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). The presented study compared the response inhibition abilities of typically developing preschool children, with monolingual and bilingual preschool children who had already been classed as being at risk of developing DLD. A non-word repetition test and two inhibition tasks were used along with a prospective memory task. The results indicated that children at risk of DLD performed significantly worse than typically developing children on all tasks. The findings suggest that children at risk of DLD are impaired in response inhibition. Educational and therapeutic implications are discussed.Peer reviewe

JLFT 010 Lancie Thomas 11-8-1996

Acc #: 328; JLFT 010 In this recording, Lancie Thomas is interviewed by John Beebee and Sheila Flanagan about John LeFlore and the Civil Rights Movement in Mobile, Alabama. The interview begins with Ms. Thomas discussing her and her husband’s work in founding the Mobile Beacon newspaper in Mobile’s Down the Bay neighborhood, and John LeFlore’s visits to the Beacon on his mail route. Ms. Thomas was in Tuscaloosa when Autherine Lucy attempted to integrate the University of Alabama, and she describes the work she did to support Ms. Lucy at that time, including helping to orchestrate community protective details to keep her safe when white people rioted and drove her from campus. She concludes the interview with reflections on Mr. LeFlore’s legacy

The GaAs solar cells with V-grooved emitters

Geometrically structured surfaces have become increasingly important to solar cell efficiency improvements and radiation tolerance. Gallium arsenide solar cells with a V-grooved front surface which demonstrate improved optical coupling and higher short-circuit current compared to planar cells were fabricated. GaAs homojunction cells were fabricated by organometallic chemical vapor deposition (OMCVD) on an n+ substrate. The V-grooves were formed on the surface with an anisotropic etch, and an n-type buffer and p-type emitter were grown by OMCVD, followed by ohmic contacts. Reflectivity measurements show significantly lower reflectance for the microgrooved cell compared to the planar structure. The short circuit current of the V-grooved solar cell is consistently higher than that of the planar controls

The Use of Simulation Training to Improve Knowledge, Skills, and Confidence Among Healthcare Students: A Systematic Review

Purpose: The use of simulation has become a routine part of education and training for health professionals in many health education facilities. The increased awareness of patient safety and recent advances in technology are the main incentives to use simulation to teach and evaluate clinical competencies. The primary purpose of this study was to review the best available evidence (level and quality) for the use of simulation training to improve clinical skills, knowledge, and self-confidence among healthcare students. Method: A systematic review of qualitative and quantitative literature published between 2000 and 2016 was undertaken using databases including PubMed, CINAHL®, and PsycINFO® databases as well as three journal collections within ProQuest. In addition to the database search, the literature search for this study included two additional activities: search results were compared against the bibliographies of the reviewed studies, and Google Scholar was used to search the Internet for relevant publications. Data from studies meeting inclusion criteria was extracted and summarized. The level and strength of evidence was rated for each study. Results: Of 1412 studies identified via the search strategy, 30 met the inclusion criteria for this systematic review. A wide variety of study designs, interventions, measurements, and simulation types were represented. Data for study location, health profession, sample size, purpose, simulation type, intervention, and outcome measure are presented via evidence tables by authors. Statistically and/or clinically significant improvements in knowledge, skills, and/or self-confidence following simulation training were reported. Primary and secondary outcomes were identified and summarized. Conclusions: Evidence demonstrates that the use of simulation in student education significantly improves knowledge, skills, and self-confidence. A quality improvement framework of five best practice components for application in simulation research is proposed, generated from the findings of this review. Future research employing high quality research designs focusing on debriefing practices, interprofessional education applications, validation of outcome measures, student satisfaction, and long-term information retention will contribute to the growing body of literature supporting best practices for simulation training in healthcare

Private Information, Overconfidence and Trader Returns in Prediction Markets

In lab experiments on the value of information in financial markets, groups of “insiders” are randomly chosen to receive perfect information. However, in typical (non-experimental) financial markets, investors often engage in extensive fundamental analysis, a process which may result in over-confidence in one’s private information. In this study, we examine trading volume, prices and trader returns in a set of four real money prediction markets where the values of securities are tied to a movie’s box office performance. Before the markets opened, every trader submitted a detailed forecast of the movie’s future performance. Therefore, all traders have self-generated private information, the accuracy of which can only be known ex-post.            As expected, the volume and timing of trading were consistent with over-confidence. In three of the four markets, contract prices were consistent with the prior information equilibrium. In those three markets, traders whose forecast was associated with the winning contract had significantly higher returns than traders whose forecasts suggested that another contract would pay off. In the other market, there were no significant differences in returns across trader groups. This research suggests that when traders are overconfident and trade accordingly, there can value to being better informed if the information is accurate.

Nonaqueous Fluoride/Chloride Anion-Promoted Delamination of Layered Zeolite Precursors: Synthesis and Characterization of UCB-2

The delamination of layered zeolite precursor PREFER is demonstrated under mild nonaqueous conditions using a mixture of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, tetrabutylammonium fluoride, and tetrabutylammonium chloride in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvent. The delamination proceeds through a swollen material intermediate which is characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). Subsequent addition of concentrated HCl at room temperature leads to synthesis of UCB-2 via delamination of the swollen PREFER material and is characterized using PXRD, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and argon gas physisorption, which shows lack of microporosity in UCB-2. ^(29)Si magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy indicates lack of amorphization during delamination, as indicated by the entire absence of Q^2 resonances, and ^(27)Al MAS NMR spectroscopy shows exclusively tetrahedral aluminum in the framework following delamination. The delamination process requires both chloride and fluoride anions and is sensitive to solvent, working well in DMF. Experiments aimed at synthesizing UCB-2 using aqueous conditions previously used for UCB-1 synthesis leads to partial swelling and lack of delamination upon acidification. A similar lack of delamination is observed upon attempting synthesis of UCB-1 under conditions used for UCB-2 synthesis. The delamination of PREFER is reversible between delaminated and swollen states in the following manner. Treatment of as-made UCB-2 with the same reagents as used here for the swelling of PREFER causes the delaminated UCB-2 material to revert back to swollen PREFER. This causes the delaminated UCB-2 material to revert back to swollen PREFER. Altogether, these results highlight delamination as the reverse of zeolite synthesis and demonstrate the crucial role of noncovalent self-assembly involving the zeolitic framework and cations/anions/structure-directing agent and solvent during the delamination process

A Study of Inhibition in Preschool Children at Risk of Developmental Language Disorder

Background: For many years, research and practice have noted the impact of the heterogeneous nature of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD - also known as language impairment or specific language impairment) on diagnosis and assessment. Recent research suggests the disorder is not restricted to the language domain and against this background, the challenge for the practitioner is to provide accurate assessment and effective therapy. The speech and language therapist (SLT) aims to support the child and their carers to achieve the best outcomes. However, little is known about the experiences of the SLT in the assessment process, in contrast to other childhood disorders, yet their expertise is central in the assessment and diagnosis of children with language disorder. The overall aims of the research were; firstly, to understand the issues in the diagnosis and assessment of children with language impairment and to synthesize the knowledge of SLTs working directly with children in this field; secondly, to investigate whether executive function abilities (i.e. inhibition and prospective memory) may be impaired in children at risk of developing DLD in the preschool period and thirdly, to investigate whether executive function tests correlate with a test of nonword repetition suitable for use with bilingual children. Study 1 aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of speech and language therapists involved in the assessment and diagnosis of children with DLD including the linguistic and nonlinguistic aspects of the disorder. Three focus groups were used to provide a credible and rich description of the experiences of SLTs involved in the assessment of DLD. The analysis of the data showed three main themes relating to the SLTs’ experience in assessment and diagnosis of DLD. These themes were the participants’ experiences of the barriers to early referral, factors in assessment and the concerns over continued future support. These findings informed the design of Study 2 which compared the inhibition abilities of typically developing preschool children, with monolingual preschool children and bilingual preschool children who had already been referred to specialist language units and were therefore classed as “at risk” of developing DLD. Three inhibition tasks were used (motor inhibition, verbal inhibition and self-control) along with a prospective memory task and a nonword repetition test. The results indicated that children deemed “at risk” of DLD performed significantly worse than typically developing children on all tasks. Correlational analysis revealed significant relationships between the nonword repetition test and inhibition in the typically developing group but different relationships were seen in the “at risk” groups. For the monolingual at risk group the association was with nonword repetition and verbal inhibition but in the bilingual group, nonword repetition was associated with nonverbal inhibition. These findings suggest that inhibition deficits can be observed in children who are “at risk” of DLD but the nature of the deficit may differ in monolingual children compared to bilingual children. The results are discussed in terms of theory and implications for therapeutic practice