Young children retain fast mapped object labels better than shape, color, and texture words

We compared short- and long-term retention of fast mapped color, shape and texture words as well as object labels. In an exposure session, 354 3- and 4-year-old children were shown a set of two familiar and three novel stimuli. One of the novel stimuli was labeled with a new object label, color, shape or texture word. Retention of the mapping between the new word and the novel object or property was measured either five minutes or one week later. After five minutes, retention was significantly above chance in all conditions. However, after one week only the mappings for object labels were retained above chance levels. Our findings suggest that fast mapped object labels are retained long-term better than color, shape and texture words. The results also highlight the importance of comparing short- and long-term retention when studying children’s word learning

Get your facts right : preschoolers systematically extend both object names and category-relevant facts

There is an ongoing debate over the extent to which language development shares common processing mechanisms with other domains of learning. It is well-established that toddlers will systematically extend object labels to similarly-shaped category exemplars (e.g., Landau, Smith, & Jones, 1988; Markman & Hutchinson, 1984). However, previous research is inconclusive as to whether young children will similarly extend factual information about an object to other category members. We explicitly contrast facts varying in category relevance, and test for extension using two different tasks. Three- to four-year-olds (N = 61) were provided with one of three types of information about a single novel object: a category-relevant fact (‘it’s from a place called Modi’), a category-irrelevant fact (‘my uncle gave it to me’), or an object label (‘it’s called a Modi’). At test, children provided with the object name or category-relevant fact were significantly more likely to display systematic category extension than children who learnt the category-irrelevant fact. Our findings contribute to a growing body of evidence that the mechanisms responsible for word learning may be domain-general in nature

Evidence Based IM Injection Practice

Abstract This evidence-based study of literature investigated best IM injection practice. The review was based on evidence from 3 main sources, all found on the CINAHL database. The three studies were reviewed and assessed, and best practice was found to be recommended. The first article found that several healthcare workers use different methods and techniques when administering IM injections, this leads to incorrect administration or injections not evidence based. The second article found that in order administer IM injections effectively, 5mm penetration into the muscle is needed. Therefore, skin bunching is not recommended for the reasoning that it creates a greater skin to muscle distance, with the possibility of not reaching the muscle. The third research article examined decreasing pain whilst administering IM injections. The results found that skin traction and pressure, opposed to skin bunching or no traction at all, decreases pain when administering injections IM. With mass vaccine administration taking place around the world this very moment, it is an absolute necessity that IM injections are being performed correctly and in accordance with evidence-based practice. Needle size selection must be chosen based on the patients BMI. Skin traction, opposed to skin bunching is the proper way to administer IM injection to ensure the medication or vaccine reaches the muscle. Making IM injection as painless as possible is important to ensure adherence to the full completion of vaccine doses. Keywords: Vaccine, IM Administration, COVID, Evidence-based practic

Pain Catastrophizing and Mindfulness: Exploring Mechanisms of Change Associated with Participation in a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program in Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Patients

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) affects up to half of those with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Chronic neuropathic pain, a common symptom of DPN, remains difficult to treat pharmacologically. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has demonstrated benefits in chronic pain populations and a recently completed randomized controlled trial demonstrated improved function among patients with DPN who completed the program. The present study used archival data from this recently completed trial, with 62 participants (Mean age = 59.7 years, SD = 8.8). It was predicted that improved function following MBSR training would be explained by increased mindfulness and a reduction of pain catastrophizing. Mediation analysis indicated that while mindfulness was a mediator, pain catastrophizing was not, when controlling for baseline scores. This suggests that MBSR may improve function through self-awareness and one's ability to engage in the present moment non-judgmentally, rather than through ones ability to control and reduce pain-related catastrophic cognitions

Addressing the needs of the children’s integrated workforce: A method for developing collaborative practice through joint learning

The delivery of welfare, health and educational provision to the majority of children aged 0–18 in England is primarily led by local authorities via their children’s integrated service. In 2004 the children’s integrated service model was launched and it promised the benefits of an integrated and collaborative system of working, regarding flexibility and responsiveness to national policy, local development and capacity building (Robinson et al, 2008). However, the implementation and emergence of this model has been characterised by competing local and national agendas, practitioner misunderstanding and lack of trust, a lack of strong leadership and also financial restrictions. It can therefore be contended that conceptually children’s integrated services are not operating fully with a collaborative and integrated workforce. As a possible solution to the current situation, it is proposed that joint learning, along with a combined continual professional development (CPD) framework, be made available as a valuable starting point for such organisations. Learning and working together has benefits for children and practitioners, and especially, as this article will argue, for playwork practitioners

Sustainable rangeland grazing in Norse Faroe

The introduction of domestic livestock - particularly sheep - and rangeland grazing by Norse settlers to Faroe during the 9th century has generally been described as a major pressure on a sensitive landscape, leading to rapid and widespread vegetation change and contributing to land degradation. This view has, however, been developed without consideration of Norse grazing management practices which may have served to minimise grazing impacts on landscapes as well as sustaining and enhancing vegetation and livestock productivity. These alternative scenarios are considered using a historical grazing management simulation model with Faroese climate and vegetation inputs and given archaeological, historical and palaeo-environmental parameters. Three contrasting rangeland areas are investigated and, based on the maximum number of ewe / lamb pairs the rangeland could sustain, modeling suggests that utilisable biomass declined with the onset of grazing activity, but not to a level that would cause major changes in vegetation cover or contribute to soil erosion even under climatically determined poor growth conditions. When rangeland areas partitioned into what are termed hagi and partir are modeled, grazing levels are still within rangeland carrying capacities, but productivities are variable. Some rangeland areas increase biomass and livestock productivity's and biomass utilisation rates while other rangeland areas that were too finely partitioned were likely to suffer substantial decline in livestock productivities. Partitioning of rangeland is a likely contributor to long-term differentiation of landscapes and the relative success of settlements across Faroe beyond the Norse period

Phase 2 trial of montelukast for prevention of pain in sickle cell disease.

Cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs) are lipid mediators of inflammation. In patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), levels of CysLTs are increased compared with controls and associated with a higher rate of hospitalization for pain. We tested the hypothesis that administration of the CysLT receptor antagonist montelukast would improve SCD-related comorbidities, including pain, in adolescents and adults with SCD. In a phase 2 randomized trial, we administered montelukast or placebo for 8 weeks. The primary outcome measure was a >30% reduction in soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM), a marker of vascular injury. Secondary outcome measures were reduction in daily pain, improvement in pulmonary function, and improvement in microvascular blood flow, as measured by laser Doppler velocimetry. Forty-two participants with SCD were randomized to receive montelukast or placebo for 8 weeks. We found no difference between the montelukast and placebo groups with regard to the levels of sVCAM, reported pain, pulmonary function, or microvascular blood flow. Although montelukast is an effective treatment for asthma, we did not find benefit for SCD-related outcomes. This clinical trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01960413

Unproceedings of the Fourth .Astronomy Conference (.Astronomy 4), Heidelberg, Germany, July 9-11 2012

The goal of the .Astronomy conference series is to bring together astronomers, educators, developers and others interested in using the Internet as a medium for astronomy. Attendance at the event is limited to approximately 50 participants, and days are split into mornings of scheduled talks, followed by 'unconference' afternoons, where sessions are defined by participants during the course of the event. Participants in unconference sessions are discouraged from formal presentations, with discussion, workshop-style formats or informal practical tutorials encouraged. The conference also designates one day as a 'hack day', in which attendees collaborate in groups on day-long projects for presentation the following morning. These hacks are often a way of concentrating effort, learning new skills, and exploring ideas in a practical fashion. The emphasis on informal, focused interaction makes recording proceedings more difficult than for a normal meeting. While the first .Astronomy conference is preserved formally in a book, more recent iterations are not documented. We therefore, in the spirit of .Astronomy, report 'unproceedings' from .Astronomy 4, which was held in Heidelberg in July 2012.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figure, .Astronomy 4, #dotastr

How do humans cradle their companion animals? The role of brain laterality, caregiving, and protection

Our research team are investigating how people hold or position their companion animals in relation to themselves, and how this relates to emotion, caregiving, and brain laterality. There is a wealth of research on human-infant cradling which shows that, in most circumstances, a mother will cradle and hold their infant child on the left side of their body regardless of their dominant hand (e.g., Bourne & Todd, 2004; Malatesta et al., 2020). Similarly, many animal species will display this behaviour with their own infants (e.g. chimpanzees), and where species cannot physically cradle their young (such as horses and orcas), the infant will often be positioned in the left visual field of the mother (Karenina et al., 2017; 2018). Although there is a lot of research on these cradling behaviours in conspecifics (members of the same species), there is a lack of research on interspecies cradling behaviours, specifically amongst humans and their companion animals. In this talk we will present the research we have conducted to date and discuss our experiences along the way. We will end by sharing what’s next for the team