Including Everyone: Training Typically Developing Children to Employ Positive Inclusion Practices

With the current prevalence of 1 in 88 people, the incidence of autism has continued to rise and some consider it epidemic. Children with autism are challenged by social interaction such as missing social cues, lack of imitation, restricted interests, and possibly preferring to play alone. Many children with autism attend public schools and are educated in the general education classroom. Researchers have found that peers with typical social skills have great potential to positively impact students with autism; however, children often do not receive training on how to implement positive inclusion strategies despite attempts to educate parents, teachers, and administrators. Our research addresses the outcome of teaching typically developing peers social situation awareness and inclusion strategies to use with their classmates with autism or low incidence disabilities. Our method of research will utilize the Montana Behavioral Initiative (MBI) strategies which implements three steps: teaching, practicing, and reinforcing positive behaviors. In combination with MBI, the evidence-based practice of video modeling will be used by showing the participants videos of peers of similar age conducting successful social interactions. A survey of speech-language pathologists in Montana conducted in January of 2014 revealed that a) asking a peer to play and b) sharing materials are priority for inclusion. These areas will be targeted in the study and data will be collected using formative and summative methods. Finding an effective and consistent method to teach typically developing peers how to implement positive inclusion strategies will result in inclusion of children with autism and other low incidence disabilities in the regular education setting

Preschool Writing Instruction: Modeling the Writing Stages

Writing is an essential component of language development and early literacy. With the growing focus on national and state education standards, the early foundation of writing and literacy skills proves to be an area of importance and concern; however, limited research has been conducted in the area of preschool writing instruction. This study investigated writing and other foundational literacy skills in preschoolers following three different instructional conditions. Preschoolers (n=85), who attended a preschool educational setting serving low-income families, were randomly assigned to classrooms in three research groups: control, comparison, and treatment. The control group participated in implicit writing experiences and instruction, typical in many preschool classrooms. Students in the comparison group received biweekly modeled adult writing instruction, and students in the treatment group received biweekly modeled emergent writing instruction over a 10 week period of time. Pre- and post-assessment of early literacy skills indicated that children who received modeled emergent writing and those who received modeled adult writing demonstrated statistically significant improvement in their early writing skills compared to children in the control group who did not receive explicit writing instruction. Results indicated no statistical significance for letter knowledge, print concept, and phonological awareness skill growth between the research groups. Writing skill growth occurred among 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old participants. This study contributes to the knowledge base of the most effective and efficient form of writing instruction for preschool children building early literacy foundations needed for later achievement

Dam Mitigation: Collaboration or Confrontation? Take Your Pick: Clark Fork Projects Hydro Relicensing

In the United States, privately owned hydroelectric facilities operate under fifty year licenses issued and administered by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The usual process of license renewal involves consternation, confrontation, and litigation, resulting in delayed environmental mitigation and damaged professional relationships. Faced with the upcoming relicensing of two large hydroelectric facilities in the year 2001, Avista Corporation (formally Washington Water Power Company) knew that there had to be a better way. In February of 1999, Avista Corporation filed a renewal application culminating seven years of environmental studies and consultation with state and federal agencies, tribes, local government, landowners, and special interest groups. The heart of the application is the Clark Fork Settlement Agreement, representing consensus among 27 parties on all environmental and operational issues. The Settlement Agreement, based on the principles of adaptive management, provides for greater local control, allows for early implementation of natural resource enhancements (March 1999), provides for the management of dynamic resources through the new term of the license, and establishes long term, collaborative working relationships. This Clark Fork collaborative is nationally recognized as a model for FERC’s recently adopted alternative approach to relicensing. A better way. Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) recovery is a key issue in the relicensing of the Clark Fork projects. Listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, bull trout are the subject of a comprehensive restoration plan developed by the collaborative participants. Avista Corp. funding of fisheries programs in northern Idaho and northwestern Montana will benefit all native salmonids, but with a particular emphasis on bull trout

Methamphetamine Reduces LTP and Increases Baseline Synaptic Transmission in the CA1 Region of Mouse Hippocampus

Methamphetamine (METH) is an addictive psychostimulant whose societal impact is on the rise. Emerging evidence suggests that psychostimulants alter synaptic plasticity in the brain—which may partly account for their adverse effects. While it is known that METH increases the extracellular concentration of monoamines dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, it is not clear how METH alters glutamatergic transmission. Within this context, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of acute and systemic METH on basal synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation (LTP; an activity-induced increase in synaptic efficacy) in CA1 sub-field in the hippocampus. Both the acute ex vivo application of METH to hippocampal slices and systemic administration of METH decreased LTP. Interestingly, the acute ex vivo application of METH at a concentration of 30 or 60 µM increased baseline synaptic transmission as well as decreased LTP. Pretreatment with eticlopride (D2-like receptor antagonist) did not alter the effects of METH on synaptic transmission or LTP. In contrast, pretreatment with D1/D5 dopamine receptor antagonist SCH23390 or 5-HT1A receptor antagonist NAN-190 abrogated the effect of METH on synaptic transmission. Furthermore, METH did not increase baseline synaptic transmission in D1 dopamine receptor haploinsufficient mice. Our findings suggest that METH affects excitatory synaptic transmission via activation of dopamine and serotonin receptor systems in the hippocampus. This modulation may contribute to synaptic maladaption induced by METH addiction and/or METH-mediated cognitive dysfunction

Dopamine D3 Receptors Inhibit Hippocampal Gamma Oscillations by Disturbing CA3 Pyramidal Cell Firing Synchrony

Cortical gamma oscillations are associated with cognitive processes and are altered in several neuropsychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease. Since dopamine D3 receptors are possible targets in treatment of these conditions, it is of great importance to understand their role in modulation of gamma oscillations. The effect of D3 receptors on gamma oscillations and the underlying cellular mechanisms were investigated by extracellular local field potential and simultaneous intracellular sharp micro-electrode recordings in the CA3 region of the hippocampus in vitro. D3 receptors decreased the power and broadened the bandwidth of gamma oscillations induced by acetylcholine or kainate. Blockade of the D3 receptors resulted in faster synchronization of the oscillations, suggesting that endogenous dopamine in the hippocampus slows down the dynamics of gamma oscillations by activation of D3 receptors. Investigating the underlying cellular mechanisms for these effects showed that D3 receptor activation decreased the rate of action potentials (APs) during gamma oscillations and reduced the precision of the AP phase coupling to the gamma cycle in CA3 pyramidal cells. The results may offer an explanation how selective activation of D3 receptors may impair cognition and how, in converse, D3 antagonists may exert pro-cognitive and antipsychotic effects

Cold hardiness and deacclimation of overwintering Papilio zelicaon pupae

Seasonally-acquired cold tolerance can be reversed at warm temperatures, leaving temperate ectotherms vulnerable to cold snaps. However, deacclimation, and its underlying mechanisms, has not been well-explored in insects. Swallowtail butterflies are widely distributed but in some cases their range is limited by low temperature and their cold tolerance is seasonally acquired, implying that they experience mortality resulting from deacclimation. We investigated cold tolerance and hemolymph composition of Anise swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon) pupae during overwintering in the laboratory, and after four days exposure to warm temperatures in spring. Overwintering pupae had supercooling points around − 20.5 °C and survived brief exposures to − 30 °C, suggesting partial freeze tolerance. Overwintering pupae had hemolymph osmolality of approximately 920 mOsm, imparted by high concentrations of glycerol, K+ and Na+. After exposure to spring warming, supercooling points increased to approximately − 17 °C, and survival of a 1 h exposure to − 20 °C decreased from 100% to 0%. This deacclimation was associated with decreased hemolymph osmolality and reduced glycerol, trehalose, Na+ and Ca2 + concentrations. We compared cold tolerance of pupae to weather conditions at and beyond the species\u27 northern range boundary. Minimum temperatures at the range boundary approached the lower lethal temperature of pupae, and were colder north of the range, suggesting that cold hardiness may set northern range limits. Minimum temperatures following warm snaps were likely to cause mortality in at least one of the past three years. Cold snaps in the spring are increasing in frequency as a result of global climate change, so are likely to be a significant source of mortality for this species, and other temperate ectotherms

Bridging the gap: safety and outcomes of intensivist-led ECMO retrievals

PurposeMost extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) cannulations are performed by cardiothoracic surgeons (CTS). Due to an increase in utilization of ECMO and limited availability of CTS, there is a mismatch between ECMO demand and CTS accessibility for remote cannulations. We report our intensivist-led program’s experience in remote ECMO cannulations, retrievals, complications, and outcomes.Materials and methodsA prospective, single-center, observational study was performed on patients that required ECMO cannulation at the referring facilities and were transported to our institution between program initiation, on October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2022. Results were presented as mean ± SD, median (min – max) or number (%).ResultsSince program commencement, 305 patients were accepted for ECMO retrieval. Three hundred and three patients were placed on ECMO at the 47 referring hospitals among 5 states. In our study, 185 (61%) patients required veno-arterial ECMO and 115 (38%) were placed on veno-venous ECMO. Three patients (1%) were cannulated for veno-arteriovenous ECMO. Twenty patients were cannulated under cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. Most of the patients were transported by ambulance (79%), 14% by helicopter, and 7% by airplane. Six out of the 303 patients did not leave the referring facility. All patients that left the referring hospitals arrived safely to our institution. No major complications occurred in route.ConclusionOur study’s findings indicate that non-CTS physicians can successfully cannulate and retrieve patients with a low complication profile

Cold truths: how winter drives responses of terrestrial organisms to climate change

Winter is a key driver of individual performance, community composition, and ecological interactions in terrestrial habitats. Although climate change research tends to focus on performance in the growing season, climate change is also modifying winter conditions rapidly. Changes to winter temperatures, the variability of winter conditions, and winter snow cover can interact to induce cold injury, alter energy and water balance, advance or retard phenology, and modify community interactions. Species vary in their susceptibility to these winter drivers, hampering efforts to predict biological responses to climate change. Existing frameworks for predicting the impacts of climate change do not incorporate the complexity of organismal responses to winter. Here, we synthesise organismal responses to winter climate change, and use this synthesis to build a framework to predict exposure and sensitivity to negative impacts. This framework can be used to estimate the vulnerability of species to winter climate change. We describe the importance of relationships between winter conditions and performance during the growing season in determining fitness, and demonstrate how summer and winter processes are linked. Incorporating winter into current models will require concerted effort from theoreticians and empiricists, and the expansion of current growing-season studies to incorporate winter