A Preliminary Investigation of Velopharyngeal Timing in Normally Developing Preschool Children and Those with Speech Sound Disorders

As children acquire speech and language, they also begin to develop speech motor control. A widely accepted theoretical model for explaining speech acquisition and motor modifications necessary for appropriate speech is the Directions Into Velocities of Articulators (DIVA)model.This model posits that individuals plan and produce speech (feedforward system). If errors in speech are identified, they are modified since the DIVA Model includes a feedback system that is sensitive to such perturbations made during speech production (feedback system). This feedback system functions to make positive changes to one’s motor programming for speech. Literature suggests that children gain stability of articulators as they mature, but children with speech sound disorders (SSDs) achieve stability of articulators, e.g. jaw and lips, at a later age than their typically developing peers which may suggest a breakdown in their feedforward system. However, to our knowledge, no previous studies have analyzed velopharyngeal timing differences in children with SSDs in comparison to their typically developing peers. There is some limited evidence that suggests children with language delays present with delays in velopharyngeal development, which caused the researchers of the study to question the possibility of velopharyngeal timing differences in children with SSDs of unknown etiology. The findings of the current study indicate more variability in velopharyngeal timing for children with SSDs; however, comparison with children who had typically developing speech did not always show statistically significant differences. The trend of variability in velopharyngeal timing that was identified should be further examined with larger subject groups

Understanding the Public Education Gender Gap Amid Secondary and Central Office Administrators

Despite advances in political movements and societal awareness, there is still an obvious gender discrepancy among U.S. public education secondary school and superintendent positions plaguing our nation. Data indicates that most middle and high school classroom teaching positions are filled by women and yet more campuses and districts are led by men. The literature review uncovered two main categories that lead to this gap: external and internal factors. Societal bias, stereotypes, and hiring practices are among the external causations of this margin. Likewise, work life balance and self-desire to combat old organizational structure impact women internally from assuming advanced leadership positions. Based on this information, and two guiding questions addressing women’s challenges and perceptions were explored, and an anonymous survey of current and aspiring leaders from three Houston, Texas area public school districts was administered. The results demonstrate a correlation to the two categories discovered through the literature review and key findings were generated to gain more understanding into the gender gap. The study includes direct comments and experiences provided by the study group. More importantly, the study provided viable insight into steps and further study options that can be generated to continue the conversation addressing a more balanced leadership profile

Adolescent D-amphetamine treatment in a rodent model of ADHD: pro-cognitive effects in adolescence without an impact on cocaine cue reactivity in adulthood

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is comorbid with cocaine abuse. Whereas initiating ADHD medication in childhood does not alter later cocaine abuse risk, initiating medication during adolescence may increase risk. Preclinical work in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR) model of ADHD found that adolescent methylphenidate increased cocaine self-administration in adulthood, suggesting a need to identify alternatively efficacious medications for teens with ADHD. We examined effects of adolescent d-amphetamine treatment on strategy set shifting performance during adolescence and on cocaine self-administration and reinstatement of cocaine-seeking behavior (cue reactivity) during adulthood in male SHR, Wistar-Kyoto (inbred control), and Wistar (outbred control) rats. During the set shift phase, adolescent SHR needed more trials and had a longer latency to reach criterion, made more regressive errors and trial omissions, and exhibited slower and more variable lever press reaction times. d-Amphetamine improved performance only in SHR by increasing choice accuracy and decreasing errors and latency to criterion. In adulthood, SHR self-administered more cocaine, made more cocaine-seeking responses, and took longer to extinguish lever responding than control strains. Adolescent d-amphetamine did not alter cocaine self-administration in adult rats of any strain, but reduced cocaine seeking during the first of seven reinstatement test sessions in adult SHR. These findings highlight utility of SHR in modeling cognitive dysfunction and comorbid cocaine abuse in ADHD. Unlike methylphenidate, d-amphetamine improved several aspects of flexible learning in adolescent SHR and did not increase cocaine intake or cue reactivity in adult SHR. Thus, adolescent d-amphetamine was superior to methylphenidate in this ADHD model.R01 DA011716 - NIDA NIH HHS; DA011716 - NIDA NIH HH

The Business of Being Good: How it Pays to Be a Humanitarian State

In an era where human rights increasingly take a position of primacy in international relations, certain states have donned the mantle of the humanitarian, prioritizing human rights over nearly every other item on the foreign policy agenda and mainstreaming humanitarianism in other areas of foreign policy. Existing arguments find that states that advance humanitarian policies are coerced, socialized, or mimicking, but they fail to seriously consider that states may choose and benefit from humanitarianism in several ways. We do not focus on explaining or theorizing why states have chosen to engage in humanitarianism; rather, we offer an analysis of the potential benefits of doing so that make it a viable policy choice. Humanitarian national policy certainly strengthens reputation, but that reputation also has the potential to create access to economic and security benefits not available to other states. Additionally, states and state leaders gain domestic political benefits from advancing humanitarian goals. In this paper, we explore the case of Norway and how its position as humanitarian state in the international community has afforded it a leadership position in international relations with the capacity to shun the interests of even the most powerful states in favor of its humanitarian aims

Estimating the influence of different urban canopy cover types on atmospheric particulate matter (PM10) pollution abatement in London UK

In the urban environment atmospheric pollution by PM10 (particulate matter with a diameter less than 10 x 10-6 m) is a problem that can have adverse effects on human health, particularly increasing rates of respiratory disease. The main contributors to atmospheric PM10 in the urban environment are road traffic, industry and powerproduction. The urban tree canopy is a receptor for removing PM10s from the atmosphere due to the large surface areas generated by leaves and air turbulence created by the structure of the urban forest. In this context urban greening has long been known as a mechanism to contribute towards PM10 removal from the air, furthermore, tree canopy cover has a role in contributing towards a more sustainable urban environment.The work reported here has been carried out within the BRIDGE project (SustainaBle uRban plannIng Decision support accountinG for urban mEtabolism). The aim of this project is to assess the fluxes of energy, water, carbon dioxide and particulates within the urban environment and develope a DSS (Decision Support System) to aid urban planners in sustainable development. A combination of published urban canopy cover data from ground, airborne and satellite based surveys was used. For each of the 33 London boroughs the urban canopy was classified to three groups, urban woodland, street trees and garden trees and each group quantified in terms of ground cover. The total [PM10] for each borough was taken from the LAEI (London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory 2006) and the contribution to reducing [PM10] was assessed for each canopy type. Deposition to the urban canopy was assessed using the UFORE (Urban Forest Effects Model) approach. Deposition to the canopy, boundary layer height and percentage reduction of the [PM10] in the atmosphere was assessed using both hourly meterological data and [PM10] and seasonal data derived from annual models. Results from hourly and annual data were compared with measured values. The model was then applied to future predictions of annual [PM10] and future canopy cover scenarios for London. The contribution of each canopy type subjected to the different atmospheric [PM10] of the 33 London boroughs now and in the future will be discussed. Implementing these findings into a decision support system (DSS) for sustainable urban planning will also be discussed<br/

From Acceptable Loss to Unacceptable Harm: How Norm Entrepreneurs Co-opted the Human Rights Discourse (abstract)

Contemporary human rights campaigns have created a shift in the discourse by reframing and co-opting the language surrounding high politics issues such as arms control and human security. The atrocities of the twentieth century led to increased interest in minimizing the costs of war, converging in an international norm privileging the protection of human life. While the dominant discourse in IHL has been geared towards rights of the human, a new approach framing human rights as duties of the state has gained traction resulting in victories for various human rights campaigns. This shift has placed the onus on states to follow particular rules of war to uphold human rights rather than focus on the post hoc consequences of their conduct. This paper explores the invocation of different types of ethical discourses and their impact on the outcomes of human rights campaigns, finding that a discourse with a deontological frame is the easiest to interpret with the lowest cost and is consequently most effective as a campaign tool. By serving as a heuristic for moral behavior this underutilized frame reverses the burden of making moral judgments back onto potential human rights violators and shifts the moral choice prior to any loss of life

Complete Genome Sequences of Four Putatively Antibiotic-Producing Bacteria Isolated from Soil in Arkansas, USA

Soil bacteria can be a valuable source of antimicrobial compounds. Here, we report the complete genomes of four soil bacteria that were isolated by undergraduate microbiology students as part of a course-based research experience. These genomes were assembled using a hybrid approach combining paired-end Illumina reads with Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION reads

Our Students’ Minds Matter: Integrating Mindfulness Practices into Special Education Classrooms

This article explores the usefulness of mindfulness practices in special education classrooms. Mindfulness is defined as the ability to regulate and control one’s attention with an orientation toward the present moment. Mindfulness practices of breathing, imagery, movement, reflection, and acceptance exercises are described along with research on the social, behavioral, and attentional effects following mindfulness interventions. The article concludes with practical considerations for special educators considering implementing mindfulness practices into curriculum, along with future directions for mindfulness in the field of special education

The relationship between alcohol purchasing, rurality, and poverty status in Zambia

The Zambian alcohol industry continues to facilitate increasing alcohol purchasing and consumption despite high rates of poverty. Data from the 2006 and 2015 Living Conditions Monitoring Surveys were analyzed to examine relationships between selfreported poverty status, alcohol purchasing, and alcohol expenditure stratified by rural-urban status. Across all poverty levels in 2006 and among the&nbsp; moderately poor in 2015, rural households purchased alcohol at similar or greater levels compared to urban households. Overall alcohol purchasing decreased; however, significant differences in alcohol expenditure from 2006 to 2015 were observed among rural (p = 0.014) and urban (p = 0.009)&nbsp; drinkers. Research is needed, to better understand driving factors for alcohol use and to provide targeted prevention and treatment programs in rural Zambia