Parental participation in Speech & Language Therapy (SLT) treatments in young children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN):levels, predictors and relations with child outcome

Between 5-8% of young children have Speech, Language, Communication Needs (SLCN); persisting SLCN has long-term effects on social, emotional and educational development. Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) is central to the diagnosis and of therapy for such children. Efficacious interventions require that a participant is both present and engaged and in young children parental involvement is necessary, however, little is known about parent participation in SLT. This PhD comprised a 3-phase study designed to identify levels of parental participation in SLT interventions with children (<5 years); identify predictors, and explore child outcome-participation relationships following therapy.Phase 1 was a qualitative interview study with parents classified as consistent or inconsistent attenders, to explore parental engagement. Three super-ordinate themes were identified capturing all views relating to parents beliefs, emotions and experiences. Differences between groups indicated that early recognition, active referral-seeking and a parental belief in their role in the cause and solution may motivate attendance. Some degree of self-doubt about parenting skills may have been a motivating factor.Phase 2 involved the development and piloting of the IPQR-SLCN, a self-efficacy measure, satisfaction scales and an assessment of the appropriateness of the main outcome measures to be used in Phase 3.Phase 3: This cohort study explored the predictors of attendance, adherence and relationships with child outcome. Parents completed a range of questionnaires at two time points (baseline N=199, follow-up N=148) to assess the influence of factors within the domains of parents beliefs (illness perceptions, self-efficacy), personal circumstances (socio-demographics, family functioning) treatment experience and child factors, on participation and child outcome. Predictors of attendance, adherence and outcome were identified through multiple regression analyses. The main predictors of attendance included maternal age, education level and two factors within the parent beliefs domain. Parental rating of the importance of a recommendation and specific self-efficacy beliefs predicted adherence. Child factors, parent beliefs and satisfaction with treatment predicted child outcome. Neither attendance nor adherence predicted child outcome.This thesis presented the first evidence for what motivates parents to participate in their child’s SLT. Further research is required for the generation of a comprehensive model of participation in SLT and to development interventions for enhancing participation. This thesis raised questions for the SLT profession about the assessment of young children, the identification of those who require specialist interventions and the issue of dosage

Dangers and opportunities in managing temporary ponds

Although there is a growing awareness of the value of temporary ponds in Europe, there is still remarkably little information available to help guide their conservation and management. General principles which can be used to guide the management of temporary ponds as a whole have yet to be established. The aim of this article, therefore, is to give a broader overview of the main principles of temporary pond conservation, particularly by building on a number of general principles for managing ponds previously described by Biggs et al. (1994) and Williams et al. The authors emphasise the importance of surveys in order to get data on which to base management strategies. The main principles of temporary pond management are described, and examples of three case studies of ponds in England are given

History, origins and importance of temporary ponds

In Europe, temporary ponds are a naturally common and widespread habitat occurring, often in abundance, in all biogeographical regions from the boreal snow-melt pools of northern Scandinavia to the seasonally inundated coastal dune pools of southern Spain. Ecological studies in Europe and elsewhere also emphasise that temporary ponds are a biologically important habitat type, renowned both for their specialised assemblages and the considerable numbers of rare and endemic species they support. They are, however, a habitat currently under considerable threat. Most temporary ponds are inherently shallow and the majority are destroyed even by limited soil drainage for agriculture or urban development. The paper gives an overview of definitions of temporary ponds and examines their formation and abundance. The authors also summarise a visit to the Bialowieza Forest in Poland to investigate the occurrence of temporary ponds

The dominant X-ray wind in massive star binaries

We investigate which shocked wind is responsible for the majority of the X-ray emission in colliding wind binaries, an issue where there is some confusion in the literature, and which we show is more complicated than has been assumed. We find that where both winds rapidly cool (typically close binaries), the ratio of the wind speeds is often more important than the momentum ratio, because it controls the energy flux ratio, and the faster wind is generally the dominant emitter. When both winds are largely adiabatic (typically long-period binaries), the slower and denser wind will cool faster and the stronger wind generally dominates the X-ray luminosity.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, accepted by A&A Letter

Increased canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (cPLI) and 1,2-o-dilauryl-rac-glycero-3-glutaric acid-(6 '-methylresorufin) ester (DGGR) lipase in dogs with evidence of portal hypertension and normal pancreatic histology : a pilot study

The clinical presentations of both liver disease and pancreatitis are nonspecific and overlapping, which may cause difficulty in diagnosis. In our retrospective pilot study, we assessed whether dogs with evidence of portal hypertension and absence of pancreatitis on pancreatic histology have increases in canine pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity (cPLI) and 1,2-o-dilauryl-rac-glycero-3-glutaric acid-(6 '-methylresorufin) ester (DGGR) lipase. We included dogs that had been presented between 2008 and 2019 if they had normal pancreatic histology, histologically confirmed hepatopathy, and if canine pancreas-specific lipase (Spec cPL; Idexx) or DGGR lipase had been measured. Only dogs with portal hypertension were included. Six dogs fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Four of 6 and 2 of 6 dogs had Spec cPL and DGGR lipase exceeding the upper reference limit, respectively. From the 4 dogs with increased Spec cPL, 2 had concentrations of 200-400 mu g/L and 2 had concentrations >= 400 mu g/L. Our results suggest that canine portal hypertension might lead to increased Spec cPL and DGGR lipase values in the absence of pancreatitis on histology. Until more evidence in a larger number of dogs with portal hypertension is available, both tests should be interpreted cautiously in the presence of portal hypertension

Breakfast and exercise contingently affect postprandial metabolism and energy balance in physically active males

The present study examined the impact of breakfast and exercise on postprandial metabolism, appetite and macronutrient balance. A sample of twelve (blood variables n 11) physically active males completed four trials in a randomised, crossover design comprising a continued overnight fast followed by: (1) rest without breakfast (FR); (2) exercise without breakfast (FE); (3) breakfast consumption(1859 kJ) followed by rest (BR); (4) breakfast consumption followed by exercise (BE). Exercise was continuous, moderate-intensity running (expending approximately 2·9MJ of energy). The equivalent time was spent sitting during resting trials. A test drink (1500 kJ) was ingested on all trials followed 90 min later by an ad libitum lunch. The difference between the BR and FR trials in blood glucose time-averaged AUC following test drink consumption approached significance (BR: 4·33 (SEM 0·14) v. FR: 4·75 (SEM 0·16) mmol/l; P¼0·08); but it was not different between FR and FE (FE: 4·77 (SEM 0·14) mmol/l; P¼0·65); and was greater in BE (BE: 4·97 (SEM 0·13) mmol/l) v. BR(P¼0·012). Appetite following the test drink was reduced in BR v. FR (P¼0·006) and in BE v. FE (P¼0·029). Following lunch, the most positive energy balance was observed in BR and least positive in FE. Regardless of breakfast, acute exercise produced a less positive energy balance following ad libitum lunch consumption. Energy and fat balance is further reduced with breakfast omission. Breakfast improved the overall appetite responses to foods consumed later in the day, but abrogated the appetite suppressive effect of exercise

Demographic characteristics of exploited tropical lutjanids: a comparative analysis

Demographic parameters from seven exploited coral reef lutjanid species were compared as a case study of the implications of intrafamily variation in life histories for multispecies harvest management. Modal lengths varied by 4 cm among four species (Lutjanus fulviflamma, L. vitta, L. carponotatus, L. adetii), which were at least 6 cm smaller than the modal lengths of the largest species (L. gibbus, Symphorus nematophorus, Aprion virescens). Modal ages, indicating ages of full selection to fishing gear, were 10 years or less for all species, but maximum ages ranged from 12 (L. gibbus) to 36 years (S. nematophorus). Each species had a unique growth pattern, with differences in length-at-age and mean asymptotic fork length (L∞), but smaller species generally grew fast during the first 1–2 years of life and larger species grew more slowly over a longer period. Total mortality rates varied among species; L. gibbus had the highest mortality and L. fulviflamma, the lowest mortality. The variability in life history strategies of these tropical lutjanids makes generalizations about lutjanid life histories difficult, but the fact that all seven had characteristics that would make them particularly vulnerable to fishing indicates that harvest of tropical lutjanids should be managed with caution

Assessing the Vegetative Diversity of an East Texas Golf Course using Principles of Landscape Ecology

The objectives of this study was to determine the vegetative diversity and the effects of the edge between fairways (introduced patches) and out-of-bounds areas (remnant patches) to determine if such management activities influence plant diversity. This study was conducted at the Pineywoods Country Club in the Pineywoods Region of East Texas near Nacogdoches, TX, USA by assessing the spatial distribution of these matrices and patches and their influence on edge effect composition and structure in the matrix; and, if species diversity and composition differed between these edges and interior of the matrices. Nested plots were placed along transects and canopy cover, percent cover, number of individuals by species, tree density, and percent cover of ground cover materials were analyzed using ordination. Dbh, shrub and herbaceous percent cover, and canopy cover were tested for normality utilizing a Shapiro-Wilk normality test, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney was used to analyze edge plots and interior plots, and @RISK goodness-of-fit measures were utilized to identify percent cover data distributions. Statistical differences (0.05 α level) between the edge and interior dbh and shrub datasets and a similarity between the edge and interior datasets of the overstory and herbaceous strata were found. Many of the interior shrub plots had a higher H’ (Shannon-Wiener index) and D (Simpson’s index) than the edge plots. Canopy cover was often over 70%, and herbaceous species abundance was often higher (1-11 species) than that of the shrub stratum (1-3 species). Beta diversity indicated that the remnant patches were diverse ( between 0.19-0.30) within all three strata. Natural and anthropogenic disturbances altered the structure and function of the remnant patches: tree density decreased in edge plots due to management. Canopy cover was high over edge plots; however, light was able to reach the ground at an angle across the fairway. Past and current management practices combined with disturbance events have caused the interior of the remnant patches to be disturbed to the degree that they were not representative of the Pineywoods eco-region. The exceptional drought in 2011 may have influenced these results. It was not determined whether the fairway patches within the forest matrix resulted in edge effects