Dawson College

OBJECTIVE: To explore the specific gross neuroanatomic substrates of this brain developmental disorder, the authors examine brain morphometric features in a large sample of carefully diagnosed 3- to 4-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with age-matched control groups of typically developing (TD) children and developmentally delayed (DD) children. METHODS: Volumes of the cerebrum, cerebellum, amygdala, and hippocampus were measured from three-dimensional coronal MR images acquired from 45 children with ASD, 26 TD children, and 14 DD children. The volumes were analyzed with respect to age, sex, volume of the cerebrum, and clinical status. RESULTS: Children with ASD were found to have significantly increased cerebral volumes compared with TD and DD children. Cerebellar volume for the ASD group was increased in comparison with the TD group, but this increase was proportional to overall increases in cerebral volume. The DD group had smaller cerebellar volumes compared with both of the other groups. Measurements of amygdalae and hippocampi in this group of young children with ASD revealed enlargement bilaterally that was proportional to overall increases in total cerebral volume. There were similar findings of cerebral enlargement for both girls and boys with ASD. For subregion analyses, structural abnormalities were observed primarily in boys, although this may reflect low statistical power issues because of the small sample (seven girls with ASD) studied. Among the ASD group, structural findings were independent of nonverbal IQ. In a subgroup of children with ASD with strictly defined autism, amygdalar enlargement was in excess of increased cerebral volume. CONCLUSIONS: These structural findings suggest abnormal brain developmental processes early in the clinical course of autism. Research currently is underway to better elucidate mechanisms underlying these structural abnormalities and their longitudinal progression.

It is commonly asserted that qualitative research in the organizational sciences lacks the rigor and objectivity of the quantitative approach. Case studies, while commonly used for educational purposes, have been viewed in a less favorable light in terms of research. This paper suggests that case studies represent an important research track in organizational science, not only as a method of generating hypotheses for quantitative studies, but for generating and testing theory. The paper will develop arguments in support of case study research, will highlight particular issues and constraints relating to case study research, and will offer recommendations for the use of this method.

Abstract. Peatlands are a major terrestrial carbon store and a persistent natural carbon sink during the Holocene, but there is considerable uncertainty over the fate of peatland carbon in a changing climate. It is generally assumed that higher temperatures will increase peat decay, causing a positive feedback to climate warming and contributing to the global positive carbon cycle feedback. Here we use a new extensive database of peat profiles across northern high latitudes to examine spatial and temporal patterns of carbon accumulation over the past millennium. Opposite to expectations, our results indicate a small negative carbon cycle feedback from past changes in the long-term accumulation rates of northern peatlands. Total carbon accumulated over the last 1000 yr is linearly related to contemporary growing season length and photosynthetically active radiation, suggesting that variability in net primary productivity is more important than decomposition in determining long-term carbon accumulation. Furthermore, northern peatland carbon sequestration rate declined over the climate transition from the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) to the Little Ice Age (LIA), probably because of lower LIA temperatures combined with increased cloudiness suppressing net primary productivity. Other factors including changing moisture status, peatland distribution, fire, nitrogen deposition, permafrost thaw and methane emissions will also influence future peatland carbon cycle feedbacks, but our data suggest that the carbon sequestration rate could increase over many areas of northern peatlands in a warmer future.

This paper reviews information from ecological and physiological studies to assess how extrinsic factors can modulate intrinsic physiological processes. The annual cycle of birds is made up of a sequence of life-history stages: breeding, moult and migration. Each stage has evolved to occur at the optimum time and to last for the whole duration of time available. Some species have predictable breeding seasons, others are more flexible and some breed opportunistically in response to unpredictable food availability. Photoperiod is the principal environmental cue used to time each stage, allowing birds to adapt their physiology in advance of predictable environmental changes. Physiological (neuroendocrine and endocrine) plasticity allows non-photoperiodic cues to modulate timing to enable individuals to cope with, and benefit from, short-term environmental variability. Although the timing and duration of the period of full gonadal maturation is principally controlled by photoperiod, non-photoperiodic cues, such as temperature, rainfall or food availability, could potentially modulate the exact time of breeding either by fine-tuning the time of egg-laying within the period of full gonadal maturity or, more fundamentally, by modulating gonadal maturation and/or regression. The timing of gonadal regression affects the time of the start of moult, which in turn may affect the duration of the moult. There are many areas of uncertainty. Future integrated studies are required to assess the scope for flexibility in life-history strategies as this will have a critical bearing on whether birds can adapt sufficiently rapidly to anthropogenic environmental changes, in particular climate change.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the profiles of visual dysfunction and their relationship to motor and cognitive dysfunction and to disability in mild to moderate Parkinson disease (PD) without dementia. METHODS: Seventy-six independently living participants with mild to moderate PD and 161 neurologically normal older adults were studied using a comprehensive battery to assess visual acuity, contrast sensitivity (CS), visual speed of processing and attention, spatial and motion perception, visual and verbal memory, visuoconstructional abilities, executive functions, depression, and motor function. RESULTS: Participants with PD scored significantly worse on all tests of vision and cognition compared with normal elderly persons. Reduced CS contributed to deficits on tests of spatial and motion perception and attention in participants with PD. Impairments in visual attention and spatial perception predicted worse cognitive function. Worse performances on tests of visual speed of processing and attention, spatial and motion perception, visual construction, and executive functions correlated with measures of postural instability and gait difficulty (in the Motor section of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale). Impairments in motor function, visual memory, mood, and executive functions predicted worse disability as measured by Schwab-England Activities of Daily Living Scale. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with mild to moderate Parkinson disease showed impaired visual perception and cognition compared with elderly control subjects. Visual dysfunction contributes to parkinsonian disability through its influences on cognition and locomotion.

During evolution, the mammalian cerebral cortex has expanded disproportionately to brain volume. As a consequence, most mammals with large brains have profusely convoluted cortices. The human cortex is a good example of this trend, however, given the large variability in human brain size, it is not clear how cortical folding varies from the smallest to the largest brains. We analyzed cortical folding in a large cohort of human subjects exhibiting a 1.7-fold variation in brain volume. We show that the same disproportionate increase of cortical surface relative to brain volume observed across species can be also observed across human brains: the largest brains can have up to 20% more surface than a scaled-up small brain. We introduce next a novel local measure of cortical folding, and we show that the correlation between cortical folding and size varies along a rostro-caudal gradient, being especially significant in the prefrontal cortex. The expansion of the cerebral cortex, and in particular that of its prefrontal region, is a major evolutionary landmark in the emergence of human cognition. Our results suggest that this may be, at least in part, a natural outcome of increasing brain size.

OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to quantify absolute hepatic arterial and portal venous perfusion noninvasively in patients with and without liver disease using ultrafast CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A single slice through the porta hepatis was repeatedly scanned after bolus injection of 25 ml of iohexol 300 mg I/ml, followed by a 25 ml saline "chaser" intravenously at 10 ml/s. Thirty-nine controls, 7 cirrhotic patients, and 5 patients with known metastases on the slice plane were studied; hepatic arterial perfusion was determined in 41 patients and portal venous perfusion in 24. Time-attenuation curves from regions of interest drawn over the liver, spleen, aorta, and portal vein were analysed. Hepatic arterial perfusion was calculated by dividing the peak gradient of the liver time-attenuation curve prior to the time of peak splenic attenuation by the peak aortic CT number increase. Splenic perfusion was calculated by dividing the peak gradient of the splenic time-attenuation curve by the peak aortic CT number increase. Portal perfusion was derived by scaling the splenic time-attenuation curve by the ratio of hepatic arterial/splenic perfusion. This scaled curve was subtracted from the liver time-attenuation curve to give a portal curve. The peak up-slope of this curve was divided by the peak rise in splenic or portal vein density. RESULTS: Hepatic arterial perfusion averaged 0.19 ml/min/ml (n = 31) in controls and was raised in cirrhosis to 0.25 ml/min/ml (n = 6) and metastases 0.43 ml/min/ml (n = 4). Portal venous perfusion was 0.93 ml/min/ml (n = 19) in controls and 0.43 ml/min/ml (n = 4) in cirrhosis. Reproducibility has been confirmed. CONCLUSION: Dynamic ultrafast CT shows potential in quantifying arterial and portal hepatic perfusion. The technique may be adaptable to dynamic bolus MRI.

Kidney transplant physicians and surgeons met in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, from April 1–4, 2004 for the International Forum on the Care of the Live Kidney Donor. Forum participants included over 100 experts and leaders in transplantation, representing over 40 countries from around the world — including Sweden, Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, and China — and all of the continents, including Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America. The objective of the Forum was to develop an international standard of care with a position statement of the Transplantation Society regarding the responsibility of the community for the live kidney donor. The position statement as reported herein has subsequently been adopted by the Council of the Transplantation Society. The international transplant community recognizes that the use of kidneys from the living donor needs to be performed in a manner that will minimize the physical, psychological, and social risk to the individual donor and does not jeopardize the public trust of the healthcare community. The donation decision should be performed in an environment that enables the potential donor to decide in an autonomous manner. Because of the need for more transplantable kidneys, persons with conditions that may increase the health risks for the potential donor and/or recipient (for example, hypertension) are currently being considered and used as donors. The international transplant community recommends that the acceptance of such individuals as kidney donors be conducted in an ethical manner, accounting for the autonomy and safety of the donor and with rigorous attention to clinical outcomes. In view of these evolving trends in living donor kidney transplantation, the following recommendations were adopted: Prior to a live kidney donation to a potential recipient (known by the potential donor or not known in the circumstance of anonymous donation), the donor must receive a complete medical and psychosocial evaluation to include: Quantification (as available) and assessment of the risk of donor nephrectomy on the individual’s overall health, subsequent renal function, and any potential psychological and social consequences (including employability); Assessment of the suitability of the donor’s kidney for transplantation to the recipient (anatomy, function, and risk for transmissible disease). Prior to donor nephrectomy, the potential donor must be informed of: The nature of the evaluation process; The results and consequences/morbidity of testing, including the possibility that conditions may be discovered that can impact future healthcare, insurability and social status of the potential donor; The risks of operative donor nephrectomy, as assessed after the complete evaluation. These should include, but not be limited to: the risk of death, surgical morbidities, changes in health and renal function, impact upon insurability/ employability and unintended effects upon family and social life; The responsibility of the individual and health and social system in the management of discovered conditions (for example, if the donor is discovered to have tuberculosis, the donor should undergo treatment, the community has a responsibility to help the donor secure proper care with referral to an appropriate physician); The expected transplant outcomes (favorable and unfavorable) for the recipient and any specific recipient conditions which may impact upon the decision to donate the kidney; Disclosure of recipient specific information which must have the assent of the recipient. The potential donor should be informed of alternative renal replacement therapies available to the potential recipient. The potential donor should be capable of understanding the information presented in the consent process. The decision to donate should be voluntary, accompanied by: The freedom to withdraw from the donation process at any time; Assurance that medical and individual reasons for not proceeding with donation will remain confidential. After kidney donation, the transplant center is responsible for: Overseeing and monitoring the postoperative recovery process of the donor until that individual is stable, including provision of care for morbidity that is a direct consequence of donor nephrectomy; Facilitating the long-term follow-up and treatment of the kidney donor with preexisting or acquired conditions (related to uninephrectomy) that are thought to represent a health risk such as — but not exclusive to — hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and proteinuria. In the absence of an established follow-up process for individuals with preexisting conditions that may possibly place the donor at health risk, organ donation should be avoided; Identifying and tracking complications that may be important in defining risks for informed consent disclosure; Working with the general healthcare community to provide optimal care/surveillance of the living kidney donor. A Donor Advocate In order to minimize the appearance of a “conflict of interest,” transplant centers should make efforts to assure that the medical and psychosocial assessments and the decision to donate incorporates health care professional(s) not involved in the care of the recipient. The concept of this recommendation is to provide a health care professional advocating the welfare of the potential donor. Procedural safeguards should be utilized and explored to minimize coercion and enhance autonomous decision-making, for example, by a “cooling off period” and assessment of donor retention of information. Medical Judgment versus Donor Autonomy Donor consent and autonomy is necessary, but not sufficient, to proceed to kidney donation. Medical evaluation and concurrence is essential. Donor autonomy does not overrule medical judgment and decision-making. Minors as Donors Minors less than 18 years of age should not be used as living kidney donors. Donor Registry An international registry for “sentinel events” after living kidney donation should be established and maintained (including the recording of donor deaths or the need for dialysis or kidney transplantation by the donor). Appropriate prospective research should address the long-term outcomes of donors considered to be at potential increased risk for adverse events. Acknowledgments The Forum was convened by the Ethics Committee of The Transplantation Society, administered by the National Kidney Foundation U.S., and sponsored by the following: Novartis Transplantation and Immunology; Fujisawa Healthcare, Inc.; Roche Pharmaceuticals; Genzyme Corporation; Wyeth Pharmaceuticals; the International Society of Nephrology; the National Kidney Foundation of Singapore; and the Transplantation Society. We are also appreciative of the participation of representatives from the World Health Organization.

Prenatal exposure to maternal cigarette smoking (PEMCS) is associated with variations in brain and behavior in adolescence. Epigenetic mechanisms may mediate some of the consequences of PEMCS through methylation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in genes important for brain development, such as the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). In the current study, we used bisulfite sequencing to assess DNA methylation of the BDNF promoter in the blood of adolescents whose mothers smoked during pregnancy. We demonstrate that PEMCS is associated with higher rates of DNA methylation in the BDNF-6 exon. These results suggest that PEMCS may lead to long-term down-regulation of BDNF expression via the increase of DNA methylation in its promoter region. Such mechanisms could, in turn, lead to modifications in both development and plasticity of the brain exposed in utero to maternal cigarette smoking.

An important question about early bilingualism that concerns both parents and researchers is the degree to which one language may interfere with another. This question rests on an implicit assumption that learning more than one language must always produce confusion and/or interference between (or among) the languages. Although many naturalistic studies have addressed this issue, no firm answers are yet available from the conflicting results obtained. Several factors appear to be responsible for the contradictory evidence, including the small numbers of subjects in each study, the large number of different language combinations of varying similarity that have been examined, and the variety of linguistic input situations (e.g., sequential bilingualism, language separation between home and school, parent/language separation), that have been observed. There is a consensus that children's language mixing can be eliminated if parents adhere strictly to the principle of one parent/one language enunciated by Grammont (Ronjat, 1913). However, this claim has not been directly examined. The primary goal of the present study is to characterize the linguistic input available to a child growing up with two languages. Analyses of the data show that a large proportion of parents, even those firmly committed to maintaining a strict separation of language by parent, model linguistically mixed utterances for their children. This finding suggests that children's early language mixing does not reflect interlinguistic confusion. Rather, it suggests that the child is formulating hypotheses about language based on the data available, i.e., that using the language of both father and mother in a single utterance is acceptable.

OBJECTIVE: To assess navigation and safety errors during a route-following task in drivers with Alzheimer disease (AD). DESIGN/METHODS: Thirty-two subjects with probable AD (by National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders criteria) of mild severity and 136 neurologically normal older adults were tested on a battery of visual and cognitive tests of abilities that are critical to safe automobile driving. Each driver also performed a route-finding task administered on the road in an instrumented vehicle. Main outcome variables were number of 1) incorrect turns; 2) times lost; and 3) at-fault safety errors. RESULTS: The drivers with mild AD made significantly more incorrect turns, got lost more often, and made more at-fault safety errors than control subjects, although their basic vehicular control abilities were normal. The navigational and safety errors were predicted using scores on standardized tests sensitive to visual and cognitive decline in early AD. CONCLUSIONS: Drivers with Alzheimer disease made more errors than neurologically normal drivers on a route-following task that placed demands on driver memory, attention, and perception. The demands of following route directions probably increased the cognitive load during driving, which might explain the higher number of safety errors.

Neurobiological underpinnings of cortical thickness in the human brain are largely unknown. Here we use cell-type-specific gene markers to evaluate the contribution of 9 neural cell-types in explaining inter-regional variations in cortical thickness and age-related cortical thinning in the adolescent brain. Gene-expression data were derived from the Allen Human Brain Atlas (and validated using the BrainSpan Atlas). Values of cortical thickness/thinning were obtained with magnetic resonance imaging in a sample of 987 adolescents. We show that inter-regional profiles in cortical thickness relate to those in the expression of genes marking CA1 pyramidal cells, astrocytes, and microglia; taken together, the 3 cell types explain 70% of regional variation in cortical thickness. We also show that inter-regional profiles in cortical thinning relate to those in the expression of genes marking CA1 and S1 pyramidal cells, astrocytes and microglia. Using Gene Ontology analysis, we demonstrate that the difference in the contribution of CA1 and S1 pyramidal cells may relate to biological processes such as neuronal plasticity and potassium channel activity, respectively. This "virtual histology" approach (scripts provided) can be used to examine neurobiological underpinnings of cortical profiles associated with development, aging, and various disorders.

Author: Sánchez de Miguel, Alejandro et al.; Genre: Journal Article; Finally published : 2019; Open Access; Title: Colour remote sensing of the impact of artificial light at night (I): The potential of the International Space Station and other DSLR-based platforms

Large eddy simulations (LES) of wind farms have the capability to provide valuable and detailed information about the dynamics of wind turbine wakes. For this reason, their use within the wind energy research community is on the rise, spurring the development of new models and methods. This review surveys the most common schemes available to model the rotor, atmospheric conditions and terrain effects within current state-of-the-art LES codes, of which an overview is provided. A summary of the experimental research data available for validation of LES codes within the context of single and multiple wake situations is also supplied. Some typical results for wind turbine and wind farm flows are presented to illustrate best practices for carrying out high-fidelity LES of wind farms under various atmospheric and terrain conditions.This article is part of the themed issue 'Wind energy in complex terrains'.

Despite long years of effort and experimentation, the use of simulation/games for education has known little acceptance. In reaction to this, there has been a tendency to sharply distinguish adult games from children’s games. The author’s experience and observation leads him to argue that there is, in fact, a continuity and that the elements of games that favor learning in children are also at work with adults. However, there is a progression from child to adult, and the games used with adults must be adapted to the adult’s interest in games. The article ends with some practical suggestions for pursuing this approach.

BACKGROUND: Social prescription programs represent a viable solution to linking primary care patients to nonmedical community resources for improving patient well-being. However, their success depends on the integration of patient needs with local resources. This integration could be accelerated by digital tools that use expressive ontology to organize knowledge resources, thus enabling the seamless navigation of diverse community interventions and services tailored to the needs of individual users. This infrastructure bears particular relevance for older adults, who experience a range of social needs that impact their health, including social isolation and loneliness. An essential first step in enabling knowledge mobilization and the successful implementation of social prescription initiatives to meet the social needs of older adults is to incorporate the evidence-based academic literature on what works, with on-the-ground solutions in the community. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to integrate scientific evidence with on-the-ground knowledge to build a comprehensive list of intervention terms and keywords related to reducing social isolation and loneliness in older adults. METHODS: A meta-review was conducted using a search strategy combining terms related to older adult population, social isolation and loneliness, and study types relevant to reviews using 5 databases. Review extraction included intervention characteristics, outcomes (social [eg, loneliness, social isolation, and social support] or mental health [eg, psychological well-being, depression, and anxiety]), and effectiveness (reported as consistent, mixed, or not supported). Terms related to identified intervention types were extracted from the reviewed literature as well as descriptions of corresponding community services in Montréal, Canada, available from web-based regional, municipal, and community data sources. RESULTS: The meta-review identified 11 intervention types addressing social isolation and loneliness in older adults by either increasing social interactions, providing instrumental support, promoting mental and physical well-being, or providing home and community care. Group-based social activities, support groups with educational elements, recreational activities, and training or use of information and communication technologies were the most effective in improving outcomes. Examples of most intervention types were found in community data sources. Terms derived from the literature that were the most commonly congruent with those describing existing community services were related to telehealth, recreational activities, and psychological therapy. However, several discrepancies were observed between review-based terms and those addressing the available services. CONCLUSIONS: A range of interventions found to be effective at addressing social isolation and loneliness or their impact on mental health were identified from the literature, and many of these interventions were represented in services available to older residents in Montréal, Canada. However, different terms were occasionally used to describe or categorize similar services across data sources. Establishing an efficient means of identifying and structuring such sources is important to facilitate referrals and help-seeking behaviors of older adults and for strategic planning of resources.

Three bacteriocin-producing bifidobacterial isolates from newborns were identified as Bifidobacterium thermacidophilum (two strains) and B. thermophilum (one strain). This study was undertaken to evaluate the ability of these strains to compete with food-borne Listeria monocytogenes for adhesion and invasion sites on Caco-2 and HT-29 cells. The bifidobacteria adhered at levels ranging from 4% to 10% of the CFU added, but none of the bifidobacteria were able to invade cells. The abilities of Listeria to adhere to and to invade cells varied widely depending on the strain tested. Three groups of Listeria were identified based on invasiveness: weakly invasive, moderately invasive, and highly invasive strains. One strain from each group was tested in competition with bifidobacteria. B. thermacidophilum RBL70 was the most effective in blocking invasion of Listeria, and the decreases in invasion ranged from 38% to 90%. For all three bifidobacterial strains, contact between the cell monolayer and the bifidobacteria for 1 h before exposure to Listeria increased the degree of inhibition. Finally, visualization of competition for adhesion sites on cells by fluorescent in situ hybridization suggested that the two bacteria tended to adhere in close proximity.

It is becoming increasingly apparent that nonverbal communication in the counseling process is of critical importance in furthering our understanding of the conditions under which counseling is effective. Within the past decade nonverbal communication has gained increasing prominence as an object of study; within the past 5 years the counseling literature has begun to reflect the importance of the total communication process to the texture and outcome of the counseling relationship. Defined in a rather broad fashion, nonverbal behaviors which have been demonstrated to have measurable impact on the counseling process include eye contact, trunk lean, distance, body orientation, movement, facial expression, vocal intonation, gestures, and selected features of the spatial environment (Broekman & Moller, 1973; Chaikin, Derlega, & Miller, 1976; Dinges & Oetting, 1972; Ekman & Friesen, 1968; Fretz, 1966; Graves & Robinson, 1976; Haase, 1970; Haase & DiMattia, 1970, 1976; Haase & Tepper, 1972; Hackney, 1974; Lacrosse, 1975; Lee, Zingle, Patterson, Ivey, & Haase, 1976; Smith, 1975; Stone & Morden, 1976; Strahan & Zytowski, 1976; Sweeney & Cottle, 1976. A comprehensive review of much of the evidence relating nonverbal behavior to counseling can be found in Gladstein (1974). The evidence which relates directly to counseling, as well as the more general literature in nonverbal communication, suggests that there exists a delicate balance between the verbal and nonverbal channels of communication of affect and attitude. Haase and Tepper (1972) found that the ratio of nonverbal to verbal message variance was 2:l in the judged communication of empathy. Mehrabian (1968) indicates that as much as 55% of the communicational significance of the message is nonverbal; similar ratios have been reported by Birdwhistell (1970) and Argyle, Alkema, and Gilmour (197 1). It seems fairly clear that the balance between verbal and nonverbal cues in the communication process is critical for the perceived impact of the overall message. As early as 1965 Argyle and Dean demonstrated that shifting the balance between verbal and nonverbal channels alters the perception and the communicational significance of the message. Inasmuch as the counseling process is so heavily rooted in a complex communicational context, an understanding of the balance and interplay between verbal and nonverbal cues in the relationship becomes important. Of the many variables which have received attention in the counseling literature, the facilitative conditions proposed by Rogers (1951, 1957) have achieved wide acceptance in counseling practice. These conditions have been noted to be essential to the quality of the relationship; research evidence suggests that helping relationships depend heavily on these conditions in myriad forms (Bergin & Garfield, 1971; Carkhuff, 1971). Haase and Tepper (1972) have shown that the communication of empathy is heavily dependent on the verbal message but not to the exclusion of the

This paper examines the state of knowledge about the effects of prescribed burning on surface runoff and erosion at point to catchment scales in forests and shrublands. Fires can increase surface runoff and erosion by removing vegetation, changing soil hydrologic properties and providing a readily erodible layer of sediment and ash. Catchment-scale studies in prescribed-burnt areas usually report minimal impacts from the burn. However, measurements at smaller spatial scales suggest that large changes to hydrologic properties and processes do occur, and a debris-flow example from Australia demonstrates that large catchment-scale impacts are possible. It appears that existing catchment-scale studies in prescribed burns do not capture these large events as the sample size (i.e. number of studies) is too small relative to the infrequency of such events. Furthermore, numerous knowledge gaps across all spatial scales limit understanding of the processes contributing to post-prescribed burn runoff and erosion. Understanding the influence of fire regime characteristics on post-fire runoff and erosion is particularly important in the context of prescribed burning, as fire regimes can be manipulated to reduce erosion and water-quality impacts. Therefore, two directions for future research are recommended: (1) process-based studies to understand the factors controlling surface runoff and erosion, particularly in relation to aspects of the fire regime; and (2) landscape-scale surveys to quantify large erosion events.

This study sought to determine the effectiveness of telepractice as a method of delivering early intervention services to families of infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing. A comparison group design was applied to ascertain the child, family, and provider outcomes via telepractice compared with traditional in-person home visits. A total of 48 children and their families, along with 15 providers from 5 early intervention programs, across the country participated. Children in the telepractice group received more intervention, although the number of prescribed sessions was equal across groups. Analyses of covariance demonstrated that children in the telepractice group scored statistically significantly higher than children in the in-person group on the PLS-5 Receptive Language subscale and PLS-5 Total Language standard scores, and the groups scored similarly on other language measures. There were no statistically significant differences between groups in regard to family outcomes of support, knowledge, and community involvement. Analysis of video recordings of telepractice versus in-person home visits resulted in higher scores for provider responsiveness and parent engagement. This study supports the effectiveness of telepractice in delivering early intervention services to families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Further research involving randomized trials with larger, more diverse populations is warranted.