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This paper discusses a large UK university's sustainable development programme and provides a framework for replication in other educational organisations. The development and implementation of its environmental management system centred on a review of environmental activities, adoption of an environmental policy, creation of new resources, staff and student awareness programmes and measurement of performance. This has extended into a wider sustainable development programme. Engagement with staff, students and stakeholders was crucial to success. Progress made including awards for environmental improvement is summarised, together with the transition to a second phase that includes social and economic criteria. Details of institutional pathways, staff and student engagement, obstacles and progress are included to present an organisational perspective. Educational organisations will be at various stages of implementing sustainable development programmes. The experience gained at one of the UK's largest universities provides practical advice, relevance and value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) numbers in the United States declined by about 75% over the past 20+ yr. They are classified, underthe U.S. Endangered Species Act, as 'threatened' in the eastern portion of their range and as 'endangered' in the western portion. We analyzed trends in numbers of pup and non-pup Steller sea lions counted in Southeast Alaska between 1979 and 1997, Sea lion numbers, based oncounts of pups on rookeries, increased by an average of 5.9% per year between 1979 and 1997. However, numbers of pups increased at a muchslower rate (+ 1.7% per year) between 1989 and 1997. For counts of non-pup Steller sea lions we used models that controlled for the effects of date, time, and tide at the time of the survey to analyze trends. This technique reduced bias and increased precision of the resulting trend estimates. Numbers of sea lions were stable (+0.5%) between 1989 and 1996, based on counts of non-pups. We estimated the Southeast Alaska breeding population of Steller sea lions at about 19,000 animals of all ages in 1997, a level that is probably near the highest in recorded history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) impacts approximately 20% of older adults, with many also experiencing sleep disorders, such as insomnia. Given the relationship between sleep and dementia, addressing sleep issues may offer an opportunity to treat reversible causes. There are two primary treatments for insomnia: behavioral-based (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, CBT-I) and pharmacological interventions. Although CBT-I is recommended as first-line treatment for insomnia in older adults, sedative-hypnotics are more likely to be recommended than non-pharmacological treatments given their convenience and accessibility. However, there are significant concerns in prescribing medications to patients with MCI. To explore this disconnect, we reviewed insomnia treatments in older adults with MCI studies and current guidelines of pharmacological therapy. First, we reviewed studies presenting non-pharmacological treatment of insomnia in older adults with MCI. Although the search yielded over 4,000 non-duplicate titles, only one article presented data on non-pharmacological treatment of insomnia in MCI. The literature covering comorbid insomnia, CBT-I, and MCI is sparse. In contrast to review of non-pharmacological studies, studies on the pharmacological treatment of insomnia in older adults were ample. Finally, we reviewed international guidelines for pharmacological treatment of insomnia in cognitive disorders. More widely used pharmacological interventions show short-term effectiveness with problems of recurrence, ineffectiveness in inadvertent or purposeful chronic use, and adverse side effects. Despite evidence regarding adverse consequences, pharmacological treatment of insomnia remains the most common treatment for insomnia. Reflecting on age-related changes in older adults, particularly those with MCI, inappropriate or mismanagement of medication can lead to unnecessary complications. Further research examining effective behavioral-based sleep management options in older adults with cognitive impairment is needed with exploration of improved sleep on cognitive function., Competing Interests: Competing interests Dr. Lee Ritterband has the following financial disclosures: BeHealth Solutions and Pear Therapeutics, two companies that develop and disseminate digital therapeutics, including by licensing the therapeutic developed, based in part, on early versions of the software utilized in research reported. These companies had no role in preparing this manuscript. Dr. Ritterband is also a consultant to Mahana Therapeutics, a separate digital therapeutic company not affiliated with this research. The terms of these arrangements have been reviewed and approved by the University of Virginia in accordance with its policies., (copyright: © 2021 Mattos et al.)

A surprising discovery in recent years is that the structure of the adult human brain changes when a new cognitive or motor skill is learned. This effect is seen as a change in local gray or white matter density that correlates with behavioral measures. Critically, however, the cognitive and anatomical mechanisms underlying these learning-related structural brain changes remain unknown. Here, we combined brain imaging, detailed behavioral analyses, and white matter tractography in English-speaking monolingual adolescents to show that a critical linguistic prerequisite (namely, knowledge of vocabulary) is proportionately related to relative gray matter density in bilateral posterior supramarginal gyri. The effect was specific to the number of words learned, regardless of verbal fluency or other cognitive abilities. The identified region was found to have direct connections to other inferior parietal areas that separately process either the sounds of words or their meanings, suggesting that the posterior supramarginal gyrus plays a role in linking the basic components of vocabulary knowledge. Together, these analyses highlight the cognitive and anatomical mechanisms that mediate an essential language skill.