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This individual participant data meta-analysis is the most intensive possible evaluation of the effectiveness of early intensive applied behaviour analysis-based interventions for pre-school autistic children compared with treatment as usual/eclectic interventions. Data from 491 participants (originally collected in 10 studies) were included. Children receiving early intensive applied behaviour analysis-based interventions improved more on the Vineland adaptive behaviour scale (MD = 7.00; 95% confidence interval = 1.95-12.06) and cognitive ability (intelligence quotient) (MD = 14.13; 95% confidence interval = 9.16-19.10) relative to comparators at 2 years; though effects varied considerably across studies. Evidence for other outcomes was inconclusive due to insufficient evidence and there were few data on longer-term effects. All studies were at risk of bias across several domains, often due to the lack of randomisation or blinding of outcome assessors. Given the emerging evidence of modest, albeit short term, effects of a range of pre-school autism interventions and the limitations of the quality of evaluation studies to date, future research should investigate which supports and interventions are most effective for children and families prioritising outcomes measures that are meaningful for the autism community and longer-term follow-up. Further systematic reviews of the existing evidence are unlikely to add to the findings presented here.

Background: Two UK academic centres were commissioned to provide a responsive rapid evidence synthesis service. The service covered topics identified by the National Institute for Health Research Health Services & Delivery Research (NIHR HSDR) programme as priorities for the National Health Service or to inform research commissioning. Aims and objectives: To describe and evaluate the review teams' interactions with the evidence users the programme aimed to serve, primarily NHS clinicians, commissioners and managers. We particularly aim to highlight the barriers and facilitators to the impact that this type of programme may have on the uptake and use of research evidence by decision makers. Methods: Narrative review of stakeholder interactions at different stages of the review process--prioritisation and defining scope; dealing with unexpected results; dissemination of findings; and measuring impact, illustrated by examples from the first three years of the service (2014-17). Conclusions: Timely production of high-quality outputs was facilitated by--initial mapping and scoping of the available published evidence; early engagement with stakeholders to optimise their involvement within limited time and resources; and willingness to consider creative solutions and different ways of working to overcome problems encountered in specific projects.

Ferrate (Fe(VI): HFeO4-/FeO42-), a potent oxidant, has been investigated as an alternative chemical disinfectant in water treatment due to its reduced production of disinfection by-products. In this study, we assessed the disinfecting ability of potassium ferrate against a variety of microorganisms, including waterborne pathogens, under varying pH and water temperature conditions. We presented CT values, a metric of ferrate concentrations (C) and contact time (T), to quantify microbial inactivation rates. Among the tested microorganisms, human adenovirus was the least resistant to ferrate, followed by waterborne bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae, and finally, the protozoan parasite Giardia duodenalis. We further investigated the impact of two pH values (7 and 8) and two temperatures (5 and 25 °C) on microbial inactivation rates, observing that inactivation rates increased with lower pH and higher temperature. In addition to showcasing ferrate's capacity to effectively inactivate a range of the tested microorganisms, we offer a ferrate CT table to facilitate the comparison of the effectiveness of various disinfection methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual impairment may benefit from a range of support services. This article presents the results of a systematic review assessing the effectiveness of supportive interventions for adults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual impairment. A total of 32 studies were included; most focused on younger male participants. Although evidence was lacking for most types of intervention, employment programmes and social skills training were found to be effective for more proximal outcomes such as social skills. Evidence that any intervention improves mental health or well-being was very limited. Most interventions focused on mitigating specific deficits, rather than on providing broader support. Further research is needed on the effectiveness of supportive interventions such as advocacy and mentoring.

Different materials that are used in manufacturing long cane shafts were assessed for their ability to transmit vibration and their sensitivity to tactile information, flexibility, and durability. It was found that the less flexible a cane shaft is, the better it transmits vibrations that are useful for discriminating surface textures and that shafts with less weight transmit energy at higher natural frequencies. A combination of decreased flexibility and decreased weight in a cane appears to optimize the cane's usefulness in discriminating the characteristics of surfaces.

In a series of experiments, canes of different lengths, weights, and weight distributions were assessed to determine the effect of these characteristics on various performance measures. The results indicate that the overall weight of a cane and the distribution of weight along a cane's shaft do not affect a person's performance, but accuracy does decline with the amount of time a person wields the cane, so a heavier cane may exacerbate this fatigue.

Mark Rogers’s Honor’s Thesis, “Taste, Gender and Nation in the Material Culture of Musical Performance, the Pocket Opera Anthology in England 1724-6,” explores this “small but circumscribed genre of pocket books for gentlemen and ladies… primarily offering songs and arias from Italian operas” for performance by amateurs in domestic situations as apposed to the operatic stage. Despite admittedly sparse documentation on such private performances, Mark’s research was exhaustive, leading him to several libraries, including the Business Library to track down information about Italian businessmen in early 18th century London, and the Environmental Design Library to seek information on 18th century dress “(since the books were designed for pockets)”. Mark also used digital sources from Early English Books Online and Eighteenth-Century Collections Online, as well as availing himself of the rich resources in original 18th century editions in the Hargrove Music Library. Mark’s advisor, Prof. Davitt Moroney, calls his writing “mature and elegant, with intellectual subtlety and wit. He makes full use of all the resource available to him…like a professional scholar…. I am delighted by his vast and playful exploration of the non-musical dimensions of these pocket books, including questions of fashion, dress, iconography…and the all-pervasive issues of class and commerce with studies of print culture.” Prof. Moroney adds that “if the Prize is partly designed to identify young researchers who use library resources, and to encourage them as they go forward in their careers, working with library materials, then here is a truly exceptional candidate.”