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Background: The development of communication, speech and language follows three stages (development of the parent--child relationship, interactions and actual speech and language acquisition). Children born with cleft lip and/or palate are at increased risk of communicative problems while parents may be going through an emotionally difficult time. Early parent-implemented logopaedic intervention that supports both parents and child is important. Three systematic reviews have examined the effects of early speech and language interventions, but not their structure and content. Aims: To investigate which early parent-implemented logopaedic interventions already exist for children with cleft lip and/or palate, and to evaluate their structure, content and time of onset against the three stages of communicative development. Methods: Six databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, APA PsycInfo, Cinahl and Scopus) were searched between inception and 31 March 2023 to identify published articles that reported early parent-implemented logopaedic interventions in children with cleft lip and/or palate, aged 0 to 3 years, clearly describing the strategies used to train parents. Two authors independently assessed the eligibility of the studies. Quality assessment was conducted using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database quality assessment tool, Single-Case Experimental Design tool and the National Institutes of Health pre-post-study tools. The structure and content of the interventions were analysed taking into account the needs and difficulties of both the parents and the child according to the three stages of communicative development. Main contribution: The systematic literature search identified four studies that met the inclusion criteria. Three of them had a Level of Evidence III and one study had a Level of Evidence IV. Strategies appropriate for Stage 1 of communicative development (parent--child relationship) are well represented in only one study, but the psychosocial needs of parents are currently not included in these programmes. However, research shows that parental emotional difficulties can adversely impact a child's communicative development. Strategies appropriate for Stage 2 (promoting social interactions) are better represented. However, strategies appropriate for Stage 3 (acquiring correct speech and language patterns) are most represented in all intervention programmes. Conclusions: Three out of four intervention programmes focus on Stage 3 (actual speech and language stimulation). Stage 1 is underrepresented and the psychosocial needs of parents are currently not included in existing intervention programmes. Further research is needed in close collaboration with psychologists to construct a comprehensive, longitudinal, developmentally appropriate intervention programme that equally represents the three stages of communicative development and considers the psychosocial needs of parents.

COVID-19 pandemic led to temporary closures of public schools and increased need for technology to support students' access to learning capabilities. The situation created enormous burdens for all education stakeholders with teachers struggling on how to package learning materials that are easily accessible to students at home, and parents struggling to structure a home learning environment to support their children. This research was conducted to develop an understanding of challenges that African Nova Scotian (ANS) parents faced when supporting their learners throughout the COVID-19 crisis. The underlying concern was that COVID-19 related school closures combined with a seismic shift in the learning environment would widen pre-existing achievement gaps among ANS learners. Utilising a methodology framed from a Participatory Action Research perspective, ANS household survey data was collected and analysed. Gaining a better understanding of how ANS students and their support network experienced remote learning is critical for the successful implementation of the current inclusive education policy in the Nova Scotia education system. With an understanding of the challenges faced by ANS learner households and perspectives for the future presented through an ANS lens, our study can help inform a more productive and inclusive public education system in the post-COVID-19 world.

The Argentine shortfin squid Illex argentinus is one of the most important commercial species for the Argentine fisheries. The understanding of its stock structure is therefore necessary to ensure fishery sustainability and, given the relevance of squids in the regional food web, for biodiversity conservation. An overlap between parasitology and fisheries lies in the use of parasites as biological tags to identify the stock composition of exploited resources, however, the efficiency of this methodology has been questioned for stock assessment in cephalopods. In this work, the value of parasite assemblages of I. argentinus to discriminate between the co-occurring summer spawning stock (SSS) and south patagonic stock (SPS) in a mixing area over the Patagonian continental shelf during summer was evaluated for two cohorts. Five shortfin squid samples corresponding to SSS and SPS were examined for metazoan parasites. The squid size affected the parasite assemblage similarities, conversely, no gender effect on the infracommunities was observed. Multivariate analysis evidenced similarity in parasite assemblage composition and structure between both stocks captured in the mixing area on the same date. This similarity was related to the presence of short-lived trophically transmitted parasites, which are associated with their recently consumed food items and, indirectly, to the oceanographic conditions. The same set of host and environmental variables were identified as the most probable causes of the temporal variability observed in parasite assemblages between SPS cohorts and even intra-cohort. Despite the value of parasites as tags for discriminating squid stocks may have little value when cohabiting stocks are analysed, their variability could serve as a valuable indicator of environmental conditions. The use of parasites as biological tags to discriminate stocks needs to be verified at different spatiotemporal scales, including samples from other non-sympatric stocks in the analyses.

BACKGROUND: In 2014, germline signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 gain-of-function (GOF) mutations were first described to cause a novel multisystem disease of early-onset lymphoproliferation and autoimmunity. OBJECTIVE: This pivotal cohort study defines the scope, natural history, treatment, and overall survival of a large global cohort of patients with pathogenic STAT3 GOF variants. METHODS: We identified 191 patients from 33 countries with 72 unique mutations. Inclusion criteria included symptoms of immune dysregulation and a biochemically confirmed germline heterozygous GOF variant in STAT3. RESULTS: Overall survival was 88%, median age at onset of symptoms was 2.3 years, and median age at diagnosis was 12 years. Immune dysregulatory features were present in all patients: lymphoproliferation was the most common manifestation (73%); increased frequencies of double-negative (CD4-CD8-) T cells were found in 83% of patients tested. Autoimmune cytopenias were the second most common clinical manifestation (67%), followed by growth delay, enteropathy, skin disease, pulmonary disease, endocrinopathy, arthritis, autoimmune hepatitis, neurologic disease, vasculopathy, renal disease, and malignancy. Infections were reported in 72% of the cohort. A cellular and humoral immunodeficiency was observed in 37% and 51% of patients, respectively. Clinical symptoms dramatically improved in patients treated with JAK inhibitors, while a variety of other immunomodulatory treatment modalities were less efficacious. Thus far, 23 patients have undergone bone marrow transplantation, with a 62% survival rate. CONCLUSION: STAT3 GOF patients present with a wide array of immune-mediated disease including lymphoproliferation, autoimmune cytopenias, and multisystem autoimmunity. Patient care tends to be siloed, without a clear treatment strategy. Thus, early identification and prompt treatment implementation are lifesaving for STAT3 GOF syndrome.

Introduction. The time of examination and evaluation is a stressful period where anxiety is at its highest levels. To some extent, a low level of stress can help motivate the students; however, more stress can be discouraging. It will make students exhausted, overwhelmed, and confused. High self-esteem promotes physical health and enhances coping with threat; on the other hand, low self-esteem is associated with mental health difficulties like anxiety, depression, and personality disorder. Hence, the present study focuses on assessing the academic test anxiety and self-confidence and finding out the efficacy of practicing mindfulness meditation to relieve test anxiety, thereby improving the self-confidence and self-esteem in their life. Objectives. Determine the pre-interventional academic test anxiety and self-confidence among undergraduates in experimental and control groups and determine the effectiveness of MBSR on academic test anxiety and self-confidence.

The increasing adoption of 2D/3D laser line sensors in industrial and research applications necessitates accurate and efficient simulation tools for tasks such as surface inspection, dimensional verification, and quality control. This paper presents a novel algorithm developed in MATLAB for simulating the measurements of any 2D/3D laser line sensor on STL CAD models. The algorithm uses a modified fast-ray triangular intersection method, addressing challenges such as overlapping triangles in assembly models and incorporating sensor resolution to ensure realistic simulations. Quantitative analysis shows a significant reduction in computation time, enhancing the practical utility of the algorithm. The simulation results exhibit a mean deviation of 0.42 mm when compared to real-world measurements. Notably, the algorithm effectively handles complex geometric features, such as holes and grooves, and offers flexibility in generating point cloud data in both local and global coordinate systems. This work not only reduces the need for physical prototyping, thereby contributing to sustainability, but also supports AI training by generating accurate synthetic data. Future work should aim to further optimize the simulation speed and explore noise modeling to enhance the realism of simulated measurements.

The importance of logistics and supply chain management cannot be overemphasized for optimal management of pharmaceuticals and other health commodities. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of pharmaceutical supply chain management activities and evaluate the forecasting, procurement and inventory management practices of health professionals in four states of South-South region of Nigeria. A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out from February to July 2015 among 150 respondents working in registered practice settings (Hospitals and Community Pharmacies) in Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa-Ibom and Cross River States of Nigeria. Data collection tool was a pretested questionnaire to assess respondents’ knowledge of pharmaceutical supply chain activities and forecasting, procurement and inventory management practices. Data collected were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The respondents had a good knowledge of pharmaceutical supply chain activities. Information used for forecasting included stock on hand, dispensed to user data, issue data and disease prevalence. Procurement practices included tender, local purchase order and medical representatives. Inventory management practices included use of stock card, ledger and computer. The knowledge of respondents to pharmaceutical supply chain activities was good. Several forecasting and procurement and inventory management practices were employed. Observed knowledge deficit and poorly computerized inventory control system is a major drawback which need improvement for satisfactory monitoring.

Though school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic affected all students globally, the effect was significantly more for students from marginalized and vulnerable communities. In Nova Scotia, Canada, the concern was the racial achievement gap that the education system is addressing through an inclusive education policy. The worry, especially for Black Nova Scotian students, was the online learning demands and the associated challenges. Through an analysis of a household survey and intersectionality framework, we explored these challenges. We argue that students have multiple and simultaneously acting identities that lead to differential learning experiences and outcomes, and an intersectionality approach should be considered to inform education improvement decisions.

The Argentine shortfin squid, Illex argentinus, inhabits in the southwest Atlantic; it is a semelparous species which grows rapidly along its 1 year lifespan. The identification of its stocks is critical for sustainable fishery exploitation. Parasites have been used as biological indicators in a lower number of studies dealing with squids, therefore a validation of this methodology is necessary. The intra- and inter-cohort variability of parasite assemblages in the summer-spawning stock of I. argentinus was analysed to assess their value as indicators of stock structure. Four squid samples from the continental shelf of central Patagonia, corresponding to 3 consecutive cohorts, were examined for metazoan parasites. Results evidenced heterogeneity in terms of parasite assemblage composition and structure, dominated by short-lived gastrointestinal parasites, with a strong influence of host size, but no effect of squid sex. These changes are related to their recent habitats and diets, which change with ontogeny and migrations, clouding any interpretation of patterns when samples spatially or temporally separated are compared. Many squid species share these characteristics; therefore, it is recommended that the use of parasites as biological tags should be restricted to simultaneous sampling, while size or age must be considered for deriving proper conclusions.