There is a wealth of evidence demonstrating that executive function (EF) abilities are positively associated with language development during the preschool years, such that children with good executive functions also have larger vocabularies. However, why this is the case remains to be discovered. In this study, we focused on the hypothesis that sentence processing abilities mediate the association between EF skills and receptive vocabulary knowledge, in that the speed of language acquisition is at least partially dependent on a child's processing ability, which is itself dependent on executive control. We tested this hypothesis in longitudinal data from a cohort of 3- and 4-year-old children at three age points (37, 43, and 49 months). We found evidence, consistent with previous research, for a significant association between three EF skills (cognitive flexibility, working memory [as measured by the Backward Digit Span], and inhibition) and receptive vocabulary knowledge across this age range. However, only one of the tested sentence processing abilities (the ability to maintain multiple possible referents in mind) significantly mediated this relationship and only for one of the tested EFs (inhibition). The results suggest that children who are better able to inhibit incorrect responses are also better able to maintain multiple possible referents in mind while a sentence unfolds, a sophisticated sentence processing ability that may facilitate vocabulary learning from complex input.

Children learn words in a social environment, facilitated in part by social cues from caregivers, such as eye-gaze and gesture. A common assumption is that social cues convey either perceptual or social information, depending on the age of the child. In this review of research on word learning and social cues during early childhood, we propose that (1) the functions of social cues are not categorically perceptual or social, and (2) social cues support word learning in four interdependent ways: by helping children to orient attention, extract relevant information, disambiguate referents, and understand others' referential intent. We conclude with specific recommendations for theory-building and suggest that the dynamic and complex functions of social cues need to be accounted for in any complete theory of word learning.

Social cues, such as eye gaze and referential gestures, have been shown to promote word learning in children, usually by exposing children to a label-object association with vs. without a social cue. However, social cues are not always so cleanly linked to referents in the world. Instead, label-object associations occur imperfectly across time in a discourse. We conducted an experiment to examine how labels and eye gaze interactively support 4- and 5-year-olds' word learning during exposures to a series of brief discourse topics. We found that children learned novel words better when social cues and word labels jointly marked the beginning or end of a discourse topic, but not when they were misaligned. The findings indicate that young learners can use social cues to inform their understanding of word meanings across successive utterances, not just within single labeling events. We discuss how social cues may support children's ability to find where discourse topics begin and end within their ongoing speech input.

There is a wealth of evidence demonstrating that executive function abilities (EF) are positively, and significantly, associated with language development during the preschool years, such that children with good executive functions also have larger vocabularies and faster language development. However, why this is the case remains to be discovered. In this paper, we focus on the hypothesis that sentence processing abilities mediate the association between EF skills and receptive vocabulary knowledge, in that the speed of language acquisition is at least partially dependent on a child's processing ability, which is itself dependent on executive control. We test this hypothesis in longitudinal data from a cohort of three- to four-year-old children at three ages (36, 42 and 48 months). We find evidence, consistent with previous research, for a significant association between three EF skills (cognitive flexibility, working memory and inhibition) and receptive vocabulary knowledge across this age range. However, critically, only one of the tested sentence processing abilities (the ability to maintain multiple possible referents in mind) significantly mediated this relationship, and only for one of the tested executive functions (inhibition). The results suggest that children who are better able to inhibit incorrect responses are also better able to maintain multiple possible referents in mind while a sentence unfolds, a sophisticated sentence processing ability which may facilitate vocabulary learning from complex input.

Accessibility plays a major role in speech production. Here we investigate and measure four factors that influence speakers to produce one word over another more optimal word form. Three experiments asked participants to label images of insects and instruments. Participants were incentivized to produce an accurate specific label (e.g., bee ), over a more general label (e.g., insect ), so that specific labels were more optimal. Each of three experiments manipulated a different factor that could influence accessibility – word frequency, priming, and interference – and all experiments additionally varied whether labels had to be produced under time pressure or not. Results showed that each variable significantly influenced the accessibility of labels: participants produced more specific labels when those labels were higher frequency, when they were primed, when a visually-similar label had not been primed, and when participants were unconstrained by time pressure. These findings demonstrate that multiple factors influence the accessibility of familiar words during production, regularly leading participants to rely on “good-enough” rather than optimal options to convey their message.

Full-thickness macular hole (FTMH) formation following rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair may limit post-operative visual acuity and often requires a return to the operating room, but little is known about this phenomenon. This study included all patients with a FTMH that developed after RRD repair from January 1, 2015–July 31, 2020. The main outcome was the rate of FTMH formation following RRD repair as well as characteristics of FTMH following RRD repair that spontaneously close. There were 470 eyes with a diagnosis of both a FTMH and a RRD during the study period. Of these, 27 (0.28%) developed a FTMH following RRD repair. The median time to FTMH diagnosis was 91 days (25th, 75th quartiles 40, 204 days). The mean minimum hole diameter was 514.5 ± 303.6 microns. There were 4 FTMHs (14.8%) that spontaneously closed without surgical intervention. The spontaneous closure was noted from 4 to 12 weeks after the initial diagnosis of the FTMH. These holes were smaller than the holes that did not close spontaneously (mean minimum diameter 161.8 ± 85.2 vs 588.7 ± 279.3 microns, p = 0.0058). Of the 27 post-operative FTMHs, there were 23 eyes (85%) that underwent surgical intervention with pars plana vitrectomy and internal limiting membrane peeling. Nineteen eyes (83%) closed with one surgery, 20 eyes (87%) ultimately closed, while 3 eyes (11.1%) did not close. FTMH is relatively uncommon to occur following RRD repair with a prevalence of 0.28% in our series with 87% of these holes achieving closure following surgery or spontaneously. Approximately 15% of FTMHs following RRD repair closed spontaneously and these holes were significantly smaller.

Do toddlers and adults engage in spontaneous Theory of Mind (ToM)? Evidence from anticipatory looking (AL) studies suggests that they do. But a growing body of failed replication studies raised questions about the paradigm’s suitability. In this multi-lab collaboration, we test the robustness of spontaneous ToM measures. We examine whether 18- to 27-month-olds’ and adults’ anticipatory looks distinguish between two basic forms of an agent’s epistemic states: knowledge and ignorance. In toddlers [ANTICIPATED n = 520 50% FEMALE] and adults [ANTICIPATED n = 408, 50% FEMALE] from diverse ethnic backgrounds, we found [SUPPORT/NO SUPPORT] for epistemic state-based action anticipation. Future research can probe whether this conclusion extends to more complex kinds of epistemic states, such as true and false beliefs.

There are times when a curiously odd relic of language presents us with a thread, which when pulled, reveals deep and general facts about human language. This paper unspools such a case. Prior to 1930, English speakers uniformly preferred male-before-female word order in conjoined nouns such as uncles and aunts; nephews and nieces; men and women. Since then, at least a half dozen items have systematically reversed their preferred order (e.g., aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews) while others have not (men and women). We review evidence that the unusual reversals began with mother and dad(dy) and spread to semantically and morphologically related binomials over a period of decades. The present work proposes that three aspects of cognitive accessibility combine to quantify the probability of A&B order: (1) the relative accessibility of the A&B terms individually, (2) competition from B&A order, and critically, (3) cluster strength (i.e., similarity to related A'&B' cases). The emergent cluster of female-first binomials highlights the influence of semantic neighborhoods in memory retrieval. We suggest that cognitive accessibility can be used to predict the word order of both familiar and novel binomials generally, as well as the diachronic change focused on here.

Three experiments investigated adult learners’ acquisition of a novel adjective. In English and other languages, meanings of some gradable adjectives are said to include an absolute standard of comparison (e.g., full means completely filled with content). However, actual usage is often imprecise, where a maximum absolute standard of comparison, strictly speaking, does not apply (e.g., a 90% full cup can be full depending on how it will be used). This creates problems for learners who acquire the absolute meaning from variable mappings between word forms and observations. We demonstrated that adult learners infer a maximum standard of comparison when they receive information about agents’ intended goals that lie behind imprecise word usage. Results suggested these inferences are conditioned on the amount of visually ambiguous observations made during learning. We conclude that access to agents’ intended goals allows learners to explain contextual sources of imprecision and helps the learning of a maximum absolute meaning from primarily nonabsolute observations.

This study explored a career planning course at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities’ College of Liberal Arts. The course aimed to improve students’ career readiness through reflections about their liberal arts education. Individual interviews explored how the course affected students’ ability to articulate the value of their education to potential employers. The authors found that students learned how to articulate career competencies and developed an understanding of what a liberal arts education entails and how it aligns with career readiness. Implications for career development practice are highlighted.

Background Health care providers play a pivotal role as educators on health-related matters ranging from vaccination to smoking cessation. With the rising popularity of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), providers face a new challenge. To date, studies have identified a general lack of knowledge among providers regarding e-cigarettes and discomfort with counseling patients on e-cigarette use. This study aims to systematically explore the perspectives of different health care providers on e-cigarettes and their health implications. With a growing availability of research on the health consequences of e-cigarette use, our study also aims to assess the familiarity of our participants with this literature. Methods From July to October 2018, a sample of attendings ( n = 15), residents (n = 15), medical students ( n = 33), and nursing students ( n = 28) from Thomas Jefferson University participated in a freelisting interview and survey. Results Our study found that perceptions of e-cigarettes vary across different participant groups, as evidenced by the range of responses when asked to think about e-cigarettes and their health implications. We identified gaps in knowledge among students regarding FDA regulation of e-cigarettes and found that attending physicians are less aware than junior trainees of the prevalence of use. Familiarity with evidence-based health consequences was variable and low across all groups. Finally, participants most commonly reported learning about e-cigarettes from news outlets and social media rather than professional platforms. Conclusion This study highlights the need for curricular development in nursing and medical schools, residency training, and continuing medical education regarding e-cigarette use and their impact on human health.

BACKGROUND:Increasing the content of oleic acid in peanut seeds is one of the major goals in peanut breeding due to consumer and industry benefits, such as anti-oxidation and long shelf-life. Homeologous ahFAD2A and ahFAD2B genes encode fatty acid desaturases, which are the key enzymes for converting oleic acid to linoleic acid that oxidizes readily. To date, all high oleic acid peanut varieties result from natural mutations occurred in both genes. A method to induce mutations in the genes of other elite cultivars could speed introgression of this valuable trait. The gene-editing approach utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 technology was employed to induce de novo mutations in the ahFAD2 genes using peanut protoplasts and hairy root cultures as models.RESULTS:The hot spot of natural mutation in these genes was selected as the target region. Appropriate sgRNAs were designed and cloned into a CRISPR/Cas9 expression plasmid. As a result of CRISPR/Cas9 activity, three mutations were identified - G448A in ahFAD2A, and 441_442insA and G451T in ahFAD2B. The G448A and 441_442insA mutations are the same as those seen in existing high oleate varieties and the G451T is new mutation. Because natural mutations appear more often in the ahFAD2A gene than in the ahFAD2B gene in subspecies A. hypogaea var. hypogaea, the mutations induced in ahFAD2B by gene editing may be useful in developing high oleate lines with many genetic backgrounds after validation of oleic acid content in the transformed lines. The appearance of the G448A mutation in ahFAD2A is a further benefit for high oleic acid oil content.CONCLUSIONS:Overall, these results showed that mutations were, for the first time, induced by CRISPR-based gene editing approach in peanut. This research demonstrated the potential application of gene editing for mutagenesis in peanut and suggested that CRISPR/Cas9 technology may be useful in the peanut breeding programs.

Deaf infants born to hearing parents are at risk of language deprivation, which may lead to life-long impact on linguistic, cognitive and socio-emotional development. It remains demanding for hearing parents to provide meaningful and linguistic-rich interaction with their deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children, due to lack of sign language fluency and insufficient communication strategies. In this study, we present a proof-of-concept visual augmentation prototype utilizing the Augmented Reality (AR) lamp metaphor that aims to support context-aware and non-intrusive parent-child interaction using American Sign Language (ASL), with adaptation to joint-attention strategies that match with the child’s communication modality. The proposed prototype enables future studies to collect in-depth design critiques and preliminary usability evaluation from domain experts, novice ASL learners, and hearing parents with DHH children.

The experiences of graduate engineering students enrolled in a credit-bearing, career management course at a Canadian University were explored from a narrative perspective. Scant literature exists on the outcomes of career planning courses at the graduate level, largely because these classes tend to be aimed at undergraduate students. Individual interviews were conducted with 10 students who completed the semester-length course. The inquiry focused on students' life-career plans and their experiences in the course. Applying social constructivism to career development as a theoretical framework, thematic analysis was used to generate results in the form of three main thematic categories. These categories included: fostering career awareness and exploration skills; finding affiliation with others; and developing optimism and confidence. Findings highlight the benefits for graduate students who are offered opportunities to develop career planning skills through credit bearing courses. Implications for practice, policy, and research exist based on the data analysis, including alternative strategies to incorporate life-career planning skills into graduate-level coursework.

Tobacco use exerts a large burden on the health of Delawareans and on the economy in Delaware. While cigarette smoking in Delaware has hit an all-time low of 17.8% in 2016, this is still higher than the national average of 15.5% in 2016.1,2 The 2014 Surgeon General’s Report estimated that 480,000 people die from cigarette smoke-related causes in the United States per year; in Delaware, an estimated 1,400 people die annually from cigarette smoke-related causes, including lung cancer.3,4 Delaware, a relatively small state with a population of less than 1 million people, is burdened with a high rate of lung cancer.5 In 2014, lung and bronchus cancers had the third highest incidence of all cancers in Delaware (58.3 cancer diagnoses per 100,000 people) and the highest death rate (42.2 deaths per 100,000 people) among all cancers in Delaware.6 IMPACT Tobacco Prevention Coalition of Delaware estimates that the tobaccorelated workplace productivity losses are $391 million per year. Further, Delawareans spend $532 million per year on tobacco-related direct medical services, of which $95 million per year is on tobacco-related medical expenditures that are covered by Medicaid.1

Relatively few HIV evidence-based interventions (EBIs) among Native Americans have been developed, adapted, evaluated, and/or published in the scientific literature. An adolescent HIV EBI was adapted in three phases: (1) securing input from a Native American Advisory Board; (2) modifying the EBI to be more consistent with Native American culture; and (3) conducing a pilot with 14 Native American adolescents to examine acceptability and cultural congruence between the adapted intervention and the youth's culture based on Likert-scale ratings and a focus group. The adaptations included diverse Native American social and cultural stories that assisted with responsible decision-making skills. The adolescents consistently rated each intervention session as highly acceptable. A difference in knowledge from pre-survey (M = 13.93, SD = 3.08) to post-survey (M = 17.14, SD = 2.25) was statistically significant; t(13) = 4.166, p < .0005. The adapted curriculum did appear culturally responsive based on the pilot test results.

Tribal health educators across the United States have found it challenging to locate engaging, culturally-relevant sexual health curricula for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth. Healthy Native Youth is a new online resource that provides a “one-stop-shop” for tribal health advocates to access age-appropriate curricula. The site was designed by a team of advisers representing a diverse group of tribal communities, using a collaborative planning process. The website content and navigation was then refined through usability testing with the target audience. The portal allows users to filter and compare curricula on multiple dimensions, including: age, delivery setting, duration, cost, and evidence of effectiveness, to determine best-fit. It includes all materials needed for implementation free-of-charge, including: facilitator training tools, lesson plans, materials to support participant marketing and recruitment, information about each program's cultural relevance, evaluation methods and findings, and references to publications and reports. The website currently includes mCircle of Life, Native It's Your Game, Native STAND, Native VOICES, and Safe in the Village, among others. Since its launch in August 2016, the site has had over 31,000 page views in all 50 States. The Healthy Native Youth portal provides educators in rural communities a promising new tool to support the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based health curricula in geographically-disbursed AI/AN communities. Lessons learned during the design and dissemination of the Healthy Native Youth website may be of value to other Indigenous populations interested in our approach and our findings.

African American faith-based organizations have long been recognized as vital resources in the African American community. Within the Social Determinants of Health Framework, various barriers and facilitators to implementing HIV and STI prevention activities within these faith-based organizations have been identified. The Southern Nevada Teen Pregnancy Prevention project implemented an evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention intervention targeting African American youth ages 14-19 years in African American faith-based organizations in Clark County, NV. This manuscript presents the lessons learned from this project. In addition to confirming some of the barriers and facilitators previously identified in the literature, this manuscript also identifies additional barriers and facilitators based on the experiences of this project, which can further enhance future work with these organizations.

Overexpression of ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABC) subfamily G2 in cancer cells is known to elicit a MDR phenotype, ultimately resulting in cancer chemotherapy failure. Here, we report, for the first time, the effect of eight novel pyrimido[1",2":1,5]pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline (IND) derivatives that inhibit ABCG2 transporter restoring cancer cell chemosensitivity. IND -4, -5, -6, -7, and -8, at 10 mu M, and nilotinib at 5 mu M, significantly potentiated (8-10 fold) the cytotoxicity of the ABCG2 substrates mitoxantrone (MX) and doxorubicin in HEK293 cells overexpressing ABCG2 transporter, MX (similar to 14 fold) in MX-resistant NCI-H460/MX-20 small cell lung cancer, and of topotecan (similar to 7 fold) in S1-M1-80 colon cancer cells which all stably expressing ABCG2. In contrast, cytotoxicity of cisplatin, which is not an ABCG2 substrate, was not altered. IND-5,-6,-7, and -8 significantly increased the accumulation of rhodamine-123 in multidrug resistant NCI-H460/MX-20 cells overexpressing ABCG2. Both IND-7 and -8, the most potent ABCG2 inhibitors, had the highest affinities for the binding sites of ABCG2 in modeling studies. In conclusion, the beneficial actions of new class of agents warrant further development as potential MDR reversal agents for clinical anticancer agents that suffer from ABCG2-mediated MDR insensitivity. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.