Deaf role-models for Deaf children in hearing families: a scoping review.

The use of Deaf role-models (DRMs) with Deaf children born into hearing families is a practice aimed at improving outcomes for Deaf children, yet there is little peer-reviewed research available to influence future direction of such. This scoping review directs attention to available research on DRMs as a socio-linguistic and cultural viewpoint for balancing a predominantly audiological approach for early intervention for Deaf children. Systematic database searches initially yielded 132 records, of which seven articles were included in this scoping review. Findings are presented as five themes: 'Deaf Gain' and associated cultural capital, effective communication, developmental influences, family (or caregiver) attitudes to Deafness, and administration of DRM programs. Few formalized DRM programs were identified within the literature. The review concludes with recommendations for further exploration of the DRM experiences of Deaf people and their families within Australia.

A novel 3D-printed customized nasal mask for improving CPAP adherence and satisfaction for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the performance of a novel 3D-printed customized nasal mask on patient satisfaction and compliance to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). METHODS: Patients prescribed CPAP therapy with suboptimal CPAP compliance using a conventional CPAP mask (<70% of nights with ≥4 hours per night over 4 weeks) were recruited from the sleep investigation unit of a tertiary hospital. Patients underwent a 3D-facial mapping procedure to have a novel 3D-printed customized nasal mask fabricated which was trialed four weeks. CPAP compliance data download of the same period was conducted with their pre-existing conventional mask and customized mask. Questionnaires assessing symptoms of OSA and mask-related side-effects were administered before and after the trial of the customized mask. RESULTS: Thirty patients (twenty-two males and eight females, age 63.3 ± 12.5 years, BMI 31.7 ± 5.2 kg/m2, apnea-hypopnea index 37.3 ± 21.9 events/h [mean ± standard deviation]) were studied. CPAP was used in a greater proportion of nights with the customized mask (85.7 [66.1, 98.2]% versus 63.2 [13.1, 96.8]%, P=0.009) compared to the conventional mask. Hourly CPAP usage was higher with the customized mask (3.8 [2.7, 5.8] hours versus 2.4 [0.3, 5.0] hours, P=0.016) compared to a conventional mask. Patients preferred the customized mask (P=0.008) and reported less mask-related side effects. CONCLUSIONS: The novel 3D-printed customized mask improved CPAP usage in patients with suboptimal CPAP compliance. Customized CPAP masks may be a suitable option for patients experiencing poor CPAP compliance from mask-related side effects. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registry: ANZCTR; Title: Conventional vs custom made nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) mask for treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: Pilot study A; Identifier: ACTRN12621001301853; URL: https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=382142.

Teaching writing in primary education (grades 1-6) in Australia: a national survey.

Providing adequate writing instruction and practice in schools is an essential cornerstone of writing development and it affords a diagnostic approach for teachers. But what writing instruction is being practiced in Australian primary schools? The aim of this study was to survey a sample of teachers (n = 310) about their instructional practices for writing and their preparation and self-efficacy to teach writing. The majority of the teachers surveyed indicated they allocated on average less than three hours per week for writing practice in their classrooms, with findings further showing a large variability in the frequency of writing practice ranging from 15 min to 7.5 h per week. Findings suggested an emphasis placed on teaching foundational skills, such as spelling, over the teaching of process skills, such as planning and revising. Results further indicated that less emphasis is placed on teaching handwriting and typing. The majority of participating teachers reported implementing only six of the 20 different instructional practices included in the survey on a weekly basis, with school-home strategies being the least frequently reported strategies to foster students' writing development. Most teachers expressed positive beliefs about their preparation and self-efficacy for teaching writing. Results from multiple regression analysis showed that preparation and self-efficacy for teaching writing significantly and statistically accounted for variability in using evidence-based practices, teaching foundational skills, and teaching process skills. However, only self-efficacy made a statically significant contribution to predicting strategies to extend writing to the home environment. Implications for teaching and recommendations for research are provided.

iEngage: A digital health education program designed to enhance physical activity in young adolescents.

iEngage is a modular health education and behavioural change program designed to help adolescents increase moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The program is delivered through the iEngage app which integrates activity trackers data (Misfit Ray©) within 10 interactive learning modules. Key features include guidance to set goals, self-monitor and assess achievements, and experiential learning via the connected activity trackers which allows for continuous steps recording during the program. iEngage was implemented in two schools over 5 weeks with 10-12 years old adolescents (n = 57) and PA outcomes compared to control group (n = 26). Results show that adolescents successfully set goals and self-assessed achievements during the program, progressing toward higher physical activity (PA) levels as shown by the 30% increase in daily steps through the program (+ 2647 steps/day, P < .001) with boys increasing goals and achievements faster than girls. The consistency in days totalling at least 11,000 steps/day increased from 35% at the start to 48% at the end of the program. The increase in PA is confirmed through the assessment of MVPA during schooldays pre- and post- program via research grade wrist accelerometers in both iEngage and control participants. Contrasting with the control group, MVPA was increased in the week following the program (~+5 min/day, P = .023) in short bouts, particularly during lunch time, recess and after school. This study shows that a digital program integrating activity trackers data, health education, goals setting and self-monitoring of PA, helped young adolescents enhance PA goals, improve achievements and increase MVPA.

How do travelers manage jetlag and travel fatigue? A survey of passengers on long-haul flights.

Jetlag and travel fatigue can impair functioning, but it is unknown what strategies are used by travelers to minimize these consequences. Passengers on Qantas Airways flights were invited to take part in online surveys. Long-haul flights of ≥8 h into and out of Australia were targeted, which involved time differences of 1 to 18 h between the origin and destination. Passengers were queried about the use of travel booking choices before the flight, and the use of behavioral strategies before, during, and after flight for reducing jetlag and travel fatigue. Surveys were completed by N = 460 passengers aged 18 to 78 (43% male; mean age 50 y). Selecting a seat location (59%) and choosing a direct flight (52%) were the most common booking strategies. Almost all (99%) employed specific behavioral strategies during flight, with fewer implementing strategies before flight (73%) and after flight (89%). During the journey, 81% consumed or avoided caffeine and alcohol, 68% altered food intake, 68% used comfort/relaxation strategies, 53% light exposure, 35% physical activity, 31% compression stockings, 15% pharmaceutical sleep aids, and 8% melatonin. Surprisingly, only 1 of 460 passengers reported using a jetlag app. Younger travelers were more likely to adopt any strategy before the flight than older travelers (χ 22 = 14.90, p =.01), while female travelers appeared more likely than male travelers to use strategies before (77% vs. 68%) and after flight (91% vs. 85%). Reason for travel, flight cabin, leg of journey, and country of residence were not significantly associated with the use of behavioral strategies. Nearly all passengers took measures to improve the experience and consequences of long-haul flying. The results suggest that interventions around food/drink and physical activity may be highly acceptable to passengers for mitigating travel fatigue and that greater public education on evidence-based strategies may be helpful for reducing travel fatigue and jetlag.

Internal consistency and convergent and divergent validity of the Liverpool jetlag questionnaire.

Objective measures of circadian disruption are difficult to capture in a free-living environment hence the importance of validating subjective measures of jetlag. We aimed to assess the internal consistency of the 15-item Liverpool Jetlag Scale and its convergent and divergent validity with indicators of fatigue and anxiety in a large sample of air passengers. Online survey of passengers was conducted after travel on a range of long-haul flights. Jetlag was captured using the Liverpool scale, fatigue was measured using the Vitality subscale of the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the presence of anxiety or worry before, during, and after flight was self-reported. Inter-item correlations and Cronbach's alpha were calculated to assess the internal consistency of the scale. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine whether the scale was consistent with one underlying construct of circadian disruption. Correlations between fatigue and anxiety (flying, situational, symptoms) with jetlag were used to assess convergent and divergent validity. Linear regression was used to determine the most important symptoms contributing to subjective jetlag rating. N = 460 passengers (57% female, mean age 50, SD 16 years) were surveyed. Cronbach's alpha indicated high internal reliability (alpha = 0.85). Jetlag was more strongly correlated with fatigue (rho = 0.47) than any type of anxiety (rho = 0.10-0.22). Exploratory factor analysis indicated responses were consistent with four factors: (i) fatigue/daytime impairment, (ii) sleep disturbance, (iii) changes in appetite and (iv) changes in bowel function. Regression analysis indicated that only changes in concentration, sleep time, fatigue, sleep quality and frequency of bowel motions were independent correlates of subjective jetlag (R2 = 27%). The Liverpool Jetlag Scale is internally consistent and demonstrates the expected relationships with fatigue and anxiety. Patterns of response are not consistent with all items being derived from one underlying factor, i.e. circadian disruption. Further, not all items contributed to the jetlag rating, suggesting the single-item rating may be useful for capturing the subjective experience of jetlag, whilst a total jetlag score is useful for also capturing circadian symptoms considered by passengers to be unrelated to jetlag. Validation of subjective jetlag against objective measures of circadian disruption is required.

Expression of MdCCD7 in the scion determines the extent of sylleptic branching and the primary shoot growth rate of apple trees.

Branching has a major influence on the overall shape and productivity of a plant. Strigolactones (SLs) have been identified as plant hormones that have a key role in suppressing the outgrowth of axillary meristems. CAROTENOID CLEAVAGE DIOXYGENASE (CCD) genes are integral to the biosynthesis of SLs and are well characterized in annual plants, but their role in woody perennials is relatively unknown. We identified CCD7 and CCD8 orthologues from apple and demonstrated that MdCCD7 and MdCCD8 are able to complement the Arabidopsis branching mutants max3 and max4 respectively, indicating conserved function. RNAi lines of MdCCD7 show reduced gene expression and increased branching in apple. We performed reciprocal grafting experiments with combinations of MdCCD7 RNAi and wild-type 'Royal Gala' as rootstocks and scion. Unexpectedly, wild-type roots were unable to suppress branching in MdCCD7 RNAi scions. Another key finding was that MdCCD7 RNAi scions initiated phytomers at an increased rate relative to the wild type, resulting in a greater node number and primary shoot length. We suggest that localized SL biosynthesis in the shoot, rather than roots, controls axillary bud outgrowth and shoot growth rate in apple.

Environmental control of branching in petunia.

Plants alter their development in response to changes in their environment. This responsiveness has proven to be a successful evolutionary trait. Here, we tested the hypothesis that two key environmental factors, light and nutrition, are integrated within the axillary bud to promote or suppress the growth of the bud into a branch. Using petunia (Petunia hybrida) as a model for vegetative branching, we manipulated both light quality (as crowding and the red-to-far-red light ratio) and phosphate availability, such that the axillary bud at node 7 varied from deeply dormant to rapidly growing. In conjunction with the phenotypic characterization, we also monitored the state of the strigolactone (SL) pathway by quantifying SL-related gene transcripts. Mutants in the SL pathway inhibit but do not abolish the branching response to these environmental signals, and neither signal is dominant over the other, suggesting that the regulation of branching in response to the environment is complex. We have isolated three new putatively SL-related TCP (for Teosinte branched1, Cycloidia, and Proliferating cell factor) genes from petunia, and have identified that these TCP-type transcription factors may have roles in the SL signaling pathway both before and after the reception of the SL signal at the bud. We show that the abundance of the receptor transcript is regulated by light quality, such that axillary buds growing in added far-red light have greatly increased receptor transcript abundance. This suggests a mechanism whereby the impact of any SL signal reaching an axillary bud is modulated by the responsiveness of these cells to the signal.

DAD2 is an α/ß hydrolase likely to be involved in the perception of the plant branching hormone, strigolactone.

Strigolactones are a recently discovered class of plant hormone involved in branching, leaf senescence, root development, and plant-microbe interactions. They are carotenoid-derived lactones, synthesized in the roots and transported acropetally to modulate axillary bud outgrowth (i.e., branching). However, a receptor for strigolactones has not been identified. We have identified the DAD2 gene from petunia, an ortholog of the rice and Arabidopsis D14 genes, and present evidence for its roles in strigolactone perception and signaling. DAD2 acts in the strigolactone pathway, and the dad2 mutant is insensitive to the strigolactone analog GR24. The crystal structure of DAD2 reveals an α/ß hydrolase fold containing a canonical catalytic triad with a large internal cavity capable of accommodating strigolactones. In the presence of GR24 DAD2 interacts with PhMAX2A, a central component of strigolactone signaling, in a GR24 concentration-dependent manner. DAD2 can hydrolyze GR24, with mutants of the catalytic triad abolishing both this activity and the ability of DAD2 to interact with PhMAX2A. The hydrolysis products can neither stimulate the protein-protein interaction nor modulate branching. These observations suggest that DAD2 acts to bind the mobile strigolactone signal and then interacts with PhMAX2A during catalysis to initiate an SCF-mediated signal transduction pathway.

Modified CAROTENOID CLEAVAGE DIOXYGENASE8 expression correlates with altered branching in kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis).

• CAROTENOID CLEAVAGE DIOXYGENASE (CCD) genes have been demonstrated to play an integral role in the control of branch development in model plants, including Arabidopsis, pea (Pisum sativum), petunia (Petunia hybrida) and rice (Oryza sativa). • Actinidia chinensis is a woody perennial plant grown for commercial production of kiwifruit. CCD7 and CCD8 genes were isolated from A. chinensis and these genes are predominantly expressed in the roots of kiwifruit. AcCCD7 and AcCCD8 were able to complement the corresponding Arabidopsis mutants max3 and max4. The function of AcCCD8 in branch development was determined in transgenic kiwifruit plants containing an RNAi construct for AcCCD8. • Reduction in expression of AcCCD8 correlated with an increase in branch development and delayed leaf senescence. • The CCD pathway for control of branch development is conserved across a wide range of species, including kiwifruit, a woody perennial.

A positive approach to branching.

Plants regulate the development of branches in response to environmental and developmental signals in order to maximize reproductive success. A number of hormone signals are involved in the regulation of branching and both their production and transmission affect axillary meristem outgrowth. With the identification of strigolactones as root-derived branch inhibitors it seems likely that a biochemical pathway starting from a carotenoid and resulting in production of a strigolactone hormone is present in most plants. Our observation that loss of CCD7 or CCD8 also results in production of a promoter of branching from roots shows the branching pathway has multiple levels of control which allows a high degree of sensitivity to subtle differences in environmental and developmental signals.

Global gene expression analysis of apple fruit development from the floral bud to ripe fruit.

BACKGROUND: Apple fruit develop over a period of 150 days from anthesis to fully ripe. An array representing approximately 13000 genes (15726 oligonucleotides of 45-55 bases) designed from apple ESTs has been used to study gene expression over eight time points during fruit development. This analysis of gene expression lays the groundwork for a molecular understanding of fruit growth and development in apple. RESULTS: Using ANOVA analysis of the microarray data, 1955 genes showed significant changes in expression over this time course. Expression of genes is coordinated with four major patterns of expression observed: high in floral buds; high during cell division; high when starch levels and cell expansion rates peak; and high during ripening. Functional analysis associated cell cycle genes with early fruit development and three core cell cycle genes are significantly up-regulated in the early stages of fruit development. Starch metabolic genes were associated with changes in starch levels during fruit development. Comparison with microarrays of ethylene-treated apple fruit identified a group of ethylene induced genes also induced in normal fruit ripening. Comparison with fruit development microarrays in tomato has been used to identify 16 genes for which expression patterns are similar in apple and tomato and these genes may play fundamental roles in fruit development. The early phase of cell division and tissue specification that occurs in the first 35 days after pollination has been associated with up-regulation of a cluster of genes that includes core cell cycle genes. CONCLUSION: Gene expression in apple fruit is coordinated with specific developmental stages. The array results are reproducible and comparisons with experiments in other species has been used to identify genes that may play a fundamental role in fruit development.

A genomics approach reveals that aroma production in apple is controlled by ethylene predominantly at the final step in each biosynthetic pathway.

Ethylene is the major effector of ripening in many fleshy fruits. In apples (Malus x domestica) the addition of ethylene causes a climacteric burst of respiration, an increase in aroma, and softening of the flesh. We have generated a transgenic line of 'Royal Gala' apple that produces no detectable levels of ethylene using antisense ACC OXIDASE, resulting in apples with no ethylene-induced ripening attributes. In response to external ethylene these antisense fruits undergo a normal climacteric burst and produced increasing concentrations of ester, polypropanoid, and terpene volatile compounds over an 8-d period. A total of 186 candidate genes that might be involved in the production of these compounds were mined from expressed sequence tags databases and full sequence obtained. Expression patterns of 179 of these were assessed using a 15,720 oligonucleotide apple microarray. Based on sequence similarity and gene expression patterns we identified 17 candidate genes that are likely to be ethylene control points for aroma production in apple. While many of the biosynthetic steps in these pathways were represented by gene families containing two or more genes, expression patterns revealed that only a single member is typically regulated by ethylene. Only certain points within the aroma biosynthesis pathways were regulated by ethylene. Often the first step, and in all pathways the last steps, contained enzymes that were ethylene regulated. This analysis suggests that the initial and final enzymatic steps with the biosynthetic pathways are important transcriptional regulation points for aroma production in apple.