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The Development of Dance in Early Childhood
Get PDFDancing to music is prevalent across human cultures. It is also developmentally precocious—most children display dance-like behaviors before their first birthday. This early emergence precedes a long maturational trajectory with broad individual differences. Here, we survey recent research on dance in infancy and childhood. We propose that investigating early musical movements is useful for understanding the development of dance itself and that dance can serve as a behavioral measure to better understand development in adjacent domains, such as auditory perception and musical memory. Finally, we discuss potential developmental mechanisms underlying early dance and highlight major remaining questions. Studying early dance provides an opportunity to highlight how fundamental processes in psychology, such as nature-nurture interactions, individual differences, and the interplay between abilities and environments, can impact the emergence and expression of this social and multimodal human behavior
Validation of an Automated High-Throughput Multiplex Real-Time PCR Assay for Detection of Enteric Protozoa
Get PDFBackground: Microscopy is the conventional method for the identification of gastrointestinal parasitic pathogens in fecal specimens; however, it presents numerous challenges, including high technical expertise burden, multiple staining procedures, and prolonged turnaround time. Molecular methods provide higher throughput and potentially higher sensitivity and specificity. Methods: We validated a commercial, automated DNA extraction platform and multiplex parasitic real-time PCR panel (Seegene AllplexTM GI-Parasite Assay) detecting six protozoal pathogens: Blastocystis hominis (Bh), Cryptosporidium spp., Cyclospora cayetanensis (Cc), Dientamoeba fragilis (Df), Entamoeba histolytica (Eh), and Giardia lamblia (Gl) in unpreserved fecal specimens submitted for diagnostic parasitology. Microscopy was the reference standard for all organisms, with stool ELISA as an additional reference assay for Eh. Results: Among 461 unpreserved fecal specimens, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive values of the enteric multiplex for fresh specimens were as follows: 93%, 98.3%, 85.1%, 99.3% for Bh; 100% for all measures in Cryptosporidium and Cc; 100%, 99.3%, 88.5%, 100% for Df; 33.3%, 100%, 100%, 99.6% for Eh; and 100%, 98.9%, 68.8%, 100% for Gl, respectively. With the addition of 17 frozen specimens, the sensitivity for Eh increased to 75%. On a per-batch basis, the molecular platform reduced pre-analytical and analytical testing turnaround time by 7 h. Conclusions: The enteric multiplex platform provides a useful diagnostic tool for clinically relevant enteric protozoa, including Cryptosporidium spp., Cyclospora cayetanensis, Dientamoeba fragilis, and Giardia lamblia. Further evaluation of the assay is required for Entamoeba histolytica prior to clinical use; however, given the widespread availability of confirmatory serology and stool antigen testing for E. histolytica, such performance limitations are of lesser concern
Data-Driven Machine-Learning-Based Seismic Response Prediction and Damage Classification for an Unreinforced Masonry Building
Get PDFUnreinforced masonry buildings are highly vulnerable to earthquake damage due to their limited ability to withstand lateral loads, compared to other structures. Therefore, a detailed assessment of the seismic response and resultant damage associated with such buildings becomes necessary. The present study employs machine learning models to effectively predict the seismic response and classify the damage level for a benchmark unreinforced masonry building. In this regard, eight regression-based models, namely, Linear Regression (LR), Stepwise Linear Regression (SLR), Ridge Regression (RR), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Gaussian Process Regression (GPR), Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), and Neural Networks (NN), were used to predict the building’s responses. Additionally, eight classification-based models, namely, Naïve Bayes (NB), Discriminant Analysis (DA), K-Nearest Neighbours (KNN), Adaptive Boosting (AB), DT, RF, SVM, and NN, were explored for the purpose of categorizing the damage states of the building. The material properties of the masonry and the earthquake intensity were considered as the input parameters. The results from the regression models indicate that the GPR model efficiently predicts the seismic response with larger coefficients of determination and smaller root mean square error values than other models. Among the classification-based models, the RF, AB, and NN models effectively classify the damage states with accuracy levels of 92.9%, 91.1%, and 92.6%, respectively. In conclusion, the overall performance of the non-parametric models, such as GPR, NN, and RF, was found to be better than that of the parametric models
Self-Directed Learning and Consensus Decision-Making in the Co-Creation of Virtual Worlds Promoting Student Mental Health Through Mobile Technology Use: A Scoping Review
Get PDFMobile technology advancements have led to cellphone bans in some school jurisdictions. The basis of these bans is judging their utilization by students as unhealthy, antisocial, and educationally controversial. Banning student cellphones neglects the positive mental health of cellphone use that comes from self-directed learning in students using them in the co-creation of virtual worlds through online communities. This scoping review examines peer-reviewed research from 2021–2025 demonstrating positive mental health value in self-directed mobile technology use through co-creating virtual worlds. The searches are of seven primary databases and one supplementary database, using the keywords “self-directed learning AND mobile technology AND co-creation AND virtual worlds”. Excluded are reviews, book chapters, abstracts, and conference proceedings. The assessment of the findings is that cellphone use promotes a combination of self-directed learning and consensus decision-making, and provides mental health benefits when virtual worlds are co-created by students permitted their use. Appraising these results—regarding self-directed learning, consensus decision-making, and student mental health—the conclusion is that in contemplating the school cellphone use of mobile technology, educators rethink banning their classroom use. The aim would be to support the co-creation of virtual worlds to promote increased self-direction, consensus decision-making, and positive mental health
Characterization of heifer rearing costs and their association with farm factors of Québec Holstein dairy farms
Get PDFAlthough raising heifers is an important investment for dairy farms, heifer rearing costs and their contributing factors are rarely assessed. The objective of the study was to quantify and characterize the cost of raising replacement Holstein heifers from birth to calving and per growing phases, and to identify the management practices associated with the lowest rearing cost. This analysis was conducted using rearing practices and the related costs from 87 conventional Holstein dairy farms in Québec, Canada. Data were collected directly from the farm and their financial management services. The average total cost was calculated to be 4,145 CAD heifer-1; PThe presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the pdf file of the accepted manuscript may differ slightly from what is displayed on the item page. The information in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript reflects the original submission by the author
Investigating the Effects of Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone on Atherogenesis in Normoglycemic and Hyperglycemic Mouse Models
Get PDFObjective: The effect of testosterone on the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is of interest due to the higher risk of CVD in men. This study aims to examine the impact of testosterone depletion and supplementation on atherosclerosis progression in normoglycemic and hyperglycemic mouse models. Methods: Male apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE−/−) and hyperglycemic (insulin deficient) ApoE−/−Ins2+/Akita mice were fed a standard chow diet and were either castrated or subjected to sham operations at 5 weeks of age. At 8 and 16 weeks of age, subsets of these mice were implanted subcutaneously with a silastic tube containing either 40 µL of dihydrotestosterone (DHT, 25 mg/mL) or sesame oil as a vehicle control. Survival was monitored and all remaining mice were sacrificed at 24 weeks of age. Blood, heart, and aortic samples were collected for analysis. Metabolic parameters were evaluated, and atherosclerotic lesion volumes were measured at the aortic sinus and in en face whole aorta mounts. Results: Castration significantly promoted atherosclerosis in normoglycemic mice, with a 3.0-fold increase (p < 0.05) at the aortic sinus and a 3.5-fold increase (p < 0.05) in en face aortas. However, in hyperglycemic mice, castration attenuated atherosclerosis in en face aortas. Supplementation with exogenous DHT led to increased atherosclerosis in hyperglycemic mice and was associated with significant cardiac-related mortality in 21–24-week-old hyperglycemic mice. Conclusions: In this mouse model, while testosterone/DHT may offer cardioprotective benefits under normoglycemic conditions, it appears to exert substantial harmful effects, such as promoting atherosclerosis and increasing the risk of myocardial infarction, in hyperglycemic conditions
Women Interpreters of the Psalms in the Early Nineteenth Century
Get PDFTrimmer, Cornwallis, and Thomson were female biblical interpreters in England during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. They lived in a society that did not support women's advancement in the academia or the church, and modern audiences have forgotten their published works. However, their biblical commentaries were influential in their time. This thesis will examine and compare the interpretations of Psalms by these three female interpreters to reclaim their overlooked voices in the history of the interpretation of the Psalms. It will explore how they communicated biblical teachings to diverse audiences. Furthermore, it will suggest that their works showcase their knowledge, wisdom, piety, and courage and highlight the enduring value of female biblical interpreters and their writings.Master of Theology (ThM
The Voices of Those Who Stayed the Course: Learning from the Life-Long Elderly Members of The United Church of Canada
Get PDFMany people believe modernity and secularism cause religious decline in society and in individuals. Others believe pluralism causes the decline, yet religious adherence remains in personal lives. In Canada, people left the churches, and Christianity, yet some stayed. The purpose of this project was to ask why. The theoretical elements were life cycle and lived religion. Fourteen participants, born and raised in the United Church of Canada in the 1930s, 40s, or 50s, who stayed in the church throughout their lives, were interviewed. The presuppositions were that the church influenced and shaped them in their earliest years, became their church home and family, and offered them a safe place to live out their faith through the decades of changes in the Church and Canada. Early United Church leaders, such as R.B.Y. Scott, Gregory Vlastos, and John Line, feared how the rise of individualism, capitalism, and materialism would harm the family and the home. Christian education efforts through to the 1950s were designed to create solid, stable, Christian families for a Christian nation and new world order. However, the events of the turbulent 1960s inside and outside the Church challenged their efforts. These Life-Long Elderly Members were outside the mainstream of the Baby Boom experiences. Their churches were their church families and homes. They appropriated into their lives the ethos of the United Church, to love and serve others, lived it in their welcome, acceptance and radical inclusivity in community inside and beyond their congregations and lived modest lives. Symbols of their faith and life stories, and understanding of God’s presence, reveal their lived religion today. They stayed the course because they learned to live with contentedness, courage, compassion, and connection. They were changed by the 1960s adapting to the liberalism, inclusivity, multiculturalism, and more open sexual morals. They view their children and grandchildren, gone from church, as good people, Christian-like, and they are proud of their close family relationships. They stayed because there was no reason to leave. They had purpose, meaning, and belonging from their earliest years; they appropriated these into their living and continue to do so.Doctor of Ministry (DMin
Impact of imine bonds on the electronic properties of degradable carotenoid-based conjugated polymers
Get PDFCarotenoids are suitable building blocks for degradable π-conjugated polymers due to their intrinsic single-molecule conductance and well-documented degradation pathways. Previously, we reported a carotenoid-based polymer, p(CP-hexyl), which incorporated a cleavable imine linker enabling degradation via acid hydrolysis or sunlight; however, there was limited insight into its electronic properties. In this current study, we compare the optoelectronic and photophysical properties of p(CP-hexyl) with a structural analog, caro-PPV, which replaces the imine bonds with vinylene groups, to improve charge transport while maintaining degradability. Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, density functional theory, and transient absorption spectroscopy provided a comprehensive understanding of these polymers’ optoelectronic properties. Further, chemical doping and oxidative degradation were evaluated using FeCl3 and trifluoroacetic acid, unveiling differences in radical formation and degradation mechanisms for both carotenoid-based polymers. Lastly, charge carrier mobility measurements in organic field-effect transistors unveiled caro-PPV's superior semiconductor performance, with mobilities 103–104 times greater than p(CP-hexyl). These findings highlight the potential of carotenoid monomers in the design of π-conjugated polymers for degradable electronics.This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada (H.T., RGPIN2021-03554 and ALLRP 597407 - 24; A.U. & N.S.Y.H., CGS-D scholarship; S.H.H. PGS-D scholarship), and the Ontario Government (S.M. OGS). This research was undertaken thanks in part to funding provided to the University of Toronto's Acceleration Consortium from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CDG13-2023)
Current Status of CT Imaging Before Common Transcatheter Interventions for Structural Heart Disease
Get PDFBackground: Over the past decade, several trials and observational studies have validated the use of minimally invasive cardiac interventions as viable treatment options for various cardiac diseases. Transcatheter techniques for severe aortic valve stenosis have rapidly emerged as alternatives to surgical aortic valve replacement in certain patient populations. Additionally, non-surgical treatment options have expanded for conditions affecting other cardiac valves, such as the mitral valve. These emerging minimally invasive interventions complement already well-established endovascular techniques for, among others, atrial septal defect closure, left atrial appendage occlusion and pulmonary vein isolation in patients with atrial fibrillation. Given their non-surgical nature and lack of direct visualisation of the targeted anatomy, these procedures heavily rely on precise pre-procedural radiological imaging for optimal patient selection and procedural success. Method: This paper is based on the expert opinion of the authors and an exhaustive literature research. Results: This manuscript reviews the most commonly employed minimally invasive cardiac interventions, highlighting the essential pre-procedural imaging information and key aspects that must be included in radiological reports to mitigate potential complications. Conclusion: Accurate pre-procedural imaging is crucial for ensuring safe and effective minimally invasive cardiac interventions, underscoring the importance of the radiologist in the pre-procedural work-up of these patients