214 research outputs found
Down Syndrome Across the Life Span
No full textBeyond the myths: representing people with Down syndrome / Jan Gothard -- Learning in young children with Down syndrome: public perceptions, empirical evidence / Jennifer G. Wishart -- Self-regulation in children and young people with Down syndrome / Sheila Glenn and Cliff Cunningham -- What matters most? A reflection on a quarter century of early childhood intervention / Robin Treloar and Susan Cairns -- Making inclusion work: improving educational outcomes for students with Down syndrome in the regular classroom / Loretta R. Giorcelli -- Cognitive development and education: perspectives on Down syndrome from a twenty-year research programme / Susan Buckley and Gillian Bird -- Broadening approaches to literacy education for young adults with Down syndrome / Christina E. van Kraayenoord ... [et al.] -- Numeracy and money management skills in young adults with Down syndrome / Sandra Bochner ... [et al.] -- Life styles of adults with Down syndrome living at home / Anne Jobling and Monica Cuskelly -- Some studies involving individuals with Down syndrome and their relevance to a quality of life model / Verity Bottroff ... [et al.] -- From autonomy to work placement / Anna Contardi -- An appreciative inquiry about adults with Down syndrome / Susanne Muirhead -- Multiple perspectives of family life / Monica Cuskelly ... [et al.] -- Verbal-motor behaviour in persons with Down syndrome / Brian K.V. Maraj ... [et al.]
Introduction: The ecological relevance of chemically induced endocrine disruption in wildlife
No full textThis article is part of the monograph “The Ecological Relevance of Chemically Induced Endocrine Disruption in Wildlife.
Assessing the Sensitivity of Different Life Stages for Sexual Disruption in Roach (Rutilus rutilus) Exposed to Effluents from Wastewater Treatment Works
No full textSurveys of U.K. rivers have shown a high incidence of sexual disruption in populations of wild roach (Rutilus rutilus) living downstream from wastewater treatment works (WwTW), and the degree of intersex (gonads containing both male and female structural characteristics) has been correlated with the concentration of effluent in those rivers. In this study, we investigated feminized responses to two estrogenic WwTWs in roach exposed for periods during life stages of germ cell division (early life and the postspawning period). Roach were exposed as embryos from fertilization up to 300 days posthatch (dph; to include the period of gonadal sex differentiation) or as postspawning adult males, and including fish that had received previous estrogen exposure, for either 60 or 120 days when the annual event of germ cell proliferation occurs. Both effluents induced vitellogenin synthesis in both life stages studied, and the magnitude of the vitellogenic responses paralleled the effluent content of steroid estrogens. Feminization of the reproductive ducts occurred in male fish in a concentration-dependent manner when the exposure occurred during early life, but we found no effects on the reproductive ducts in adult males. Depuration studies (maintenance of fish in clean water after exposure to WwTW effluent) confirmed that the feminization of the reproductive duct was permanent. We found no evidence of ovotestis development in fish that had no previous estrogen exposure for any of the treatments. In wild adult roach that had previously received exposure to estrogen and were intersex, the degree of intersex increased during the study period, but this was not related to the immediate effluent exposure, suggesting a previously determined programming of ovotestis formation
Exploring household waste management behavior through the stimulus-organism-response model
No full textData availability:
The datasets used in the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.Waste is one of the most pressing global issues that demands urgent action and innovative solutions, this problem growing and requires increased attention. This study proposed a conceptual framework based on the stimulus-organism-response model, incorporating waste sorting knowledge, awareness, and environmental concerns to understand this issue. The proposed framework was tested with structural equation modeling (SEM), and the internal validity and reliability of the measurements and measures were evaluated with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). This research use data collected from 131 household in Banyuwangi, Indonesia, using a purposive sampling. The results reveal that knowledge significantly influences awareness (β = 0.679, t = 8.232) and environmental concern (β = 0.105, t = 2.811). However, its effect on waste-sorting behavior (β = −0.053, t = −0.324) is not supported. Waste-sorting behavior is determined by environmental concern (β = 0.883, t = 3.37) but not by awareness (β = 0.342, t = 1.835). Furthermore, the findings confirm the full mediation of environmental concern in the relationship between knowledge and waste-sorting behavior. This study provide insight driven from stimulus-organism- response model and its implication in household waste management behavior research in developing country. This research offers several theoretical and practical implications, contributing to the existing literature and aiding practitioners in designing effective intervention campaigns to promote household waste sorting.This research is part of a System Analysis Approach to Reduce Plastics Waste in Indonesia Society project funded by UK Research and Innovation, Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), project reference NE/V006428/1
The impacts of endocrine disrupters on wildlife, people and their environments - The Weybridge+15 (1996–2011) report
No full textRates of endocrine diseases and disorders, such
as some reproductive and developmental harm in
human populations, have changed in line with the
growth of the chemical industry, leading to concerns
that these factors may be linked. For example, the
current status of semen quality in the few European
countries where studies have been systematically
conducted, is very poor: fertility in approximately
40 % of men is impaired. There is also evidence of
reproductive and developmental harm linked to
impairments in endocrine function in a number
of wildlife species, particularly in environments
that are contaminated by cocktails of chemicals
that are in everyday use. Based on the human and
wildlife evidence, many scientists are concerned
about chemical pollutants being able to interfere
with the normal functioning of hormones, so-called
endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), that could
play a causative role in these diseases and disorders.
If this holds true, then these 'early warnings' signal
a failure in environmental protection that should be
addressed.
(In this report...) Several key conclusions, challenges and recommendations have been drawn from the
research over the last 14 years, not least of which
is the conclusion that that chemically induced ED
likely affects human and wildlife endocrine health
the world over. A much better understanding of the
role of exposure to environmental contaminants in
the prevalence and risk of endocrine disease in both
humans and wildlife is needed if we are to protect
ourselves and wildlife from any harm caused by
these chemicals
System-wide assessment of plastic pollution in Indonesia: External stakeholder mapping
No full textSupplementary Information is available online at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10669-025-10059-6#Sec17 .A preprint version of the article is available online at Research Square (https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6264128/v1) licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. It has not been certified by peer review.Recent global initiatives, such as the Global Plastics Treaty, highlight the urgency for a systems-based approach to address the risks associated with plastic pollution. However, the implementation of such initiatives is often hindered by the absence of clear criteria for what constitutes a systemic approach and who is included within it. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of external stakeholders, those who are not directly engaged in the physical flow of plastics, contrasted with internal stakeholders, who play direct roles in the physical production, consumption and waste generation and management. While internal stakeholders have traditionally received increased attention in value chain studies, external stakeholders remain largely overlooked. To address this gap, this research introduces a novel approach, embedded in the systems-based method, called Complex Value Optimisation for Resource Recovery (CVORR), to identify, map and categorise external stakeholders in the plastics value chain in Banyuwangi, Indonesia, based on organisation type, activities, and interest. The study reveals a complex system of 111 external stakeholders consolidated into 11 groups that are engaged across various operational stages and spatial levels. By integrating stakeholder theory and analytical tools such as the Mendelow matrix, the study uncovers underlying power dynamics and significant lock-ins that arise where the emphasis on downstream waste management overshadows preventive upstream measures. The findings highlight the importance of fostering communication and collaboration among stakeholders and creating partnerships within and across stakeholder groups to drive systemic change. Engaging effectively throughout the plastics value chain can pave the way for tailored solutions to local challenges, thereby enhancing sustainability and facilitating alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals. Ultimately, this study advocates for coordinated efforts, ensuring that policy interventions and local actions support a comprehensive, circular approach to effective plastics management.The research was financially supported by the PISCES research project and partnership programme (NE/V006428/1)
Gestational and lactational exposure of rats to xenoestrogens results in reduced testicular size and sperm production
No full textEHP is a publication of the U.S. government. Publication of EHP lies in the public domain and is therefore without copyright.
Research articles from EHP may be used freely; however, articles from the News section of EHP may contain photographs or figures copyrighted by other commercial organizations and individuals that may not be used without obtaining prior approval from both the EHP editors and the holder of the copyright.
Use of any materials published in EHP should be acknowledged (for example, "Reproduced with permission from Environmental Health Perspectives") and a reference provided for the article from which the material was reproduced.This study assessed whether exposure of male rats to two estrogenic, environmental chemicals, 4-octylphenol (OP) and butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) during gestation or during the first 21 days of postnatal life, affected testicular size or spermatogenesis in adulthood (90-95 days of age). Chemicals were administered via the drinking water or concentrations of 10-1000 micrograms/l (OP) or 1000 micrograms/l (BBP), diethylstilbestrol (DES; 100 micrograms/l) and an octylphenol polyethoxylate (OPP; 1000 micrograms/l), which is a weak estrogen or nonestrogenic in vitro, were administered as presumptive positive and negative controls, respectively. Controls received the vehicle (ethanol) in tap water. In study 1, rats were treated from days 1-22 after births in studies 2 and 3, the mothers were treated for approximately 8-9 weeks, spanning a 2-week period before mating throughout gestation and 22 days after giving birth. With the exception of DES, treatment generally had no major adverse effect or body weight: in most instances, treated animals were heavier than controls at day 22 and at days 90-95. Exposure to OP, OPP, or BBP at a concentration of 1000 micrograms/1 resulted in a small (5-13%) but significant (p < 0.01 or p < 0.0001) reduction in mean testicular size in studies 2 and 3, an effect that was still evident when testicular weight was expressed relative to body, weight or kidney weight. The effect of OPP is attributed to its metabolism in vivo to OP. DES exposure caused similar reductions in testicular size but also caused reductions in body weight, kidney weight, and litter size. Ventral prostate weight was reduced significantly in DES-treated rats and to minor extent in OP-treated rats. Comparable but more minor effects of treatment with DES or OP on testicular size were observed in study 1. None of the treatments had any adverse effect on testicular morphology or on the cross-sectional area of the lumen or seminiferous epithelium at stages VII-VIII of the spermatogenic cycle, but DES, OP, and BBP caused reductions of 10-21% (p < 0.05 to p < 0.001) in daily sperm production. Humans are exposed to phthalates, such as BBP, and to alkylphenol polyethoxylates, such as OP, but to what extent is unknown. More detailed studies are warranted to assess the possible risk to the development of the human testis from exposure to these and other environmental estrogens
Environmental oestrogens and sexual development in fish
No full textThis brief paper discusses the assumption that watercourses might be harbouring a chemical(s) affecting the sexual development in fish. Male fish was found with the oestrogen-dependent blood protein, vitellogenin, usually found only in maturing females. The author examines a number of man-made chemicals present in the environment have been found to be oestrogenic. The paper concludes that rivers contain environmental oestrogens that are capable of causing disruptions in the sexual development of fish. Whether or not these environmental oestrogens are causing a widespread disruption in reproduction in wild fish, however, has yet to be determined
Environmental oestrogens and sexual development in fish
No full textThis brief paper discusses the assumption that watercourses might be harbouring a chemical(s) affecting the sexual development in fish. Male fish was found with the oestrogen-dependent blood protein, vitellogenin, usually found only in maturing females. The author examines a number of man-made chemicals present in the environment have been found to be oestrogenic. The paper concludes that rivers contain environmental oestrogens that are capable of causing disruptions in the sexual development of fish. Whether or not these environmental oestrogens are causing a widespread disruption in reproduction in wild fish, however, has yet to be determined
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