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Evidence supporting the effectiveness of the PEERS® social skills intervention for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder is relatively strong. Less is known about whether the duration of the program impacts participant outcomes. The current study compared outcomes of participants randomly assigned to participate in an accelerated version of PEERS that met twice weekly for 7 weeks (n = 11) or the traditional PEERS program that met once weekly for 14 weeks (n = 10). The accelerated PEERS group demonstrated improvements consistent with previous research on the program, and treatment response did not differ significantly between the accelerated PEERS and traditional PEERS groups. Together, findings provide preliminary evidence that PEERS is effective when administered as a 7-week program., Author(s): Nicole L. Matthews [sup.1] , Jessica Laflin [sup.1] , Beatriz C. Orr [sup.1] , Katrina Warriner [sup.1] , Mary DeCarlo [sup.1] , Christopher J. Smith [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) [...]

The combustion of fossil fuels produces emissions of the long-lived greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and of short-lived pollutants, including sulfur dioxide, that contribute to the formation of atmospheric aerosols.sup.1. Atmospheric aerosols can cool the climate, masking some of the warming effect that results from the emission of greenhouse gases.sup.1. However, aerosol particulates are highly toxic when inhaled, leading to millions of premature deaths per year.sup.2,3. The phasing out of unabated fossil-fuel combustion will therefore provide health benefits, but will also reduce the extent to which the warming induced by greenhouse gases is masked by aerosols. Because aerosol levels respond much more rapidly to changes in emissions relative to carbon dioxide, large near-term increases in the magnitude and rate of climate warming are predicted in many idealized studies that typically assume an instantaneous removal of all anthropogenic or fossil-fuel-related emissions.sup.1,4-9. Here we show that more realistic modelling scenarios do not produce a substantial near-term increase in either the magnitude or the rate of warming, and in fact can lead to a decrease in warming rates within two decades of the start of the fossil-fuel phase-out. Accounting for the time required to transform power generation, industry and transportation leads to gradually increasing and largely offsetting climate impacts of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, with the rate of warming further slowed by reductions in fossil-methane emissions. Our results indicate that even the most aggressive plausible transition to a clean-energy society provides benefits for climate change mitigation and air quality at essentially all decadal to centennial timescales. Scenarios that model a realistic phase-out of fossil fuels find no substantial near-term increase in the rate of warming, and suggest benefits for climate change mitigation and air quality at essentially all timescales., Author(s): Drew Shindell [sup.1] [sup.2] , Christopher J. Smith [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) Nicholas School of the Environment and Duke Global Health Initiative, Duke University, Durham, USA (2) Porter School [...]

This study compared immediate and 4-month outcomes among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder randomly assigned to the PEERS curriculum (n = 10), a peer mediated PEERS curriculum (n = 12), or a delayed treatment control group (n = 12). Findings suggest a modest advantage in social skills knowledge and social functioning for participants in the peer-mediated PEERS curriculum relative to Traditional PEERS, and gains in social skills knowledge, social functioning, and reductions in loneliness were maintained in one or both treatment groups at a 4-month follow-up. Typically developing peer mentors (n = 16) showed improvements in social skills knowledge and marginal improvements in autism knowledge and loneliness. Future research with a larger sample and objective outcome measures is needed., Author(s): Nicole L. Matthews [sup.1] , Beatriz C. Orr [sup.1] , Katrina Warriner [sup.1] , Mary DeCarlo [sup.1] , Mia Sorensen [sup.1] , Jessica Laflin [sup.1] , Christopher J. Smith [...]

Research suggests that toddlers with no language delay (NLD) should have better outcomes than those with language delay (LD). However, the predictive utility of language milestones relative to co-varying factors such as age at diagnosis, IQ, and ASD symptomatology is unclear. This study compared school-aged children with ASD and NLD (n = 59) to a well-matched group with ASD and LD (n = 59). The LD group was diagnosed at younger ages and their historical ASD symptoms were more severe than the NLD group. The groups were similar in current ASD symptoms and adaptive functioning at school age. Language milestones were correlated with adaptive functioning, but IQ and social symptoms of ASD were stronger predictors of functioning at school age. Therefore, language milestones may not be the best indicators of prognosis for children who are diagnosed after toddlerhood., Author(s): Anthony Goodwin [sup.1] , Nicole L. Matthews [sup.1] , Christopher J. Smith [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.430554.3Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center, 300 North 18th Street, 85006, Phoenix, AZ, [...]

Research reported during the past decade has shown that global warming is roughly proportional to the total amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. This makes it possible to estimate the remaining carbon budget: the total amount of anthropogenic carbon dioxide that can still be emitted into the atmosphere while holding the global average temperature increase to the limit set by the Paris Agreement. However, a wide range of estimates for the remaining carbon budget has been reported, reducing the effectiveness of the remaining carbon budget as a means of setting emission reduction targets that are consistent with the Paris Agreement. Here we present a framework that enables us to track estimates of the remaining carbon budget and to understand how these estimates can improve over time as scientific knowledge advances. We propose that application of this framework may help to reconcile differences between estimates of the remaining carbon budget and may provide a basis for reducing uncertainty in the range of future estimates. A method of tracking changes in estimates of the remaining carbon budget over time should help to reconcile differences between these estimates and clarify their usefulness for setting emission reduction targets., Author(s): Joeri Rogelj [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.3] , Piers M. Forster [sup.4] , Elmar Kriegler [sup.5] , Christopher J. Smith [sup.4] , Roland Séférian [sup.6] Author Affiliations: (1) Grantham Institute for [...]

There is a dearth of research regarding adaptive functioning during the transition to adulthood in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Profiles on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Second Edition were examined by age and intellectual ability in 75 participants with ASD (16-58 years). Results extend previous reports of a cognitive advantage over adaptive functioning in children by demonstrating a similar pattern in an older sample. Daily living skills were a relative strength compared to communication and socialization in adults, but not adolescents. In general, highest subdomain scores were observed in writing skills and lowest scores were observed in interpersonal skills. Regardless of cognitive ability, all standard scores were well below average, indicating a need for lifelong intervention that targets adaptive functioning., Author(s): Nicole L. Matthews[sup.1] , Christopher J. Smith[sup.1] , Elena Pollard[sup.1] , Sharman Ober-Reynolds[sup.1] , Janet Kirwan[sup.1] , Amanda Malligo[sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center, 300 [...]

Dale Cockrell's seminal blackface study Demons of Disorder begins with working-class street dance, an 1842 account from the flash paper the Libertine describing a gladiatorial contest between two prostitutes, Nance [...]

Profiles of performance on the Stanford Binet Intelligence Scales (SB5) and Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) were examined in 73 children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. SB5 cognitive profiles were observed to be similar between participants with and without early language delay, but different between participants with and without intellectual disability. With few exceptions, the distribution and cognitive profiles of participants with specific nonverbal IQ-verbal IQ and abbreviated IQ-full scale IQ discrepancy patterns paralleled previous reports. A cognitive functioning advantage over adaptive functioning was observed to be strongest in participants without intellectual disability and older participants. The previously reported VABS 'autism profile' was not observed. Current findings clarify previous research and will inform the diagnostic process and treatment planning. Keywords Autism spectrum disorder * Cognitive functioning * Intelligence * Adaptive functioning * Stanford-Binet * Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Introduction The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifaceted and complex process; as is the assessment of functioning throughout the lifespan, which is necessary to provide appropriate supports [...]

Irish Traditional Music on Audio Recordings: A Core Historical Collection The Tradition Recordings in the genres of 'Irish traditional music,' as they are conventionally understood in the twenty-first century, may [...]

Environments--geographical, demographic, historical, and contextual--have played a key role in American popular music, particularly in the case of minstrelsy, the nineteenth-century black/white synthesis that lies at the root of vaudeville, [...]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2010.04.016 Byline: Christopher J. Smith, Alexandre Dubois Abstract: The use of Wild Cards has been extensively developed in the corporate world, particularly by companies dealing with strategic commodities in global markets, i.e., the nexus between warfare, oil, and energy use. One of the purposes of Wild Cards is to test the ability of a system - usually a large organisation - to react to unforeseen but high-impact events. The work presented in this article was undertaken in the context of the project on 'Spatial Scenarios' for the European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON) Programme. In this project, four Wild Cards were introduced: 'an era of energy scarcity', 'the demise of Europe's social security system', 'the gulf stream stops', and 'the dollar goes down the drain'. These Wild Cards were introduced to investigate how external events may have asymmetric impacts across the European territory, to include some reflections on themes that were not included in the integrated scenarios, and to raise awareness of the fact that today's policy choices have to be evaluated not only in the light of current policy goals but also in the light of possible, sometimes dramatic, future events. In this way the Wild Cards helped to highlight the potential impact of external events on the territorial development of Europe and their particular impact on the internal disparities between the regions. Author Affiliation: Nordregio, P.O. Box 1658, 111 86 Stockholm, Sweden

Two U.S. specialists (on the governance and foreign policy aspects of China's public health issues as well as its human and medical geography) examine how two different sets of policies implemented by the government of China have affected both the geography and political ecology of pandemic disease outbreaks (HIV/AIDS, SARS, and H1N1) over the past two decades. More specifically, they argue that: (1) broad development and reform policies largely responsible for China's rapid modernization/urbanization and increasingly successful perfomance in the global economic arena have generated unexpected side-effects in terms of the location, incidence, and spread of pandemics as well as the state's capacity to mount an adequate health care response: and (2) politically motivated public health policies implemented in response to the spread of specific pandemics in China have had unanticipated impacts on the progression of disease outbreaks and their outcomes. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: H510, H750, 1180.3 figures, 2 tables, 76 references. Key words: China, pandemics, public health, HIV/ AIDS, SARS, H1N1, herd community effect, urban consumption, quarantine, vaccination, political intervention. DOI: 10.2747/1539-7216.51.2.162

An American urban geographer and noted specialist on China comments on the preceding review essay on monumentality in the urban design in world cities (Ford, 2008). Focusing on monumentality in China, the author surveys a number of monumental urban projects in Beijing (particularly in relation to Olympic construction), Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Kunming. In the context of urban theory, he discusses the massive presence of the Chinese state in everyday urban life. Noting the explosive urban growth and megaproject-related construction, the author alludes to recent evidence that the clearing of city neighborhoods and mass displacement of residents have prompted widespread opposition and resistance at the local level. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: O18, R14, R53.9 figures, 42 references. Key words: China, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Kunming, Hong Kong, Olympic Games, global cities, megaprojects, neoliberal economics, relocation of residents.

Two American geographers comment on the preceding analysis of restructuring of Beijing's social space (Feng et al., 2007) by presenting observations on the city's Olympic Games, forthcoming in the summer of 2008. The authors focus on some of the more salient geographical impacts stemming from construction, relocation, and related measures undertaken by the authorities to accommodate the event. Included in the paper are sections on environmental concerns (particularly air pollution), infrastructure (water supply, automobile traffic, and mass transit), and relocation and displacement of residents (particularly of migrants and other disadvantaged segments of the population). Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: I31, O15, O18, P20. 2 figures, 2 tables, 44 references. Key words: China, Beijing, Olympic Games, air pollution, environmental protection, urban housing, urban water supply, automobile traffic, urban mass transit, relocation of residents.

The immersion of a ferromagnetic nanowire within a nematic liquid crystal is studied by using a lattice Boltzmann algorithm to solve the full three-dimensional equations of hydrodynamics. The nematic has imposed a torque on a wire that has increased linearly with the angle between the wire and the equilibrium direction of the director field.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper., Author(s): Joeri Rogelj [sup.1] [sup.2] [sup.3] , Piers M. Forster [sup.4] , Elmar Kriegler [sup.5] , Christopher J. Smith [sup.4] , Roland Séférian [sup.6] Author Affiliations: (1) Grantham Institute for [...]

The use of high performance liquid chromatography coupled with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC-ICPMS) as means for the quantitative determination of ZD0473, a platinum anticancer drug, and its related biologically active 'aqua' compounds in biofluid samples is described. The performance of the resulting HPLC-ICPMS method was compared with that of a conventional HPLC-triple quadrupole mass spectrometer-based (HPLC-MS/MS) system for properties such as limit of detection, linearity, and reproducibility using spiked samples. The methods were then applied to the determination of plasma ultrafitrate concentrations of ZD0473 in dog plasma samples obtained following intravenous and oral administration at 0.5 and 6 mg/kg, respectively. These experiments showed that both methods were capable of providing accurate and precise results but that the HPLC-ICPMS method had advantages of extended linear range and superior sensitivity, providing a limit of quantification of 0.1 ng/mL for ZD0473, as compared to 5 ng/mL using the current HPLC-MS/MS method. In addition, by using a single combined HPLC-ICPMS/MS/MS system, it was possible to determine the relative MS/MS response of the aqua compounds for the first time.

Previous workers have demonstrated the amelioration of soil acidity with Ca-saturated, at least slightly soluble, organic materials. This study investigated the effectiveness of a new source of such materials, the humate- or fulvate-rich products of oxidation (hydrogen peroxide) of Loy Yang brown coal. The products were characterised by physical and spectroscopic measurements and by elemental analysis. Two products, one approximately half fulvate (fulvate-rich), the other predominantly humate (humate-rich) were mixed with Ca[Cl.sub.2] and then used to treat columns of an acid red podzol soil from Book Book, NSW. Leachate fractions were collected and analysed for pH, ionic strength, and concentration of Ca, Mg, K, Mn, Fe, and Al. After leaching (3 pore volumes), each soil column was sectioned and exchangeable Ca and Al contents were determined. The results were compared with those obtained from lime-treated and untreated columns. The Ca-fulvate-rich product was the most effective in lowering the exchangeable Al content of the soil whilst increasing exchangeable Ca and soil pH. About 90% of the reduction in exchangeable Al was due to loss of Al in the leachate rather than immobilisation. The pH increased over the top 15 cm of the column from 3.8 ± 0.1 to 4.5-5.4. The Ca-humate-rich oxidised product was less effective in ameliorating soil acidity, as expected from its chemical properties, but it increased soil pH (to 4.0-4.7) and exchangeable Ca in the top 6 cm of the column and decreased exchangeable Al in the top 12 cm. More of the reduction in exchangeable Al than for the treatment with Ca-fulvate-rich material was due to conversion to an immobile form. This material was superior to lime, which only gave significant improvement near the soil surface. The leachates from treated columns contained the same amounts of Mg, Mn, and K as a control, but more Fe was leached from treated columns, particularly that treated with the Ca-fulvate-rich product. Additional keywords: oxidised coals, lime, exchangeable calcium, exchangeable aluminium., Introduction Soil acidity, particularly in the subsoil of the root-zone, has been identified as a major limiting factor in crop productivity in Australia. Acidic soils are deficient in Ca and [...]

An overview is presented on the socioeconomic impact of capital infusions and job availability in China, specifically the trend of rural-urban migration. Studies indicate that while cities offer a greater number of employment opportunities, economic success remains difficult to obtain for most citizens, forcing many to live in marginalized conditions outside government oversight.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia has been assessed in 6,660 first-degree relatives of 1,049 probands 60-102 years of age and without dementia. Assessment was accomplished through family informants. Persons who have lived beyond 90 years of age without dementia are hypothesized to have greater concentrations of genetic protective factors against AD vs younger undemented people. It appears that genetic factors that contribute to reduced liability of AD over a lifetime may be more concentrated among nondemented probands aged 90 or more years and their families. Probands, those from whom a lineage is traced, were grouped by age and the cumulative survival from AD and the 10-year-age-interval hazard rates of AD were calculated in first-degree relatives. Cumulative survival from AD was significantly greater in the relatives of the oldest proband group, aged 10-102 years. Reduction in the rate of illness in the same group was more or less constant in later life.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake., Author(s): Nicole L. Matthews [sup.1] , Beatriz C. Orr [sup.1] , Katrina Warriner [sup.1] , Mary DeCarlo [sup.1] , Mia Sorensen [sup.1] , Jessica Laflin [sup.1] , Christopher J. Smith [...]

The enzymes cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-1 and COX-2) catalyze the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandin (PG) [H.sub.2], the precursor of PGs and thromboxane. These lipid mediators play important roles in inflammation and pain and in normal physiological functions. While there are abundant data indicating that the inducible isoform, COX-2, is important in inflammation and pain, the constitutively expressed isoform, COX-1, has also been suggested to play a role in inflammatory processes. To address the latter question pharmacologically, we used a highly selective COX-1 inhibitor, SC-560 (COX-1 [IC.sub.50] = 0.009 [[micro]molar]; COX-2 [IC.sub.50] = 6.3 [[micro]molar]). SC-560 inhibited COX-1-derived platelet thromboxane [B.sub.2], gastric [PGE.sub.2], and dermal [PGE.sub.2] production, indicating that it was orally active, but did not inhibit COX-2-derived PGs in the lipopolysaccharide-induced rat air pouch. Therapeutic or prophylactic administration of SC-560 in the rat carrageenan footpad model did not affect acute inflammation or hyperalgesia at doses that markedly inhibited in vivo COX-1 activity. By contrast, celecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, was anti-inflammatory and analgesic in this model. Paradoxically, both SC-560 and celecoxib reduced paw PGs to equivalent levels. Increased levels of PGs were found in the cerebrospinal fluid after carrageenan injection and were markedly reduced by celecoxib, but were not affected by SC-560. These results suggest that, in addition to the role of peripherally produced PGs, there is a critical, centrally mediated neurological component to inflammatory pain that is mediated at least in part by COX-2.

This article describes and interprets some of the events associated with the demographic and economic restructuring that has occurred in Flushing, in the Borough of Queens in New York City. Since the liberalization of the U.S. immigration laws in 1965, many of New York's neighborhoods have been transformed by the rapid influx of immigrants. In the case of Flushing, the majority of newcomers have been Asians, particularly from China, Korea, and the Indian subcontinent. The introduction of Asian capital and enterprise into the neighborhood has revitalized what was considered to be an ailing economy and a sluggish housing market. From the perspective of some of the long-term residents, however, the costs of progress have outweighed the benefits. The paper examines the public discourse accompanying the Asianization of Flushing, centering on the conflicts that have emerged between capital and community, immigrants and long-term residents, Asians and non-Asians., This article presents some of the findings of an ongoing study that is investigating the outcomes of economic and demographic restructuring in the New York City region. The urban fabric [...]

This paper proposes that work by geographers on the relationships between housing, homelessness, and mental health should take into account recent literature concerning the nature of home in contemporary society. Towards this end, we distinguish between literal, incipient, and metaphorical homelessness. We argue that this distinction raises new research questions concerning the experience of households 'on the edge of homelessness' and others who are well-housed but, for various reasons, are not 'at home' in their present circumstances. Key Words: housing, mental health, homelessness, place, New Zealand, research agenda.

This paper reviews and evaluates some of the changes that have occurred in the Chinese health care system during the reform era associated with Deng Xiaoping (1978-1993). The reforms have helped to enrich the long suffering peasants in the Chinese countryside, and in many areas the peasants have experienced a significant improvement in the quality of their lives, including greater access to health care facilities, and better diets. The paper also considers some of the potentially negative side effects of the reform era, including the increasing income inequality between urban and rural areas; the commodification of Chinese medicine; declining access to health care for peasants in the poorest regions; and a concern about the changing patterns of diet and nutrition in the newly enriched parts of the Chinese countryside.

This paper explores the links between housing stressors, social supports and psychological distress. It was hypothesised that exposure to housing stressors would be significantly related to psychological distress, but that the adverse effects of housing stressors would be moderated by perceptions of social support resources. In other words, the stress/symptom relationship would be attenuated for individuals who believe that they have active and supportive social relationships. The results of a study conducted in the two New Zealand cities of Auckland and Christchurch partially confirmed this hypothesis, indicating that social support plays a role in mitigating the adverse effects of housing stressors. However, this relationship depends on the severity of the housing stressors. Among our respondents, the presence of social support was indeed associated with reduced symptom levels for those exposed to moderate housing stressors. However, among respondents subjected to high levels of housing stressors, social support was not associated with reduced psychological distress, indicating the need for a more specific policy response to the issue of seriously deficient housing.

This paper examines the relationships between housing and health with respect to a sample of New Zealand public housing applicants. In the first part of the paper, the notion of incipient homelessness is reviewed, the production of this population in advanced capitalist societies is considered and the social geography of the inadequately housed in New Zealand is surveyed. The second part of the paper presents some of the data collected in a survey of the inadequately housed in Auckland and Christchurch (n = 213 households). The results suggest that housing is an important determinant of the health and well-being of this population, but that rehousing the poor should be seen as only one step in addressing inequalities in contemporary urban New Zealand.

Research on contemporary newspaper journalism in China suggests that the Party-state has less control over the nation's communications than in previous years. City-level publishers make story decisions based on interest and market share, and margins of acceptability have been expanded to include printing articles that would have once been considered politically sensitive.

The STK39 gene encodes a serine/threonine kinase of 547-amino acids ubiquitously expressed in the brain and pancreas, and it may function in the cellular stress response pathway during states of [...]