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This study was aimed at comparing different formats of illustrations for children's books created by modern Chinese and Ukrainian artists. At the same time, it was not focused just on determining the leading format, but on identifying the attractiveness factors of each format. To this end, the study investigated children's illustration preferences drawing from the following three age groups: 5–6 years old (preschoolers), 7–8 years old (second‐graders), and 9–10 years old (fourth‐graders). According to the survey, children were most concerned with illustration colourfulness (this is true for paper and pop‐up books) and viewing convenience. There were no statistically significant differences found between Chinese and Ukrainian books in terms of these parameters. At the same time, Chinese e‐books appeared to outperform the Ukrainian texts in terms of feature management and illustration colourfulness. Publishers and artists of children's books can use these data for effective creative activity and making constructive decisions. At the same time, these findings may be of interest to parents, informing or guiding book selection for children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Deficits in the ability to use language in social contexts, including storytelling skills, are observed across the autism spectrum. Development in machine‐learning approaches may contribute to clinical psychology and psychiatry, given its potential to support decisions concerning the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric conditions and disorders. Aims: To evaluate the usefulness of deep neural networks for detecting autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from textual utterances, specifically from narrations produced by individuals with ASD. Methods & Procedures: We examined two text encoders: Embeddings from Language Models (ELMo) and Universal Sentence Encoder (USE), and three classification algorithms: XGBoost, support vector machines, and dense neural network layer. We aimed to classify 25 participants with ASD and 25 participants with typical development (TD) based on their narrations produced during the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS‐2) picture book task. The results of computational approaches were compared with the results of standardized testing and classifications made by two psychiatrists (raters). The raters were asked to read utterances produced by a participant (without an examiner's statements and additional information) and assign a participant to one of the two groups: ASD or with typical development (TD). Outcomes & Results: The computer‐based models had higher sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values and negative predictive values than the raters, and lower than the two standardized instruments: ADOS‐2 and Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ). Conclusions & Implications: Our findings lay the groundwork for future studies involving deep neural network‐based text representation models as tools for augmenting the ASD diagnosis or screening. Both ELMo and USE text encoders provided promising specificities, sensitivities, positive predictive values and negative predictive values. Our results indicate the usefulness of page‐level embeddings for utterance representation in ADOS‐2 picture book task. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject: Deficits in the use of language in social contexts, and narrative ability in particular, are observed across the autism spectrum. Most research on narrative skills has applied hand‐coding methods. Hitherto, machine‐learning methods were used mostly for image recognition problems and data from screening questionnaires for ASD classification. Detection of mental and developmental disorders from textual input is an emerging field for machine and deep‐learning methods. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: This study explored the ability of several types of deep neural network‐based text representation models to detect ASD. Both ELMo and USE provided the most promising values of specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive values and negative predictive values. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: Competitive accuracy, repeatability, speed and ease of operation are all advantages of computerized methods. They allow for objective and quantitative assessment of narrative ability and complex language skills. Deep neural network‐based text representation models could in the future support clinicians and augment the decision‐making process related to ASD diagnosis, screening and intervention planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evidence supports the effectiveness of shared book reading for promoting language and literacy development, but it is known that families experiencing vulnerability may have reduced access to books and are less likely to share books regularly at home. Community hubs often provide support to families experiencing vulnerability and may provide an opportunity to create environments that support families to engage in shared book reading, especially if families are invited into the creation of these environments through co‐design. However, there is currently little evidence regarding the impact of co‐designing shared book reading environments with families in community settings. Aims: The current study is part of a broader project which used co‐design to develop a shared book reading environment in collaboration with stakeholders in a community hub. This small‐scale study aimed to provide a preliminary evaluation of the impact of this co‐designed shared book reading environment at the community hub on (1) the frequency of shared book reading at the hub; (2) participants' confidence and enjoyment of reading with children at the hub; and (3) participants' experiences of shared book reading at the hub. Method & Procedures: The co‐design project was carried out in four phases with families, staff and community partners at the community hub. A convergent mixed‐methods approach was used to collect and analyse quantitative and qualitative data in the first and last phase of the project to evaluate project outcomes. Quantitative data (environmental observations of reading at the hub and participant ratings of confidence and enjoyment of reading with children at the hub) were analysed using descriptive statistics and nonparametric statistical tests. Qualitative data (participants' responses regarding their experiences of changes implemented in the community hub) were analysed using inductive content analysis. Outcome & Results: An increased frequency of shared book reading was observed within the community hub after changes were implemented, and positive changes in enjoyment of book reading were recorded. Qualitative responses from participants following conclusion of the project were organised into three main categories, which showed that (1) children and families were reading more and enjoying reading activities that were happening; (2) children and families were borrowing more books; and (3) families had changed the way they were reading at home with their children. Conclusions & Implications: A co‐designed shared book reading environment within a community hub had a positive impact on shared book reading experiences for families in areas with high levels of vulnerability. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject: Community hubs provide a unique opportunity to support early language and literacy development in partnership with families in areas of vulnerability; however, there is limited literature investigating the impacts of these supports. A previous study utilised co‐design to develop a shared book reading environment with stakeholders at a community hub in an area where a high proportion of children are considered to be 'vulnerable' in terms of language and literacy development. It was found that co‐design enabled the development of collaborative changes to support shared book reading that were valued and owned by families, staff and community partners at the community hub. What this study adds: The current study focused on evaluating the impact of a co‐design project on the frequency of shared book reading at the hub and participants' experiences, confidence and enjoyment of reading with children at the hub. Analysis of pre‐ and post‐data provide preliminary evidence that a co‐designed shared book reading environment in a community hub can have a positive impact on increasing families' awareness and engagement with book borrowing, engagement in shared book reading activities in the community and at home, and participants' confidence and enjoyment of reading with children. What are the clinical implications of this work?: Speech pathologists have an important role to play in prevention and promotion. This study has shown that collaboration with families experiencing vulnerability can support the implementation of strategies to promote shared reading in a community hub and demonstrate increased quality and frequency of shared book reading. The utilisation of a community hub also highlights the opportunities for the speech pathology profession to deliver community‐based promotion and prevention initiatives as a strategy to address equitable language outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article emphasizes the need to consider the potential harm of testing and interventions. It presents two papers that challenge the traditional view that testing and interventions are always helpful. It is reported that the first paper shows that early aggressive intravenous hydration in patients with mild acute pancreatitis causes increased fluid overload while the second paper shows that prophylactic fluid bolus given during intubation of critically ill adults did not prevent hypotension.

The Kenyan Ministry of Health (MOH) and a consortium of nutritionists, researchers and communication, and design specialists developed a novel approach to create an evidence‐based recipe book promoting complementary feeding (CF) in Kenya. The ADAPT approach includes five steps: applied research (A), dialogue with stakeholders (D), adapted behaviour change communication (BCC) theories (A), purpose‐driven visual communication (P), and tailoring to priority audiences (T). Through this approach, the recipe book addresses key knowledge gaps using behaviour change theories and visual communication best practice to increase accessibility, acceptability, retention and motivation for behaviour change. The book addresses barriers to CF identified through formative applied research. Dialogue with stakeholders helped ensure cultural appropriateness and the book's alignment with MOH recommendations and key messages. The book uses behaviour change theories to approach the reader in a respectful way that motivates behaviour change. The use of consistent, purpose‐driven visuals helps ensure key messages are easily understood and accessible to all caregivers regardless of literacy level. The book's tone and content are tailored to its audiences’ attributes, needs and preferences. This five‐step process inspired the development of ADAPT, a novel approach that integrates behaviour change and visual communication for greater impact. This paper outlines how the consortium used the ADAPT approach to develop an evidence‐based book that thoughtfully and holistically addresses a wide range of barriers, provides practical solutions and increases self‐efficacy around CF. It offers a blueprint for public health practitioners from any field who are interested in using visual behaviour change communication to promote healthy behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Norwegian public health nurses prevent diseases and promote health in children and young people aged 0–20 and their families. Public health nursing programs prepare students for their practical role and provide relevant theoretical knowledge. Objectives: To gain knowledge of the literature in the Norwegian public health nursing curricula, and to examine further the nursing base in these curricula. Design: An explorative and descriptive design was chosen. Sample: Reading lists based on syllabus documents from the 10 higher educational institutions in Norway offering programs in public health nursing. Measurements: A summative content analysis and a categorization of content from reading lists were performed. Results: Numerical information on the content and categorization of reading lists shows that social science and humanities literature dominates, followed by psychology and medicine. Nursing texts, theories and philosophy comprise only a minor part of the curricula. Conclusion: The paper provides valuable data on the theoretical focus in Norwegian public health nursing and raises important questions about the paucity of nursing texts in the curriculum. The imbalance in reading lists in Norway should be studied further and similar studies conducted in other countries to encourage reflection on the theoretical content of public health nursing education globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on providing a forum for evidence-based research challenging the status quo in maternity care. Topics include adding Marian as a collaborator on a series of studies on rising cesarean rates; and accessing to having great skill at analyzing national birth certificate and infant death data, most of the work involving the production of government reports.

Background: Young people who fail to develop language as expected face significant challenges in all aspects of life. Unfortunately, language disorders are common, either as a distinct condition (e.g. Developmental Language Disorder) or as a part of another neurodevelopmental condition (e.g. autism). Finding ways to attenuate language problems through intervention has the potential to yield great benefits not only for the individual but also for society as a whole. Objectives: This meta‐analytic review examined the effect of oral language interventions for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Search Methods: The last electronic search was conducted in April 2022. Selection Criteria: Intervention studies had to target language skills for children from 2 to 18 years of age with Developmental Language Disorder, autism, intellectual disability, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and Williams syndrome in randomised controlled trials or quasi‐experimental designs. Control groups had to include business‐as‐usual, waiting list, passive or active conditions. However, we excluded studies in which the active control group received a different type, delivery, or dosage of another language intervention. Eligible interventions implemented explicit and structured activities (i.e. explicit instruction of vocabulary, narrative structure or grammatical rules) and/or implicit and broad activities (i.e. shared book reading, general language stimulation). The intervention studies had to assess language skills in receptive and/or expressive modalities. Data Collection and Analysis: The search provided 8195 records after deduplication. Records were screened by title and abstract, leading to full‐text examinations of 448 records. We performed Correlated and Hierarchical Effects models and ran a retrospective power analysis via simulation. Publication bias was assessed via p‐curve and precision‐effect estimate. Main Results: We examined 38 studies, with 46 group comparisons and 108 effects comparing pre‐/post‐tests and eight studies, with 12 group comparisons and 21 effects at follow‐up. The results showed a mean effect size of d = 0.27 at the post‐test and d = 0.18 at follow‐up. However, there was evidence of publication bias and overestimation of the mean effects. Effects from the meta‐analysis were significantly related to these elements: (1) receptive vocabulary and omnibus receptive measures showed smaller effect sizes relative to expressive vocabulary, grammar, expressive and receptive discourse, and omnibus expressive tests; and (2) the length of the intervention, where longer sessions conducted over a longer period of time were more beneficial than brief sessions and short‐term interventions. Neither moderators concerning participants' characteristics (children's diagnosis, diagnostic status, age, sex, and non‐verbal cognitive ability and severity of language impairment), nor those regarding of the treatment components and implementation of the language interventions (intervention content, setting, delivery agent, session structure of the intervention or total number of sessions) reached significance. The same occurred to indicators of study quality. The risk of bias assessment showed that reporting quality for the studies examined in the review was poor. Authors' Conclusions: In sum, the current evidence base is promising but inconclusive. Pre‐registration and replication of more robust and adequately powered trials, which include a wider range of diagnostic conditions, together with more long‐term follow‐up comparisons, are needed to drive evidence‐based practice and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Covid‐19 pandemic, kindergartens in Hong Kong have sought ways in which to support children's learning at home while schools were closed. We report on a proof‐of‐concept study: short videos intended to support playful learning at home were distributed to parents/caregivers of preschool children via a smartphone app; toys and a storybook were provided to their children. No significant changes were observed in the importance attached to literacy and numeracy by parents/caregivers over time, perhaps because parents/caregivers place high value on children's academic progress in Hong Kong. However, significant increases in mean scores were observed for the intervention group but not the control group with regard to reported frequency of playing counting games and discussing/participating in weighing or measuring activities. Readily accessible opportunities to recognize learning in playful activities may have contributed to changed practices at homes. Highlights: Reports the extent of the impact of short videos distributed via a smartphone app on parents'/caregivers' HLE practices during Covid‐19 kindergarten closures.Survey data reveal parent/caregiver practice unchanged by 4x weekly videos. However, practices increased across waves in the intervention group.Smartphone dissemination of HLE demonstration videos holds promise as a strategy, but threshold conditions require further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two early childhood development aspects: carer involvement with children, and their ownership of age‐appropriate books, were evaluated. Children aged 0–4 years from Bangladesh, extracted from population‐based Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2019, were assessed using survey adjusted logistic regression models and district‐wise spatial distribution. Among 13 806 children, 11.2% had no shared activities with carers, and 60.7% had at least four shared activities. Among 22 796 children, 27.4% owned at least one book. Higher carer–child shared activities and more child‐friendly books in households were observed in the Western part of Bangladesh. Children from higher socioeconomic households with educated mothers and greater exposure to media, had higher carer–child interaction and greater availability of books. These findings can aid policies targeting psychological and cognitive development of children in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speciesism, like other forms of prejudice, is thought to be underpinned by biased patterns of language use. Thus far, however, psychological science has primarily focused on how speciesism is reflected in individuals' thoughts as opposed to wider collective systems of meaning such as language. We present a large‐scale quantitative test of speciesism by applying machine‐learning methods (word embeddings) to billions of English words derived from conversation, film, books, and the Internet. We found evidence of anthropocentric speciesism: words denoting concern (vs. indifference) and value (vs. valueless) were more closely associated with words denoting humans compared to many other animals. We also found evidence of companion animal speciesism: the same words were more closely associated with words denoting companion animals compared to most other animals. The work describes speciesism as a pervasive collective phenomenon that is evident in a naturally occurring expression of human psychology – everyday language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although prior research has independently linked vocabulary development with toddlers' media usage, parental mental state talk (MST), and parent–child conversational turn‐taking (CTT), these variables have not been investigated within the same study. In this study, we focus on associations between these variables and 2‐year‐old's (N = 87) vocabulary. Child vocabulary and digital media use were measured through online questionnaires. We took a multimethod approach to measure parents' child‐directed talk. First, we used a home sound environment recording (Language ENvironment Analysis technology) to estimate parents' talk (CTT). Second, parents narrated a picture book, the Frog story, to assess the parent's MST. There was a negative association between how much children watched video content and their vocabulary. However, parents reported that they frequently co‐viewed and engaged with the child and media. The negative association first displayed between the amount of video content viewed and the child's developing vocabulary was fully mediated by the parents' qualitative and quantitative talk as measured by MST and CCT, respectively. We propose that the parent relative level of MST and CTT also occurs when parents engage with the child during media use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Israeli‐Palestinian conflict has deleterious effects on children. Our research observed mothers' conversations with their 5‐7‐year‐old children about the conflict during shared book reading (SBR) of a fiction book, indirectly depicting the conflict. Using a mixed‐methods study, we compared the SBR of secular and religious Israeli Jewish mothers. We videotaped the SBR interactions and interviewed the mothers about the nature of their SBR conversations with their child and their perceptions of political socialization of children. The main findings showed that despite their tendency to perceive the conflict differently, secular and religious mothers shared the book similarly. Most of them preferred to talk about the conflict as little as possible with their child but appreciated the opportunity that the book provided them to discuss it in an age appropriate manner. Our discussion focuses on the potential of SBR to assist parents in explaining the conflict to young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the report on The National Imperative to Improve Nursing Home Quality in the U.S. as of 2023. Topics covered include the far from homelike quality in the nursing home, the need for new approaches in providing high-quality long-term and short-term post-acute care, and the need to address physicians' roles in maximizing the function and quality of life for people in the nursing home care setting. The author also calls for accountability in improving nursing home care.

Key Points: A metadata standard or taxonomy for tracking author identity is highly desired by stakeholders in the book industry.Achieving an authoritative standard for author self‐identification comes with numerous practical, legal, and ethical challenges for the scholarly publishing industry.Until this happens, publishers can engage with librarians and booksellers, with marketing campaigns of their own, or by providing materials to support marketing campaigns within libraries and bookstores, to spotlight authors of diverse backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of large multi‐institutional digital libraries has opened the door to aggregate‐level examinations of the published word. Such large‐scale analysis offers a new way to pursue traditional problems in the humanities and social sciences, using digital methods to ask routine questions of large corpora. However, inquiry into multiple centuries of books is constrained by the burdens of scale, where statistical inference is technically complex and limited by hurdles to access and flexibility. This work examines the role that exploratory data analysis and visualization tools may play in understanding large bibliographic datasets. We present one such tool, HathiTrust+Bookworm, which allows multifaceted exploration of the multimillion work HathiTrust Digital Library, and center it in the broader space of scholarly tools for exploratory data analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is no information search system can assist young children's known picture book search needs since the information is not organized according to their cognitive abilities and needs. Therefore, this study explored young children's known picture book search strategies and extracted picture book search elements by simulating a search scenario and playing a picture book search game. The study found 29 elements children used to search for known picture books. Then, these elements are classified into three dimensions: The first dimension is the concept category of an element. The second dimension is an element's status in the story. The third dimension indicates where an element appears in a picture book. Additionally, it revealed a young children's general search strategy: Children first use auditory elements that they hear from the adults during reading. After receiving error returns, they add visual elements that they see by themselves in picture books. The findings can not only help to understand young children's known‐item search and reformulation strategies during searching but also provide theoretical support for the development of a picture book information organization schema in the search system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale, aims and objectives: Several health information sources are available to assist physical therapists in the clinical decision‐making process, with a notable increase in the importance of using evidence‐based practice (EBP). The aim of this study is to investigate the health information sources most used by Brazilian physical therapists to guide their clinical decision making for knee osteoarthritis (OA) management, use of Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), knowledge about the existence of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), and associated factors. Methods: A cross‐sectional study using an electronic survey was conducted. Physical therapists registered in a Regional Physical Therapy Council in Brazil were invited to participate. Sociodemographic data, professional training, health information sources, frequency of use of PEDro, and knowledge about CPGs were collected. Descriptive analysis of the data was performed, and the chi square test and multinomial and binary logistic regression were used to verify association between the variables. Results: The survey was completed by 370 professionals. The three health information sources most used by Brazilian physical therapists were clinical experience, courses, and books. Among these professionals, only 12.1% use PEDro frequently, and 60.5% know that CPGs for knee OA management exist. Level of education was associated with PEDro use and knowledge about the existence of CPGs (P <.05). Conclusions: The study results indicated a significant deficiency in engagement with research evidence by Brazilian physical therapists to guide their clinical decision making for knee OA. Further investigations on educational needs and the development of new strategies to narrow the gap between research evidence and clinical practice should be performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]