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Background: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are among the most underserved in an inequitable healthcare system. Methods: Using Arksey and O'Malley's methodology and a social determinants of health framework, we conducted a scoping review of literature on the state of practice in education of healthcare professionals in the health and healthcare needs of this population. Results: Searches found 4948 articles, with 182 included in the final review. Themes identified included gaps of not being informed by workforce needs, continued use of the medical model of care, not addressing intersectionality with racial/ethnic and other discriminations, and lack of involvement of the population in developing/evaluating programs and promising trends of development of competency-based interprofessional programs with experiential learning. Conclusion: We provide recommendations for best practices in a concerted effort to educate a healthcare workforce equipped with the knowledge and skills to address the health needs of this population.

Anthropogenic light at night is growing exponentially while many insect populations are in decline. Many nocturnal insects provide numerous ecosystem services and are attracted to anthropogenic lights at night resulting in decreased fitness, greater mortality and population declines. During twilight and night, moths are depredated by bats and birds, both of which use vision, among other strategies, to detect and prey upon moths. The visual detection of moths by predators is dependent upon the light environment illuminating the moth's body. Effects of anthropogenic light at night can differ drastically with the color (spectral composition) and intensity of light. Currently, high pressure sodium lamps (HPS) and light emitting diodes (LEDs) are common municipal light sources, and these lights differ spectrally, thus altering the visual scene. Most LEDs are broadband (i.e., white) whereas HPS are long wavelength dominant (i.e., amber); both of these light types can alter color perception of prey. To test if moths are more likely to survive under HPS lighting than LEDs and non-lit poles, we used plasticine clay models. Visual model analyses reveal that HPS lamps rendered moths more cryptic against their background than LEDs or ambient urban lighting, albeit with small differences in contrast that may not be biologically relevant. These results indicate that HPS lighting is the most insect-friendly lighting when considering depredation on insects in comparison to LED.

Biodiversity loss is a global issue, particularly in mountain regions, where land-use/land-cover and climate change dramatically impact on species and communities. Sound ecological research and up-to-date information on biodiversity are needed to support conservation efforts. However, this information is often difficult and costly to obtain. Therefore, bioindicators serve as surrogates to provide information on the entire biocenosis. Birds are considered excellent bioindicators as they occupy different ecological niches and trait spaces.We present a study about the efficiency of birds as bioindicators for the diversity of other taxa in a mountain region in the Central Alps. We surveyed bird communities at 115 sites across a gradient of different grasslands and crops and compared them with the diversity of other taxa (bats, butterflies, grasshoppers, arachnids, and vascular plants). We aimed to identify indicator bird species for grasslands and crops, to assess cross-community concordance between birds and other taxa, and to model the efficiency of bird indices and indicator species as bioindicators of the diversity across habitat types and taxa.We identified indicator bird species for different grassland and crop types and found that efficiency of bird indices and single species varied for habitat types and taxa. We highlight the importance of using carefully selected bioindicators in biodiversity monitoring and conservation planning, and the need for an integrated and interdisciplinary approach for biodiversity research. Moreover, by looking at a combination of different indices we can gain a more comprehensive understanding of ecosystem functioning. We also provide a framework for the use of bird-based monitoring programs and bird-derived indices to guide biodiversity conservation, and emphasise the importance of incorporating different bioindicators into biodiversity research and monitoring to provide a more comprehensive understanding of ecological biodiversity patterns and trends.

Some patients and families of color, including Asian Americans, face significant adverse stressors due to living within a White-dominant society. Xenophobia and racism can impact health. Research evidence points to early exposure to adverse childhood experiences such as racial discrimination as being detrimental and having significant short-term and long-term impact on physical and mental health. The purpose of this commentary article is to illuminate the need of patients and their families who may seek health care providers (HCPs) to express their concerns and fears when issues of xenophobia and racism arise. Patients and families need space in a healthcare setting to feel heard and understood. Anti-Asian xenophobia and racism among medically underserved Asian Americans persists and has been heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe tenets of Critical Race Theory and AsianCrit, and use this lens to understand an example actual scenario, a counter-story, of a Vietnamese mother, and her Vietnamese-Chinese American family’s experience with xenophobia and racism at a community recreation center and the subsequent communication of this experience with a HCP. We describe the impacts of these experiences of seeking healing including discontinuity of a HCP-patient-family relationship. It takes bravery for patients and families to tell their story of xenophobia and racism to a HCP. There are Asian Americans who are afraid to seek healthcare because of anti-Asian xenophobia and concerns about White fragility. Following, we highlight research evidence on implicit bias, also known as unconscious bias, as context about its persistent and widespread existence among healthcare professionals in general and the need to address this in healthcare. Implicit bias can influence care provided to a patient-family and the interactions between a HCP-patient-family. We include additional resources such as those from the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, American Psychological Association Office on Children Youth and Families, the Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs, the Office on Socioeconomic Status, and American Academy of Pediatrics to consider in support of equity in healthcare practice of children and their families.

Increasing evidence suggests that artificial light at night (ALAN) can negatively impact organisms. However, most studies examine the impacts of ALAN on a single species or under high levels of artificial light that are infrequent or unrealistic in urban environments. We currently have little information on how low levels of artificial light emanating from urban skyglow affect plants and their interactions with herbivores. We examined how short-term, low levels of ALAN affect grass and insects, including growth rate, photosynthesis, and stomatal conductance in grass, and foraging behavior and survival in crickets. We compared growth and leaf-level gas exchange of Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis) under low-levels of ALAN (0.3 lux) and starlight conditions (0.001 lux). Furthermore, each light treatment was divided into treatments with and without house crickets (Acheta domesticus). Without crickets present, bluegrass grown under ALAN for three weeks grew taller than plants grown under natural night light levels. In the fourth week when crickets were introduced, grass height decreased resulting in no measurable effects of light treatment. There were no measurable differences in grass physiology among treatments. Our results indicate that low levels of light resulting from skyglow affect plant growth initially. However, with herbivory, the effects of ALAN on grass may be inconsequential. Gaining an understanding of how ALAN affects plant-insect interactions is critical to predicting the ecological and evolutionary consequences of anthropogenic light pollution.