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The purpose of this single intrinsic case study was to describe the experiences of using multiple forms of non-verbal interventions to decrease physical aggression and self-injurious behaviors for special education staff members in self-contained classrooms in Behaviorville ISD. The theory guiding this study was B. F. Skinner’s theory on behaviorism. It explains how non-verbal interventions affect an individual’s environment, how reinforcers influence their behaviors, and how all actions are interconnected. Participants were 10 people who are full-time employees of BISD and have worked with or volunteered with non-verbal/minimally verbal secondary special education students with physical aggression, self-injurious behaviors, and autism spectrum disorder. Data collection methods were online surveys, individual interviews, and focus group discussions. Data analysis procedures included collecting, organizing, and reviewing the data, developing and assigning codes to the themes and patterns that develop, analyzing the coded data, and then reporting on the findings and implications of the data analysis. The findings indicated that by using multiple forms of non-verbal interventions simultaneously, decreased crisis behaviors in NV/MV secondary special education students with ASD, whose target behaviors are physical aggression and SIB towards self and others in a self-contained classroom.

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is a billion-dollar crop in regional New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland, Australia. Fusarium wilt (FW) caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum (Fov) is an economically important disease. Initial disease losses of up to 90% when the disease was first detected resulted in fields being taken out of cotton production. The disease is now well-managed due to the adoption of highly resistant varieties. However, annual disease surveys recently revealed that the disease dynamic has changed in the past few seasons. With relatively mild and wet weather conditions during the 2021/22 growing season, FW was detected in eight surveyed valleys in NSW and Queensland, with the disease incidence as high as 44.5% and 98.5% in individual fields in early and late seasons, respectively. Fov is genetically distinct and evolved from local Fusarium oxysporum strains. Additionally, the pathogen was reported to evolve rapidly under continuous cotton cropping pressure. However, our knowledge of the genetic composition of the prevailing population is limited. Sequences of the translation elongation factor alpha 1 (TEF1) revealed that 94% of Fusarium isolates recovered from FW-infected cotton were clustered together with known Australian Fov and relatively distant related to overseas Fov races. All these isolates, except for nine, were further confirmed positive with a specific marker based on the Secreted in Xylem 6 (SIX6) effector gene. Vegetative compatibility group (VCG) analyses of 166 arbitrarily selected isolates revealed a predominance of VCG01111. There was only one detection of VCG01112 in the Border Rivers valley where it was first described. In this study, the exotic Californian Fov race 4 strain was not detected using a specific marker based on the unique Tfo1 insertion in the phosphate (PHO) gene. This study indicated that the prevalence and abundance of Fov across NSW and Queensland in the past five seasons was probably independent of its genet

This video, from the 2021 Esri Education Summit, provides two presentations on credential programs for geospatial technologies. In the first presentation, Nicole Ernst from GeoTech discusses the Geospatial Science and Technology Educator Certification (GSTEdC) program. Ernst highlights the program's development, how to apply for the certification, a personal self-assessment, the Massively Open Online Course (MOOC), concept modules, a capstone project, program retention, students' geographic distribution, and goals for the second iteration of the GSTEdC program. In the second presentation, a pre-recorded video from Rodney Jackson provides information on a research study that assesses the perceptions of geospatial educators towards the competencies contained within the National Geospatial Technology Center of Excellence (GeoTech Center) Competency Matrix. Details on the study's p-set demographics, data collection approach, and data analysis approach are highlighted. Limitations, themes, and findings are also explored. The video recording runs 44:52 minutes in length. Additional videos from the summit are available to view separately.

Background: Developing simplified risk assessment model based on non-laboratory risk factors that could determine cardiovascular risk as accurately as laboratory-based one can be valuable, particularly in developing countries where there are limited resources. Objective: To develop a simplified non-laboratory cardiovascular disease risk assessment chart based on previously reported laboratory-based chart and evaluate internal and external validation, and recalibration of both risk models to assess the performance of risk scoring tools in other population. Methods: A 10-year non-laboratory-based risk prediction chart was developed for fatal and non-fatal CVD using Cox Proportional Hazard regression. Data from the Isfahan Cohort Study (ICS), a population-based study among 6504 adults aged = 35 years, followed-up for at least ten years was used for the non-laboratory-based model derivation. Participants were followed up until the occurrence of CVD events. Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) data was used to evaluate the external validity of both non-laboratory and laboratory risk assessment models in other populations rather than one used in the model derivation. Results: The discrimination and calibration analysis of the non-laboratory model showed the following values of Harrell’s C: 0.73 (95% CI 0.71–0.74), and Nam-D’Agostino ¿2:11.01 (p = 0.27), respectively. The non-laboratory model was in agreement and classified high risk and low risk patients as accurately as the laboratory one. Both non-laboratory and laboratory risk prediction models showed good discrimination in the external validation, with Harrell’s C of 0.77 (95% CI 0.75–0.78) and 0.78 (95% CI 0.76–0.79), respectively. Conclusions: Our simplified risk assessment model based on non-laboratory risk factors could determine cardiovascular risk as accurately as laboratory-based one. This approach can provide simple risk assessment tool where laboratory testing is unavailable, inconvenient, and costly., The baseline survey was supported by the undersecretary of research of the ministry of health and Isfahan cardiovascular research center, cardiovascular research institute affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences [grant number 31309304]. This work was also supported by the People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) [grant number 600388] and from the Agency for Business Competitiveness of the Government of Catalonia, ACC1Ó., Peer Reviewed, Postprint (published version)

Simple SummaryConflict between snow leopards and humans across the trans-Himalaya is a pressing conservation concern. Conflict severely impacts the socio-economy of the local pastoralist community and threatens snow leopard survival. We investigated the socio-economic factors influencing such conflict and pastoralist attitudes towards snow leopard conservation using semi-structured interviews for a better understanding of what factors influence the variability in losses among the households in the Narphu valley, Nepal. While snow leopards caused significant losses to impoverished pastoralist households, respondents were generally accepting of their presence due to religious reasons and strict law enforcement. We observed poor herding and guarding practices with households owning larger numbers of total livestock (especially large bodied animals like yak (Bos mutus f. grunniens) and cattle (B. primigenius f. taurus)), which resulted in the higher loss. Further, compensation and insurance schemes were dysfunctional, with few households insuring their livestock and receiving compensation for depredated livestock over the past two years. We recommend improving herding practices and the implementation of compensation and insurance schemes to lower the economic loss faced by herders due to predation and creating positive avenues for the co-existence of snow leopards and humans.Livestock depredation across the trans-Himalaya causes significant economic losses to pastoralist communities. Quantification of livestock predation and the assessment of variables associated with depredation are crucial for designing effective long-term mitigation measures. We investigated the patterns and factors of livestock depredation by snow leopards (Panthera uncia) using semi-structured questionnaires targeting herders in the Narphu valley of the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. During the two years (2017/18 and 2018/19), 73.9% of the households interviewed (n = 65) lost

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), a billion-dollar crop is mainly grown under irrigated conditions in regional areas of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland. Diseases are of major constraints to production in both states. In NSW, the ‘big four’ diseases of concern are regional dependent. Black root rot (BRR) was a prevalent seedling disease across NSW. The average disease incidence varied from 15 to 90% in the last two survey seasons. However, BRR was more severe in the south, where lower temperatures were recorded during seedling establishment. The BRR pathogen, Berkeleyomyces rouxiae (syn. Thielaviopsis basicola) was proposed to be spread from northern NSW, where it was first detected, based on uniform sequences of ITS, TEF1 and RPB2 loci. Soil drench with myclobutanil (3ml/l) reduced BRR severity slightly in a pot trial. Alternaria leaf spot (ALS) has long been considered minor, but ALS outbreaks were recorded on cotton seedlings in the south in 2017/18 season. The ALS also remained prevalent on mature crops, especially before crop defoliation in the last two seasons. The main pathogen, Alternaria alternata was re-identified. Of 10 fungicides tested, all showed strong suppression of A. alternata in vitro, except for azoxystrobin which suppressed growth of A. alternata as little as 10%. Fusarium wilt associated with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum (Fov) and Verticillium wilt (Verticillium dahliae) were mainly detected in northern NSW, where disease incidence was recorded up to 70% and 90%, respectively. F. oxyporum was also prevalent on seedlings exhibited Rhizoctonia-like rot; and the pathogen was well-clustered with both Australian Fov and non-Australian races based on TEF1 sequences. Of the V. dahliae population recovered in 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons, 17.4% and 34% were molecularly characterised as defoliating pathotype, respectively. Continued efforts in surveillance of the ‘big four’ will provide insights into their etiology and epidemiology.