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Coronavirus: Edinburgh Airbnb flats help solve homelessness crisis

HOUSING bosses in Scotland’s capital have finally moved all homeless families with children out of unsuitable B&Bs after Airbnb properties and hotel rooms were left empty by the coronavirus lockdown.




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Grassie to step down as SRU chairman

Colin Grassie is to stand down as chairman of the board of Scottish Rugby at August’s AGM.




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Fair Isle Bird Observatory to rise from the ashes

IT is one of he most important seabird observatories in the world, but its very future was called into question when fire ravaged through it and left it no more than a pile of rubble.




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James Cairney: Fans bickering over titles are missing the bigger picture

FOR decades, both Celtic and Rangers have dominated the national conversation when it comes to football in Scotland. The vast majority of issues seem to revolve around the two Glasgow clubs and, predictably, the issue of how to conclude the Premiership campaign has been boiled down to whether or not Celtic should be crowned champions if – as is looking increasingly likely – the 2019/20 campaign is unable to be played to a finish.




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Snag the 2019 Apple iPad Air for Just $459

The 64GB Wi-Fi model is currently on sale for $459 at Walmart (down from $499.99).




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iPad Air (2019), iPad Mini 5 Join Apple's Refurbished Lineup

Grab a refurbished third-generation iPad Air or fifth-generation iPad Mini from Apple to save big while getting nearly the same experience new tablets offer.




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David Torrance: Airstrikes in Syria are far from ideal, but it’s better than nothing

Today in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister will explain her decision to authorise airstrikes against Syria alongside France and the United States.




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Coronavirus: PPE shipment from China remains at Prestwick Airport due to 'labelling issue'

MILLIONS of face masks to protect Scottish health and care workers against coronavirus could be stuck in limbo at Prestwick airport for a week, it has emerged.




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Coronavirus: Wizz Air announce plans to resume flights

Low-cost European carrier Wizz Air has announced plans to resume some flights from Luton Airport on May 1.




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Coronavirus: UK Government 'actively looking at' quarantining UK airport arrivals

THE UK Government is “actively looking at” quarantining people arriving from abroad as criticism mounts over the country dragging its feet compared to other parts of the world.




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Teacher-Candidates Get a Safe Space to Air Touchy Issues of Identity

Affinity groups known as caucuses let teacher-candidates at the University of Washington gather with others who share part of their identity, such as race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.




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An original of the airwaves, with a joke for every occasion

Lou Grant




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Obituary: Saroj Lal, inspirational figure in the long fight for fairness for all

Saroj Lal




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District's Hair-Length Rule for Male Basketball Players Struck Down by Court

A federal appeals court has struck down an Indiana school district's policy requiring short hair for boys on the basketball team, ruling that the lack of a similar policy for girls'-team basketball players results in illegal sex discrimination.




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Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure With Heliox in Preterm Infants With Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) is a noninvasive ventilatory support that may reduce the need for mechanical ventilation in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome. Heliox, a helium-oxygen mixture, has shown positive effects, especially in obstructive diseases.

NCPAP with heliox reduces the need for mechanical ventilation in preterm infants with respiratory distress syndrome in comparison with NCPAP with medical air. (Read the full article)




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Antenatal Antecedents of Cognitive Impairment at 24 Months In Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborns

Among extremely premature infants, survival has improved, but the rate of cognitive impairment has not. Impaired cognition is the most frequent developmental problem identified in survivors. Several antenatal factors have been associated with cognitive impairment, mostly related to social disadvantage.

In addition to social disadvantage, antenatal characteristics associated with cognitive impairment include maternal obesity and thrombosis of fetal stem vessels. Prenatal infection and inflammation were not associated with impaired early cognitive function among extremely preterm infants. (Read the full article)




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Impaired Fetal Growth and Arterial Wall Thickening: A Randomized Trial of Omega-3 Supplementation

Impaired fetal growth is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases in adulthood and is associated with arterial wall thickening, a noninvasive measure of subclinical atherosclerosis, in early childhood. No preventive strategy has been identified.

Dietary omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in early childhood prevented the association of impaired fetal growth with arterial wall thickening, suggesting that this early-life intervention may mitigate the risk of cardiovascular disease in those with impaired fetal growth. (Read the full article)




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Stair-Related Injuries to Young Children Treated in US Emergency Departments, 1999-2008

Stairs are a common source of injury to children. Most injuries are minor soft tissue injuries, with the head and neck region being injured most commonly.

This is the first nationally representative study of stair-related injuries to young children in the United States. A child aged <5 years is treated in a US emergency department, on average, every 6 minutes for a stair-related injury. (Read the full article)




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How Children With Specific Language Impairment View Social Situations: An Eye Tracking Study

Children with specific language impairment are at risk for social difficulties. However, whether this occurs adaptively as a result of language impairment or occurs as a result of an underlying deficit in social cognition remains unclear.

We used eye tracking to explore how children with specific language impairment view social scenes. The overall gaze behavior resembled that of typically developing children. Significant attention to the speaker’s mouth may result in receiving less social-emotional information from the eyes. (Read the full article)




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Concurrent Validity of Ages and Stages Questionnaires in Preterm Infants

Preterm children born between 29 and 36 gestational weeks are at higher risk of developmental delay. The Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) have been recommended as a developmental screening tool.

At 12 months’ corrected age (CA), the ASQ was insufficient in identifying delays on both mental and psychomotor scales of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development but was accurate in detecting mental delay at CA of 24 months. (Read the full article)




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Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome and Functional and Structural Brain Impairments in Adolescence

Despite the dramatic rise in prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) among children and adolescents, and that MetS is associated with cognitive and brain impairments among adults, no data on the impact of MetS on the brain exist in children.

It provides the first data on the impact of MetS on brain in adolescence. We show reductions in cognitive function and brain structural integrity in nondiabetic adolescents with MetS, thus suggesting that even pre-clinical metabolic illness may give rise to brain complications. (Read the full article)




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Randomized Trial of Prongs or Mask for Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure in Preterm Infants

Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) is commonly given to premature infants with nasal prongs and nasal masks. Prongs and masks appear to injure the nose of preterm infants with equal frequency.

Nasal masks are more effective than nasal prongs for preventing intubation and mechanical ventilation in premature infants within 72 hours of starting NCPAP. (Read the full article)




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Readability, Suitability, and Characteristics of Asthma Action Plans: Examination of Factors That May Impair Understanding

National asthma treatment guidelines include the recommendation that all asthma patients receive a written asthma action plan. No previous study has sought to examine the readability, suitability, and content of asthma action plans within a nationally representative sample.

Although variability was found across written asthma action plans, and improvements in readability, suitability, and content are needed, there were also many common elements that would support a move to a single universal standard action plan. (Read the full article)




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Characteristics of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in Preschool Children

Validated questionnaires can improve the identification of psychosocial problems among children. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) 3-4 is a promising option. However, no studies are available that examine the psychometric properties of the SDQ parent form 3-4.

The results of this study show that the SDQ 3-4 is a valid tool for the identification of psychosocial problems in preschool-aged children. (Read the full article)




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Validity of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires in Term and Preterm Infants

The Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) has been validated in many countries and translated into numerous languages. In most publications, it has been reported that the ASQ is accurate in detecting true problems in apparently healthy children and even in children with biological risk factors.

This report compares the third version of the ASQ and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition, assessments. Psychometric properties showed a tendency to improve with testing age and when comparing term versus extremely preterm children. (Read the full article)




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Assessing Functional Impairment in Siblings Living With Children With Disability

Previous research on potential deleterious effects of typically developing children growing up in households with children with disability has produced mixed results. Research methods have been cited as a problem in many studies.

This is the largest known empirical study comparing functional impairment in siblings living with a child with disability and siblings residing with children who are typically developing. This study also follows the trajectory of functional impairment across 2 measurement periods. (Read the full article)




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Maternal Influence on Child HPA Axis: A Prospective Study of Cortisol Levels in Hair

Stress affects health of children, potentially persisting as a trajectory into adulthood. Earlier biological markers assess only momentary stress, making it difficult to investigate stress over longer periods of time. Cortisol in hair is a new biomarker of prolonged stress.

Mother and child hair cortisol association suggests a heritable part or maternal calibration. Cortisol output gradually stabilizes, has a stable trait, and is positively correlated to birth weight. Hair cortisol is a promising noninvasive biomarker of prolonged stress, especially applicable for children. (Read the full article)




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Clinical Utility of the Colorado Learning Difficulties Questionnaire

Caregiver behavioral symptom ratings are frequently used to assist in diagnosing childhood behavioral disorders. Although behavioral disorders are highly comorbid with learning disabilities (LDs), little work has examined the utility of caregiver ratings of learning concerns for screening of comorbid LD.

The validity of a time- and cost-efficient caregiver rating of academic concerns (Colorado Learning Difficulties Questionnaire) was examined. The screening measure accurately predicted children without LD, suggesting that the absence of parent-reported difficulties may be adequate to rule out overt LD. (Read the full article)




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Prenatal Exposure to Air Pollution, Maternal Psychological Distress, and Child Behavior

Prenatal exposures to diverse pollutants and psychosocial stressors have been shown independently to adversely affect child development. Less is known about the potential interactions between these factors, although they commonly co-occur, especially in disadvantaged populations.

The combination of high prenatal exposure to environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and maternal demoralization adversely affects child behavior, and maternal demoralization has a greater effect among children with high prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure for a majority of behavioral symptoms. (Read the full article)




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Patient Health Questionnaire for School-Based Depression Screening Among Chinese Adolescents

Major depression is common among adolescents. The PHQ-9 has good sensitivity and specificity for detecting depression among adolescents in primary care settings. However, no study has examined the psychometric properties of the PHQ-9 among Chinese adolescents in school settings.

This is the first study to validate the use of the PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire–2 item, and Patient Health Questionnaire–1 item among Chinese adolescents in Taiwan. The PHQ-9 and its 2 subscales have good sensitivity and specificity for detecting depression among school adolescents. (Read the full article)




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Association Between Riding With an Impaired Driver and Driving While Impaired

Motor vehicle crashes, heavy drinking, and drug use are serious, interactive health concerns for the teenage population. Teenage alcohol-impaired driving behaviors are associated with heavy drinking, parenting practices, and exposure to drinking and driving.

Earliness of exposure to alcohol/drug impaired driving (DWI) and early licensure were independent risk factors for teenage DWI. A strong, positive dose-response existed between DWI and amount of prior exposure to DWI in the form of riding with an impaired driver. (Read the full article)




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Child Passenger Deaths Involving Alcohol-Impaired Drivers

Approximately 20% of US child passenger deaths involve an alcohol-impaired driver, typically in the child’s own vehicle. The higher the blood alcohol concentration of a driver, the more likely his or her child passenger was unrestrained in the fatal crash.

The risk of a child passenger dying while being transported with an alcohol-impaired driver varies meaningfully across states. These state-specific rates may help to inform renewed prevention efforts. (Read the full article)




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Validity of a Single Item Food Security Questionnaire in Arctic Canada

Food insecurity is best measured by comprehensive assessments. However, rapid assessments can be useful in certain circumstances, but their validity is not characterized.

Rapid assessment of food insecurity is feasible among Inuit adults and children. (Read the full article)




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A Parent Questionnaire for Developmental Screening in Infants Born Late and Moderately Preterm

Children born late and moderately preterm are at increased risk of developmental problems compared with term-born peers. Screening for developmental problems in the early years may thus aid in the early identification of children at risk for adverse outcomes.

The Parent Report of Children’s Abilities-Revised has good concurrent validity and 90% sensitivity and 76% specificity for identifying moderate/severe cognitive developmental delay in infants born late and moderately preterm. This parent questionnaire may be used as a clinical screening tool. (Read the full article)




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Hair Nicotine Levels in Children With Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

Little is known about the impact of tobacco smoke exposure on preterm children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. It is essential to understand how environmental exposures, such as tobacco smoke, influence respiratory morbidities in this vulnerable population.

Chronic tobacco smoke exposure is common in children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. In children who required home respiratory support, hair nicotine levels were a better predictor of hospitalization and activity limitation than caregiver self-report. (Read the full article)




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Pneumonia in Childhood and Impaired Lung Function in Adults: A Longitudinal Study

Early-life lower respiratory illnesses, including pneumonia, are associated with increased prevalence of asthma and diminished lung function in children. Whether early-life pneumonia is associated with subsequent impaired lung function and asthma in adults is not yet clear.

This is the first article providing strong data for an association between early-life pneumonia in an outpatient setting and airflow limitation and asthma into adulthood, supporting the hypothesis of the early-life origins of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. (Read the full article)




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Continuous Positive Airway Pressure With Helmet Versus Mask in Infants With Bronchiolitis: An RCT

In a previous short-term physiologic randomized controlled trial, continuous positive airway pressure by helmet was feasible and efficient in improving gas exchange in pediatric acute respiratory failure due to bronchiolitis.

Continuous positive airway pressure administered by helmet reduces the rate of noninvasive respiratory support failure and provides longer application time with less sedation than a facial mask. In addition, it is safe to use and free from adverse events. (Read the full article)




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Validity of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in Preschool-Aged Children

Although the psychometric properties of the school-age Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) have been extensively examined by using longitudinal data, the preschool version of the SDQ has only been explored in a limited number of cross-sectional studies.

This is the first psychometric study of the preschool SDQ using longitudinal data. We report measurement invariance over time, satisfactory reliability, construct and criterion validity, and predictive utility for subsequent behavioral problems (4 years) and clinical disorders (2 years). (Read the full article)




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Early Psychosocial Exposures, Hair Cortisol Levels, and Disease Risk

Early psychosocial exposures are increasingly recognized as crucial to health throughout life. A possible mechanism is physiologic dysregulation due to stress. Cortisol in hair is a new biomarker assessing long-term hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity.

Added early psychosocial exposures seem to increase infant long-term hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity and risk of common childhood diseases in a cumulative manner, supporting the model of physiologic dysregulation as a plausible mechanism through which early detrimental exposures determine health outcomes. (Read the full article)




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Ophthalmic Abnormalities and Reading Impairment

Dyslexia has a lifelong impact on learning. The consensus in the literature from clinical studies is that dyslexia is not caused by vision abnormalities. However, interventions and therapies directed at eye-related functions are still available.

In this cohort the majority of dyslexic children had normal results for all ophthalmic tests. These population-based data support the consensus that dyslexia is not primarily a vision problem and that vision-based therapies are not justified or likely to help. (Read the full article)




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Family Experiences With Feeding Tubes in Neurologic Impairment: A Systematic Review

Gastrostomy tube placement is a difficult decision for families of children with neurologic impairment. Better understanding the impact of these tubes on the lives of children and families will help improve decision-making and support from health care providers.

Gastrostomy tube placement has broad-reaching implications for children and their families. There are physical, emotional, and relational challenges and benefits for the child, the parents, and the family unit. Exploring potential outcomes with families may improve decision-making conversations and support. (Read the full article)




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Psychological and Psychosocial Impairment in Preschoolers With Selective Eating

Selective eating is a common, burdensome eating pattern in young children. A significant subset remain selective eaters at least until adolescence and, for some, adulthood. The question is whether selective eating is a serious enough developmental pattern to warrant intervention.

This study examines whether selective eating, at 2 levels of severity, is associated with current and future psychological problems. Because moderate levels of selective eating were associated with impairment, selective eating falls within the diagnosis of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. (Read the full article)




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Fin24.com | Pakistan's 'penniless billionaires' expose money laundering frenzy

It took rickshaw driver Mohammad Rasheed a year to save 300 rupees to buy his daughter a bike, so when he found three billion rupees ($22.5 million) had passed through an unused bank account in his name, he was stunned ... and scared.




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Fin24.com | OPINION | Air travel shutdowns herald peak oil demand

The future choices made by airlines matter a great deal for the oil market, say Liam Denning and Brooke Sutherland.




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Predicting School-Aged Cognitive Impairment in Children Born Very Preterm

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Children born very preterm (VPT) are at high risk of cognitive impairment that impacts their educational and social opportunities. This study examined the predictive accuracy of assessments at 2, 4, 6, and 9 years in identifying preterm children with cognitive impairment by 12 years.

METHODS:

We prospectively studied a regional cohort of 103 children born VPT (≤32 weeks’ gestation) and 109 children born term from birth to corrected age 12 years. Cognitive functioning was assessed by using age-appropriate, standardized measures: Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition (age 2); Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (ages 4 and 6); and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (ages 9 and 12).

RESULTS:

By 12 years, children born VPT were more likely to have severe (odds ratio 3.9; 95% confidence interval 1.1–13.5) or any (odds ratio 3.2; 95% confidence interval 1.8–5.6) cognitive impairment compared with children born term. Adopting a severe cognitive impairment criterion at age 2 under-identified 44% of children born VPT with later severe impairment, whereas a more inclusive earlier criterion identified all severely affected children at 12 years. Prediction improved with age, with any delay at age 6 having the highest sensitivity (85%) and positive predictive value (66%) relative to earlier age assessments. Inclusion of family-social circumstances further improved diagnostic accuracy.

CONCLUSIONS:

Cognitive risk prediction improves with age, with assessments at 6 years offering optimal diagnostic accuracy. Intervention for children with early mild delay may be beneficial, especially for those raised in socially disadvantaged family contexts.




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First Look: Fitbit Versa 2, Aria Air

From a new paid membership service to the Aria Air and Versa 2, Fitbit's latest products and services make staying on top of your health and fitness easier and more accessible than ever.




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Fish, wine, and social media: Hazleton virtual research fair winners announced

Wine, fish, and excessive use of social media were a few of the topics that earned students top honors in Penn State Hazleton's first-ever virtual Undergraduate Research Fair.




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Students on School Boards: Balancing Representation and Fairness

Having student board members with voting clout on school boards poses a number of logistical challenges, readers say in response to a recent Education Week feature.




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Ditch That Headphone Splitter: How to Share Audio With Apple's AirPods

With iOS 13.1 and iPadOS, Apple adds an Audio Sharing feature that lets you share with a friend what you're listening to on your Apple AirPods or select Beats headphones.




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The Best Apple AirPods Pro Tips and Tricks

You can enjoy your AirPods Pro even more if you know how to fully use and customize them. Here are our top tips and tricks to get the most out of Apple’s wireless earbuds.