Gross Motor Development in Children With Autism: Longitudinal Trajectories From the Growing Up in New Zealand Study.

This study explored gross motor development (GMD) trajectories among 6359 children, with and without autism, from the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal cohort study. By the age of 8, 173 children had either an autism diagnosis (n = 108) or parent-reported autism concerns (n = 65). Gross motor milestones were reported by mothers when children were 9, 24, and 54 months of age.

Genetic variation among sea turtle life stages and species suggests connectivity among ocean basins.

Regional genetic differentiation of mitochondrial lineages occurs in migratory species with natal philopatry such as sea turtles. However, early juvenile dispersal represents a key opportunity for gene flow and colonization of new regions through founder events, making it an important yet under-studied life stage. To assess connectivity among sea turtle life stages and ocean basins, we sequenced mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) fragments from 35 juveniles sampled in the Gulf of Mexico from the rarely observed dispersal stage across three species: green turtles (;  = 30), hawksbills (;  = 3), and loggerheads (;  = 2).

Evaluation of a Home-Based Behavioral Treatment Model for Children With Tube Dependency.

Objective: To evaluate a home-based behavioral treatment model for children with tube dependency.

Methods: Nine children (aged 4-14 years) dependent on nasogastric and gastrostomy tubes were consecutively admitted into a home-based behavioral treatment program. A psychologist specializing in applied behavior analysis led the assessment and treatment phases with the support of caregivers and a multidisciplinary team.

Biomarkers reveal sea turtles remained in oiled areas following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Assessments of large-scale disasters, such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, are problematic because while measurements of post-disturbance conditions are common, measurements of pre-disturbance baselines are only rarely available. Without adequate observations of pre-disaster organismal and environmental conditions, it is impossible to assess the impact of such catastrophes on animal populations and ecological communities. Here, we use long-term biological tissue records to provide pre-disaster data for a vulnerable marine organism.

Determining origin in a migratory marine vertebrate: a novel method to integrate stable isotopes and satellite tracking.

Stable isotope analysis is a useful tool to track animal movements in both terrestrial and marine environments. These intrinsic markers are assimilated through the diet and may exhibit spatial gradients as a result of biogeochemical processes at the base of the food web. In the marine environment, maps to predict the spatial distribution of stable isotopes are limited, and thus determining geographic origin has been reliant upon integrating satellite telemetry and stable isotope data.

Teaching individuals with profound multiple disabilities to access preferred stimuli with multiple microswitches.

We replicated and extended previous research on microswitch facilitated choice making by individuals with profound multiple disabilities. Following an assessment of stimulus preferences, we taught 6 adults with profound multiple disabilities to emit 2 different responses to activate highly preferred stimuli. All participants learnt to activate both microswitches.

Identifying potential prey of the pelagic larvae of the spiny lobster Jasus edwardsii using signature lipids.

Signature lipid analyses were used to identify the natural prey of the pelagic phyllosoma larvae of the spiny lobster Jasus edwardsii. Lipid class, fatty acid and sterol composition were determined for associated potential prey items and for phyllosomes captured between 50 and 90 km offshore from the northeastern coast of New Zealand. Phospholipid was the dominant lipid class in all potential prey items and the transparent phyllosomes.

Ice core evidence for Antarctic sea ice decline since the 1950s.

The instrumental record of Antarctic sea ice in recent decades does not reveal a clear signature of warming despite observational evidence from coastal Antarctica. Here we report a significant correlation (P < 0.002) between methanesulphonic acid (MSA) concentrations from a Law Dome ice core and 22 years of satellite-derived sea ice extent (SIE) for the 80 degrees E to 140 degrees E sector.

You are what you eat: describing the foraging ecology of southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) using blubber fatty acids.

Understanding the trophodynamics of marine ecosystems requires data on the temporal and spatial variation in predator diet but, particularly for wide-ranging species, these data are often unavailable. The southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) consumes large quantities of fish and squid prey in the Southern Ocean relative to other marine mammals; however, how diet varies relative to seasonal and spatial foraging behaviour is unknown. We used fatty acid (FA) signature analysis of 63 blubber cores from adult female M.