The dual language development of dual language immersion (DLI) students, although often examined at the domain level (e.g., listening or reading), remains understudied for more specific skills (e.g., word, sentence, or discourse). This study examines the eleven-month progression of oral language skills in a picture description task in two languages (French and English) for early-elementary (Transitional Kindergarten through first grade) DLI students (N = 42). Using Bayesian methods, which estimate parameters using both the data and prior information, we describe French and English growth patterns as measured by learning progressions whose focus is on language features at the word, sentence, and discourse levels. For French oral language, we found evidence of meaningful positive linear growth for all language features, whereas for English oral language, meaningful linear positive growth was only detected for sophistication of topic vocabulary. Overall, coming from a French-speaking household was associated with steeper French oral language trajectories, but coming from an English-only household did not specifically impact English oral language trajectories. In both languages, grade level influenced the trajectories of some—but not all—features. We conclude with theoretical and practical implications, advocating for a language progression approach in instruction and research on bilingualism.

Pseudechinus magellanicus is an ecologically important and small sea urchin in coastal and nearshore habitats off southern South America. We provide the first growth assessment for the species using tag (calcein) and recapture procedures in central Patagonia (Argentina). The individual growth rate of P. magellanicus ranged 0.05–1.3 mm year−1. The Brody–Bertalanffy and Richards growth models provided asymptotic maximum diameters of 29.89 and 26.01 mm, respectively. Both models yielded low values for the growth constant (k), with 0.046 (Brody–Bertalanffy) and 0.062 (Richards). Maximum instantaneous growth rate was estimated at 1.36 mm year−1 for the Brody–Bertalanffy model, and 2.69 mm year−1 for the Richards model. Model selection (corrected Akaike information criterion) showed a slight better fit for the Brody–Bertalanffy growth model compared to the Richards model. A significant variability in growth was observed within the studied population, which can be attributed to genetic factors and micro-environmental effects. P. magellanicus displays a combination of slow growth and small body size, with the lowest recorded growth performance index (θ = 3.72) recorded so far in sea urchins. The species has a long lifespan, with the most common adult sizes estimated to range from 15 to 21 years according to the Brody–Bertalanffy model. Due to the broad geographic distribution and occupation of contrasting habitats, further studies are necessary to explore growth of P. magellanicus under different environmental conditions and/or along a bathymetric gradient.

Undernutrition in early life remains a significant public health challenge affecting millions of infants and young children globally. Children who are wasted, stunted or underweight are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Undernutrition at critical periods also impacts on aspects of neurodevelopment, with longer-term consequences to educational performance and mental health outcomes. Despite consistent evidence highlighting an increased risk of neonatal and infant mortality among boys, a common assumption held across many disciplines is that girls are more vulnerable with respect to early-life exposures. In relation to undernutrition, however, recent evidence indicates the reverse, and in contexts of food insecurity, boys are at increased risk of undernutrition in early life compared to girls, with sex-specific risks for neurodevelopmental deficits. These effects appear independent of social factors that may favour boys, such as gender disparities in infant feeding practices and health-seeking behaviours. The observed vulnerability among boys may therefore be underpinned by biological processes such as differential energy requirements during periods of rapid growth. As boys have greater needs for growth and maintenance, then, in times of nutritional hardship, these needs may not be met resulting in risk of undernutrition and subsequent health consequences. In view of this emerging evidence, a greater understanding of the mechanisms behind this vulnerability among boys is needed and policy considerations to protect boys should be considered. This review will explore sex differences in risk of undernutrition and consider these in the context of existing programmes and policies.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are critically important for newborn nutrition and in the trajectory of growth and developmental processes throughout early life. This systematic review (PROSPERO ID: CRD42023400059) critically analyzes literature pertaining to how omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in human milk are related to health outcomes in early life. Literature selected for the review were published between 2005 and 2020 and included assessments in healthy term children between 0 and 5 years of age. The studies reported the relation between human milk fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3, DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3, EPA), alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3, ALA), arachidonic acid (C20:4n-6, AA), and linoleic acid (C18:2n-6, LA) with three domains of health outcomes: neurodevelopment, body composition, and allergy, skin & eczema. Results from the 21 studies consistently suggested better health outcomes across the three domains for infants consuming milk with higher concentrations of total n-3, DHA, EPA, and ALA. Negative health outcomes across the three domains were associated with higher levels of total n-6, AA, and LA in milk. N-3 and n-6 content of milk were related to neurodevelopmental, body composition, and allergy, skin & eczema outcomes with moderate certainty. Maternal diet impacting milk fatty acid content and fatty acid desaturase genotype modifying physiologic responses to fatty acid intake were prominent gaps identified in the review using the NIH Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies and GRADE approach. This research study can inform baby nutrition product development, and fatty acid intake recommendations or dietary interventions for mothers and children.

The aim of this study is to determine to what extent the addition of chitinase to black soldier fly (BSF) larval meal enriched or not with long-chain PUFA (LC-PUFA) could improve growth, protein digestion processes and gut microbial composition in Nile tilapia. Two different types of BSF meal were produced, in which larvae were reared on substrates formulated with vegetable culture substrate (VGS) or marine fish offal substrate (FOS). The BSF raised on VGS was enriched in α-linolenic acid (ALA), while that raised on FOS was enriched in ALA + EPA + DHA. Six BSF-based diets, enriched or not with chitinase, were formulated and compared with a control diet based on fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO). Two doses (D) of chitinase from Aspergillus niger (2 g and 5 g/kg feed) were added to the BSF larval diets (VGD0 and FOD0) to obtain four additional diets: VGD2, VGD5, FOD2 and FOD5. After 53 d of feeding, results showed that the BSF/FOS-based diets induced feed utilisation, protein efficiency and digestibility, as well as growth comparable to the FMFO control diet, but better than the BSF/VGS-based diets. The supplementation of chitinase to BSF/FOS increased in fish intestine the relative abundance of beneficial microbiota such as those of the Bacillaceae family. The results showed that LC-PUFA-enriched BSF meal associated with chitinase could be used as an effective alternative to fishmeal in order to improve protein digestion processes, beneficial microbiota and ultimately fish growth rate.

The crystal growth of NH4-illite (NH4-I) from the hydrothermal system of Harghita Bãi (Eastern Carpathians) was deduced from the shapes of crystal thickness distributions (CTDs). The <2 mm and the <2-0.2 mm fractions of clay samples collected from the argillized andesite rocks consist of NH4-illite-smectite (I-S) interstratified structures (R1, R2, and R3-type ordering) with a variable smectite-layer content. The NH4-I-S (40-5% S) structures were identified underground in a hydrothermal breccia structure, whereas the K-I/NH4-I mixtures were found at the deepest level sampled (-110 m). The percentage of smectite interlayers generally decreases with increasing depth in the deposit. This decrease in smectite content is related to the increase in degree of fracturing in the breccia structure and corresponds to a general increase in mean illite crystal thickness. In order to determine the thickness distributions of NH4-I crystals (fundamental illite particles) which make up the NH4-I-S interstratified structures and the NH4-I/K-I mixtures, 27 samples were saturated with Li and aqueous solutions of PVP-10 to remove swelling and then were analyzed by X-ray diffraction. The profiles for the mean crystallite thickness (Tmean) and crystallite thickness distribution (CTD) of NH4-I crystallites were determined by the Bertaut-Warren-Averbach method using the MudMaster computer code. The Tmean of NH4-I from NH4-I-S samples ranges from 3.4 to 7.8 nm. The Tmean measured for the NH4-I/K-I mixture phase ranges from 7.8 nm to 11.7 nm (NH4-I) and from 12.1 to 24.7 nm (K-I).

The CTD shapes of NH4-I fundamental particles are asymptotic and lognormal, whereas illites from NH4-I/K-I mixtures have bimodal shapes related to the presence of two lognormal-like CTDs corresponding to NH4-I and K-I.

The crystal-growth mechanism for NH4-I samples was simulated using the Galoper code. Reaction pathways for NH4-I crystal nucleation and growth could be determined for each sample by plotting their CTD parameters on an α-ß2 diagram constructed using Galoper. This analysis shows that NH4-I crystals underwent simultaneous nucleation and growth, followed by surface-controlled growth without simultaneous nucleation.

In light of current debates and historical precedent, this article rejects polarized approaches to growth in the Church of England. Instead, it points towards the significant numerical growth experienced by English cathedrals as evidence for the fruits of a mixed practice approach. Analysing the growth experienced by cathedrals in recent years, it is posed that, combined with rootedness in place and local identity, a mixed practice approach could be a model for a well-functioning mixed ecology, and a growing Church.