Case Report: Retracing Atypical Development: A Preserved Speech Variant of Rett Syndrome

The subject of the present study is the development of a girl with the preserved speech variant of Rett disorder. Our data are based on detailed retrospective and prospective video analyses. Despite achieving developmental milestones, movement quality was already abnormal during the girl's first half year of life. In addition, early hand stereotypies, idiosyncratic vocalizations, asymmetric eye opening, and abnormal facial expressions are early signs proving that this variant of the Rett complex, too, manifests itself within the first months of life

Number word use in toddlerhood is associated with number recall performance at seven years of age

Previous studies have shown that verbal working memory and vocabulary acquisition are linked in early childhood. However, it is unclear whether acquisition of a narrow range of words during toddlerhood may be particularly related to recall of the same words later in life. Here we asked whether vocabulary acquisition of number words, location and quantifier terms over the first three years of life are associated with verbal and visuospatial working memory at seven years. Our results demonstrate that children who produced more number words between 20-26 months and started to produce the number words 1-10 earlier showed greater number recall at 7 years of age. This link was specific to numbers and neither extended to quantifier and location terms nor verbal and visuospatial working memory performance with other stimuli. These findings suggest a category-specific link between the mental lexicon of number words and working memory for numbers at an early age. © 2014 Libertus et al

Virtual reality and naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder

© 2021 The Author(s).Background: Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBI) have been evaluated as the most promising interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder. In recent years, a growing body of literature suggests that technological advancements such as Virtual Reality (VR) are promising intervention tools. However, to the best of our knowledge no studies have combined evidence-based practice with such tools. Aim: This article aims to review the current literature combining NDBI and VR, and provide suggestions on merging NDBI-approaches with VR. Methods: This article is divided into two parts, where we first conduct a review mapping the research applying NDBI-approaches in VR. In the second part we argue how to apply the common features of NDBI into VR-technology. Results: Our findings show that no VR-studies explicitly rely on NDBI-approaches, but some utilize elements in their interventions that are considered to be common features to NDBI. Conclusions and implications: As the results show, to date, no VR-based studies have utilized NDBI in their intervention. We therefore, in the second part of this article, suggests ways to merge VR and NDBI and introduce the term Virtual Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (VNDBI). VNDBI is an innovative way of implementing NDBI which will contribute in making interventions more accessible in central as well as remote locations, while reducing unwanted variation between service sites. VNDBI will advance the possibilities of individually tailoring and widen the area of interventions. In addition, VNDBI can provide the field with new knowledge on effective components enhancing the accuracy in the intervention packages and thus move forward the research field and clinical practice.publishedVersio

The Gestalt of functioning in autism revisited: First revision of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets

Functioning is a construct capturing how an individual’s engagement in everyday life emerges from the interaction between the individual and their environment. The World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a biopsychosocial framework of functioning. Previously, the ICF was adapted for use in autism by developing Core Sets, a selection of ICF codes from the entire classification for specific conditions. Here, we present the first revision of the ICF of the Core sets for autism from a Delphi-like technique, based on evidence from Core Sets validation/linking studies, stakeholder feedback, and the development and piloting of the autism ICF Core Sets platform. Two ICF second-level codes were removed, and 12 were added to the comprehensive autism Core Set. The added codes reflect body functions in various sensory domains, fine hand use, and environmental factors. Changes were extensive for the age-appropriate brief Core Sets where ICF codes from the initial Core Sets were added or removed. The revisions conducted indicate a continued need for regularly updating Core Sets, based on empirical evidence and stakeholder involvement. We recommend the updated Core Sets for future use in autism research and practice in different age groups and contexts

Notimpfung als zusätzliche Maßnahme zur Bekämpfung eines potenziellen Ausbruchs der Maul- und Klauenseuche in den Ländern der Europäischen Union

Die Maul- und Klauenseuche (MKS) ist eine jener globalen Tierseuchen, die im Laufe des vergangenen Jahrhunderts die meisten Länder der Welt trafen. Dank konsequenter Bekämpfungsprogramme und Handelsvorschriften trat sie in der Europäischen Union (EU) seit mehreren Jahren nicht mehr auf. Sowohl die vergangenen MKS-Ausbrüche als auch die aktuellen weltweiten Epidemien zeigen jedoch, dass eine Einschleppung der Seuche jederzeit möglich ist und eine erfolgreiche MKS-Bekämpfung nach wie vor eine Herausforderung darstellt. Dabei ist eine gezielte Krisenplanung von großer Bedeutung. Die Notfallplanung stellt einen wichtigen Bestandteil des in der EU neuerlich implementierten Tiergesundheitsrechts dar und die Notimpfung als zusätzliche Maßnahme erhält in der Kontrolle von MKS-Ausbrüchen in der aktuellen Gesetzgebung zunehmend Aufmerksamkeit. Es wird allgemein anerkannt, dass die Anwendung einer Notimpfung in bestimmten epidemiologischen Situationen positive Auswirkungen auf die Seuchenausbreitung haben kann. Aufgrund einer Anzahl an vorwiegend ökonomischen Nachteilen, die mit dieser Strategie assoziiert sind, darf sie jedoch nur durchgeführt werden, wenn bestimmte Voraussetzungen erfüllt sind. Die Implementierung der Notimpfpolitik bei MKS-Ausbrüchen erfordert eine umfassende Planung und Koordination aller logistischen und ressourcenbezogenen Aspekte, einschließlich Auswahl und Beschaffung eines geeigneten Impfstoffs. Dabei empfiehlt die EU-Legislative in MKS-Ausbrüchen den Einsatz von inaktivierten MKS-Impfstoffen, die derzeit zu den meist erforschten Impfstoffen im Veterinärbereich zählen und seitens der EU hohe Anforderungen an Qualität, Wirksamkeit und Sicherheit erfüllen müssen.</p

Melt Conveying in Single-Screw Extruders: Modeling and Simulation

Numerous analyses have modeled the flow of polymer melts in the melt-conveying zones of single-screw extruders. While initial studies mainly provided exact analytical results for combined drag and pressure flows of Newtonian fluids, more recently developed, numerical methods seek to deepen the understanding of more realistic flow situations that include shear-thinning and non-isothermal effects. With the advent of more powerful computers, considerable progress has been made in the modeling and simulation of polymer melt flows in single-screw extruders. This work reviews the historical developments from a methodological point of view, including (1) exact analytical, (2) numerical, and (3) approximate methods. Special attention is paid to the mathematical models used in each case, including both governing flow equations and boundary conditions. In addition, the literature on leakage flow and curved-channel systems is revisited