The impact of water on free-falling bodies

Report discussed measures to cushion impact on body falling into water. Heavy loads are generated by impact and by pressures of water cavity collapsing onto the body

A sound advantage: Increased auditory capacity in autism

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has an intriguing auditory processing profile. Individuals show enhanced pitch discrimination, yet often find seemingly innocuous sounds distressing. This study used two behavioural experiments to examine whether an increased capacity for processing sounds in ASD could underlie both the difficulties and enhanced abilities found in the auditory domain. Autistic and non-autistic young adults performed a set of auditory detection and identification tasks designed to tax processing capacity and establish the extent of perceptual capacity in each population. Tasks were constructed to highlight both the benefits and disadvantages of increased capacity. Autistic people were better at detecting additional unexpected and expected sounds (increased distraction and superior performance respectively). This suggests that they have increased auditory perceptual capacity relative to non-autistic people. This increased capacity may offer an explanation for the auditory superiorities seen in autism (e.g. heightened pitch detection). Somewhat counter-intuitively, this same 'skill' could result in the sensory overload that is often reported - which subsequently can interfere with social communication. Reframing autistic perceptual processing in terms of increased capacity, rather than a filtering deficit or inability to maintain focus, increases our understanding of this complex condition, and has important practical implications that could be used to develop intervention programs to minimise the distress that is often seen in response to sensory stimuli

Acute complete heart block in dogs

A study has been conducted immediately and up to 18 days after the surgical production of complete heart block in dogs. Immediately after surgery cardiac output, coronary flow, and mean arterial pressure were reduced in rough proportion to the degree of bradycardia. In time, these measures began to return toward preoperative levels. Paralleling the diminished left ventricular work was a diminished left ventricular oxygen consumption with little consequent change in myocardial efficiency. Small rises were detected in central venous pressure. At autopsy, the only unequivocal abnormality was myocardial hypertrophy which became measurable between 2 and 18 days after operation

The Strengths and Abilities of Autistic People in the Workplace

INTRODUCTION: At present, very few autistic people are employed, even though many want to be. It is important that their strengths are identified and valued to help them to find jobs that they enjoy, and that make good use of their skills. The aim of this study was to investigate what strengths autistic people have in the workplace, self-reported by autistic people themselves. METHODS: In this study, autistic participants (n = 66) completed an online questionnaire that asked their views about employment-related strengths that they experienced. We analyzed these data using thematic analysis to identify commonalities across participants' experiences, and areas where they felt that they could perform better than their nonautistic colleagues. RESULTS: The main strengths identified from these data revealed cognitive advantages such as superior creativity, focus, and memory; increased efficiency and personal qualities such as honesty and dedication; and the ability to offer a unique autism-specific perspective. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study suggests that autistic people have many employment-related strengths that should be recognized and valued by autistic people and employers alike. By understanding the strengths that could be associated with autism in the workplace, autistic people may be better able to identify their own strengths in the workplace (with the help of support workers, where necessary). The results should also encourage employers to make an effort to recruit and retain autistic employees, making appropriate adjustments to interview processes and working conditions, and seeking out training when needed

Missing a Trick: Auditory Load Modulates Conscious Awareness in Audition

In the visual domain there is considerable evidence supporting the Load Theory of Attention and Cognitive Control, which holds that conscious perception of background stimuli depends on the level of perceptual load involved in a primary task. However, literature on the applicability of this theory to the auditory domain is limited and, in many cases, inconsistent. Here we present a novel “auditory search task” that allows systematic investigation of the impact of auditory load on auditory conscious perception. An array of simultaneous, spatially separated sounds was presented to participants. On half the trials, a critical stimulus was presented concurrently with the array. Participants were asked to detect which of 2 possible targets was present in the array (primary task), and whether the critical stimulus was present or absent (secondary task). Increasing the auditory load of the primary task (raising the number of sounds in the array) consistently reduced the ability to detect the critical stimulus. This indicates that, at least in certain situations, load theory applies in the auditory domain. The implications of this finding are discussed both with respect to our understanding of typical audition and for populations with altered auditory processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved

Frank Miller and the Decision to Prosecute

Frank Miller\u27s book, Prosecution, provides many examples of how careful observation of existing prosecutorial practices can furnish a basis for reconsidering the propriety of existing legal doctrine and day-to-day practice. Unfortunately, the limited space available here precludes any such exhaustive catalog. Nevertheless, three issues raised by Miller\u27s research merit particular attention. The first concerns the use of post-arrest warrants. Miller\u27s painstaking description of prosecution practices in Wisconsin disclosed that the routine issuance of post-arrest warrants, a time-consuming practice, served no identifiable function. A second, and more controversial discovery centered on the respective roles of the executive and judiciary in the decision to charge a suspect with a crime. Miller discovered that although prosecutors routinely made autonomous charging decisions, existing legal doctrine made it impossible to determine whether the decision was, in theory, an executive decision for the prosecutor or a judicial decision for the trial judge. A third issue concerns the function of the post-arrest complaint, the need for which, Miller\u27s work demonstrated, is as unclear as the need for the post-arrest warrant. This tribute will focus on Wisconsin practices, in particular as they relate to the three issues discussed above. This focus on Wisconsin, however, does not limit the utility of the analysis. Indeed, one reason for the enduring quality of the ABF survey in general was its universality; the justice systems of the field sites chosen shared fundamental administrative practices with states throughout the nation. Moreover, as will be seen, the same issues described in detail by Miller over twenty years ago still arise today throughout the country

"Our Normal Is Different": Autistic Adults' Experiences of the Family Courts

This article reports the findings of a small-scale qualitative study exploring the experiences of autistic adults who have had experience of the family justice system. While participants related some positive elements to their experiences, in particular with regard to the willingness of professionals to try to learn more about their clients’ needs, the overall picture showed significant concerns. The reports given showed significant misunderstandings about autism, and a system which struggled to make appropriate adjustments which would allow autistic court users to have access to justice on an equivalent basis to non-autistic litigants. This situation stands in contrast to the position regarding other disabilities in the Family Justice System, but also to the relatively greater level of provision for autistic people within the Criminal Justice System. Based on participants’ experiences and existing good practice in other areas, we make recommendations that could be adopted by the Family Court and practitioners

A Friendly Article: The Qualitative Investigation of Anthropomorphism in Autistic and Nonautistic Adults

BACKGROUND: Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to nonhuman agents. This common tendency is thought to be driven by a heightened motivation for social connection and may therefore be expected to be reduced in autistic individuals given that this group has been claimed to demonstrate reduced social motivation in some settings. However, the subject of anthropomorphism in autism has not been studied extensively, and online forums, autobiographical accounts, and recent research on the topic suggest that, contrary to this expectation, anthropomorphism is commonly experienced by autistic individuals. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with eight autistic and eight nonautistic adults, all who reported a tendency to anthropomorphize. We recorded, transcribed, and analyzed the interviews according to the thematic analysis framework with the objective of identifying similarities and differences in the lived experiences of anthropomorphism in autistic and nonautistic individuals. RESULTS: Individuals in both groups described anthropomorphism as comforting, promoting a sense of safety and friendship with, and feelings of empathy and sympathy toward, nonhuman agents. Autistic individuals stressed the important role anthropomorphized agents played in their life, particularly when growing up: easing loneliness and helping develop an understanding of emotions and relationships. Participants also expressed negative aspects of the phenomenon, with both autistic and nonautistic individuals worrying about anthropomorphized agents' feelings and well-being. For some individuals, such thoughts and feelings caused distress and were experienced as intrusive due to their involuntary nature. CONCLUSIONS: Autistic and nonautistic adults showed very similar anthropomorphic patterns. Although preliminary in nature, our findings highlight characteristics of anthropomorphic experiences for autistic and nonautistic individuals, furthering our understanding of individual differences in social cognition. By illustrating the important role nonhuman agents may play in the lives of autistic individuals, our findings may also guide future research and practice

Comparing the Executive Function Ability of Autistic and Non-autistic Adolescents with a Manualised Battery of Neuropsychological Tasks

Performance on a single executive function (EF) task (e.g., a card sorting task) is often taken to represent ability on the underlying subcomponent of EF (e.g., set shifting) without accounting for the non-specific and non-executive skills employed to complete the task. This study used a manualised battery of EF tasks to derive individual task scores and latent EF scores. Seventy-nine adolescents aged between 11 and 19 years, including 37 autistic and 42 non-autistic participants, matched on cognitive ability, completed the battery. Autistic adolescents had moderate global EF difficulties and had significantly more difficulties on some individual tasks. However, the samples did not differ on any of the specific individual subcomponents of EF (fluency, cognitive control and working memory)