Audio-guided mindfulness training in schools and its effect on academic attainment: Contributing to theory and practice

We report the results of a randomized trial (N = 337) examining the effectiveness of a daily audio-guided MBI in raising academic achievement in 16 volunteer classrooms across two socio-demographically diverse United States primary schools. The study's findings were that, over the intervention period, improvements in Math scores, Social Studies scores and Grade Point Averages (GPA) were generally higher for students in intervention classrooms. However, confidence intervals were wide and there was pre-existing variability between schools and grades, resulting in few significant differences as a result of the intervention and generally low effect sizes. Through a careful discussion of the study's results, the paper contributes to theory by generating a comprehensive agenda for follow-up research. The study also contributes to practice by reporting on the effectiveness of technology-enabled mindfulness training because participating teachers seemed able to implement the intervention with almost no further training or need for hiring external mindfulness experts

Atomic oxygen studies on polymers

The purpose was to study the effects of atomic oxygen on the erosion of polymer based materials. The development of an atomic oxygen neutral beam facility using a SURFATRON surface wave launcher that can produce beam energies between 2 and 3 eV at flux levels as high as approx. 10 to the 17th power atoms/cm (2)-sec is described. Thin film dielectric materials were studied to determine recession rates and and reaction efficiencies as a function of incident beam energy and fluence. Accelerated testing was also accomplished and the values of reaction efficiency compared to available space flight data. Electron microscope photomicrographs of the samples' surface morphology were compared to flight test specimens

Nonlocal mechanism for cluster synchronization in neural circuits

The interplay between the topology of cortical circuits and synchronized activity modes in distinct cortical areas is a key enigma in neuroscience. We present a new nonlocal mechanism governing the periodic activity mode: the greatest common divisor (GCD) of network loops. For a stimulus to one node, the network splits into GCD-clusters in which cluster neurons are in zero-lag synchronization. For complex external stimuli, the number of clusters can be any common divisor. The synchronized mode and the transients to synchronization pinpoint the type of external stimuli. The findings, supported by an information mixing argument and simulations of Hodgkin Huxley population dynamic networks with unidirectional connectivity and synaptic noise, call for reexamining sources of correlated activity in cortex and shorter information processing time scales.Comment: 8 pges, 6 figure

A blind HI survey of the M81 group

Results are presented of the first blind HI survey of the M81 group of galaxies. The data were taken as part of the HI Jodrell All Sky Survey (HIJASS). The survey reveals several new aspects to the complex morphology of the HI distribution in the group. All four of the known dwarf irregular (dIrr) galaxies close to M81 can be unambiguously seen in the HIJASS data. Each forms part of the complex tidal structure in the area. We suggest that at least three of these galaxies may have formed recently from the tidal debris in which they are embedded. The structure connecting M81 to NGC2976 is revealed as a single tidal bridge of mass approx. 2.1 x 10^8 Msol and projected spatial extent approx. 80 kpc. Two `spurs' of HI projecting from the M81 complex to lower declinations are traced over a considerably larger spatial and velocity extent than by previous surveys. The dwarf elliptical (dE) galaxies BK5N and Kar 64 lie at the spatial extremity of one of these features and appear to be associated with it. We suggest that these may be the remnants of dIrrs which has been stripped of gas and transmuted into dEs by close gravitational encounters with NGC3077. The nucleated dE galaxy Kar 61 is unambiguously detected in HI for the first time and has an HI mass of approx.10^8 Msol, further confirming it as a dE/dIrr transitional object. HIJASS has revealed one new possible group member, HIJASS J1021+6842. This object contains approx. 2 x 10^7 Msol of HI and lies approx.105arcmin from IC2574. It has no optical counterpart on the Digital Sky Survey.Comment: To be published in Astrophysical Journal Letters 9 pages, including 3 figure

Toward Improved Observing of the Rapidly Changing Arctic Ocean

Arctic Observing Summit (April 30 – May 2, 2013, Vancouver, Canada); AON statementIn order to observe and understand the Arctic Ocean and its response to climate change, the traditional approach of acquiring observations when and where the Arctic is accessible has to be enhanced with multi-faceted measurement systems operating autonomously to provide year-round information in real time. The major goal of such a network of autonomous sensors is to measure and monitor physical, chemical and biological parameters in the atmosphere, sea ice and ocean on at least daily intervals

Profiling Sea Ice with a Multiple Altimeter Beam Experimental Lidar (MABEL)

The sole instrument on the upcoming ICESat-2 altimetry mission is a micropulse lidar that measures the time-of-flight of individual photons from laser pulses transmitted at 532 nm. Prior to launch, MABEL serves as an airborne implementation for testing and development. In this paper, we provide a first examination of MABEL data acquired on two flights over sea ice in April 2012: one north of the Arctic coast of Greenland, and the other in the East Greenland Sea.We investigate the phenomenology of photon distributions in the sea ice returns. An approach to locate the surface and estimate its elevation in the distributions is described, and its achievable precision assessed. Retrieved surface elevations over relatively flat leads in the ice cover suggest that precisions of several centimeters are attainable. Restricting the width of the elevation window used in the surface analysis can mitigate potential biases in the elevation estimates due to subsurface returns at 532 nm. Comparisons of nearly coincident elevation profiles from MABEL with those acquired by an analog lidar show good agreement.Discrimination of ice and open water, a crucial step in the determination of sea ice free board and the estimation of ice thickness, is facilitated by contrasts in the observed signal background photon statistics. Future flight lines will sample a broader range of seasonal ice conditions for further evaluation of the year-round profiling capabilities and limitations of the MABEL instrument

Genetic aetiologies for childhood speech disorder: Novel pathways co-expressed during brain development

Childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), the prototypic severe childhood speech disorder, is characterized by motor programming and planning deficits. Genetic factors make substantive contributions to CAS aetiology, with a monogenic pathogenic variant identified in a third of cases, implicating around 20 single genes to date. Here we aimed to identify molecular causation in 70 unrelated probands ascertained with CAS. We performed trio genome sequencing. Our bioinformatic analysis examined single nucleotide, indel, copy number, structural and short tandem repeat variants. We prioritised appropriate variants arising de novo or inherited that were expected to be damaging based on in silico predictions. We identified high confidence variants in 18/70 (26%) probands, almost doubling the current number of candidate genes for CAS. Three of the 18 variants affected SETBP1, SETD1A and DDX3X, thus confirming their roles in CAS, while the remaining 15 occurred in genes not previously associated with this disorder. Fifteen variants arose de novo and three were inherited. We provide further novel insights into the biology of child speech disorder, highlighting the roles of chromatin organization and gene regulation in CAS, and confirm that genes involved in CAS are co-expressed during brain development. Our findings confirm a diagnostic yield comparable to, or even higher, than other neurodevelopmental disorders with substantial de novo variant burden. Data also support the increasingly recognised overlaps between genes conferring risk for a range of neurodevelopmental disorders. Understanding the aetiological basis of CAS is critical to end the diagnostic odyssey and ensure affected individuals are poised for precision medicine trials

Study protocol for the Melbourne Infant Study: BCG for Allergy and Infection Reduction (MIS BAIR), a randomised controlled trial to determine the non-specific effects of neonatal BCG vaccination in a low-mortality setting

Introduction BCG vaccination reduces all-cause infant mortality in high-mortality settings by more than can be attributed to protection against tuberculosis. This is proposed to result from non-specific protection against non-vaccine targeted (‘off-target’) infections. There is also evidence that BCG protects against allergic diseases. Methods and analysis The Melbourne Infant Study: BCG for Allergy and Infection Reduction is a phase III multicentre, single-blinded, randomised controlled trial. A total of 1438 healthy neonates will be randomised to receive either BCG vaccination or no BCG vaccination in the first 10 days of life. Measures of allergy, eczema, infection and asthma will be obtained from parent-completed questionnaires 3 monthly in the first year and 6 monthly from 1 to 5 years of age, and clinical assessments at 1 and 5 years of age. Biological samples will also be collected for future immunological studies. Analysis primary outcome The proportion of participants with measures of allergy and infection (atopic sensitisation, eczema, lower respiratory tract infection) at 1 and 5 years of age, and asthma at 5 years of age. Secondary outcomes: (1) the proportion of participants with additional measures of allergy, eczema, asthma and infections; (2) medication use for eczema and asthma; (3) the severity and age of onset of eczema and asthma; (4) the number of episodes of infection; (5) hospitalisations for infections and (6) laboratory measures of immune responses. Ethics and dissemination This trial has ethical and governance approval from Mercy Health Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC, No. R12-28) and Royal Children’s Hospital HREC (No. 33025) with additional governance approval from Barwon Health and St John of God, Geelong, Victoria. Results of this trial will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at scientific conferences

The Future of Qualitative Research in Psychology: Accentuating the Positive.

In this paper we reflect on current trends and anticipate future prospects regarding qualitative research in Psychology. We highlight various institutional and disciplinary obstacles to qualitative research diversity, complexity and quality. At the same time, we note some causes for optimism, including publication breakthroughs and vitality within the field. The paper is structured into three main sections which consider: 1) the positioning of qualitative research within Psychology; 2) celebrating the different kinds of knowledge produced by qualitative research; and 3) implementing high quality qualitative research. In general we accentuate the positive, recognising and illustrating innovative qualitative research practices which generate new insights and propel the field forward. We conclude by emphasising the importance of research training: for qualitative research to flourish within Psychology (and beyond), students and early career researchers require more sophisticated, in-depth instruction than is currently offered