17,472 research outputs found
Using a Game-Like Procedure as a Test of Executive Functions in Children
Concept Formation (CF) is an important skill necessary for academic performance, everyday functioning, and lifelong achievements (Blair & Razza, 2007). CF difficulties have been associated with social disadvantage possibly due to reduced learning opportunities (Blair, 2002). CF difficulties have also been associated with certain neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism-spectrum disorder (Kim et al., 2020). Importantly, research has shown that early intervention can support development of CF skills and improve quality of life (Pasnak, 2006). Despite its importance there are few assessments suitable for children, and assessments available in the UK often advantage English-speaking examinees who are familiar with Western culture.
The Alien Game was piloted by Pavitt (2017) and evidence was found to support its utility as a more culturally fair and child-friendly assessment of CF. This study aimed to further develop the Alien Game by improving the stimuli, developing a scoring procedure, and exploring concurrent and predictive validity.
Thirty-four children aged 8-11 years took part in this second pilot study, and five measures of performance in the Alien Game were identified. Performance was not found to correlate with verbal abilities, and speaking English as a first language did not support performance. A significant correlation was found between WISC-IV Matrix Reasoning (Wechsler, 2003) and performance, providing evidence of concurrent validity. No relationship was found between performance in the Alien Game and scores obtained via teacher-rated CHEXI (Thorell & Nyberg, 2008), so predictive validity could not be established. Importantly, children appeared to be engaged with the game and provided positive feedback.
Overall, these findings provide support for the Alien Game as a more culturally-fair and child-friendly measure of CF, which has clinical implications as an affordable and easy to administer screening tool. Early identification of CF difficulties can allow for targeted learning plans to be established to support children to develop this important skill
Manufacturer Liability for Harms Caused by Consumers to Others
Should the manufacturer of a product be held legally responsible when a consumer, while using the product, harms someone else? We show that if consumers have deep pockets then manufacturer liability is not economically efficient. It is more efficient for the consumers themselves to bear responsibility for the harms that they cause. If homogeneous consumers have limited assets, then the most efficient rule is "residual-manufacturer liability" where the manufacturer pays the shortfall in damages not paid by the consumer. Residual-manufacturer liability distorts the market quantity when consumers' willingness to pay is correlated with their propensity to cause harm. It distorts product safety when consumers differ in their wealth levels. In both cases, consumer-only liability may be more efficient.
Comparison of liquid-metal magnetohydrodynamic power conversion cycles
Comparison of liquid metal magnetohydrodynamic power conversion cycle
ICF core sets for low back pain: do they include what matters to patients?
To investigate whether the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets for low back pain encompass the key functional problems of patients
Event Analysis of Pulse-reclosers in Distribution Systems Through Sparse Representation
The pulse-recloser uses pulse testing technology to verify that the line is
clear of faults before initiating a reclose operation, which significantly
reduces stress on the system components (e.g. substation transformers) and
voltage sags on adjacent feeders. Online event analysis of pulse-reclosers are
essential to increases the overall utility of the devices, especially when
there are numerous devices installed throughout the distribution system. In
this paper, field data recorded from several devices were analyzed to identify
specific activity and fault locations. An algorithm is developed to screen the
data to identify the status of each pole and to tag time windows with a
possible pulse event. In the next step, selected time windows are further
analyzed and classified using a sparse representation technique by solving an
l1-regularized least-square problem. This classification is obtained by
comparing the pulse signature with the reference dictionary to find a set that
most closely matches the pulse features. This work also sheds additional light
on the possibility of fault classification based on the pulse signature. Field
data collected from a distribution system are used to verify the effectiveness
and reliability of the proposed method.Comment: Accepted in: 19th International Conference on Intelligent System
Application to Power Systems (ISAP), San Antonio, TX, 201
Labeling research in support of through-the-season area estimation
The development of LANDSAT-based through-the-season labeling procedures for corn and soybeans is discussed. A model for predicting labeling accuracy within key time periods throughout the growing season is outlined. Two methods for establishing the starting point of one key time period, viz., early season, are described. In addition, spectral-temporal characteristics for separating crops in the early season time period are discussed
Lived Experience and Process of Engagement in Physical Exercise for Older Adults with Chronic Back Pain
For older adults, physical exercise is especially important in maintaining functional independence, extending quality of life, and optimizing personal health resources. For patients with chronic pain conditions, exercise participation can significantly improve patient-reported symptoms. Older adults are the most sedentary age group with the majority not meeting the recommended duration and intensity of weekly exercise. Although nonadherence with exercise guidelines may result for a variety of reasons, adverse health conditions including chronic pain are likely of particular concern for older adults. The aim of this research, consisting of two studies employing interpretive phenomenology and constructivist grounded theory, was to understand the meaning of exercise in the lives of ten older adults with chronic back pain and the process by which nine physiotherapists provided exercise programs in caring for older adults with chronic back pain.
The findings of this research overall gave rise to four key insights, which may inform practice for presenting exercise for older adults with chronic back pain. First, is the centrality of a holistic approach to exercise â as involving mind and body, beliefs and behaviours â for management of older adultsâ chronic back pain; both older adults and physiotherapists discussed the importance of incorporating older adultsâ preferences and values into specific modes of exercise. Second, is the importance of maintaining a focus on function through exercise; with the acceptance of pain as ever-present for older adults living with chronic back pain, both the older adults and physiotherapists in these studies turned their focus toward maximizing functional capacity for maintaining independence, continuing engagement in meaningful activities, and improving quality of life. Third, is the importance of allowing time for older adults to integrate exercise into their lives; the transition to lifelong management of chronic back pain using exercise as a resource requires a lived experience and noticed benefit for older adults to their mind and body as a result of exercising. Finally, experiential learning to understand the meaning of exercise for older adults with chronic back pain may be instructive for physiotherapists and healthcare providers in the assessment and treatment of chronic back pain.
Understanding lived experiences of older adults who continue to exercise with daily pain carries important implications for clinical practice. Healthcare professionals are encouraged to reflexively consider their role in the therapeutic alliance with patients to more tactfully shape the presentation of exercise, supporting older adults to participate in exercise for maintained or improved overall health
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