Dysexecutive symptoms and carer strain following acquired brain injury: Changes measured before and after holistic neuropsychological rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND: Following acquired brain injury (ABI), deficits in executive functioning (EF) are common. As a result many brain-injured patients encounter problems in every-day functioning, and their families experience significant strain. Previous research has documented the benefits of cognitive rehabilitation for executive dysfunction, and rehabilitation programmes designed to ameliorate functional problems associated with ABI. OBJECTIVES: This study primarily aims to evaluate whether a neuropsychological rehabilitation programme reduces reported symptoms of everyday dysexecutive behaviour and carer strain. METHODS: In this study 66 ABI outpatients attended comprehensive holistic neuropsychological rehabilitation programme. A repeated-measures design was employed to determine the effect of rehabilitation on EF and carer strain, as part of a service evaluation. Outcome measures comprised the dysexecutive questionnaire (DEX/DEX-I) and carer strain index (CSI), applied pre- and post-rehabilitation. RESULTS: Results indicate rehabilitation benefited clients and carers in 5 of 6 DEX/DEX-I subscales, and 2 of 3 CSI subscales, (p < 0.05). An effect of aetiology on rehabilitation was found on the metacognitive scale of the DEX-I. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, this study supports a comprehensive holistic neuropsychological rehabilitation programme as effective in reducing reported symptoms of dysexecutive behaviour and carer strain following ABI.Andrew Bateman is supported by National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care East of England at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from IOS Press at http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/NRE-161338

Hubble Space Telescope Observations of the Oldest Star Clusters in the LMC

We present V, V-I color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) for three old star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC): NGC 1466, NGC 2257 and Hodge 11. Our data extend about 3 magnitudes below the main-sequence turnoff, allowing us to determine accurate relative ages and the blue straggler frequencies. Based on a differential comparison of the CMDs, any age difference between the three LMC clusters is less than 1.5 Gyr. Comparing their CMDs to those of M 92 and M 3, the LMC clusters, unless their published metallicities are significantly in error, are the same age as the old Galactic globulars. The similar ages to Galactic globulars are shown to be consistent with hierarchial clustering models of galaxy formation. The blue straggler frequencies are also similar to those of Galactic globular clusters. We derive a true distance modulus to the LMC of (m-M)=18.46 +/- 0.09 (assuming (m-M)=14.61 for M 92) using these three LMC clusters.Comment: 22 pages; to be published in Ap

Gesture analysis for physics education researchers

Systematic observations of student gestures can not only fill in gaps in students' verbal expressions, but can also offer valuable information about student ideas, including their source, their novelty to the speaker, and their construction in real time. This paper provides a review of the research in gesture analysis that is most relevant to physics education researchers and illustrates gesture analysis for the purpose of better understanding student thinking about physics.Comment: 14 page

Using airborne LiDAR Survey to explore historic-era archaeological landscapes of Montserrat in the eastern Caribbean

This article describes what appears to be the first archaeological application of airborne LiDAR survey to historic-era landscapes in the Caribbean archipelago, on the island of Montserrat. LiDAR is proving invaluable in extending the reach of traditional pedestrian survey into less favorable areas, such as those covered by dense neotropical forest and by ashfall from the past two decades of active eruptions by the Soufrière Hills volcano, and to sites in localities that are inaccessible on account of volcanic dangers. Emphasis is placed on two aspects of the research: first, the importance of ongoing, real-time interaction between the LiDAR analyst and the archaeological team in the field; and second, the advantages of exploiting the full potential of the three-dimensional LiDAR point cloud data for purposes of the visualization of archaeological sites and features

Monitoring egg fertility, embryonic morbidity, and mortality in an oviparous elasmobranch using ultrasonography

Ultrasonography is widely used to monitor pregnancy in viviparous species, but it is underutilized as a tool to characterize embryonic development in oviparous species. Currently, a multi-institutional effort is underway to re-wild the endangered zebra shark (Stegostoma tigrinum) to locations where this species was previously extirpated by leveraging the reproductive efforts of aquarium sharks as a source of brood stock. Zebra sharks are oviparous and fecund, but a large percentage of their yolked eggs do not result in hatchlings. Therefore, ultrasonography represents a potential tool for distinguishing fertile eggs with developing embryos from degrading eggs, and to diagnose changes in early embryonic development predictive of poor outcomes. The objectives of the current study were to use ultrasonography to assess egg fertility, monitor early embryonic development, and identify morphological indicators that may be predictive of early embryonic mortality. Freshly laid eggs from four female zebra sharks were collected and inventoried daily at Aquarium of the Pacific. Eggs were incubated undisturbed for 2 to 4 weeks and subsequently examined weekly via ultrasound to assess fertility and monitor embryo development. Among 120 fertile eggs, embryos were identified as early as 8 days post-oviposition, with average (±SD) time to first observation at 30 ± 7 days. Morphological and behavioral abnormalities were observed for most embryos (n = 84, 70%) as early as 16 days and up to 95 days post-oviposition. Common abnormalities included: bent or curled tails, vesicle(s) at the base of the yolk stalk, and slow or weak movement. Only one embryo survived to hatch during the study and was genetically-confirmed parthenogenetic, suggesting hatching success for parthenotes is low (&lt;1%). Ultrasonography was demonstrated to be an effective and non-invasive method to determine egg fertility, identify embryos with developmental abnormalities, and monitor embryo growth

Advancing the human right to housing in post-Katrina New Orleans: discursive opportunity structures in housing and community development

In post-Katrina New Orleans, housing and community development (HCD) advocates clashed over the future of public housing. This case study examines the evolution of and limits to a human right to housing frame introduced by one nongovernmental organization (NGO). Ferree’s concept of the discursive opportunity structure and Bourdieu’s social field ground this NGO’s failure to advance a radical economic human rights frame, given its choice of a political inside strategy that opened up for HCD NGOs after Hurricane Katrina. Strategic and ideological differences within the field limited the efficacy of this rights-based frame, which was seen as politically radical and risky compared with more resonant frames for seeking affordable housing resources and development opportunities. These divides flowed from the position of the movement-born HCD field within a neoliberal political economy, especially its current institutionalization in the finance and real estate sector, and its dependence on the state for funding and political legitimacy

The ocean sampling day consortium.

Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world's oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits

The ocean sampling day consortium

Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world’s oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits

Dysexecutive symptoms and carer strain following acquired brain injury: changes measured before and after holistic neuropsychological rehabilitation

BACKGROUND: Following acquired brain injury (ABI), deficits in executive functioning (EF) are common. As a result many brain-injured patients encounter problems in every-day functioning, and their families experience significant strain. Previous research has documented the benefits of cognitive rehabilitation for executive dysfunction, and rehabilitation programmes designed to ameliorate functional problems associated with ABI. OBJECTIVES: This study primarily aims to evaluate whether a neuropsychological rehabilitation programme reduces reported symptoms of everyday dysexecutive behaviour and carer strain. METHODS: In this study 66 ABI outpatients attended comprehensive holistic neuropsychological rehabilitation programme. A repeated-measures design was employed to determine the effect of rehabilitation on EF and carer strain, as part of a service evaluation. Outcome measures comprised the dysexecutive questionnaire (DEX/DEX-I) and carer strain index (CSI), applied pre- and post-rehabilitation. RESULTS: Results indicate rehabilitation benefited clients and carers in 5 of 6 DEX/DEX-I subscales, and 2 of 3 CSI subscales, (p<.05). An effect of aetiology on rehabilitation was found on the metacognitive scale of the DEX-I. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, this study supports a comprehensive holistic neuropsychological rehabilitation programme as effective in reducing reported symptoms of dysexecutive behaviour and carer strain following ABI