Comprehension and production of relative clauses: a comparison between Swedish impaired and unimpaired children

The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between language comprehension and language production in Swedish children. This was done longitudinally with 10 children with specific language impairment (SLI), aged 4;0 to 6;3 at Time I, and 10 children with unimpaired language development, aged 3;1 to 3;7 at Time I. The target structure was subordination, more precisely relative clauses. The children's comprehension was tested with picture pointing, act-out and oral response tests. Their production was tested with elicited imitation and sentence completion tests. Data were collected twice, with an interval of six months. The results from the unimpaired children at Time I showed a difference between comprehension and production. At Time II these children scored higher on production than on comprehension. The children with SLI scored significantly higher on comprehension than on production at Time I. In half of the SLI group there was a clear development between the two data collection sessions, diminishing the dissociation. On neither testing did the children with SLI differ significantly from the unimpaired children in comprehension. At both testings, however, the children with SLI had significantly more responses where they did not insert the complementizer in relative clauses. The results indicate that the relationship between comprehension and production is different at different stages in development. They also show that structures involving dependency relations are particularly difficult to produce for children with SLI

Working memory and referential communication-multimodal aspects of interaction between children with sensorineural hearing impairment and normal hearing peers.

Whereas the language development of children with sensorineural hearing impairment (SNHI) has repeatedly been shown to differ from that of peers with normal hearing (NH), few studies have used an experimental approach to investigate the consequences on everyday communicative interaction. This mini review gives an overview of a range of studies on children with SNHI and NH exploring intra- and inter-individual cognitive and linguistic systems during communication. Over the last decade, our research group has studied the conversational strategies of Swedish speaking children and adolescents with SNHI and NH using referential communication, an experimental analog to problem-solving in the classroom. We have established verbal and non-verbal control and validation mechanisms, related to working memory capacity and phonological short term memory. We present main findings and future directions relevant for the field of cognitive hearing science and for the clinical and school-based management of children and adolescents with SNHI

Comparison of the rumen passage rate of different forages using rare-earth markers

The passage rate of nine different forages (diploid perennial ryegrass, tetraploid perennial ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, hybrid ryegrass, meadow fescue, tall fescue, timothy, cocksfoot and white clover) was evaluated with help of two markers (Yb and Dy) in a small-scale study at IGER, Aberystwyth, UK. Five dry Holstein-Friesian cows were used in a 4-period incomplete changeover design experiment. Cows received a mix of 30 kg maize silage (30% DM), 1 kg barley straw, 1 kg soyabean meal and dry cow mineral. At the beginning of each measurement period the cows were offered small amounts of two marker-labelled feeds which were randomly assigned to them, one Yb-labelled and one Dy-labelled. Grab samples of faeces were taken twice-daily over the next nine days. Faeces were dried, ground and analysed for concentration of markers. The concentrations were plotted against time and an equation was fitted and analysed statistically. There were no significant differences between passage rate of the different forages or markers. The highest passage rates were for dipolid perennial ryegrass (Dy-labelled) and white clover (Yb-labelled).Passagehastigheten av nio olika foder (dipolidt engelskt rajgräs, tetraploidt engelsktrajgräs, Italienskt rajgräs, hybridrajgräs, ängssvingel, rörsvingel, timotej, hundäxing och vitklöver) undersöktes med hjälp av två markörer (Yb och Dy) i en liten studie. Fem Holstein -sinkor användes i ett ofullständigt 4-periods försök på IGER, Aberystwyth, UK. Korna fick en blandning av 30 kg majsensilage (ts ca 30%), 1 kg havrehalm, 1 kg sojamjöl och sinkomineral. På den första morgonen i varje försöksperiod fick korna en mindre mängd av de två markörmärkta foder som var lottade till dem, ett Yb-märkt och ett Dy-märkt. Gödselprover togs två gånger per dag under de nästkommande nio dagarna. Gödseln torkades, maldes och analyserades för innehållet av markörer. Koncentrationen av markörer plottades mot tid och ekvationen från regressionslinjen användes för att beräkna om det var skillnad i passagehastighet mellan foder. Det var ingen signifikant skillnad i passagehastighet mellan olika foder eller markörer. Högst beräknade passagehastighet hade diploidt engelskt rajgräs (Dy-markör) och vitklöver (Yb-markör)

Experiencing the role of PBL tutor.

Abstract The tutor is important for student learning in the PBL group. The students expect the tutor to monitor and steer the group process and to support the learning process, helping students to become aware of their own learning. This study aimed at investigating the PBL tutor's role. Five PBL tutors at the Speech/Language Pathology program were interviewed regarding their view of the tutors' role and what support they need. The analysis of the transcribed interviews focused on finding patterns and variation regarding tutor-activity at different stages in the PBL work and in their views of their progress as tutors. The results indicate that being a tutor is a balancing act and that the tutor need continuous support and input from different sources. Tutors should be encouraged to reflect on their own reactions and interventions and to be explicit and confident in their thoughts about PBL

Influencing project work: exploring the potentials of participatory research

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to address the concept of participatory research (PR) in terms of its values and challenges in project work. Design/methodology/approach - A participative research approach was used in which researchers worked collaboratively with key stakeholders involved in the development of a digital network model for expert diagnostics. The approach involved research and data gathering in six work packages: first, participation at workshops, including the presentation of a preliminary research agenda; second, presentation of a revised research agenda; third, interviews with project managers and steering committee members; fourth, feedback sessions; fifth, participation at a project conference, including additional feedback sessions; and sixth, concluding interviews with project managers. Findings - The findings suggest that PR might strengthen project work through challenging interview questions and clear feedback. PR might empower the project manager by illuminating challenges and possibilities in the project process. Practical implications - Project managers may use PR as one strategy to empower project work. Originality/value - Despite the vast research on projects and project management, researchers and practitioners are still looking for ways to advance project work. This paper contributes with knowledge on how PR may advance project work

EU collaboration in speech and language therapy education : the NetQues project

As the number of countries joining the European Union (EU) has grown over recent decades, so also has the accompanying European legislation to encourage cross border mobility and recognition of professional qualifications. This has led to a need to be able to assess and compare professions and their education across the EU and beyond. Historically, in response to the challenge of addressing the needs of persons with difficulties with communication, the profession has developed differently across European countries influenced by linguistic, cultural and socio-political diversity and a range of approaches to medicine, health and education. The NetQues project was set up to establish agreements on areas of commonality in speech and language therapy (pathology) education across the EU and also to look at any differences. The article looks briefly at the history and diversity of the profession in Europe and describes how 65 partners from 31 countries across Europe recruited into a multilateral academic and professional network achieved the project’s goal to delineate the agreed common core competences which are both essential and desirable for a newly qualified speech-language practitioner to work safely and effectively. Employing ethnographic and survey research following EU Tuning principles seeking points of reference, convergence and common understanding, core elements of coherent professional education “fit for purpose” across Europe are identified and agreed EU Benchmark statements of core competences required are documented. Notably while differences and diversity present challenges, all countries involved in the project aspire to develop competent and caring professionals, able to practice safely and effectively with relevant up-to-date knowledge and skills upon admission to a clearly identifiable unique profession

Quantifying Semantic Linguistic Maturity in Children

We propose a method to quantify semantic linguistic maturity (SELMA) based on a high dimensional semantic representation ofwords created from the co-occurrence of words in a large text corpus. The method was applied to oral narratives from 108 children aged 4;0–12;10. By comparing the SELMA measure with maturity ratings made by human raters we found that SELMA predicted the rating of semantic maturity made by human raters over and above the prediction made using a child’s age and number of words produced. We conclude that the semantic content of narratives changes in a predictable pattern with children’s age and argue that SELMA is a measure quantifying semantic linguistic maturity. The study opens up the possibility of using quantitative measures for studying the development of semantic representation in children’s narratives, and emphasizes the importance of word co-occurrences for understanding the development of meaning

Relationship between commuting and health outcomes in a cross-sectional population survey in southern Sweden

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The need for a mobile workforce inevitably means that the length of the total work day (working and traveling time) will increase, but the health effects of commuting have been surprisingly little studied apart from perceived stress and the benefits of physically active commuting.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used data from two cross-sectional population-based public health surveys performed in 2004 and 2008 in Scania, Sweden (56% response rate). The final study population was 21, 088 persons aged 18-65, working > 30 h/week. Duration (one-way) and mode of commuting were reported. The outcomes studied were perceived poor sleep quality, everyday stress, low vitality, mental health, self-reported health, and absence from work due to sickness during the past 12 months. Covariates indicating socioeconomic status and family situation, overtime, job strain and urban/rural residency were included in multivariate analyses. Subjects walking or cycling to work < 30 min were used as a reference category.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Monotonous relations were found between duration of public transport commuting and the health outcomes. For the category commuting > 60 min odds ratios (ORs) ranged from 1.2 - 1.6 for the different outcomes. For car commuting, the relationships were concave downward or flat, with increasing subjective health complaints up to 30-60 min (ORs ranging from 1.2 - 1.4), and lower ORs in the > 60 min category. A similar concave downward relationship was observed for sickness absence, regardless of mode of transport.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results of this study are concordant with the few earlier studies in the field, in that associations were found between commutation and negative health outcomes. This further demonstrates the need to consider the negative side-effects of commuting when discussing policies aimed at increasing the mobility of the workforce. Studies identifying population groups with increased susceptibility are warranted.</p

Association Between Acute Kidney Injury Hospital Visits and Environmental Heat Stress at a Nicaraguan Sugarcane Plantation

Background: Mesoamerican sugarcane cutters are at a high risk of chronic kidney disease of non-traditional origin, a disease likely linked to heat-related acute kidney injury (AKI). Studies in general populations have described a positive association between high environmental temperatures and clinically assessed kidney outcomes, but there are no studies in occupational settings. Method: We accessed routine records of clinically diagnosed AKI (AKI-CD) and wet bulb globe temperatures (WBGT) at a large Nicaraguan sugarcane plantation and modeled the relationship between these using negative binomial regression. A rest-shade-hydration intervention was gradually enhanced during the study period, and efforts were made to increase the referral of workers with suspected AKI to healthcare. Results: Each 1°C WBGT was associated with an 18% (95% confidence interval [CI]: [4, 33%]) higher AKI-CD rate on the same day and a 14% (95% CI [−5, 37%]) higher rate over a week. AKI-CD rates and severity, and time between symptoms onset and diagnosis decreased during the study period, that is, with increasing rest-shade-hydration intervention. Symptoms and biochemical signs of systemic inflammation were common among AKI-CD cases. Discussion: Occupational heat stress, resulting from heavy work in environmental heat, was associated with a higher rate of clinically diagnosed AKI in a population at risk of CKDnt. Promoting rest-shade-hydration may have contributed to reducing AKI rates during the study period. Occupational health and safety personnel have key roles to play in enforcing rest, shade, and hydration practices, referring workers with suspected AKI to healthcare as well as collecting and analyzing the data needed to support workplace heat stress interventions