Dyspraxia in a patient with corticobasal degeneration: the role of visual and tactile inputs to action

Objectives-To investigate the roles of visual and tactile information in a dyspraxic patient with corticobasal degeneration (CBD) who showed dramatic facilitation in miming the use of a tool or object when he was given a tool to manipulate; and to study the nature of the praxic and neuropsychological deficits in CBD. Methods-The subject had clinically diagnosed CBD, and exhibited alien limb behaviour and striking ideomotor dyspraxia. General neuropsychological evaluation focused on constructional and visuospatial abilities, calculation, verbal fluency, episodic and semantic memory, plus spelling and writing because impairments in this domain were presenting complaints. Four experiments assessed the roles of visual and tactile information in the facilitation of motor performance by tools. Experiment I evaluated the patient's performance of six limb transitive actions under six conditions: (1) after he described the relevant tool from memory, (2) after he was shown a Line drawing of the tool, (3) after he was shown a real exemplar of the tool, (4) after he watched the experimenter perform the action, (5) while he was holding the tool, and (6) immediately after he had performed the action with the tool but with the tool removed from his grasp. Experiment 2 evaluated the use of the same six tools when the patient had tactile but no visual information (while he was blindfolded). Experiments 3 and 4 assessed performance of actions appropriate to the same six tools when the patient had either neutral or inappropriate tactile feedback-that is, while he was holding a non-tool object or a different tool. Results-Miming of tool use was not facilitated by visual input; moreover, lack of visual information in the blindfolded condition did not reduce performance. The principal positive finding was a dramatic facilitation of the patient's ability to demonstrate object use when he was holding either the appropriate tool or a neutral object. Tools inappropriate to the requested action produced involuntary performance of the stimulus relevant action. Conclusions-Tactile stimulation was paramount in the facilitation of motor performance in tool use by this patient with CBD. This outcome suggests that tactile information should be included in models which hypothesise modality specific inputs to the action production system. Significant impairments in spelling and letter production that have not previously been reported in CBD have also been documented

Qualitatively Informed Propositions for Teaching Research Methods to Aeronautical Science Students

Recent changes to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Master of Aeronautical Science program have been implemented with difficulty by the faculty who teach Research Methods, and the learning objectives have not easily translated into concepts quickly grasped by the students. In this qualitative, grounded theory study, I evaluated 126 comments from 196 Aeronautical Science students through an inductive approach to identify themes for improving the administration and execution of the Research Methods course. Positive and negative themes indicate that students seek clear expectations, examples, and feedback to improve understanding of these complex concepts. Four propositions are presented: infuse an inquiry-based learning approach using templates and examples, improve student readiness, present final project options, and sequence the program

Academic Dishonesty in Higher Education: Perceptions and Opinions of Undergraduates

The purpose of this study was to determine if statistically significant differences existed between identified student demographic characteristics (gender and age), academic variables (classification, GPA, and major), and students’ perceptions of academic dishonesty, as measured by the Attitudes and Perceptions of Academic Dishonesty survey. A pen-and-paper survey was used to gather the data at the 3 participating universities and college (a 4-year public university, a 4-year private university, and a 2-year public community college). There were 22 items on the survey. There were 328 surveys distributed by the investigator to participating classes at the 3 institutions of higher education. All 328 surveys were returned. There were 116 student responses gathered from the 4-year private university, 103 student responses gathered from the 2-year public college, and 109 student responses gathered from a 4-year public university. All of the responses were valid and fit the perquisites for inclusion in the survey. These perquisites were that each student was at least 18 years of age and each student was registered as an undergraduate. There were 5 dimensions included in the survey (Dimension 1- Use of Technology, Dimension 2- Perceptions of Policy, Dimension 3- Instructor Consequences, Dimension 4- Student Consequences, and Dimension 5- Student Conduct). For Research Questions 2, 4, and 6 there were no significant differences found among any of the groups for any of the 5 dimensions. In Research Question 1 the 5 dimensions of the survey were compared among the 3 participating institutions (public 4-year university, private 4-year university, and public 2-year college). Dimension 4 (student consequences) was significantly different between the public 4-year university and the private 4-year university, with students at the private 4-year university scoring higher. In Research Question 4 a comparison of traditional aged and nontraditional aged students was made on the 5 dimensions. A significant difference was found between the 2 age groups on Dimension 3 (instructor consequences) and Dimension 5 (student conduct), with nontraditional students scoring higher in both cases. For Research Question 6 a comparison of criminal justice majors was made to other majors. Only Dimension 4 (student consequences) was statistically significant with other majors expressing a desire for more student consequences as a result of participating in academic misconduct

Structure and clumping in the fast wind of NGC6543

Far-UV spectroscopy from the FUSE satellite is analysed to uniquely probe spatial structure and clumping in the fast wind of the central star of the H-rich planetary nebula NGC6543 (HD164963). Time-series data of the unsaturated PV 1118, 1128 resonance line P Cygni profiles provide a very sensitive diagnostic of variable wind conditions in the outflow. We report on the discovery of episodic and recurrent optical depth enhancements in the PV absorption troughs, with some evidence for a 0.17-day modulation time-scale. SEI line-synthesis modelling is used to derive physical properties, including the optical depth evolution of individual `events'. The characteristics of these features are essentially identical to the `discrete absorption components' (DACs) commonly seen in the UV lines of massive OB stars. We have also employed the unified model atmosphere code CMFGEN to explore spectroscopic signatures of clumping, and report in particular on the clear sensitivity of the PV lines to the clump volume filling factor. The results presented here have implications for the downward revision of mass-loss rates in PN central stars. We conclude that the temporal structures seen in the PV lines of NGC6543 likely have a physical origin that is similar to that operating in massive, luminous stars, and may be related to near-surface perturbations caused by stellar pulsation and/or magnetic fields.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA