An Explicit Approach to Design of Stainless Steel Columns

The paper describes a design procedure for stainless steel columns failing by flexural buckling. In the approach, the stress strain-curve is assumed to be expressed as a Ramberg-Osgood curve, defined in terms of the initial modulus (E₀), the 0.2% proof stress (σ₀.₂) and the parameter n. It is shown that the column curve can be described in terms of the Ramberg-Osgood parameters by adopting a Perry-curve as basic strength curve and expressing the imperfection paranleter in terms of E₀, σ₀.₂ and n. By using a Perry-curve, the design procedure is explicit. This contrasts the iterative approach described in the ASCE-LRFD Specification for the Design of Cold-formed Stainless Steel Structural Members. The proposed strength curves are compared with tests of stainless steel columns. It is shown that the coefficient of variation of the ratio of test strength to design strength is lower using the proposed design approach than using the ASCE Specification. Thus, the proposed approach is more accurate than that described in the ASCE Specification. Being explicit it is also more efficient. Using the comparison with test results, the resistance factor to be used with the proposed design procedure is derived

Using an Observational Framework to investigate adult language input to young children in a naturalistic environment

The correlation between the communicative intent of parents, in terms of their expectation of a response and the response patterns of young children aged 23—25 months during parent—child interactions, was investigated. An Observational Framework was used to code these parameters in interactions between 36 children and their mothers. The children were assigned by cluster analysis to `advanced', `typical' and `delayed' language groups and their responses were coded with respect to the degree of correctness or appropriateness within the interaction. Differences in both the parental response expectations and the children's response patterns across the three clusters are discussed

Changes in behavioural synchrony during dog-assisted therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder and children with Down syndrome

BACKGROUND: Dog-assisted therapy (DAT) is hypothesized to help children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Down syndrome (DS). METHODS: The present authors compared synchronous movement patterns of these children (n = 10) and their therapy dogs during the first and last session of a DAT programme, and their post-therapy changes in emotional and behavioural problems. RESULTS: The present authors found a significant increase in synchrony between child and therapy dog over time. Exploratory analyses suggest more synchrony between children with ASD and their therapy dogs, compared to the children with DS. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to test the synchrony hypothesis, shedding light upon a mechanism that may underlie the effect of DAT and how this may be different for children with ASD and DS

Measures of Parent-Infant Interaction

Increasingly, programs for handicapped infants and toddlers are including in their intervention activities objectives related to the quality of parent-child interaction. As a consequence, it has become necessary for programs to assess the impact of these intervention efforts on parent behaviors. This article considers tools available for assessing parent-child interaction for program planning and evaluation. Lastly, recommendations are offered to guide the selection of a measure of parent-child interactions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/69100/2/10.1177_027112148600600204.pd

Educating a syndrome? Seeking a balance between identifying a learning profile and delivering inclusive education

This article summarizes research related to pedagogical approaches to special education, and characteristics of teacher's attitudes and beliefs that supports effective inclusion practices. Additionally, the author summarizes factors that may both enable and disable children with DS's progress, and notes speech and language characteristics from research to date