Relationships between outdoor and classroom task settings and cognition in primary schoolchildren

While recent studies suggest an association in early years’ children between outdoor classrooms and predictors of achievement (Davis & Waite, 2005), here termed cognitive factors (affordances, attention, motivation, memory, social interaction, positive affect, physical activity and positive teacher feedback), support for performance impacts remains weak. The thesis predicts that due to a predisposition for natural affordances (Kahn Jr. & Kellert, 2002), children’s performance on a school task will be better outdoors than in a classroom, and associated with natural richness. Employing a systems-based theoretical framework informed by the Santiago Theory of Cognition (Maturana & Varela, 1992), field experiments were undertaken with 3 Scottish primary schools. Participants were mainly school starters (n=57), average age 5½ years, but included an ‘experienced’ group with 4-5 years’ regular exposure to woodland learning, average age 9½ years (n=14). Classes were split into matched groups and performed a curriculum task outdoors – in either a wood or playground – and then in a classroom, or vice versa. Settings were categorised for ‘natural richness’ using a checklist of affordances and biodiversity. Data were video recordings and, administered 6-7 months post-task, teacher interviews and a questionnaire which recorded recollections, and preferences related to performance and perceived restoration. Greater social interaction, creative diversity and movement outdoors were general task observations. Outdoor tasks were recalled more readily and in richer detail, and were preferred for all criteria, with the experienced group returning the strongest preferences. Underachievers recalled more outdoors than peers, and returned higher perceived restorativeness scale task ratings. Setting preferences exhibit a two-factor structure: perceived ‘autonomy’ outdoors is the dominant component, and ‘creative compatibility’ is associated with ‘natural richness’ and hinges on perceived compatibility, discovery and resourcefulness outdoors. A causal loop analysis of interview data implies the enabling and regulating impacts of the outdoor settings on individuals and groups, with environmental novelty, non-prescriptiveness and immersiveness implicated. Discussion suggests stronger empirical support for all cognitive factors outdoors, best summarised as a virtuous systemic interrelationship between affordance richness, functional motivation and positive interdependence, with significant implications for task performance. The research contributes new measures and approaches, and informs the case for embedding outdoor learning in the Scottish early years’ curriculum, particularly, through support for transition and underachievement

Trypanosomes are monophyletic: evidence from genes for glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase and small subunit ribosomal RNA.

The genomes of Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania major have been sequenced, but the phylogenetic relationships of these three protozoa remain uncertain. We have constructed trypanosomatid phylogenies based on genes for glycosomal glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase (gGAPDH) and small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA). Trees based on gGAPDH nucleotide and amino acid sequences (51 taxa) robustly support monophyly of genus Trypanosoma, which is revealed to be a relatively late-evolving lineage of the family Trypanosomatidae. Other trypanosomatids, including genus Leishmania, branch paraphyletically at the base of the trypanosome clade. On the other hand, analysis of the SSU rRNA gene data produced equivocal results, as trees either robustly support or reject monophyly depending on the range of taxa included in the alignment. We conclude that the SSU rRNA gene is not a reliable marker for inferring deep level trypanosome phylogeny. The gGAPDH results support the hypothesis that trypanosomes evolved from an ancestral insect parasite, which adapted to a vertebrate/insect transmission cycle. This implies that the switch from terrestrial insect to aquatic leech vectors for fish and some amphibian trypanosomes was secondary. We conclude that the three sequenced pathogens, T. brucei, T. cruzi and L. major, are only distantly related and have distinct evolutionary histories

The Effect of Ionized Bracelets on Pain and Function in Individuals with Arthritis

Arthritis is a prevalent condition found throughout the entire population. Manifestations of this disease can lead to increased pain in multiple joints leading to decreased functional mobility and limitations in activities of daily living. Ionized bracelets have become an increasingly popular non-traditional, conservative treatment for decreasing pain and improving well-being in persons with multiple diagnoses and body system involvement. Very little research has been conducted on the effects of ionized bracelets; therefore, additional research needs to be conducted to validate these theories. The purpose of our study is to determine the effect of ionized bracelets on pain and function in individuals diagnosed with arthritis. Fifty subjects over the age of 18 and diagnosed with arthritis were recruited to participate in this double blind, randomized controlled trial. The subjects were required to wear either an ionized or placebo bracelet for a four week time period. A pre screening questionnaire was used to collect general demographic data and as a screening tool to exclude those with any pathology/conditions that could have been adversely affected by the ionized bracelets. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups (19 ionized, 31 placebo). Subjects rated their pain using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and measuring functional activities using the Short Form 36 (SF-36). Statistical analysis using a mixed groups factorial ANOV A showed no significant interaction of treatment groups and time as related to pain and function. In the ionized group, a significant difference was found using a paired t-test when evaluating the main effects of time on the Bodily Pain subset in the SF-36, but not in the VAS. This group showed a decrease in pain over the four week course. A significant level of improvement of function was also found in the Vitality and Social Functioning subsets of the SF-36. This significance was found only in the placebo group, not in the ionized. In the General Health subset of the SF-36 a significant difference was found when looking at both ionized and placebo groups together, but no significance was found when analyzed separately. With so many inconsistencies, the results of this study have illustrated the need for further research regarding the effects that ionized bracelets have on arthritic pain and function. Further research should focus on more precise single variables such as pain as opposed to multiple factors, such as pain and function. These studies should be performed with larger sample sizes and over longer periods of time. Only as research accumulates will consumers be able to make informed decisions regarding the use of alternative therapies such as ionized bracelets

Effects of Being Watched on Eye Gaze and Facial Displays of Typical and Autistic Individuals During Conversation

Communication with others relies on coordinated exchanges of social signals, such as eye gaze and facial displays. However, this can only happen when partners are able to see each other. Although previous studies report that autistic individuals have difficulties in planning eye gaze and making facial displays during conversation, evidence from real-life dyadic tasks is scarce and mixed. Across two studies, here we investigate how eye gaze and facial displays of typical and high-functioning autistic individuals are modulated by the belief in being seen and potential to show true gaze direction. Participants were recorded with an eye-tracking and video-camera system while they completed a structured Q&A task with a confederate under three social contexts: pre-recorded video, video-call and face-to-face. Typical participants gazed less to the confederate and produced more facial displays when they were being watched and when they were speaking. Contrary to our hypotheses, eye gaze and facial motion patterns in the autistic participants were overall similar to the typical group. This suggests that high-functioning autistic participants are able to use eye gaze and facial displays as social signals. Future studies will need to investigate to what extent this reflects spontaneous behaviour or the use of compensation strategies

“I always wanted to see the night sky”: blind user preferences for Sensory Substitution Devices

Sensory Substitution Devices (SSDs) convert visual information into another sensory channel (e.g. sound) to improve the everyday functioning of blind and visually impaired persons (BVIP). However, the range of possible functions and options for translating vision into sound is largely open-ended. To provide constraints on the design of this technology, we interviewed ten BVIPs who were briefly trained in the use of three novel devices that, collectively, showcase a large range of design permutations. The SSDs include the ‘Depth-vOICe,’ ‘Synaestheatre’ and ‘Creole’ that offer high spatial, temporal, and colour resolutions respectively via a variety of sound outputs (electronic tones, instruments, vocals). The participants identified a range of practical concerns in relation to the devices (e.g. curb detection, recognition, mental effort) but also highlighted experiential aspects. This included both curiosity about the visual world (e.g. understanding shades of colour, the shape of cars, seeing the night sky) and the desire for the substituting sound to be responsive to movement of the device and aesthetically engaging

Head Nodding and Hand Coordination Across Dyads in Different Conversational Contexts

Patrick Falk, Roser Cañigueral, Jamie A Ward et al. , 03 November 2023, PREPRINT (Version 1) available at Research Square [https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3526068/v1] This paper aims to explore what different patterns of head nodding and hand movement coordination mean in conversation by recording and analysing interpersonal coordination as it naturally occurs in social interactions. Understanding the timing and at which frequencies such movement behaviours occur can help us answer how and why we use these signals. Here we use high-resolution motion capture to examine three different types of two-person conversation involving different types of information-sharing, in order to explore the potential meaning and coordination of head nodding and hand motion signals. We also test if the tendency to engage in fast or slow nodding behaviour is a fixed personality trait that differs between individuals. Our results show coordinated slow nodding only in a picture-description task, which implies that this behaviour is not a universal signal of affiliation but is context driven. We also find robust fast nodding behaviour in the two contexts where novel information is exchanged. For hand movement, we find hints of low frequency coordination during one-way information sharing, but found no consistent signalling during information recall. Finally, we show that nodding is consistently driven by context but is not a useful measure of individual differences in social skills. We interpret these results in terms of theories of nonverbal communication and consider how these methods will help advance automated analyses of human conversation behaviours

South Skagit Highway realignment: ENVS 493 winter 2013

The existing placement of the South Skagit Highway disconnects the Skagit River from approximately 62 acres of floodplain in the project area alone and has direct impacts on habitat conditions. Approximately, 5.2 acres of wetlands are completely inaccessible to fish due to the current highway alignment. An additional 21.7 acres of slough and wetland habitat have only partial fish access due to restricted hydrologic connectivity with the river. Routine dredging and maintenance is required for the 900 feet of Savage Creek which currently runs in the highway ditch. Savage Slough runs under the highway through an undersized culvert that is often blocked by flooding from Mill Creek. An alluvial fan of Mill Creek runs under an undersized bridge making the channel prone to migration, avulsion, and erosion. The channel has been subject to numerous maintenance projects, including dredging and channelization. Seattle City Light (SCL) purchased approximately 212 acres of property on the Skagit River near Mill and Savage Creeks. A large portion of the acquired property has been deforested and disturbed by the South Skagit Highway, which runs through the Skagit River\u27s floodplain and disconnects a variety of existing tributary and wetland habitats. In order to implement habitat restoration and protect the property for conservation, SCL has been working with Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC) and Skagit County to restore the floodplain to its original ecological functionality, providing habitat for several species. Maintenance costs of the current road would also be reduced. The restoration is likely to include demolition, riparian and floodplain plantings, and culvert removals. Possibilities for floodplain restoration were evaluated after an initial scoping procedure. Suggested restoration would either demolish and realign the existing road or install new bridges and culverts on the existing road. The initial scoping and evaluation narrowed the list of feasible projects down to two, mostly due to the Washington State Department of Transportation\u27s (WSDOT) high cost estimate of the other projects. Project funding has come from both SCL and the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB, project #091450) and several additional sources

A Simple Method for Synchronising Multiple IMUs Using the Magnetometer

This paper presents a novel method to synchronise multiple IMU (inertial measurement units) devices using their onboard magnetometers. The method described uses an external electromagnetic pulse to create a known event measured by the magnetometer of multiple IMUs and in turn used to synchronise these devices. The method is applied to 4 IMU devices decreasing their de-synchronisation from 270ms when using only the RTC (real time clock) to 40ms over a 1 hour recording. It is proposed that this can be further improved to approximately 3ms by increasing the magnetometer’s sample frequency from 25Hz to 300Hz

Surviving Tenure: The Plight of Black Faculty; A Panel Discussion

This essay, delivered during the 2006 Annual Meeting in Boston, presents four tenured professors from three different universities who discuss the unique problems faced by Black faculty at predominantly White institutions as they attempt to earn tenure and promotion. Chair Kimberly Flint-Hamilton provides the introductory remarks

How much spatial information is lost in the sensory substitution process? Comparing visual, tactile, and auditory approaches

Sensory substitution devices (SSDs) can convey visuospatial information through spatialised auditory or tactile stimulation using wearable technology. However, the level of information loss associated with this transformation is unknown. In this study novice users discriminated the location of two objects at 1.2m using devices that transformed a 16x 8 depth map into spatially distributed patterns of light, sound, or touch on the abdomen. Results showed that through active sensing, participants could discriminate the vertical position of objects to a visual angle of 1°, 14°, and 21°, and their distance to 2cm, 8cm, and 29cm using these visual, auditory, and haptic SSDs respectively. Visual SSDs significantly outperformed auditory and tactile SSDs on vertical localisation, whereas for depth perception, all devices significantly differed from one another (visual > auditory > haptic). Our findings highlight the high level of acuity possible for SSDs even with low spatial resolutions (e.g. 16 8) and quantify the level of information loss attributable to this transformation for the SSD user. Finally, we discuss ways of closing this ‘modality gap’ found in SSDs and conclude that this process is best benchmarked against performance with SSDs that return to their primary modality (e.g. visuospatial into visual)