Mid-morning Break and Poster Sessions: Family Gambling and its Connection to Intergenerational Family Relationship Building

Introduction Most research has viewed gambling as an individual activity and very little research has been devoted to the impacts of family gambling. Bengtson and Roberts (1991) viewed intergenerational family solidarity as a comprehensive construct consisting of six components of solidarity. Affectual, Associational, and Functional solidarities, can be adapted to a gambling context. The three family solidarity dimensions of affection, association, and function are the core components to family solidarity (Hogerbrugge & Komter, 2012)

Evaluating Descriptive Metrics of the Human Cone Mosaic

Purpose: To evaluate how metrics used to describe the cone mosaic change in response to simulated photoreceptor undersampling (i.e., cell loss or misidentification). Methods: Using an adaptive optics ophthalmoscope, we acquired images of the cone mosaic from the center of fixation to 10° along the temporal, superior, inferior, and nasal meridians in 20 healthy subjects. Regions of interest (n = 1780) were extracted at regular intervals along each meridian. Cone mosaic geometry was assessed using a variety of metrics − density, density recovery profile distance (DRPD), nearest neighbor distance (NND), intercell distance (ICD), farthest neighbor distance (FND), percentage of six-sided Voronoi cells, nearest neighbor regularity (NNR), number of neighbors regularity (NoNR), and Voronoi cell area regularity (VCAR). The “performance” of each metric was evaluated by determining the level of simulated loss necessary to obtain 80% statistical power. Results: Of the metrics assessed, NND and DRPD were the least sensitive to undersampling, classifying mosaics that lost 50% of their coordinates as indistinguishable from normal. The NoNR was the most sensitive, detecting a significant deviation from normal with only a 10% cell loss. Conclusions: The robustness of cone spacing metrics makes them unsuitable for reliably detecting small deviations from normal or for tracking small changes in the mosaic over time. In contrast, regularity metrics are more sensitive to diffuse loss and, therefore, better suited for detecting such changes, provided the fraction of misidentified cells is minimal. Combining metrics with a variety of sensitivities may provide a more complete picture of the integrity of the photoreceptor mosaic

Audiological Intervention for Late-Identified Children and Teenagers with Hearing Loss

Abstract 1 - Introduction: The family of every child referred for definitive care after a newborn hearing screening should follow up with an audiologist to rule out hearing impairment. Early identification, diagnosis, and intervention are crucial for individualized planning and outcomes. Children who need binaural amplification and are not managed appropriately become exposed to sound deprivation, which leads to diminished speech audibility, sound localization, and speech and language development. Case Presentation: A young child presented to the clinic with an unspecified bilateral mild to moderate hearing loss at 500, 2000, and 4000 Hz. Discussion: Children with monaural amplification have shown decreased speech recognition scores when compared to those fitted binaurally. Decreased speech audibility can affect speech and language development over a lifetime. Conclusion: Children who are prescribed monaural amplification, when binaural amplification is indicated, may demonstrate problems with the development of speech and language. Abstract 2 - Introduction: Teenagers may have difficulty accepting hearing aids, due to a perceived negative self-image and what their peers will think of them when seen wearing hearing aids. Case Presentation: A teenager presented to the clinic with unilateral conductive hearing loss in the right ear. A hearing aid was selected, and adult Desired Sensation Level targets were utilized for the prescription. Discussion: Teenagers with a hearing impairment want to be socially compatible with their normal-hearing peers. This raises personal concerns about the aesthetic appearance of their hearing-assistive devices, causing some teenagers to abandon their hearing aids and avoid wearing them. Audiologists and other healthcare professionals should help teenagers to see the purpose and value of hearing aids, accept their hearing loss, and learn to self- advocate. Conclusion: Family support is important for teenagers to gain acceptance of their hearing aids, increase wear time of the device, and advocate for themselves

Toward a Taxonomy of Harm

When we organize knowledge we act. The wholesomeness of our actions can be measured in the proportion of good or harm they do. How then do we identify and define potential harm in knowledge organization systems? A starting point for contributing to the greater good is to examine and interrogate existing knowledge organization practices that do harm, whether that harm is intentional or accidental, or an inherent and unavoidable evil. As part of the transition movement, the authors propose that we take inventory of the manifestations and implications of the production of suffering by knowledge organization systems through constructing a taxonomy of harm. The aim of our work is (1) to heighten awareness of the violence that classifications and naming practices carry, (2) to unearth some of the social conditions and motivations that contribute to and are reinforced by knowledge organization systems, and (3) to advocate for intentional and ethical knowledge organization practices to achieve a minimal level of harm

Using Graph Theory to Solve Scheduling Problems

This document is intended to introduce the instructor to the curriculum materials that we have compiled as part of the Arthur Vining Davis High Impact Fellows project. In this electronic packet, each of the following documents are included in PDF and LaTeX formats for your use: Class Handout for graph theory lesson, Instructor copy of Class Handout, Appendix containing additional examples, Presentation with applications of graphs, Student assignment with scheduling problems, Answer key to student assignmen

Evaluating Outer Segment Length as A Surrogate Measure of Peak Foveal Cone Density

Adaptive optics (AO) imaging tools enable direct visualization of the cone photoreceptor mosaic, which facilitates quantitative measurements such as cone density. However, in many individuals, low image quality or excessive eye movements precludes making such measures. As foveal cone specialization is associated with both increased density and outer segment (OS) elongation, we sought to examine whether OS length could be used as a surrogate measure of foveal cone density. The retinas of 43 subjects (23 normal and 20 albinism; aged 6–67 years) were examined. Peak foveal cone density was measured using confocal adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO), and OS length was measured using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and longitudinal reflectivity profile-based approach. Peak cone density ranged from 29,200 to 214,000 cones/mm2(111,700 ± 46,300 cones/mm2); OS length ranged from 26.3 to 54.5 μm (40.5 ± 7.7 μm). Density was significantly correlated with OS length in albinism (p \u3c 0.0001), but not normals (p = 0.99). A cubic model of density as a function of OS length was created based on histology and optimized to fit the albinism data. The model includes triangular cone packing, a cylindrical OS with a fixed volume of 136.6 μm3, and a ratio of OS to inner segment width that increased linearly with increasing OS length (R2 = 0.72). Normal subjects showed no apparent relationship between cone density and OS length. In the absence of adequate AOSLO imagery, OS length may be used to estimate cone density in patients with albinism. Whether this relationship exists in other patient populations with foveal hypoplasia (e.g., premature birth, aniridia, isolated foveal hypoplasia) remains to be seen

Assessing the Spatial Relationship Between Fixation and Foveal Specializations

Increased cone photoreceptor density, an avascular zone (FAZ), and the displacement of inner retinal neurons to form a pit are distinct features of the human fovea. As the fovea provides the majority of our vision, appreciating how these anatomical specializations are related is important for understanding foveal development, normal visual function, and retinal disease. Here we evaluated the relationship between these specializations and their location relative to the preferred retinal locus of fixation (PRL). We measured foveal pit volume, FAZ area, peak cone density, and location of the PRL in 22 subjects with normal vision using optical coherence tomography and adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy. Foveal pit volume was positively correlated with FAZ area; however, peak cone density was not correlated with pit volume. In addition, there was no systematic offset of the location of any of these specializations relative to PRL, and there was no correlation between the magnitude of the offset from PRL and the corresponding foveal specialization measurements (pit volume, FAZ area, peak cone density). The standard deviation of our PRL measurements was consistent with previous measurements of fixational stability. These data provide insight into the sequence of events during foveal development and may have implications for visual function and retinal disease

BOAI 15 Survey Report

The 15th anniversary of the Budapest Open Access Initiative provided an excellent opportunity to take stock of global progress toward open access and to gauge the main obstacles still remaining to the widespread adoption of open access policies and practices. As part of this process, feedback was solicited through an open survey that was disseminated online, and that received responses from individuals in 60 countries around the world. Markers of progress are clear. The lack of understanding of the concept of open access and a myriad of misconceptions that were pervasive at the time of the BOAI’s original convening have receded, as open access has become a widely accepted fact of life in research and scholarship. These have been supplanted by concerns that are more operational and nuanced in nature, essentially moving from debates about the “what and why” of open access to the “how“—how to best get it done. The survey showed two clear primary challenges. First and foremost, respondents noted the lack of meaningful incentives and rewards for scholars and researchers to openly share their work. This challenge resonated at both the global level (56% of respondents in Figure 1) and the local level (29.5% of respondents in Table 1). This was followed by concern over a lack of funds to pay for APCs or other open access-related costs (36% of respondents in Figure 1; 28.3% of respondents in Table 1). The results of the survey indicate the transition from establishing open access as a concept—which the BOAI did for the first time in 2002—to making open the default for research and scholarship. These two key challenges point to areas where concerted effort needs to be focused to continue making progress towards open access. Strategies to align incentives and rewards for scholars to share their work openly and the need to construct affordable, sustainable, and equitable business models to support open access publishing must be embraced as primary working priorities by the open access community

Validation of the Vaccination Confidence Scale: A Brief Measure to Identify Parents at Risk for Refusing Adolescent Vaccines

Objective To validate a brief measure of vaccination confidence using a large, nationally representative sample of parents. Methods We analyzed weighted data from 9018 parents who completed the 2010 National Immunization Survey–Teen, an annual, population-based telephone survey. Parents reported on the immunization history of a 13- to 17-year-old child in their households for vaccines including tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap), meningococcal, and human papillomavirus vaccines. For each vaccine, separate logistic regression models assessed associations between parents\u27 mean scores on the 8-item Vaccination Confidence Scale and vaccine refusal, vaccine delay, and vaccination status. We repeated analyses for the scale\u27s 4-item short form. Results One quarter of parents (24%) reported refusal of any vaccine, with refusal of specific vaccines ranging from 21% for human papillomavirus to 2% for Tdap. Using the full 8-item scale, vaccination confidence was negatively associated with measures of vaccine refusal and positively associated with measures of vaccination status. For example, refusal of any vaccine was more common among parents whose scale scores were medium (odds ratio, 2.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.75–2.47) or low (odds ratio, 4.61; 95% confidence interval, 3.51–6.05) versus high. For the 4-item short form, scores were also consistently associated with vaccine refusal and vaccination status. Vaccination confidence was inconsistently associated with vaccine delay. Conclusions The Vaccination Confidence Scale shows promise as a tool for identifying parents at risk for refusing adolescent vaccines. The scale\u27s short form appears to offer comparable performance

An Ivory Rod with a Cuneiform Inscription, Most Probably Ugaritic, from a Final Palatial Workshop in the Lower Citadel of Tiryns

The subject of this contribution is the fragment of an ivory rod with six cuneiform signs that was found in 2002. The rod came to light in a destruction layer dating to LH III B Final within a workshop for skilled crafting inside Building XI which is situated in the northernmost part of the Lower Citadel of Tiryns. The inscription is interpreted as the first example of an Ugaritic text found outside of the Levant. The text is written from left to right combining Akkadian logographic numerical signs and at least one letter of the regular Ugaritic alphabet. After discussing different possibilities concerning the object’s function, an interpretation as a ›tally stick‹ is proposed, i.e. a mnemonic device to document numbers, quantities or possibly a message, that was used by Levantine or Cypriote specialists for skilled crafting who were working in Building XI on behalf of the palace. The find assemblage in Building XI serves as a reminder that it would be highly misleading to regard oriental objects like the ivory rod with cuneiform signs or wall brackets appearing in a Mycenaean harbor town such as Tiryns as mere ›exotica‹. Instead, contextual analysis demonstrates that the users were well aware of the special significance attached to such objects in the east and employed them in accordance with practices of Near Eastern or Cypriote origin, thus signaling their cultural affiliations