Sound cues are not always easier than meaning cues

Conference posterTITLE OF PAPER: SOUND CUES ARE NOT ALWAYS EASIER THAN MEANING CUES KEYWORDS: APHASIA, CUEING, TECHNOLOGY • WHY THE STUDY WAS UNDERTAKEN This work was undertaken as part of an undergraduate programme of study. People with aphasia (PWA) experience word finding difficulties (WFD). One of the aims of Speech and Language Therapy is to provide intervention to help PWA find words more easily (Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, 2005). It is thought that the cueing hierarchy therapy technique (Rochford and Williams, 1962) may help PWA to access words more easily. Linebaugh and Lehner (1997) suggest that some cues are harder than others and that these cues should be used first, giving the PWA the opportunity to access the word with little external help. Easier cues should then be presented in descending order of difficulty until the PWA is able to find the word. Proponents of this therapy technique such as Thompson et al (2006), suggest that PWA are able to respond to sound cues more easily than they can respond to meaning based cues. This research project was designed to investigate whether people without aphasia have an inherent ability to use sound cues more readily than those based on meaning. • HOW THE STUDY WAS DONE 40 people agreed to participate in this research and were randomly allocated to either the meaning cue assessment condition or the sound cue assessment condition. In standardised computer administered assessments, the volunteers were asked to name 107 images of low frequency words. 57 of these images were objects or living things and the remaining 50 were corporate logos. After saying the word, the volunteer was asked to press the space bar to enable the next image to appear. If the volunteer was unable to find a word, cues were provided. In the meaning condition, a highly associated word was provided as a cue and in the sound condition, the first sound of a word was provided. These cues were given to try and stimulate word finding. If the participant was entirely unable to access the word, they were asked to identify the target word from a choice of three written words. • A SUMMARY OF MAIN RESULTS Results suggested that when participants were asked to find words for objects and living things, sound cues were more effective than meaning cues. Statistical analysis using Levene’s test of equivalence (p0.618) and subsequent t-test (p 0.00014) revealed a significant difference between the two conditions. This significant difference was not evident when participants were asked to name corporate logos. For this type of vocabulary, meaning cues showed a slight advantage over sound cues. • IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE POLICY AND PRACTICE The results of this research suggest that cueing hierarchies are dependent, not only on the client, but also on the concept selected as the target for therapy. Low frequency words and abstract concepts do not respond to cueing in the same way as frequent and imageable words. This has implications for the way in which therapists provide cueing therapy for PWA. This project also provides support and direction for the use of technology in the assessment and remediation of word finding difficulties for people with aphasia. • REFERENCES Linebaugh, C.W. and Lehner, L.H. (1997) Cueing hierarchies and word retrieval: A therapy program. In R.H. Brookshire (Ed.) Clinical Aphasiology Conference Proceedings. Minneapolis: BRK Publishers. Rochford, G. and Williams, M. (1962). Studies in the development and breakdown in the use of names. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 25, 222-227. Royal College Of Speech And Language Therapists (2005) Clinical Guidelines. Bicester: Speechmark. Thompson, C.K., Kearns, K.P., Edmonds, L.A. (2006) An experimental analysis of acquisition, generalisation and maintenance of naming behaviour in a patient with anomia. Aphasiology, 20, 12, 1226-1244

No Margin for Error: A Study of Two Women Balancing Motherhood and Ph.D. Studies

This cogenerative ethnography explored the lived experiences of two graduate students balancing Ph.D. studies and motherhood through McClusky’s (1963) Theory of Margi n. Specifically, we asked ourselves: What impact does pregnancy have on personal and academic selves and how are multiple roles and responsibilities managed? Through an analysis of dialogues, artifacts, conceptual maps, and narratives, examples of internal and external lo ad revealed the dynamic nature of the female experiences in graduate school. Excerpts from the data showed how roles, relationships, and experiences are characterized and how similar or different those example s were, given individual context. Implications of this research for students, faculty, and higher education policy are explored

Impact of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on medical technology uptake: analysis of the uptake of spinal cord stimulation in England 2008–2012

Background: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Technology Appraisal Guidance on spinal cord stimulation (SCS) was published in 2008 and updated in 2012 with no change. This guidance recommends SCS as a cost-effective treatment for patients with neuropathic pain. Objective: To assess the impact of NICE guidance by comparing SCS uptake in England pre-NICE (2008–2009) and post-NICE (2009–2012) guidance. We also compared the English SCS uptake rate with that of Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Germany. Design: SCS implant data for England was obtained from the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) database and compared with other European countries where comparable data were available. Results: The HES data showed small increases in SCS implantation and replacement/revision procedures, and a large increase in SCS trials between 2008 and 2012. The increase in the total number of SCS procedures per million of population in England is driven primarily by revision/replacements and increased trial activity. Marked variability in SCS uptake at both health regions and primary care trust level was observed. Conclusions: Despite the positive NICE recommendation for the routine use of SCS, we found no evidence of a significant impact on SCS uptake in England. Rates of SCS implantation in England are lower than many other European countries

Impacts of jellyfish on marine cage aquaculture : an overview of existing knowledge and the challenges to finfish health

BBSRC Eastbio funded studentship (lead author).Gelatinous plankton present a challenge to marine fish aquaculture that remains to be addressed. Shifting plankton distributions, suggested by some to be a result of factors such as climate change and overfishing, appear to be exacerbated by anthropogenic factors linked directly to aquaculture. Fish health can be negatively influenced by exposure to the cnidarian hydrozoan and scyphozoan life stages commonly referred to as “jellyfish”. Impact is particularly pronounced in gill tissue, where three key outcomes of exposure are described; direct traumatic damage, impaired function, and initiation of secondary disease. Cnidarian jellyfish demonstrated to negatively impact fish include Cyanea capillata, Aurelia aurita, and Pelagia noctiluca. Further coelenterates have also been associated with harm to fish, including sessile polyps of species such as Ectopleura larynx. An accurate picture of inshore planktic exposure densities within the coastal environments of aquaculture would aid in understanding cnidarian species of concern, and their impact upon fish health, particularly in gill disease. This information is however presently lacking. This review summarises the available literature regarding the impact of gelatinous plankton on finfish aquaculture, with a focus on cnidarian impact on fish health. Present strategies in monitoring and mitigation are presented, alongside identified critical knowledge gaps.PostprintPeer reviewe

Sampling the fish gill microbiome : a comparison of tissue biopsies and swabs

Funding Information: The research costs of this work were supported by the BBSRC EASTBIO DTP and Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland (MASTS) small grants funding scheme. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Scottish Sea Farms (SSF) for the kind facilitation of fieldwork that provided material in this project, particularly the staff at the Loch Spelve facility, and the health team at SSF, particularly Dr. Ralph Bickerdike. Thanks are due as well to Professor Matt Holden and Kerry Pettigrew of the Infection Group within the Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, for assistance within the laboratory, as well as Dr. David Bass at the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science for helpful proofreading.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Incorporating habitat distribution in wildlife disease models: conservation implications for the threat of squirrelpox on the Isle of Arran

Emerging infectious diseases are a substantial threat to native populations. The spread of disease through naive native populations will depend on both demographic and disease parameters, as well as on habitat suitability and connectivity. Using the potential spread of squirrelpox virus (SQPV) on the Isle of Arran as a case study, we develop mathematical models to examine the impact of an emerging disease on a population in a complex landscape of different habitat types. Furthermore, by considering a range of disease parameters, we infer more generally how complex landscapes interact with disease characteristics to determine the spread and persistence of disease. Specific findings indicate that a SQPV outbreak on Arran is likely to be short lived and localized to the point of introduction allowing recovery of red squirrels to pre-infection densities; this has important consequences for the conservation of red squirrels. More generally, we find that the extent of disease spread is dependent on the rare passage of infection through poor quality corridors connecting good quality habitats. Acute, highly transmissible infectious diseases are predicted to spread rapidly causing high mortality. Nonetheless, the disease typically fades out following local epidemics and is not supported in the long term. A chronic infectious disease is predicted to spread more slowly but can remain endemic in the population. This allows the disease to spread more extensively in the long term as it increases the chance of spread between poorly connected populations. Our results highlight how a detailed understanding of landscape connectivity is crucial when considering conservation strategies to protect native species from disease threats

Begonia bangsamoro (Begoniaceae, section Petermannia), a new species from Mindanao Island, the Philippines

Buenavista, Dave P., Ang, Yu Pin, Pranada, Mc Andrew K., Salas, Daryl S., Mollee, Eefke, Mcdonald, Morag (2021): Begonia bangsamoro (Begoniaceae, section Petermannia), a new species from Mindanao Island, the Philippines. Phytotaxa 497 (1): 39-48, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.497.1.4, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.497.1.

The effects of a video intervention on posthospitalization pulmonary rehabilitation uptake

Rationale: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) after hospitalizations for exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) improves exercise capacity and health-related quality of life and reduces readmissions. However, posthospitalization PR uptake is low. To date, no trials of interventions to increase uptake have been conducted.Objectives: To study the effect of a codesigned education video as an adjunct to usual care on posthospitalization PR uptake.Methods: The present study was an assessor- and statistician-blinded randomized controlled trial with nested, qualitative interviews of participants in the intervention group. Participants hospitalized with COPD exacerbations were assigned 1:1 to receive either usual care (COPD discharge bundle including PR information leaflet) or usual care plus the codesigned education video delivered via a handheld tablet device at discharge. Randomization used minimization to balance age, sex, FEV1 % predicted, frailty, transport availability, and previous PR experience.Measurements and Main Results: The primary outcome was PR uptake within 28 days of hospital discharge. A total of 200 patients were recruited, and 196 were randomized (51% female, median FEV1% predicted, 36 [interquartile range, 27-48]). PR uptake was 41% and 34% in the usual care and intervention groups, respectively (P = 0.37), with no differences in secondary (PR referral and completion) or safety (readmissions and death) endpoints. A total of 6 of the 15 participants interviewed could not recall receiving the video.Conclusions: A codesigned education video delivered at hospital discharge did not improve posthospitalization PR uptake, referral, or completion

The TEAM Approach to Improving Oncology Outcomes by Incorporating Palliative Care in Practice

Palliative care (PC) concurrent with usual oncology care is now the standard of care that is recommended for any patient with advanced cancer to begin within 8 weeks of diagnosis on the basis of evidence-driven national clinical practice guidelines; however, there are not enough interdisciplinary palliative care teams to provide such care. How and what can an oncology office incorporate into usual care, borrowing the tools used in PC randomized clinical trials (RCTs), to improve care for patients and their caregivers? We reviewed the multiple RCTs for common practical elements and identified methods and techniques that oncologists can use to deliver some parts of concurrent interdisciplinary PC. We recommend the standardized assessment of patient-reported outcomes, including the evaluation of symptoms with such tools as the Edmonton or Memorial Symptom Assessment Scales, spirituality with the FICA Spiritual History Tool or similar questions, and psychosocial distress with the Distress Thermometer. All patients should be assessed for how they prefer to receive information, their current understanding of their situation, and if they have considered some advance care planning. Approximately 1 hour of additional time with the patient is required each month. If the oncologist does not have established ties with spiritual care and social work, he or she should establish these relationships for counseling as required. Caregivers should be asked about coping and support needs. Oncologists can adapt PC techniques to achieve results that are similar to those in the RCTs of PC plus usual care compared with usual care alone. This is comparable to using data from RCTs of trastuzamab or placebo, adopting what was used in the RCTs without modification or dilution