A Visuomotor Perspective on Developing Temporal and Spatial Representations of Number

Despite being an abstract concept, our representation of number appears to be grounded in the physical realities of time and space. However, very little research investigates the relationship between these three concepts in children. Thus, this thesis investigated children’s ability to represent number temporally (pertaining to time) using frequency processing tasks, and their ability to represent number spatially using a novel adaption of a number line task. Firstly, two experiments (Chapters 2 & 3) revealed that children are remarkably accurate at recalling the frequency of both everyday events, specifically their intake of fruit smoothies, and of short term events, namely shape repetitions in a computer based task. Secondly, it was observed that Western educated adults have a default preference for representing number spatially with small numbers on the left and large numbers on the right (Chapter 4). Whilst these default preferences were not observed in children (Chapter 5), there was some evidence that cultural background can influence the direction of these preferences (Chapter 6). Nevertheless, irrelevant of directional preferences, children became more accurate at representing number spatially with age; this ability was related to both mathematical achievement and fine motor skills

Cortical gray-matter thinning is associated with age-related improvements on executive function tasks

Across development children show marked improvement in their executive functions (EFs), including the ability to hold information in working memory and to deploy cognitive control, allowing them to ignore prepotent responses in favor of newly learned behaviors. How does the brain support these age-related improvements? Age-related cortical gray-matter thinning, thought to result from selective pruning of inefficient synaptic connections and increases in myelination, may support age-related improvements in EFs. Here we used structural MRI to measure cortical thickness. We investigate the association between cortical thickness in three cortical regions of interest (ROIs), and age-related changes in cognitive control and working memory in 5–10 year old children. We found significant associations between reductions in cortical thickness and age-related improvements in performance on both working memory and cognitive control tasks. Moreover, we observed a dissociation between ROIs typically thought to underlie changes in cognitive control (right Inferior Frontal gyrus and Anterior Cingulate cortex) and age-related improvements in cognitive control, and ROIs for working memory (superior parietal cortex), and age-related changes in a working memory task. These data add to our growing understanding of how structural maturation of the brain supports vast behavioral changes in executive functions observed across childhood

Challenges of Data Management Training for Graduate Students at a Large Research University

Objective: To describe the challenges and outcomes of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries\u27 Data Working Group\u27s series of training workshops for graduate students on the subject of data management and preservation, with specific regard to the data management requirements of the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health. Participants: The Libraries\u27 Data Working Group is composed of six members with expertise in project management, systems and web development, scholarly communication, digital archives and metadata, and science and social science librarianship. The Data Working Group is one of three subgroups of the Digital Strategies Group at the University Libraries. Description: The University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries provides a number of services to faculty and graduate students in support of research at an institution classified as a Research University with Very High research activity (RU/VH) by the Carnegie Foundation[1]. Recognizing a high demand for greater data education, the Libraries\u27 Data Working Group has conducted workshops for graduate students in specific disciplines -- humanities, social sciences, and sciences -- designed to address their data needs and highlight smart data management practices. Graduate students were also guided through the data management requirements of national funding agencies and potential solutions. Results: In its current capacity the Data Working Group provides educational workshops and individual consulting sessions for faculty and graduate students. The Data Working Group observed a significant portion of graduate students who had no prior experience with smart data practices or useful data management resources. This process has identified a clear need for wider, more intensive education for graduate students on data practices and the data management requirements of national funding agencies. [1] http://www.umass.edu/umhome/research.ph

S5. From Ballot Box to Document Box: Exploring Contemporary Challenges with Congressional Papers

Always at the forefront of archival challenges and in high demand by researchers, congressional papers are usually complex, large, and unwieldy collections that are found in archives of all sizes. Further complicating processing and reference, they often contain a variety of formats, subjects, and sensitive materials. Speakers in this session discussed their experiences working with the papers of members of Congress from New Jersey and South Carolina. They explored such topics as managing copyright, arranging and describing modern media, handling materials that evoke recent trauma, accessing restricted records, and managing a congressional collection at a smaller repository on a limited budget.Presentation from the MARAC conference in Newark, NJ on April 20–22, 2017. S5: From Ballot Box to Document Box: Exploring Contemporary Challenges with Congressional Paper

Preferred and actual place of death in haematological malignancies : a report from the UK haematological malignancy research network

Objectives Hospital death is comparatively common in people with haematological cancers, but little is known about patient preferences. This study investigated actual and preferred place of death, concurrence between these and characteristics of preferred place discussions. Methods Set within a population-based haematological malignancy patient cohort, adults (≥18 years) diagnosed 2004–2012 who died 2011–2012 were included (n=963). Data were obtained via routine linkages (date, place and cause of death) and abstraction of hospital records (diagnosis, demographics, preferred place discussions). Logistic regression investigated associations between patient and clinical factors and place of death, and factors associated with the likelihood of having a preferred place discussion. Results Of 892 patients (92.6%) alive 2 weeks after diagnosis, 58.0% subsequently died in hospital (home, 20.0%; care home, 11.9%; hospice, 10.2%). A preferred place discussion was documented for 453 patients (50.8%). Discussions were more likely in women (p=0.003), those referred to specialist palliative care (p<0.001), and where cause of death was haematological cancer (p<0.001); and less likely in those living in deprived areas (p=0.005). Patients with a discussion were significantly (p<0.05) less likely to die in hospital. Last recorded preferences were: home (40.6%), hospice (18.1%), hospital (17.7%) and care home (14.1%); two-thirds died in their final preferred place. Multiple discussions occurred for 58.3% of the 453, with preferences varying by proximity to death and participants in the discussion. Conclusion Challenges remain in ensuring that patients are supported to have meaningful end-of-life discussions, with healthcare services that are able to respond to changing decisions over time

You Had Me at 3 Years: The Ethics and Practicality of Project Archivists

These slides were used as part of a discussion about ethical issues and the reality of life for project archivists, both from an employee's and institutional perspective.With the Society of American Archivists working to define standards for both intern and volunteer workers, it seems fitting to look now towards another hallmark of archival work: project positions. These positions work to both introduce new archivists to the field and get smaller scale work off the ground, but at the same time, create a volatile job market that not only exacerbates new archivists but also hinders institutional memory and creates a burden on permanent employees. Due to restrictions of grant funding and other institutional factors, these positions are not going away any time soon, and a need for guidelines in creating these jobs is crucial to the development of the field. This talk will look at ethical and practical considerations surrounding project work—both from the employee and hiring manager’s perspectives—and propose ways that institutions can approach project work in order to create better environments for their employees and themselves

Patient perspectives of ‘Watch and Wait’ for chronic haematological cancers : Findings from a qualitative study

Purpose: Chronic blood cancers are incurable, and characterised by unpredictable, remitting-relapsing pathways. Management often involves periods of observation prior to treatment (if required), and post-treatment, in an approach known as 'Watch and Wait'. This study aimed to explore patient experiences of Watch and Wait

Cohort profile: the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study (UKCCS) – a UK- wide population- based study examining the health of cancer survivors

Purpose The United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study’s (UKCCS’s) matched cohort was established to examine the longer term morbidity and mortality of individuals previously diagnosed with cancer before 15 years of age, comparing future healthcare patterns in 5-year cancer survivors to baseline activity seen in age- and sex-matched individuals from the general population.Participants Predicated on a national childhood cancer case-control study conducted in the early 1990s (4430 cases, 9753 controls) in England, Scotland and Wales, the case population comprises 3125 cancer survivors (&gt;5 years), and the control population 7156 age- and sex-matched individuals from the general population who did not have cancer as a child. Participants are now being followed up via linkage to national administrative healthcare databases (deaths, cancers and secondary care hospital activity).Findings to date Enabling the creation of cohorts with minimal selection bias and loss to follow-up, the original case-control study registered all newly diagnosed cases of childhood cancer and their corresponding controls, regardless of their family’s participation. Early findings based on the registered case population found marked survival variations with age and sex across subtypes and differences with deprivation among acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) survivors. More recently, comparing the health-activity patterns of the case and control populations revealed that survivors of childhood ALL experienced excess outpatient and inpatient activity across their teenage/young adult years. Adding to increased risks of cancer and death and involving most clinical specialties, excesses were not related to routine follow-up monitoring and showed no signs of diminishing over time.Future plans With annual linkage updates, the UKCCS’s maturing population-based matched cohorts provide the foundation for tracking the health of individuals through their lifetime. Comparing the experience of childhood cancer survivors to that of unaffected general-population counterparts, this will include examining subsequent morbidity and mortality, secondary care hospital activity and the impact of deprivation on longer term outcomes