Main Concepts for Two Picture Description Tasks: An Addition to Richardson and Dalton, 2016

Background: Proposition analysis of the discourse of persons with aphasia (PWAs) has a long history, yielding important advancements in our understanding of communication impairments in this population. Recently, discourse measures have been considered primary outcome measures, and multiple calls have been made for improved psychometric properties of discourse measures. Aims: To advance the use of discourse analysis in PWAs by providing Main Concept Analysis checklists and descriptive statistics for healthy control performance on the analysis for the Cat in the Tree and Refused Umbrella narrative tasks utilized in the AphasiaBank database protocol. Methods & Procedures: Ninety-two control transcripts, stratified into four age groups (20–39 years; 40–59; 60–79; 80+), were downloaded from the AphasiaBank database. Relevant concepts were identified, and those spoken by at least one-third of the control sample were considered to be a main concept (MC). A multilevel coding system was used to determine the accuracy and completeness of the MCs produced by control speakers. Outcomes & Results: MC checklists for two discourse tasks are provided. Descriptive statistics are reported and examined to assist readers with evaluation of the normative data. Conclusions: These checklists provide clinicians and researchers with a tool to reliably assess the discourse of PWAs. They also help address the gap in available psychometric data with which to compare PWAs to healthy controls

A Large-Scale Comparison of Main Concept Production Between Persons with Aphasia and Persons Without Brain Injury

Purpose: The purposes of this study are to provide clinicians and researchers with introductory psychometric data for the main concept analysis (MCA), a measure of discourse informativeness, and specifically, to provide descriptive and comparative statistical information about the performance of a large sample of persons not brain injured (PNBIs) and persons with aphasia (PWAs) on AphasiaBank discourse tasks. Method: Transcripts of 5 semi-spontaneous discourse tasks were retrieved from the AphasiaBank database and scored according to detailed checklists and scoring procedures. Transcripts from 145 PNBIs and 238 PWAs were scored; descriptive statistics, median tests, and effect sizes are reported. Results: PWAs demonstrated overall lower informativeness scores and more frequent production of statements that were inaccurate and/or incomplete. Differences between PNBIs and PWAs were observed for all main concept measures and stories. Comparisons of PNBIs and aphasia subtypes revealed significant differences for all groups, although the pattern of differences and strength of effect sizes varied by group and discourse task. Conclusions: These results may improve the investigative and clinical utility of the MCA by providing descriptive and comparative information for PNBIs and PWAs for standardized discourse tasks that can be reliably scored. The results indicate that the MCA is sensitive to differences in discourse as a result of aphasia

LANGUAGE INTERVENTIONS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN LIVING IN LOW SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS ENVIRONMENTS

Research has shown a strong correlation between the socioeconomic (SES) status of a child’s family, his or her cognitive development and that child’s later achievement in school. My paper addresses the issues of disadvantaged environments and effective interventions that can be used to reverse the effects of growing up in low SES homes on cognitive development, most specifically in the area of language. In my paper, I will do a review of recent literature to determine the specific causes of the gap between children from disadvantaged homes and those not from disadvantaged homes. I will examine how shared storybook reading as an intervention impacts a preschooler’s receptive and expressive communication. Research suggests that there is much to be gained receptively by a child when using shared storybook reading, but the gains are few when you examine expressive communication. I will also possible changes that need to be addressed in early childhood education. One cause to be addressed is that the type of effective interventions used in these early child childhood centers are not being simulated in the public schools. In conclusion, one can make great strides for young children that come from disadvantaged backgrounds using effective evidence based practices.No embargoAcademic Major: Education - Special Educatio

LGB Sexual Orientation and Perceived Parental Acceptance

The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether perceived maternal, paternal, and/or parental acceptance for a lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) person\u27s sexual orientation correlated with well-being and/or moderated the relationship between the LGB person\u27s levels of self-acceptance and well-being. The following dissertation outlines the negative mental health and well-being implications of unsupportive social and family systems for LGB individuals. Given the importance of parental support for all individuals, the study extends the available research literature as it seeks to understand how parental acceptance for one\u27s sexual orientation impacts self-acceptance and well-being, for which little research has previously been conducted. Specifically, the study investigates whether the amount of perceived maternal and paternal acceptance for one\u27s sexual orientation moderates the relationship between self-acceptance and well-being indicators such as positive relations with others, happiness, self-esteem, and satisfaction with life. The study results found that perceived maternal and paternal acceptance are both positively and significantly correlated to each of the well-being indicators; positive relations with others, happiness, self-esteem, and satisfaction with life. Perceived maternal and paternal acceptance were found not to be moderators of self-acceptance and well-being, therefore, neither was more significant for moderating the relationship between self-acceptance and well-being. Average parental acceptance was also not a moderator of self-acceptance and well-being

Hybrid-industrial zoning : a case study in Downtown Los Angeles

This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2019Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2019Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 89-93).Historically, land use planning has treated industrial land uses either antagonistically or ambivalently. Traditional zoning approaches have restricted, regulated, spatially isolated, and pushed industrial land to the periphery of cities, resulting in a significant loss of urban industrial land across American cities. But as the United States experiences a manufacturing renaissance and cities begin to recognize the value of centrally located industrial land in its contribution to the regional economy, planners are grappling with the issue of how best to secure these viable but vulnerable sites of employment and production. Advanced technologies that are changing the nature of manufacturing and logistics present an exciting opportunity and potential solution: the industrial mixed-use zone. This thesis explores the emerging land use tool of industrial-mixed use zoning, using Los Angeles as a case study.The intent of the industrial mixed-use zone, which permits non-industrial uses, to varying degrees of intensities, in otherwise industrial districts, is to protect central locations for industrial operations when market forces might otherwise price them out. On the one hand, the zone can impede industrial business displacement through offering protection to compatible lighter industrial uses in transitioning neighborhoods. In doing so, it aims to create a live/work urban district in which several planning agendas are met and balanced, providing for industrial employment alongside affordable housing and public realm improvements. On the other hand, without strict use definitions, mix requirements or consistent regulation, the industrial mixed-use zone risks both accelerating the land use conversion process, operating as residential and commercial upzoning, and gentrifying industrial districts toward more artisanal and boutique industrial operations.In 2019, the Los Angeles Department of City Planning will rezone industrial land in Downtown Los Angeles under a new zoning classification: hybrid-industrial. Through an exploration of Los Angeles' industrial land use policies, a process tracing of the evolution of hybrid-industrial zoning, and a dissection of the zoning ordinance's text, this thesis demonstrates the trade-offs associated with a mixed-use district and the potential challenges and pitfalls of implementation.by Sarah Brown.M.C.P.S.M. in Real Estate DevelopmentM.C.P. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and PlanningS.M.inRealEstateDevelopment Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estat

Robust Design and Monitoring Tools for Sustainable and Resilient Structural Design and Infrastructure Management

Structural systems are subject to inherent uncertainties due to the variability in many hard-to-control `noise factors\u27 that include but are not limited to external loads, material properties, and construction workmanship. Two design methodologies have been widely accepted in the practicing engineering realm to manage the variability associated with operational structures: Allowable Stress Design (ASD) and Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD). These traditional approaches explicitly recognize the presence of uncertainty; however, they do not take robustness against this uncertainty into consideration. Overlooking this robustness against uncertainty in the structural design process has two drawbacks. First, the design may not satisfy the safety requirements if the actual uncertainties in the noise factors are underestimated. Thus, the safety requirements can easily be violated because of the high variation of the system response due to noise factors. Second, to guarantee safety in the presence of this high variability of the system response, the structural designer may be forced to choose an overly conservative, inefficient and thus costly design. When the robustness against uncertainty is not treated as one of the design objectives, this trade-off between the over-design for safety and the under-design for cost-savings is exacerbated. The second chapter of this thesis demonstrates that safe and cost-effective designs can be achieved by implementing Robust Design concepts originally developed in manufacturing engineering to consider the robustness against uncertainty. Robust Design concepts can be used to formulate structural designs, which are insensitive to inherent variability in the design process, thus saving cost, and exceeding the main objectives of safety and serviceability. The second chapter of this thesis presents two methodologies for the application of Robust Design principles to structural design utilizing two optimization schemes: one-at-a-time optimization method and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) method. Next, this multi-disciplinary research project introduces a methodology to build a new framework, Structural Life-Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), for quantifying the structural sustainability and resiliency of built systems. This project brings together techniques and concepts from two distinct disciplines: Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of Civil Engineering and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Environmental Engineering to construct the aforementioned S-LCA charts. The intellectual innovations of this project lie in the advancement in infrastructure management techniques through the development of S-LCA charts, which can be useful as an infrastructure monitoring and decision-making tool, for quantifying the structural sustainability and resiliency of built systems. Such a tool would be of great use in aiding infrastructure managers when prescribing maintenance and repair schemes, and emergency managers and first responders in allocating disaster relief effort resources. Moreover, a quantitative, real-time evaluation of structural damage after a disaster will support emergency managers in resource allocation. The project integrates science based modeling and simulation techniques with advanced monitoring and sensing tools, resulting in scientifically defendable, objective and quantitative metrics of sustainability and resiliency to be used in infrastructure management

A Lesbian Parented Family\u27s Acceptance and Experiences in Family, Social, and Educational Systems: A Qualitative Case Study

This single case study was created to investigate one lesbian parented family\u27s experiences in family, social, and educational systems to gain perspective on their overall happiness. In depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with two lesbian parents currently raising three children. After data collection and analysis, the researcher constructed six findings based on the primary research questions. The study determined that regardless of minor discrimination in the systems, the parents and their children have positive experiences in their family, social, and educational systems. The parents also offered ideas about political and social changes that would improve their lives. Overall, the study determined that regardless of negative experiences based on their sexual orientation, the parents believe that all members of the family are happy and proud of their family unit

Moving Toward Non-transcription Based Discourse Analysis in Stable and Progressive Aphasia

Measurement of communication ability at the discourse level holds promise for predicting how well persons with stable (e.g., stroke-induced), or progressive aphasia navigate everyday communicative interactions. However, barriers to the clinical utilization of discourse measures have persisted. Recent advancements in the standardization of elicitation protocols and the existence of large databases for development of normative references have begun to address some of these barriers. Still, time remains a consistently reported barrier by clinicians. Non-transcription based discourse measurement would reduce the time required for discourse analysis, making clinical utilization a reality. The purpose of this article is to present evidence regarding discourse measures (main concept analysis, core lexicon, and derived efficiency scores) that are well suited to non-transcription based analysis. Combined with previous research, our results suggest that these measures are sensitive to changes following stroke or neurodegenerative disease. Given the evidence, further research specifically assessing the reliability of these measures in clinical implementation is warranted

Using Electrophysiology to Investigate Changes in Brain Activation in Individuals with Chronic Stroke

Many individuals who have experienced a stroke also experience persistent decrements in several domains, such as sensorimotor, language, and cognition. While rehabilitation for these deficits is helpful even decades after a stroke, there is limited information available to determine the most effective pairing of treatment with individual deficits. Further, despite decades of neuroimaging research, our understanding of optimal recovery patterns following stroke is relatively poor. In order to improve outcomes for individuals living with chronic deficits due to stroke, neurophysiological biomarkers corresponding to recovery patterns and treatment response are needed. Electroencephalography (EEG) holds great potential for identifying biomarkers as it directly measures brain activation, and is non-invasive, reliable, replicable, and portable. Further, almost all individuals post-stroke are able to tolerate EEG recording. In addition, different methods of analyzing EEG data allow multiple information streams to be gleaned from a single dataset. In this study, 27 persons with chronic stroke (PWCS) and 27 neurologically healthy controls completed speech, language, cognitive, and sensorimotor behavioral assessments. Participants also completed two EEG sessions approximately one month apart which included recording of brain activity at rest and during language, cognitive, and motor tasks. Spectral EEG and event-related potential (ERP) analyses revealed significant differences between neurologically healthy controls and PWCS both at rest and during an auditory oddball task. Test-retest reliability measured across a one-month interval varied by group, task, and electrode montages or regions of interest from poor to excellent. The spectral EEG analysis showed changes previously reported during the acute and sub-acute phase of recovery persist into the chronic phase. ERP analysis demonstrated that individuals with a wide range of post-stroke deficits perform significantly differently during a cognitive task. However, no statistically significant differences were observed between healthy controls and this mixed group during language tasks. Finally, reliability findings indicate some tasks and measures may be appropriate for use in determining treatment response. These results provide support for the use of EEG as a biomarker in the chronic phase in a general stroke population. Future research should investigate the utility of EEG in specific subgroups of persons with chronic stroke