Brief Report: Just-in-Time Visual Supports to Children with Autism via the Apple Watch:® A Pilot Feasibility Study

Using augmented input might be an effective means for supplementing spoken language for children with autism who have difficulties following spoken directives. This study aimed to (a) explore whether JIT-delivered scene cues (photos, video clips) via the Apple Watch® enable children with autism to carry out directives they were unable to implement with speech alone, and (b) test the feasibility of the Apple Watch® (with a focus on display size). Results indicated that the hierarchical JIT supports enabled five children with autism to carry out the majority of directives. Hence, the relatively small display size of the Apple Watch does not seem to hinder children with autism to glean critical information from visual supports

Reconstructing the 3-D Trajectories of CMEs in the Inner Heliosphere

A method for the full three-dimensional (3-D) reconstruction of the trajectories of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) using Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) data is presented. Four CMEs that were simultaneously observed by the inner and outer coronagraphs (COR1 and 2) of the Ahead and Behind STEREO satellites were analysed. These observations were used to derive CME trajectories in 3-D out to ~15Rsun. The reconstructions using COR1/2 data support a radial propagation model. Assuming pseudo-radial propagation at large distances from the Sun (15-240Rsun), the CME positions were extrapolated into the Heliospheric Imager (HI) field-of-view. We estimated the CME velocities in the different fields-of-view. It was found that CMEs slower than the solar wind were accelerated, while CMEs faster than the solar wind were decelerated, with both tending to the solar wind velocity.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, 1 appendi

The effect of cue type on directive-following in children with moderate to severe autism spectrum disorder

For this study, 11 children with moderate to severe autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were given directives containing prepositions in three cue conditions: (a) spoken alone, (b) a short video clip along with spoken cues, and (c) a sequence of three graphic symbols accompanied by spoken cues. Participants followed directives significantly more accurately with the video clip than with spoken cues only, and significantly more accurately with spoken cues only relative to the sequence of graphic symbols. Results suggest that the short video clip along with spoken cues may be an optimal mode for enhancing learners’ ability to follow directives containing prepositions. In addition, results reveal three statistically significant correlations between participants’ preexisting skills and directive-following accuracy: a positive correlation between spoken preposition preassessment total score and accuracy in the spoken-alone condition; a positive correlation between spoken noun preassessment total score and accuracy in the video-clip condition; and a positive correlation between ASD severity and the need for repetition in the video-clip condition. Results also suggested that, for children with more severe ASD symptoms, the video clips require repetitions so that the relationships illustrated within it can gain more semantic salience. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/iaac20hj2022Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC

Investigations of three, four, and five-particle exit channels of levels in light nuclei created using a 9C beam

The interactions of a E/A=70-MeV 9C beam with a Be target was used to populate levels in Be, B, and C isotopes which undergo decay into many-particle exit channels. The decay products were detected in the HiRA array and the level energies were identified from their invariant mass. Correlations between the decay products were examined to deduce the nature of the decays, specifically to what extent all the fragments were created in one prompt step or whether the disintegration proceeded in a sequential fashion through long-lived intermediate states. In the latter case, information on the spin of the level was also obtained. Of particular interest is the 5-body decay of the 8C ground state which was found to disintegrate in two steps of two-proton decay passing through the 6Beg.s. intermediate state. The isobaric analog of 8Cg.s. in 8B was also found to undergo two-proton decay to the isobaric analog of 6Beg.s. in 6Li. A 9.69-MeV state in 10C was found to undergo prompt 4-body decay to the 2p+2alpha exit channel. The two protons were found to have a strong enhancementin the diproton region and the relative energies of all four p-alpha pairs were consistent with the 5Lig.s. resonance

Brief report : just-in-time visual supports to children with autism via the Apple Watch® : a pilot feasibility study

Using augmented input might be an effective means for supplementing spoken language for children with autism who have difficulties following spoken directives. This study aimed to (a) explore whether JIT-delivered scene cues (photos, video clips) via the Apple Watch® enable children with autism to carry out directives they were unable to implement with speech alone, and (b) test the feasibility of the Apple Watch ® (with a focus on display size). Results indicated that the hierarchical JIT supports enabled five children with autism to carry out the majority of directives. Hence, the relatively small display size of the Apple Watch does not seem to hinder children with autism to glean critical information from visual supports.http://link.springer.com/journal/108032017-12-31hb2017Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC

The Multi-Object, Fiber-Fed Spectrographs for SDSS and the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey

We present the design and performance of the multi-object fiber spectrographs for the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and their upgrade for the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS). Originally commissioned in Fall 1999 on the 2.5-m aperture Sloan Telescope at Apache Point Observatory, the spectrographs produced more than 1.5 million spectra for the SDSS and SDSS-II surveys, enabling a wide variety of Galactic and extra-galactic science including the first observation of baryon acoustic oscillations in 2005. The spectrographs were upgraded in 2009 and are currently in use for BOSS, the flagship survey of the third-generation SDSS-III project. BOSS will measure redshifts of 1.35 million massive galaxies to redshift 0.7 and Lyman-alpha absorption of 160,000 high redshift quasars over 10,000 square degrees of sky, making percent level measurements of the absolute cosmic distance scale of the Universe and placing tight constraints on the equation of state of dark energy. The twin multi-object fiber spectrographs utilize a simple optical layout with reflective collimators, gratings, all-refractive cameras, and state-of-the-art CCD detectors to produce hundreds of spectra simultaneously in two channels over a bandpass covering the near ultraviolet to the near infrared, with a resolving power R = \lambda/FWHM ~ 2000. Building on proven heritage, the spectrographs were upgraded for BOSS with volume-phase holographic gratings and modern CCD detectors, improving the peak throughput by nearly a factor of two, extending the bandpass to cover 360 < \lambda < 1000 nm, and increasing the number of fibers from 640 to 1000 per exposure. In this paper we describe the original SDSS spectrograph design and the upgrades implemented for BOSS, and document the predicted and measured performances.Comment: 43 pages, 42 figures, revised according to referee report and accepted by AJ. Provides background for the instrument responsible for SDSS and BOSS spectra. 4th in a series of survey technical papers released in Summer 2012, including arXiv:1207.7137 (DR9), arXiv:1207.7326 (Spectral Classification), and arXiv:1208.0022 (BOSS Overview

Functional brain defects in a mouse model of a chromosomal t(1;11) translocation that disrupts DISC1 and confers increased risk of psychiatric illness

A balanced t(1;11) translocation that directly disrupts DISC1 is linked to schizophrenia and affective disorders. We previously showed that a mutant mouse, named Der1, recapitulates the effect of the translocation upon DISC1 expression. Here, RNAseq analysis of Der1 mouse brain tissue found enrichment for dysregulation of the same genes and molecular pathways as in neuron cultures generated previously from human t(1;11) translocation carriers via the induced pluripotent stem cell route. DISC1 disruption therefore apparently accounts for a substantial proportion of the effects of the t(1;11) translocation. RNAseq and pathway analysis of the mutant mouse predicts multiple Der1-induced alterations converging upon synapse function and plasticity. Synaptosome proteomics confirmed that the Der1 mutation impacts synapse composition, and electrophysiology found reduced AMPA:NMDA ratio in hippocampal neurons, indicating changed excitatory signalling. Moreover, hippocampal parvalbumin-positive interneuron density is increased, suggesting that the Der1 mutation affects inhibitory control of neuronal circuits. These phenotypes predict that neurotransmission is impacted at many levels by DISC1 disruption in human t(1;11) translocation carriers. Notably, genes implicated in schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder by large-scale genetic studies are enriched among the Der1-dysregulated genes, just as we previously observed for the t(1;11) translocation carrier-derived neurons. Furthermore, RNAseq analysis predicts that the Der1 mutation primarily targets a subset of cell types, pyramidal neurons and interneurons, previously shown to be vulnerable to the effects of common schizophrenia-associated genetic variants. In conclusion, DISC1 disruption by the t(1;11) translocation may contribute to the psychiatric disorders of translocation carriers through commonly affected pathways and processes in neurotransmission

Novel 3-nitrotriazole-based amides and carbinols as bifunctional anti-Chagasic agents.

3-Nitro-1H-1,2,4-triazole-based amides with a linear, rigid core and 3-nitrotriazole-based fluconazole analogs were synthesized as dual functioning antitrypanosomal agents. Such compounds are excellent substrates for type I nitroreductase (NTR) located in the mitochondrion of trypanosomatids and, at the same time, act as inhibitors of the sterol 14α-demethylase (T. cruzi CYP51) enzyme. Because combination treatments against parasites are often superior to monotherapy, we believe that this emerging class of bifunctional compounds may introduce a new generation of antitrypanosomal drugs. In the present work, the synthesis and in vitro and in vivo evaluation of such compounds is discussed.This work was supported in part by internal funds of the Radiation Medicine Department at NorthShore University HealthSystem. Experiments on T. cruzi CYP51 were funded by NIH (GM067871, to G.I.L.). In vitro screenings against parasites were funded by DNDi. For that project, DNDi received funding from the following donors: Department for Internationl Development (DFID), U.K.; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), USA; Reconstruction Credit Institution-Federal Ministry of Education and Research (KfW-BMBF), Germany; and Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS), The Netherlands. B.A.-V. acknowledges financial support by FONDECYT Postdoctorado 3130364

Sensitivity of jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) to phosphate, phosphite, and arsenate pulses as influenced by fungal symbiotic associations

Many plant species adapted to P-impoverished soils, including jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata), develop toxicity symptoms when exposed to high doses of phosphate (Pi) and its analogs such as phosphite (Phi) and arsenate (AsV). The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of fungal symbionts Scutellospora calospora, Scleroderma sp., and Austroboletus occidentalis on the response of jarrah to highly toxic pulses (1.5 mmol kg−1 soil) of Pi, Phi, and AsV. S. calospora formed an arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis while both Scleroderma sp. and A. occidentalis established a non-colonizing symbiosis with jarrah plants. All these interactions significantly improved jarrah growth and Pi uptake under P-limiting conditions. The AM fungal colonization naturally declines in AM-eucalypt symbioses after 2–3 months; however, in the present study, the high Pi pulse inhibited the decline of AM fungal colonization in jarrah. Four weeks after exposure to the Pi pulse, plants inoculated with S. calospora had significantly lower toxicity symptoms compared to non-mycorrhizal (NM) plants, and all fungal treatments induced tolerance against Phi toxicity in jarrah. However, no tolerance was observed for AsV-treated plants even though all inoculated plants had significantly lower shoot As concentrations than the NM plants. The transcript profile of five jarrah high-affinity phosphate transporter (PHT1 family) genes in roots was not altered in response to any of the fungal species tested. Interestingly, plants exposed to high Pi supplies for 1 day did not have reduced transcript levels for any of the five PHT1 genes in roots, and transcript abundance of four PHT1 genes actually increased. It is therefore suggested that jarrah, and perhaps other P-sensitive perennial species, respond positively to Pi available in the soil solution through increasing rather than decreasing the expression of selected PHT1 genes. Furthermore, Scleroderma sp. can be considered as a fungus with dual functional capacity capable of forming both ectomycorrhizal and non-colonizing associations, where both pathways are always accompanied by evident growth and nutritional benefits