Validity of and Agreement Between Self- and Surrogate-Reported Communicative Functioning in Persons with Aphasia

This paper reports on the development of the Aphasia Communication Outcome Measure (ACOM), a self- and surrogate-reported measure of communicative functioning in persons with aphasia (PWA). We asked if self- and surrogate-reported communicative functioning can be measured validly on the same scale, and if surrogates’ ratings agree with their respective PWAs’ ratings of communicative functioning. We found that self- and surrogate-reported communicative functioning can be measured validly on the same scale, but that surrogate ratings are only moderately reliable predictors of PWA ratings. We also found that ACOM ability estimates correlated moderately with performance-based measures of language impairment

Patient-reported cognition and communication:

In this investigation, we examined the dimensionality of patient reported cognitive and communication functioning and evaluated the impact of multidimensionality on measurement of those constructs. We analyzed responses from right and left hemisphere stroke survivors to the Burden of Stroke Scale Cognition and Communication domain scales. While factor analysis and Rasch model fit analyses equivocally supported unidimensionality of the item pool, other analyses suggested that scaling cognition and communication items separately produced more valid measurement. Scaling cognition and communication together may be appropriate for some applications, but they are best measured separately in populations with known cognitive or communication impairments

Optical modeling and polarization calibration for CMB measurements with ACTPol and Advanced ACTPol

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter (ACTPol) is a polarization sensitive upgrade to the Atacama Cosmology Telescope. Located at an elevation of 5190 m, ACTPol measures the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature and polarization with arcminute-scale angular resolution. Calibration of the detector angles is a critical step in producing maps of the CMB polarization. Polarization angle offsets in the detector calibration can cause leakage in polarization from E to B modes and induce a spurious signal in the EB and TB cross correlations, which eliminates our ability to measure potential cosmological sources of EB and TB signals, such as cosmic birefringence. We present our optical modeling and measurements associated with calibrating the detector angles in ACTPol.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, conference proceedings submitted to Proceedings of SPIE; added reference in section 2 and merged repeated referenc

Mechanical design and development of TES bolometer detector arrays for the Advanced ACTPol experiment

The next generation Advanced ACTPol (AdvACT) experiment is currently underway and will consist of four Transition Edge Sensor (TES) bolometer arrays, with three operating together, totaling ~5800 detectors on the sky. Building on experience gained with the ACTPol detector arrays, AdvACT will utilize various new technologies, including 150mm detector wafers equipped with multichroic pixels, allowing for a more densely packed focal plane. Each set of detectors includes a feedhorn array of stacked silicon wafers which form a spline profile leading to each pixel. This is then followed by a waveguide interface plate, detector wafer, back short cavity plate, and backshort cap. Each array is housed in a custom designed structure manufactured from high purity copper and then gold plated. In addition to the detector array assembly, the array package also encloses cryogenic readout electronics. We present the full mechanical design of the AdvACT high frequency (HF) detector array package along with a detailed look at the detector array stack assemblies. This experiment will also make use of extensive hardware and software previously developed for ACT, which will be modified to incorporate the new AdvACT instruments. Therefore, we discuss the integration of all AdvACT arrays with pre-existing ACTPol infrastructure.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation conference proceeding

Attention function after childhood stroke,”

Abstract We investigated attentional outcome after childhood stroke and orthopedic diagnosis in medical controls. Twenty-nine children with focal stroke lesions and individually matched children with clubfoot or scoliosis were studied with standardized attention and neuroimaging assessments. Stroke lesions were quite varied in location and commonly involved regions implicated in Posner's model of attention networks. Children with stroke lesions performed significantly more poorly regarding attention function compared with controls. Performance on the Starry Night, a test demanding alerting and sensory-orienting but not executive attention function, was significantly associated with lesion size in the alerting and sensory-orienting networks but not the executive attention network. Furthermore, earlier age at lesion acquisition was significantly associated with poorer attention function even when lesion size was controlled. These findings support the theory of dissociable networks of attention and add to evidence from studies of children with diffuse and focal brain damage that early insults are associated with worse long-term outcomes in many domains of neuropsychological function. In addition, these results may provide clues towards the understanding of mechanisms underlying attention in children. (JINS, 2004, 10, 976-986.