The Early Development of Visual Attentional Mechanisms in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Attention plays a fundamental role in shaping cognitive development. What we attend to and what we ignore alters our visual experience of the world. Atypical attention has long been implicated in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) yet our understanding of the early development of this ability has been limited by methodological factors. The aim of this thesis was to address the “toddler gap” in the literature by developing novel measures of attention that are ideal for use with toddlers, do not require verbal instructions, and can be easily scaled up or down for older or younger children. A series of three eye-tracking experiments are presented which explore visual attentional mechanisms in toddlers with ASD and age-matched typically developing controls. Experiment 1 and Experiment 2 examined selective attention to novel task-irrelevant stimuli during visual search. Toddlers with ASD demonstrated typical attentional capture when the task-irrelevant stimulus was defined by a novel onset, yet demonstrated atypically reduced attentional capture when the task-irrelevant stimulus was defined by a novel color. Experiment 3 examined attentional set-shifting in the context of visual search. No evidence of impaired set-shifting was found in toddlers with ASD. Together, findings provide important insights into the development of attentional mechanisms during the toddler period in ASD and in typical development

Waiting for the Invisible Hand: Novel Products and the Role of Information in the Modern Market for Food

This paper places the modern spread of diet-related chronic disease in the United States within the context of more than a century of innovation in food processing technology, discovery in nutrition science, and corrective policy measures aimed at improving public health. We ask whether the current state of a airs represents a market failure, and if so what might be done about it. We argue that while today’s industrial food system has its advantages, the asymmetric information problems inherent to this system have resulted in a lemons-style break down in the market for processed foods. The appropriate policy response to such situations (namely, verifiable quality standards) is well known, but such policies are likely (in the short run) to reduce profit for existing large industrial producers of food. In light of the food industry’s long history of success at regulatory capture, we propose the formation of a new independent food standards agency devoted to protecting the interests of the American consumer.credence goods, history, food policy, certification

Waiting for the Invisible Hand: Market Power and Endogenous Information in the Modern Market for Food

In many ways, the modern market for food exemplifies the economist’s conception of perfect competition, with many buyers, many sellers, and a robust and dynamic marketplace. But over the course of the last century, the U.S. has witnessed a dramatic shift away from traditional diets and toward a diet comprised primarily of processed brand-name foods with deleterious long-term health effects. This, in turn, has generated increasingly urgent calls for policy interventions aimed at improving the quality of the American diet. In this paper, we ask whether the current state of affairs represents a market failure, and—if so—what might be done about it. We review evidence that most of the nutritional deficiencies associated with today’s processed foods were unknown to nutrition science at the time these products were introduced, promoted, and adopted by American consumers. Today more is known about the nutritional implications of various processing technologies, but a number of forces—including consumer habits, costly information, and the market power associated with both existing brands and scale economies—are working in concert to maintain the status quo. We argue that while the current brand-based industrial food system (adopted and maintained historically as a means of preventing competition from small producers) has its advantages, the time may have come to consider expanding the system of quality grading employed in commodity markets into the retail market for food.credence goods, history, food policy, certification

Corn Leaf Aphids Do Not Benefit from Greenbug Feeding and Plant Damage

Citation: Barkoviak, H. (2017). Corn Leaf Aphids Do Not Benefit from Greenbug Feeding and Plant Damage . 1st Annual Undergraduate Research Experience in Entomology Symposium, November 16, 2016. Manhattam, KS.Greenbugs (Schizaphis graminum) are known for their devastating effects on crops including cereal grains. Their saliva contains toxins, which break down the plants defenses and allow the aphids to utilize nitrogen from the plant. This quality makes the greenbug more destructive than other species including the corn leaf aphid (Rhopalosiphum maidis). To observe whether aphid feeding influences the success of other aphid species that later feed on the same plant, we designed an experiment which measured aphid virulence and plant damage. We found that the presence of aphids generally stunts plant growth, combined damage of two aphid species is greater than a single species, and damage done by greenbugs does not necessarily benefit corn leaf aphids

Long-term data on reproductive output and longevity in captive female common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus)

The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is widely used in biomedical research, with many housed for breeding purposes world-wide. Significant variation in reproductive output among females has been found compared to other anthropoid primates. The present study explores this reproductive variation, focusing on potential predictors of dam longevity and litter size, as well as changes over time. Back-record analysis was conducted, yielding litter information and reproductive summaries of 360 dams housed at three UK marmoset colonies over four decades (1970s-2000s). Results revealed differences among the colonies, as well as within colonies over decades, suggesting environment may play an important role. Cox proportional hazards regression analyses revealed significant effects of mean litter size and yearly production on dam longevity. Decade, mean inter-birth interval and mean dam weight were found to be significant factors explaining dam longevity when looking at colonies individually. The most commonly recorded cause of death was "poor condition." Linear regression models found that no reproductive variable was useful in explaining mean litter size, except dam weight at conception, data which was only consistently recorded at one colony. While triplets were common at all three colonies, these larger litters were consistently associated with higher infant mortality, despite human intervention to improve survival. This study increases our understanding of marmoset reproduction, and possible improvements to practical aspects of colony management to enhance survival and welfare are discussed. Am. J. Primatol. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Occupational Therapy for Sleep Dysfunction: An Education Course for Students and Occupational Therapy Practitioners

Sleep disorders are the second most frequent complaint, after pain, in individuals with chronic illness; the healthcare field is considering this an epidemic. Research suggests there is an insufficient amount of awareness and education regarding treating sleep dysfunction among occupational therapy students and practitioners. The purpose of this capstone project was to create an OT education course for OT students and practitioners to utilize when addressing sleep dysfunction with their clients and caregivers. Results of my course support the capstone problem statement; that there is an insufficient amount of awareness and education regarding the treatment and management of sleep dysfunction among occupational therapy students and practitioners.https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstones-spring2022/1053/thumbnail.jp

Effects of TikTok on the Mental Health of Men\u27s and Women\u27s Soccer Teams at One Institution

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the social media platform, TikTok, on the mental health of Division III Men’s and Women’s soccer players at one institution. MAIN.OUTCOME.MEASUREMENT Likert scale survey