A COVID-19 Informed Benchmark Portfolio of Teaching for SLPA 988: Dementia

The focus of this peer review of teaching portfolio was SLPA 988: Dementia. The course is offered in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders within the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This is an elective course at the graduate level which has a primary target of students in the master’s degree program in speech-language pathology. It is an advanced 900 level course and comes after students have completed at least one semester of clinical work with patients. My goal was to better understand how to improve the course as it transitions from a 1-credit hour 5-week mini session to a 2-credit hour 15-week session. Initially, I had planned to develop and assess reflection as a major component of change. However, the COVID-19 pandemic required a shift in teaching strategy and the focus became on what students would find most valuable as online teaching tools. The results indicated a shift in what students initially believed would be most useful to them in online learning at the start of the mini session compared to the end of the session. Future changes to the course assessments are discussed. This benchmark portfolio is a reflection on my course goals, teaching methods, and student learning outcomes

Arctic Canada and Zambia: A Comparison of Development Processes in the Fourth and Third Worlds

An analysis of the processes behind socio-economic development is necessary to further the understanding of contemporary Inuit conditions in arctic Canada. It is apparent that many of the realities and reasons underlying development in the North are similar to those in the Third World. The term development encompasses strategies and programs to improve living conditions of the target population, processes that either directly or indirectly transform indigenous economies into ones like those of the Western world, and theories that seek to explain these changes and their outcomes. People from government, business, and religion were the agents of development in both Canada and Africa. One of the most overt changes to indigenous societies brought about by these agents was a shift to a modern market-oriented economy. Education is part of a development process and contributed to this change. Education in arctic Canada and a Third Word country, Zambia, is based on teaching local residents to participate in a Euro-North American economic system. In both countries, however, the national or regional economies cannot sustain employment for many of the educated indigenous people. In Lwawu, a remote part of Zambia, this has led to social tensions and polarization between socio-economic classes. In arctic Canada, it has contributed to confusion over one's cultural identity and an inability to participate economically in either the modern or traditional sectors. The Inuit face added difficulties in that to obtain wage employment they must integrate within national cultural, economic, and political systems governed by people who are of different races and cultures and not indigenous to Canada. The end result of these and similar situations is that indigenous people are not necessarily better off than before contact with development agents.

Improving the Interprofessional Relationship Between Nurses and Speech-Language Pathologists: A Pilot Study

The research presented in this thesis explores the impact of interprofessional education on undergraduate nursing and speech-language pathology students with an overall goal of improving the interprofessional relationship between the two fields. Utilizing quantitative and qualitative methods in the form of a pre-test, educational materials, live guided observation, and post-tests, the researchers found an increase in the nursing students ’ ability to identify the role of the speech-language pathologist in a medical setting (knowledge). There was also an increase in the speech-language pathology students’ ability to understand how and when to communicate with nurses in a medical setting (knowledge)

Oviposition and Calling Behavior of Codling Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in the Presence of Codlemone

The effect of the major component of codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) sex pheromone (codlemone, E,E-8,10-dodecadien-l-ol) on female calling and oviposition behavior was investigated. Calling by virgin females was similar between moths placed in sealed containers containing codlemone or codlemone-free air. However, when pheromone emitted by females was removed by a continuous air stream, calling in codlemone-permeated air was significantly higher than in clean air. The temporal pattern of calling was unaltered by the presence of codlemone. In a laboratory no-choice test, oviposition rates by codling moth females were similar in the presence of codlemone and in codlemone-free air. However, in paired-choice tests, females deposited more eggs on uncontaminated waxed paper surfaces than on codlemone-contaminated surfaces

Revisiting the Role of Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Aphasia Rehabilitation

Purpose — The purpose of this article is to revisit the role of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in post stroke aphasia rehabilitation. The authors’ intent is to provide a viewpoint that expands the use of AAC in post stroke aphasia rehabilitation. Specifically, we seek to clarify the role of AAC in restorative and participation approaches to aphasia rehabilitation while also considering the role of AAC in a comprehensive treatment plan. The authors support their viewpoint with citations from both the historic and contemporary literature on aphasia rehabilitation. Conclusions — A thought-provoking viewpoint on the role of AAC in post stroke aphasia rehabilitation is proposed. More specifically, the versatility of AAC strategies is reviewed, with an emphasis on how AAC can be used to empower people with aphasia to fully participate and engage in life activities with increased independence. Moreover, we argue that AAC can be viewed as a dual-purpose tool that can simultaneously serve to drive inter-systemic reorganization resulting in some improved language performance—and perhaps restoration of language function—while offering a communication alternative during inevitable anomic events

The perspectives of augmentative and alternative communication experts on the clinical integration of non-invasive brain-computer interfaces

As brain-computer interface for augmentative and alternative communication access (BCI-AAC) development continues to consider avenues for translation into the clinical setting, the perspectives of clinician experts in AAC should be considered. Therefore, 11 USA-based speech-language pathologists who are experts in AAC completed a semistructured interview along with Likert scale measures to assess their perspectives on BCI-AAC. The interviews and scales explored the potential impact of BCI-AAC, along with barriers and solutions to BCI-AAC implementation. Speech-language pathologists estimated that 1.5% to 50% of their caseload may benefit from BCI-AAC across various settings. Further, identified barriers and solutions included (a) BCI-AAC implementation and support, (b) funding and access, (c) applicability and literacy skills, (d) assessment and training in supporting outcomes, and (e) motivation and customization. Results reinforce and extend existing directions for BCI-AAC translation such as user-centered assessment, stakeholder support, and populations who may benefit from intervention, such as children

A multitemporal remote sensing approach to parsimonious streamflow modeling in a southcentral Texas watershed, USA

International audienceSoil moisture condition plays a vital role in a watershed's hydrologic response to a precipitation event and is thus parameterized in most, if not all, rainfall-runoff models. Yet the soil moisture condition antecedent to an event has proven difficult to quantify both spatially and temporally. This study assesses the potential to parameterize a parsimonious streamflow prediction model solely utilizing precipitation records and multi-temporal remotely sensed biophysical variables (i.e.~from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)/Terra satellite). This study is conducted on a 1420 km2 rural watershed in the Guadalupe River basin of southcentral Texas, a basin prone to catastrophic flooding from convective precipitation events. A multiple regression model, accounting for 78% of the variance of observed streamflow for calendar year 2004, was developed based on gauged precipitation, land surface temperature, and enhanced vegetation Index (EVI), on an 8-day interval. These results compared favorably with streamflow estimations utilizing the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) curve number method and the 5-day antecedent moisture model. This approach has great potential for developing near real-time predictive models for flood forecasting and can be used as a tool for flood management in any region for which similar remotely sensed data are available

Supporting Narrative Retells for People with Aphasia using AAC: Photographs or Line Drawings? Text or No Text?

People with aphasia (PWAs) have demonstrated the ability to learn augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices that employ traditional grid layouts to enhance their communication; however, the process is typically lengthy and yields limited generalization (Fox & Fried-Oken, 2001; Koul & Harding, 1998). In response, researchers have begun to investigate the use of visual scene displays (VSDs) to support the communication interactions of PWAs by capitalizing on their relatively intact episodic memory (Beukelman, Dietz, McKelvey, Hux, & Weissling, in press; Dietz, Beukelman, & McKelvey, 2006a; Dietz, McKelvey, Beukelman, Weissling, & Hux, 2006b; McKelvey, Dietz, Hux, Weissling, & Beukelman, 2007). High-technology VSDs may include various combinations of photographs, text boxes and speak buttons (see Figure 1); however, the specific elements of VSDs that best support the communication of PWAs is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to compare the impact of personally relevant (PR) photographs and line drawings (LDs) as well as the presence of text on four AAC interfaces, on the communication of PWAs during a personal narrative retell task

Supporting Narrative Retells for People with Aphasia using AAC: Photographs or Line Drawings? Text or No Text?

People with aphasia (PWAs) have demonstrated the ability to learn augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices that employ traditional grid layouts to enhance their communication; however, the process is typically lengthy and yields limited generalization (Fox & Fried-Oken, 2001; Koul & Harding, 1998). In response, researchers have begun to investigate the use of visual scene displays (VSDs) to support the communication interactions of PWAs by capitalizing on their relatively intact episodic memory (Beukelman, Dietz, McKelvey, Hux, & Weissling, in press; Dietz, Beukelman, & McKelvey, 2006a; Dietz, McKelvey, Beukelman, Weissling, & Hux, 2006b; McKelvey, Dietz, Hux, Weissling, & Beukelman, 2007). High-technology VSDs may include various combinations of photographs, text boxes and speak buttons (see Figure 1); however, the specific elements of VSDs that best support the communication of PWAs is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to compare the impact of personally relevant (PR) photographs and line drawings (LDs) as well as the presence of text on four AAC interfaces, on the communication of PWAs during a personal narrative retell task

Surface flooding of Antarctic summer sea ice

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Ackley, S. F., Perovich, D. K., Maksym, T., Weissling, B., & Xie, H. Surface flooding of Antarctic summer sea ice. Annals of Glaciology, 61(82), (2020): 117-126, doi:10.1017/aog.2020.22.The surface flooding of Antarctic sea ice in summer covers 50% or more of the sea-ice area in the major summer ice packs, the western Weddell and the Bellingshausen-Amundsen Seas. Two CRREL ice mass-balance buoys were deployed on the Amundsen Sea pack in late December 2010 from the icebreaker Oden, bridging the summer period (January–February 2011). Temperature records from thermistors embedded vertically in the snow and ice showed progressive increases in the depth of the flooded layer (up to 0.3–0.35 m) on the ice cover during January and February. While the snow depth was relatively unchanged from accumulation (<10 cm), ice thickness decreased by up to a meter from bottom melting during this period. Contemporaneous with the high bottom melting, under-ice water temperatures up to 1°C above the freezing point were found. The high temperature arises from solar heating of the upper mixed layer which can occur when ice concentration in the local area falls and lower albedo ocean water is exposed to radiative heating. The higher proportion of snow ice found in the Amundsen Sea pack ice therefore results from both winter snowfall and summer ice bottom melt found here that can lead to extensive surface flooding.This work was supported by the National Science Foundation grant to UTSA, ANT-0839053-Sea Ice System in Antarctic Summer (S.F. Ackley, H. Xie and B. Weissling), and to WHOI, ANT-1341513 (T. Maksym), and by the NASA Center for Advanced Measurements in Extreme Environments or NASA-CAMEE at UTSA, NASA #80NSSC19M0194 (S.F. Ackley, H. Xie, B.Weissling)