FY 2014 DVRPC Annual Report

Each fiscal year, DVRPC is responsible for issuing an annual report that summarizes the programs and projects that comprise the annual planning work program. This Annual Report features highlights of the Commission's many programs, a message from the Executive Director and Board Chair, a listing of Board members and committees, a financial summary, and a specific project or program in each county and major city in the region

RIA: Selecting Information to Include in Cooperative Task — Oriented Dialogues

The goal of this project was to delevop a technique for selecting information to volunteer in problem solving dialogues. The technique was to create usefulness ratings for information based on the problem solving of the agent that may communicate the information. Heuristics translate specific problem solving activities into contributions to the overall usefulness rating for the information. To this end, our objectives included determining the type of information that should be included in dialogues and implementing heuristics

Clinical utility of the WeeFIM as a mandated outcome measure: Navigating the needs of the organization, client and clinician

Local outpatient pediatric occupational therapists expressed a need for evidence to support the use of the Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM) as a universal measure for evaluations in their facility. We summarized the evidence addressing the psychometrics of the WeeFIM and a comparison instrument, the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI). We ultimately made a recommendation for the PEDI based on its better evidence history for children with autism. The collaborating clinicians received an organizational mandate to implement use of the WeeFIM. We surveyed them to better understand their knowledge translation process. Themes from surveys were inserted into the Knowledge Translation Access Process model (MacDermid & Graham, 2009), and we documented the steps clinicians took to apply the evidence in spite of organizational barriers. Survey results and analysis of knowledge translation suggest that the standardization of the evaluation process is highly valued by clinicians and any shortcomings of the WeeFIM that were identified in the published evidence can be addressed by the use of additional measures

The Agent Institute: Develop an Infrastructure for Agent-Based Research and Development for the State of Maine

This award provides support to establish The Agent Institute (AI), an organization anticipated to become self-sustaining and generally enhance research and development for the State of Maine. The AI will promote interactions between industry and foster computer-technology research, specifically in software development and software-hardware relationships in the area of robotics. Industrial applications in extreme or hazardous environments will be emphasized because agent-based systems are designed to read/sense environmental information, make decisions, and take actions based on the information sensed and processed. The award provides an initial two years of salary support to hire an executive director and an administrative assistant. These individuals will be responsible for developing a series of workshops designed to bring researchers and developers with interests and expertise in agent-based systems together in collaborative projects. Education and outreach efforts will also be part of the AI\u27s mission to bring knowledge about this area to K-12 educators and schools with the goal of encouraging students toward careers in agent-based systems and high technology in general

Multi-Modal Spatial Querying

This project investigates the use of two concurrent communication channels, graphics and speech, to achieve a successful interaction between a person and a geographic information system (GIS). The objective is to construct a multi-modal spatial query language in which users interact with a geographic database by drawing sketches of the desired configuration, while simultaneously talking about the spatial objects and the spatial relations drawn. This study will increase our understanding of multi-modal spatial interactions, and will lead to improved strategies for intelligent integration and processing of such multi-modal spatial queries in a GIS. The key to this interaction is the exploitation of complementary or redundant information present in both graphical and verbal descriptions of the same spatial scenes. A multiple-resolution model of spatial relations is used to capture the essential aspects of a sketch and its corresponding verbal description. The model stresses topological properties, such as containment and neighborhood, and considers metrical properties, such as distance and directions, as refinements where necessary. This model enables the retrieval of similar, not only exact, matches between a spatial query and a geographic database. Such new methods of multi-modal spatial querying and spatial similarity retrieval will empower experts as well as novice users to perform easier spatial searches, ultimately providing new user communities access to spatial databases

The Association between Neuropsychological Functioning and Cognitive Engagement and Their Associations with Reading Achievement in Pediatric Brain Tumor Survivors

Background: Survivorship rates in children with pediatric brain tumors have increased over the last few decades. During the same time period there has been a dramatic increase in the presence of cognitive late effects in survivors (Landier et al., 2004). Neuropsychological late effects are demonstrated across a variety cognitive abilities and may be responsible for impairments in academic functioning seen in survivors (Robinson et al., 2010). Declines in pediatric brain tumor survivors’ academic achievement include a variety of subjects such as math, spelling and reading; however, reading ability is more vulnerable to impairment in this population (Mabbott et al., 2005). In healthy peers, reading achievement is predicted by a variety of neuropsychological processes that survivors often demonstrate deficits in, including intelligence, attention, processing speed, working memory and executive functioning (Best, Miller, & Naglieri, 2011; Evans, Floyd, McGrew, & Leforgee, 2001). While an established link exists between neurocognitive functioning and reading achievement, little is known about how cognitive functioning specifically impacts reading ability. Rose (2005) theorized that cognitive functioning impairs learning if one is unable to use skillful strategies in order to recognize, interpret or select important incoming information. This theory is conceptually related to cognitive engagement, a derivative of school engagement that involves cognitive strategies used during learning (Greene, Miller, Crowson, Duke, & Akey, 2004). Aims: The current study examined the association between neuropsychological functioning and reading achievement in children that recently completed treatment for a brain tumor. More specifically, the study examined associations between working memory, executive functioning and reading achievement. Additionally, indirect effects of working memory and executive functioning on reading achievement through cognitive engagement were evaluated. Methods: This study utilized data collected as part of a longitudinal study of pediatric brain tumor survivors following the completion of tumor-directed treatment. The study sought to identify associations between survivor neuropsychological functioning and indicators of survivor, caregiver and family functioning. Child participants completed a neuropsychological assessment battery along with psychosocial measures immediately following completion of tumor-directed treatment, then at 6 months post-treatment, and again at 1 year post-treatment. Caregivers completed neurobehavioral and psychosocial questionnaires. Results: Lower executive function abilities as assessed by parent-report significantly predicted reduced use of rehearsal- and organization-based cognitive strategies for learning. In contrast, working memory did not reveal any associations with cognitive engagement. Neither overall, nor strategy specific, cognitive engagement mediated the association between executive functioning/working memory and reading achievement. Conclusions: Pediatric brain tumor survivors who display difficulties in executive functioning may also exhibit less use of rehearsal- and organization-based cognitive learning strategies. Coaching of learning strategies implemented by teachers may prove useful in promoting the use of other advantageous learning strategies (e.g., elaboration and critical thinking), and also suppress the use of shallow learning strategies (rehearsal).M.S., Psychology -- Drexel University, 201

Social competence in pediatric brain tumor survivors: application of a model from social neuroscience and developmental psychology.

Pediatric brain tumor (BT) survivors are at risk for psychosocial late effects across many domains of functioning, including neurocognitive and social. The literature on the social competence of pediatric BT survivors is still developing and future research is needed that integrates developmental and cognitive neuroscience research methodologies to identify predictors of survivor social adjustment and interventions to ameliorate problems. This review discusses the current literature on survivor social functioning through a model of social competence in childhood brain disorder and suggests future directions based on this model. Interventions pursuing change in survivor social adjustment should consider targeting social ecological factors

Magnetic field tuning of mechanical properties of ultrasoft PDMS-based magnetorheological elastomers for biological applications

We report tuning of the moduli and surface roughness of magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) by varying applied magnetic field. Ultrasoft MREs are fabricated using a physiologically relevant commercial polymer, SylgardTM 527, and carbonyl iron powder (CIP). We found that the shear storage modulus, Young\u27s modulus, and root-mean-square surface roughness are increased by ∼41×, ∼11×, and ∼11×, respectively, when subjected to a magnetic field strength of 95.5 kA m−1. Single fit parameter equations are presented that capture the tunability of the moduli and surface roughness as a function of CIP volume fraction and magnetic field strength. These magnetic field-induced changes in the mechanical moduli and surface roughness of MREs are key parameters for biological applications

Methylphenidate improves response inhibition but not reflection–impulsivity in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Impulsivity is a cardinal feature of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is thought to underlie many of the cognitive and behavioural symptoms associated with the disorder. Impairments on some measures of impulsivity have been shown to be responsive to pharmacotherapy. However, impulsivity is a multi-factorial construct and the degree to which different forms of impulsivity contribute to impairments in ADHD or respond to pharmacological treatments remains unclear.The aims of the study were to assess the effects of methylphenidate (MPH) on the performance of children with ADHD on measures of reflection-impulsivity and response inhibition and to compare with the performance of healthy volunteers.Twenty-one boys (aged 7-13 years) diagnosed with ADHD underwent a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of MPH (0.5 mg/kg) during which they performed the Information Sampling Task (IST) and the Stop Signal Task. A healthy age- and education-matched control group was tested on the same measures without medication.Children with ADHD were impaired on measures of response inhibition, but did not demonstrate reflection-impulsivity on the IST. However, despite sampling a similar amount of information as their peers, the ADHD group made more poor decisions. MPH improved performance on measures of response inhibition and variability of response, but did not affect measures of reflection-impulsivity or quality of decision-making.MPH differentially affected two forms of impulsivity in children with ADHD and failed to ameliorate their poor decision-making on the information sampling test.</p