Increased Intra-Participant Variability in Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Evidence from Single-Trial Analysis of Evoked EEG

Intra-participant variability in clinical conditions such as autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is an important indicator of pathophysiological processing. The data reported here illustrate that trial-by-trial variability can be reliably measured from EEG, and that intra-participant EEG variability is significantly greater in those with ASD than in neuro-typical matched controls. EEG recorded at the scalp is a linear mixture of activity arising from muscle artifacts and numerous concurrent brain processes. To minimize these additional sources of variability, EEG data were subjected to two different methods of spatial filtering. (i) The data were decomposed using infomax independent component analysis, a method of blind source separation which un-mixes the EEG signal into components with maximally independent time-courses, and (ii) a surface Laplacian transform was performed (current source density interpolation) in order to reduce the effects of volume conduction. Data are presented from 13 high functioning adolescents with ASD without co-morbid ADHD, and 12 neuro-typical age-, IQ-, and gender-matched controls. Comparison of variability between the ASD and neuro-typical groups indicated that intra-participant variability of P1 latency and P1 amplitude was greater in the participants with ASD, and inter-trial α-band phase coherence was lower in the participants with ASD. These data support the suggestion that individuals with ASD are less able to synchronize the activity of stimulus-related cell assemblies than neuro-typical individuals, and provide empirical evidence in support of theories of increased neural noise in ASD

Global and local perceptual style, field-independence, and central coherence: an attempt at concept validation

Historically, the concepts of field-independence, closure flexibility, and weak central coherence have been used to denote a locally, rather globally, dominated perceptual style. To date, there has been little attempt to clarify the relationship between these constructs, or to examine the convergent validity of the various tasks purported to measure them. To address this, we administered 14 tasks that have been used to study visual perceptual styles to a group of 90 neuro-typical adults. The data were subjected to exploratory factor analysis. We found evidence for the existence of a narrowly defined weak central coherence (field-independence) factor that received loadings from only a few of the tasks used to operationalise this concept. This factor can most aptly be described as representing the ability to dis-embed a simple stimulus from a more complex array. The results suggest that future studies of perceptual styles should include tasks whose theoretical validity is empirically verified, as such validity cannot be established merely on the basis of a priori task analysis. Moreover, the use of multiple indices is required to capture the latent dimensions of perceptual styles reliably

Zooming in on CBT supervision: a comparison of two levels of effectiveness evaluation

Clinical supervision is of growing importance professionally, but instruments to measure its effectiveness are scarce. Based on the observational instrument Teachers' PETS, two complementary levels of outcome measurement were used to analyse supervisory effectiveness, namely momentary time sampling (i.e. a micro-analysis of frequencies) and the more molar “change episodes”. Ten audio-taped sessions of routine (baseline; N = 5) and CBT supervision (N = 5; i.e. the intervention phase) were coded with both measures, to assess their relative sensitivity to this manipulation. Improved supervisee learning was detected during the intervention phase by both measures. However, a retrospective comparison between the data within these change episodes and the accompanying non-episode data indicated that the micro level of analysis provided a more sensitive measure of supervisory effectiveness. Technical and conceptual issues arise

The epidemiology of infectious mononucleosis in Northern Scotland : a decreasing incidence and winter peak

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

New Analysis of a Model of Time to Build

We solve a model of time to build, in closed form, for the special case where the only option is commencing investment. The ratio of the optimal to the NPV investment threshold is as in the standard analysis of irreversible investment. We then report numerical solutions for the general case where there is also an option to suspend investment, investigating variation in the time to build, the uncertainty of payoff and the opportunity cost of foregone cashflows. The two options have opposite effects on the optimal investment decision and NPV calculation is sometimes an appropriate guide to investment.Irreversible investment, time to build, numerical solution of partial differential equations.

Rule-Based Exposure Assessment Versus Case-By-Case Expert Assessment Using the Same Information in a Community-Based Study

Background: Retrospective exposure assessment in community-based studies is largely reliant on questionnaire information. Expert assessment is often used to assess lifetime occupational exposures, but these assessments generally lack transparency and are very time-consuming. We explored the agreement between a rule-based assessment approach and case-by-case expert assessment of occupational exposures in a community-based study. Methods: We used data from a case-control study of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in which parental occupational exposures were originally assigned by expert assessment. Key questions were identified from the completed parent questionnaires and, based on these, rules were written to assign exposure levels to diesel exhaust, pesticides, and solvents. We estimated exposure prevalence separately for fathers and mothers, and used Kappa statistics to assess the agreement between the two exposure assessment methods.Results: Exposures were assigned to 5829 jobs among 1079 men and 6189 jobs among 1234 women. For both sexes, agreement was good for the two assessment methods of exposure to diesel exhaust at a job level (κ=0.70 for men and κ=0.71 for women) and at a person level (κ=0.74 and κ=0.75). The agreement was good to excellent for pesticide exposure among men (κ=0.74 for jobs and κ=0.84 at a person level) and women (κ=0.68 and κ=0.71 at a job and person level, respectively). Moderate to good agreement was observed for assessment of solvent exposure, which was better for women than men. Conclusion: The rule-based assessment approach appeared to be an efficient alternative for assigning occupational exposures in a community-based study for a selection of occupational exposures

Young adolescent sleep : a study into the relationship between sleep, well-being, and electronic media use.

Within the sleep literature there is limited data on the normative sleep patterns of young adolescents. The current study will look at the relationship between sleep patterns, well-being, and electronic media use among children of young adolescent age living in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Participants included 164 young adolescents aged 11-12 years-old from intermediate schools in Christchurch and Dunedin. Participants were required to fill out a sleep and activity diary to measure their sleep/wake patterns and electronic media use across a typical school week. Parents and teachers filled out a variety of measures to collect data on anxiety symptoms, externalising and internalising problems, peer relationships, and academic performance. Results showed a number of findings: first, nearly half of participants were taking more than 20 minutes to fall asleep and as a possible consequence were sleeping for less than the recommended nine hours; and less than 10% of children meet criteria for problematic night wakings. This suggests that young adolescents experience problems in initiating sleep rather than maintaining sleep. Second, multiple sleep variables were found to be associated with hyperactive/inattentive behaviours, pro-social behaviours, peer problems, and problems engaging in appropriate behaviours for the classroom environment. Third, exceeding the two hour recommended limit for electronic media use on mobile phones and tablet/MP3 players was associated with later sleep onset times and insufficient sleep. Computer/game console use was associated with a delayed sleep phase, whilst television viewing was only associated with later wake up times and night wakings. The results of the present study indicate that sleep is crucial for young adolescent school time well-being, with many young adolescents obtaining insufficient sleep possibly due to their use of electronic media

Personality Type and Language Learning Strategy use by University Students: Where the MBTI and SILL Intersect

This thesis explores the relationship between personality type, as defined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (“MBTI®”), and the learning strategies employed by learners enrolled in undergraduate foreign language courses at the University of Waterloo. The R.L. Oxford© Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (“SILL”) version 5.1, designed specifically for speakers of English learning a new language, will be used by participants to self-assess current learning strategies (Oxford, 1990). The quantitative portion of the study cross tabulates the data generated from these two electronically administered surveys in an attempt to identify clusters of personality types and learning strategies and determine if any statistically significant correlations between personality type and student learning strategies exist. This study could not prove a higher percentages of any particular type(s) tends to enrol in second language acquisition courses, nor that a corresponding or any set of preferred learning strategies are used. An exploratory research approach is taken for the qualitative portion of the study to examine the language used by participants when answering non-prompted open-ended questions. Specifically, keywords and common phrases from the responses are used to determine if they are predictive of an MBTI type preference. The language the participants used to respond to the short answer questions did not point toward any type preferences; however, a more detailed examination with larger writing samples may be warranted to confirm this finding

3D printing education as a means of building confidence and preparing children for skills considered necessary for the 21st century: A grounded theory study verified by empirical research

This thesis aims to demonstrate children’s engagement with 3D printing technologies in 3D printing workshops through a large study of children. This will provide qualitative and empirical evidence which supports the benefits of making for children and advocates the use of 3D printing technologies within educational settings. This thesis challenges the common narrative that making is a fundamental human trait. It proposes that making should be understood on a spectrum between making for necessity and making for leisure. This illustrates the diversity of experiences making offers. It provides a thorough and informed perspective on how 3D printing can be used successfully in project-based learning within classroom settings. The study presents empirical data from 3011 participants across 247 workshops and shows which reported behaviours are common to all 3D printing workshops. Further, this study demonstrates the impact the workshop environment has on these behaviours. Additionally, the analysed data shows that motivations for making can be categorised as social-based or learning-based. This provides maker-spaces with an alternative perspective of the motivations to participate in making and to promote access. This thesis presents the first empirical study of children and making and is also the largest known study at time of writing related to this field. It offers an alternative interpretation of maker practices to make making more inclusive and presents evidence that 3D printing pens are valuable tools for introducing children to 3D printing. Furthermore, a sample lesson plan is included in the appendix which highlights how 3D printing can be successfully included in the classroom. Finally, proposes, using empirical data, that 3D printing workshops develop skills considered essential for 21st Century learners