Classification of Types of Stuttering Symptoms Based on Brain Activity

Among the non-fluencies seen in speech, some are more typical (MT) of stuttering speakers, whereas others are less typical (LT) and are common to both stuttering and fluent speakers. No neuroimaging work has evaluated the neural basis for grouping these symptom types. Another long-debated issue is which type (LT, MT) whole-word repetitions (WWR) should be placed in. In this study, a sentence completion task was performed by twenty stuttering patients who were scanned using an event-related design. This task elicited stuttering in these patients. Each stuttered trial from each patient was sorted into the MT or LT types with WWR put aside. Pattern classification was employed to train a patient-specific single trial model to automatically classify each trial as MT or LT using the corresponding fMRI data. This model was then validated by using test data that were independent of the training data. In a subsequent analysis, the classification model, just established, was used to determine which type the WWR should be placed in. The results showed that the LT and the MT could be separated with high accuracy based on their brain activity. The brain regions that made most contribution to the separation of the types were: the left inferior frontal cortex and bilateral precuneus, both of which showed higher activity in the MT than in the LT; and the left putamen and right cerebellum which showed the opposite activity pattern. The results also showed that the brain activity for WWR was more similar to that of the LT and fluent speech than to that of the MT. These findings provide a neurological basis for separating the MT and the LT types, and support the widely-used MT/LT symptom grouping scheme. In addition, WWR play a similar role as the LT, and thus should be placed in the LT type

College Based Higher Education: Provenance and Prospects

This opening Chapter attempts to answer the question: ‘What explains college based higher education (CBHE)? Higher education in Further Education Colleges (FECs) is a particular and important form of educational opportunity. With its roots in post-industrial revolution England, CBHE represents a valuable income stream for colleges today, with some getting up to a quarter of their income from HE work. For learners, CBHE is often the only form of higher education open to them, because they are unable to travel due to family or work ties, because a university takes them out of their comfort zone, or simply because they prefer to continue to progress in their educational journey in a familiar, supportive and safe environment. Colleges are engines of social justice and they bring a distinct perspective and set of values to their work. They are known for their inclusiveness, diversity and equal opportunities ethos. The higher education they offer is often aligned closely with their own Level 2 and Level 3 work in particular vocational subjects, which mainly reflects local employment sectors. Much of the provision is vocational, with Higher National Diplomas and Foundation degrees particularly prevalent and popular. The Chapter presents an outline historical framework designed to place further education and college based higher education in their social and policy contexts, and explains how CBHE came to be a mainstream part of government policy for higher education expansion and widening participation. It then moves towards an analysis of the current picture of CBHE and some reflections on the affordances and hindrances for its future flourishing. The Chapter concludes with the hope that future government policies and interventions at least give CBHE a chance to fulfil its real potential to transform the lives of learners and their families whilst recognising its invaluable social and economic impact