Embodiment as a means for scaffolding young childrenʼs social skill acquisition

In this paper, we discuss the notion of embodiment in the context of the ECHOES project, which aims at developing a multi-modal interactive environment for scaffolding young typically developing (TD) children and children with Asperger Syndrome (AS) in acquiring social interaction skills. Whilst, our approach to embodiment is in line with the current HCI trends, the pedagogical nature of ECHOES and the specific target users pose unusual challenges to the design and implementation of embodied interaction

Understanding the impact of lifestyle on the academic performance of middle- and high-school students

This paper presents a path analysis investigating the direct and indirect influence of lifestyle on academic performance for middle-school and high-school students. The correlation between the following sets of variables are studied: (a) lifestyle and stress; (b) stress and obesity; (c) lifestyle and obesity; (d) lifestyle on academic performance; (e) stress on academic performance; and (f) obesity on academic performance. Adolescent students from 18 schools in India participated in this study. While academic performance is estimated using GPA, questionnaires are used to capture the lifestyle habits of students as well as to assess various forms of stressors such as academic, psychological and health-related. Our results suggest that, a healthier lifestyle is positively correlated to academic performance, while high-stress level has a negative influence. A significant negative relationship is observed between lifestyle and stress, and stress and obesity are observed to be positively related. Obesity, surprisingly, is not a significant predictor of student academic performance for the collected survey data. Our investigation further exposes the need to consider lifestyle in future research.Includes bibliographical references

Intellectual Property Rights in Malaysia

In the light of Malaysia's determination to move into the Information Age by the turn of the century, mainly through the development of the Multimedia Super Corridor, it is important to evaluate the role of the Intellectual Property Rights in Malaysia. This paper, therefore,traces the development of laws in respect of Intellectual Property Rights in Malaysia and the problem faced in ensuring that the conflicting interests in the free flow of information and the need for protection of individual proprietary rights are balanced. The objective of the study is to examine the ways and means used for striking a balance between free flow of information and the protection of individual rights. The methodology adopted is exploratory and comparative. It is exploratory owing to the novelty of the subject matter and comparative as the experiences of advanced nations in this field are drawn upon to enable an appropriate model to be developed for Malaysia. As Intellectual Property Rights are related to information technology, which is charactarised by change and challenge, the issues involved, like those inherent in the Internet and the place of the consumer in these Rights, are noted. Overall, the observance of Intellectual Property Rights is expected to provide Malaysia with an edge in the competitive world of international trade and move Malaysian economy to a service orientated one through the Multimedia Super Corridor. In addition, the promotion of Intellectual Property Rights and the development of the Multimedia Super Corridor signals the move towards an immersion into information technology to stay abrest/ahead of developments in the fast approaching process of globalisation

Matter wave switching in Bose-Einstein condensates via intensity redistribution soliton interactions

Using time dependent nonlinear (s-wave scattering length) coupling between the components of a weakly interacting two component Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), we show the possibility of matter wave switching (fraction of atoms transfer) between the components via shape changing/intensity redistribution (matter redistribution) soliton interactions. We investigate the exact bright-bright N-soliton solution of an effective one-dimensional (1D) two component BEC by suitably tailoring the trap potential, atomic scattering length and atom gain or loss. In particular, we show that the effective 1D coupled Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equations with time dependent parameters can be transformed into the well known completely integrable Manakov model described by coupled nonlinear Schr\"odinger (CNLS) equations by effecting a change of variables of the coordinates and the wave functions under certain conditions related to the time dependent parameters. We obtain the one-soliton solution and demonstrate the shape changing/matter redistribution interactions of two and three soliton solutions for the time independent expulsive harmonic trap potential, periodically modulated harmonic trap potential and kink-like modulated harmonic trap potential. The standard elastic collision of solitons occur only for a specific choice of soliton parameters.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figures, 1 tabl

A study on Cognitive Profile in Idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease

INTRODUCTION: Parkinson‟s disease (PD) is a degenerative disease named after James Parkinson (1755-1824) who described this condition in his publication in 1817 called „Essay on Shaking Palsy. Among the neurodegenerative diseases it ranks second after Alzheimer‟s disease (AD). It is more common in the elderly, although early onset disease is well known. It has characteristic clinical features of bradykinesia and at least one the following: muscular rigidity, 4-6Hz. rest tremor and postural instability. Diagnosis is usually made by the well validated criteria called “UKPDS” (UK Parkinson‟s Disease Society Brain Bank criteria). Apart from motor manifestations there are number of non-motor manifestations which is a common source of disability in PD. AIM OF THE STUDY: 1. To identify the range of cognitive impairment if any inpatients with Idiopathic Parkinson‟s disease. 2. To identify subclinical cognitive impairment in newly diagnosed idiopathic Parkinson‟s disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 100 patients with Idiopathic Parkinson‟s disease who attended Neurological services at Rajiv Gandhi Govt. General hospital, Chennai were included for the study. Study Design: Single centre, non- randomized prospective study. Study Period: Study was conducted between September 2012 and January 2014. Ethical committee approval was obtained. Inclusion Criteria: Newly diagnosed patients with Idiopathic Parkinson‟s disease aged between 55and 75 years and not started on anti parkinsonian drugs were included for the study. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Very ill patients (moribund state), 2. Presence of depression (pseudodementia), behavior disorders or delirium, 3. Symptomatic parkinsonism dementia complex [vascular, tumor, NPH], 4. Coincident degenerative dementia like AD. 5. Degenerative diseases presenting with Parkinsonism and dementia namely Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), Cortico basal degeneration (CBD) and Dementia in Lewy body disease (DLB). 6. Vascular risk factors like Diabetes mellitus, Hypertension and also history of stroke RESULTS: The total number of patients included in the study was 100. The parameters analysed were Age, Duration of illness, Educational status, Hoehn and Yahr stage, and UPDRS score. Each of these parameters was compared with the individual cognitive scalenamely MMSE, ACE-R scale, MoCA and FAB test. Other non- motor manifestations quoted in the review of literature like behavioural disturbances, psychosis, mood disorders, sleep disorders, autonomic disturbances, sensory disturbances and sensation of smell are beyond the scope of this study, and therefore were not analyzed. CONCLUSION: 1. Patients with Parkinson‟s disease were found to have cognitive impairment on formal neuropsychological testing, though they do not show functional restriction in activities of daily living. 2. There is clear linear relationship between age of patients and duration of illness in developing cognitive impairment. 3. Mild cognitive impairment is seen in early stages of Parkinson‟s disease. This is observed even in patients with low score for UPDRS and Hoehn and Yahr scales. This trend is reflected across all domains of cognitive testing used. This is particularly so with the frontal lobe functions and less so with testing for fluency and language. 4. Frank dementia however, was found only in proportion of patients especially those with more advanced disease. 5. This study highlights the importance of screening of cognition in patients with Parkinson‟s disease. If cognitive impairment is found, it will help to intervene in the early stages of the illness

Manimekalai, an Honest person who has conquered Desire

As evidenced by the multiplicity of the Tamil race, with its rich language and primitive landscape, it has many human personalities within itself. In particular, in order to organize the changing social disciplines, it not only holds on to the poets of the epic period to face external pressures and various doctrinal upheavals but also approaches them, scrutinizes them, provides new messages, and preserves the form of thought from changing. In a society that has become monocultural, a woman burns her modesty to overcome hunger. Manimekalai, the descendent of Kovalan, who had Kannagi and the ascetic Madhavi as her mothers and who considered art to be the equivalent of life, shook this monoculture on that very day itself. She was shaken by unceasing grace. This hardened and stoned society shed a lot, but it was a single culture that blossomed, ripened, became a seed, and spread. It is not only because of Manimekalai's sufferings but also because of society's unavoidable great compassion that Manimekalai is still regarded as inevitable even today. On this basis, this study is a descriptive one as it compares women's sufferings, feminist ideas, and Tamil traditions with Manimekalai, an incomparable story. Manimekalai did not stop offering motherhood to all with her eternal mercy also, with her Amudha Surabhi (a vessel that gives inexhaustible food), she removed the hunger pangs of thousands of people. People like Manimekalai do not stop with these gestures. On the contrary, the purpose of this study is to explain why she continues to be established as an exemplary woman in the land of Tamil

Change in the room temperature magnetic property of ZnO upon Mn doping

We present in this paper the changes in the room temperature magnetic property of ZnO on Mn doping prepared using solvo-thermal process. The zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) magnetisation of undoped ZnO showed bifurcation and magnetic hysteresis at room temperature. Upon Mn doping the magnetic hysteresis at room temperature and the bifurcation in ZFC-FC magnetization vanishes. The results seem to indicate that undoped ZnO is ferromagnetic while on the other hand the Mn doped ZnO is not a ferromagnetic system. We observe that on addition of Mn atoms the system shows antiferromagnetism with very giant magnetic moments.Comment: 5 figure

Analytical model of wave propagation in piezo thermo elastic multilayered PZT5A/LEMV/SWCNT/LEMV/PZT5A circular cylinder

In this study we revised the axisymmetric vibration of an infinite thermo piezoelectric composite circular hollow cylinder made of inner and outer thermo piezoelectric layer bonded together by a Linear Elastic Material with Voids (LEMV) and Single Walled carbon Nano Tube (SWCNT) is studied. The frequency equations are obtained for the traction free outer surface with continuity conditions at the interfaces. The equations of motion, heat and electric conduction also exactly solved. Numerical results are carried out for the inner and outer hollow piezoelectric layers bonded by LEMV and SWCNT layers. The dispersion curves are compared with core/LEMV/core, core cylinders