Teaching Children With Mild to Moderate Intellectual Disabilities to Select and Produce Facial Expressions of Emotion Using Modelling and Feedback

The ability to produce facial expressions accurately is essential for effective communication of thoughts and feelings. Children need to select the facial expression to produce in a given situation, while considering the social context, and produce it accurately. This is especially important for children with intellectual disabilities who often experience difficulties in verbal communication. The purpose of this study was to investigate ways of teaching children with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities to select and produce facial expressions appropriate to various situations. The theoretical framework of this study suggests that providing facial modelling and mirror feedback to children will increase the accuracy with which children with intellectual disabilities select and product facial expressions of emotion. Forty children were presented with six vignettes, and were asked to respond by selecting and producing an appropriate facial expression. A 2 (modelling: present or absent) x 2 (mirror: present or absent) x 3 (facial expression: happiness, disgust and surprise) design was used, in which mirror and modelling were between-subjects variables, and facial expression was a within-subjects variable. Effects of the modelling, but not the mirror, produced significant increases in children\u27s selection and production of facial expressions. Happiness was found to be the easiest expression to produce. Disgust was found to be more difficult than happiness, while surprise was more difficult than disgust to produce. Both surprise and disgust were improved significantly by the modelling, and it was concluded that modelling is an effective and inexpensive technique for teaching social skills in the classroom

Precipitation of Gold, Silver, and Copper from Cyanide Solutions on Activated Charcoal.

Charcoal has been known for a considerable length of time to have the property of recovering gold, silver, and copper from cyanide solutions of these metals. Quantita­tive data that may shed light on the mechanism of the re­moval of these metals is very limited except that char­coal in a form known as activated has the power to abstract gold and silver in considerable quantities from the above solutions

L’hydrothérapie : une approche globale de traitement en physiothérapie

Travail d'intégration réalisé dans le cadre du cours PHT-6113.Introduction: L'hydrothérapie est une modalité de traitement combinant l’effet de l’immersion en milieu aquatique et celui de l’exercice thérapeutique. Elle est sous-utilisée et peu de protocoles et de guides de pratique sont disponibles actuellement. Objectifs: Utiliser les meilleures données probantes pour développer une banque d’exercices aquatiques et la rendre accessible sur page web. Méthodologie: Recherche dans les bases de données: Pubmed, Cochrane, PEDro, Medline, CINAHL, Embase (1946-2012). Les mots-clés utilisés sont: hydrotherapy, aquatic therapy, osteoarthritis, knee, hip, joint replacement, back, lumbar, chronic, brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, motor skill disorder, fibromyalgia, elderly, aged, balance, water-based exercise. Résultats: La littérature recommande en moyenne 3 séances d’hydrothérapie par semaine. L'intensité des entrainements varie et les séances durent de 20 à 60 minutes selon les clientèles. Des exercices aérobiques, de mobilité articulaire, de renforcement, d'équilibre et de souplesse composent les différents programmes. Une température thermo-neutre s'applique à toutes les clientèles, sauf pour les individus atteints de sclérose en plaques. Pour les clientèles étudiées, l'hydrothérapie a démontré des effets bénéfiques sur la qualité de vie, la douleur, la fonction, la force musculaire et l'endurance cardiovasculaire. Conclusion: Bien que des effets positifs aient été démontrés, les paramètres d'entrainement ne sont pas toujours bien définis. Pour certaines clientèles, le manque d'évidences limite l'élaboration de recommandations précises. Le jugement du clinicien est donc indispensable pour déterminer les paramètres optimaux. L'hydrothérapie est une avenue de traitement accessible et prometteuse pour diverses clientèles et d’autres études sont nécessaires afin de tirer de meilleures conclusions

The prevalence of physical, sexual and mental abuse among adolescents and the association with BMI status

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Studies among adults show an association between abuse and Body Mass Index (BMI) status. When an aberrant BMI status as a consequence of abuse is already prevalent in adolescence, early detection and treatment of abuse might prevent these adolescents from developing serious weight problems and other long-term social, emotional and physical problems in adulthood. Therefore, this study investigated the prevalence of physical, sexual and mental abuse among adolescents and examined the association of these abuse subtypes with BMI status.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In total, data of 51,856 secondary school students aged 13–16 who had completed a questionnaire on health, well-being and lifestyle were used. BMI was classified into four categories, underweight, normal weight, overweight and obesity. Adolescents reported if they had ever been physically, sexually or mentally abused. Crude and adjusted General Estimation Equation (GEE) analyses were performed to investigate the association between abuse subtypes and BMI status. Analyses were adjusted for ethnicity and parental communication, and stratified for gender and educational level.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Eighteen percent of the adolescents reported mental abuse, 7% reported sexual abuse, and 6% reported physical abuse. For underweight, overweight and obese adolescents these percentages were 17%, 25%, and 44%; 7%, 8%, and 16%; and 6%, 8%, 18% respectively. For the entire population, all these subtypes of abuse were associated with being overweight and obese (OR=3.67, 1.79 and 1.50) and all but sexual abuse were associated with underweight (OR=1.21 and 1.12). Stratified analyses showed that physical and sexual abuse were significantly associated with obesity among boys (OR=1.77 and 2.49) and among vocational school students (OR=1.60 and 1.69), and with underweight among girls (OR=1.26 and 0.83).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Mental abuse was reported by almost half of the obese adolescents and associated with underweight, overweight and obesity. Longitudinal analyses are recommended to explore the causality of and the mechanisms explaining this association between abuse and overweight.</p

Investigating The Phenomenology Of Design Objects Within A Specific Environment

The research is located within the wider context of design and creative practice, specifically: interior design, exhibition design, and curatorial practice. The research addresses the experience of the viewer as they move through an exhibition of painting and objects originally associated with the Italian High Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. The work proposes a way to use phenomenological perspectives, drawn from the work of Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger, to conceive the experience of the viewer relative to exhibited design objects. The work also proposes a way to curate this experience without instructing the viewer on the meaning of the objects and how they should be understood. This curation aims to introduce the viewer to an experience of the objects that is distinctively their own. It is addressed specifically to design objects with the aim of informing curatorial practice in this field. By presenting the objects within the context of an exhibition intended to provoke a phenomenological experience whereby symbolism, history or interpretation by the viewer are considered to be unnecessary, or indeed actively discouraged, the objects become liberated and able to present themselves to the viewer as they are themselves - unfettered by any requirement of understanding by the viewer. The objects present to the viewer, rather than adopting the familiar exhibition protocol where the viewer interrogates the objects. In this revised condition, the relationship between artefact and viewer may become meaningful without that meaning having been constructed by the provision of any external information. The painting bringing focus to both the research and the exhibition is The Feast of the Gods painted in 1514 by Giovanni Bellini with additions to the background in 1529 by Titian. A number of domestic objects are represented within the painting, three of which have been selected for consideration within the exhibition: a Ming dynasty porcelain bowl, a silver wine cup, and a Murano glass, wheel-cut beaker. The painting and objects form the basis of the research exhibition designed to bring the viewer not only to a new experience of objects but to a phenomenological experience of objects, achieved by directing the viewer on their journey through the exhibition where the objects are disengaged from the context of the painting prior to being presented within a series of their own phenomenological ‘worlds’. The phenomenological account of experience may then be used to develop new understanding relating to the presentation of design objects and the viewer's experience of them

Do You Know What You Are Eating in the Dining Hall?: Alleviating Fear of the Freshman Fifteen

College freshmen at WPI enter into a place where they have no idea what they are truly eating, after living at home where ingredients and nutritional facts are almost always accessible. Being ill-informed about the nutritional facts of what they are eating on a daily basis can result in unhealthy eating habits causing problems even greater than weight gain

Enhancing E-Learning at the Polytechnic of Namibia

In our project, sponsored by the Centre for Teaching and Learning, we helped increase e-learning awareness and adoption at the Polytechnic of Namibia. Through surveys, interviews, and observations we identified factors that inhibited its successful implementation. We accomplished our goals by creating pamphlets and posters, designing a new theme for the e-learning website, and offering information sessions about e-learning. We also formed guidelines for mobile and social network integration, and support mechanisms for the future of the university's e-learning system

Dynamic Device for Real Time Acquisition of Angular Flexion of the Knee Joint During Race Walking

This project report describes the design, construction, and testing of a device that measures knee flexion angle for the competitive sport of Race Walking. The goal is to provide the sport with a means of indisputable angular measurement for the purpose of improved rule enforcement. The device is designed to aid both judging officials and competitors alike in their respective training through real time accurate angular readout with both visual and audible alerts. Data analysis compares the three angular measurement mediums: the human eye, the device, and high-definition video recording. The results of this analysis show general agreement for all modes, complemented by personal recommendations for future improvements