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Background Factors impacting parents’ selection of interventions for their child on the autism spectrum need to be understood in order to better support decision-making. The aim of the current study was to explore parent-reported influences on decisions. Method A sample of 14 Australian parents (13 mothers; 1 father) of a child (4–11 years) diagnosed on the autism spectrum were interviewed about their decisions regarding the use of interventions. A thematic analysis was used to identify prominent themes. Findings A total of three themes, comprising 11 subthemes were identified. The primary themes were: finding interventions; meeting child and family needs; and acceptability and access. Conclusion Parents’ responses highlighted influences on decisions to use evidence-based practices (e.g., behavioural therapies and social skills programs), as well as those with limited empirical support (e.g., animal-assisted therapy and dietary intervention). Influences frequently reported in extant research were reported by parents in this study (e.g., recommendations, logistics of access, and children’s individual needs) as well as issues that warrant further investigation (e.g., coping with challenges and stress, importance of intervention intensity, and consideration of the whole family).

Assessment plays an important role in first-year students’ transition to university, influencing how they learn. Poorly designed assessment can be demotivating and may even cause students to withdraw from university. An early low-stakes assessment task is recommended in first year, to provide information to students and staff on student progress, provide students with a positive experience and help them prepare for future assessments. This paper reports on first-year students’ experiences of two different early assessment tasks for two disciplines, one using an online quiz and the other a ‘research challenge’ that served as a precursor to writing an essay. The paper also presents lecturers’ reflections on what they learned, what they would change and the implications for others planning early assessment tasks for first years. Finally, ideas for future research are provided.

The most commonly reported reading profile for children with a high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) is one of intact decoding combined with reduced reading comprehension. Whether or not the variables that predict decoding and reading comprehension for children with a HFASD are exactly the same as those identified for a non-ASD population is unknown. Therefore, the ability of cognition, phonological processing, oral language, and vision to predict decoding and reading comprehension was investigated. Regression analysis revealed that cognition, phonological processing, and syntax predicted decoding and reading comprehension for the HFASD and non-ASD groups. One notable difference was that semantics predicted literacy for the non-ASD children but not their HFASD peers.

Joints in finite element models (FEMs) are often either ignored or simplified using linear assumptions. When experimental modal analysis is performed to validate the accuracy of FEMs, the experiments are usually performed at low excitation energies to minimize excitation of nonlinear properties within a structure. When finite element models are calibrated to low excitation level modal tests, they may not be suited for predicting high excitation level environments. This study was conducted to determine, for a particular set of hardware, how results from a low excitation level modal test compare to results for a high excitation level modal test. A set of simplified hardware, in which cones are connected through a threaded joint, was developed for this study and was subjected to random excitations as well as controlled-force step-sine testing to investigate the effects of joint linearity across different excitation levels. The goal of this work is to obtain a point of reference for how much error would be associated with a FEM, calibrated to low excitation level modal data, if the FEM was used to predict responses at a higher excitation level. Using this information, it can be determined if a linear FEM is appropriate for predicting responses or if nonlinearities need to be incorporated into the model.

In this presentation, the author offers some considerations of the meaning of Jesus in the light of the patriarchy of his time and place. The essay begins with a consideration of the domestic domain as the root of patriarchal culture. The domestic domain provides the first experiences of power and control, of male and female gender roles. Individual identity is initially formed within the family, which reflects the prevailing social system. The Gospels share the patriarchal perspective of the first-century Mediterranean world. It is in this world that the gospel tradition tells of Jesus' introducing a family based on belief, not on blood. In the light of Jesus' death and resurrection, and presuming the patriarchal understanding of what consatitutes power and control, the evangelists tell how Jesus introduced the kingdom of God. His life and teaching reflect the perspective and values which reflect the family where God is father and the Kingdom in which God rules. The outcome is a new identity that his followers are called to emulate in both their private and their public lives.

In the present study, the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) was administered to symptomatic HIV+ (n = 31), asymptomatic HIV+ (n = 94), and HIV-normal control (HIV-NC) (n = 40) subjects to assess the prevalence and nature of their verbal memory deficits. Symptomatic HIV+ subjects were significantly impaired relative to HIV-control subjects on CVLT measures of acquisition and retention, and were significantly less likely than control subjects to use a semantic clustering strategy to support recall. The performance of the asymptomatic HIV+ subjects fell between those of the symptomatic HIV+ subjects and HIV-controls on almost every CVLT measure. A linear discriminant function analysis (DFA) was used to compare the performances of these three groups to Alzheimer's disease (AD), Huntington's disease (HD), and normal control (NC) subjects on three CVLT measures, including total recall over five learning trials, intrusion errors, and a derived score of delayed recognition discriminability minus the...

It is generally recommended that toothbrushes should be replaced after three-months' use in order to maintain efficacy. This clinical investigation employed a single-use, cross-over study and a three-month parallel-group study to investigate the effect of toothbrush wear on plaque and gingival health. Toothbrushes were artificially worn using a laboratory wear machine to simulate three months of clinical toothbrush use. Results from the single-use study showed that both the new and the worn toothbrushes significantly reduced whole mouth, marginal and approximal plaque scores from pre- to post-brushing (p0.0001). The new brush was, however, significantly more effective than the worn brush, demonstrating 13.4%, 11.0%, and 17.0% greater plaque reduction for whole mouth, marginal and approximal sites, respectively (p0.0001). Results from the three-month study confirmed this finding, with significant differences in plaque reduction (p0.0001) between the new and worn toothbrushes at 6 and 12 weeks for all sites. A significant difference (p0.0001) between the groups was also found for mean whole mouth gingivitis scores; this difference favoring the new brush at both 6 and 12 weeks. Examination of hard and soft oral tissues revealed no significant difference between the new and the worn brushes with respect to safety. It is concluded that a worn toothbrush is less effective than a new toothbrush for plaque removal and control of gingivitis.

We evaluated the effectiveness of spiral hexagonal keratotomy in correcting primary hyperopia in 199 eyes. One hundred eighty-four eyes (92.5%) had a minimum follow-up of three months. Mean follow-up was 11.9 months and maximum, 36.2 months. Secondary astigmatic keratotomy was performed on 54 eyes six to eight months after initial hexagonal surgery to correct induced astigmatism. The mean reduction in spherical equivalent was −1.6 ± 0.9 diopters (D) (range −5.6 to + 0.9 D). The mean increase in refractive cylinder was +0.5 ± 0.9 D (range −2.3 to +3.0 D). Uncorrected acuity improved by +3.2 lines, while best corrected acuity decreased slightly by -0.26 lines. Loss of two or more lines of best corrected acuity that was attributable to surgery was between 0.5% and 4.0%.

Due to the large variance in needs, skills, and characteristics of learning disabled adults, there is confusion concerning how vocational counselors can most effectively help clients with specific learning disabilities (SLD) establish fulfilling careers. This situation is further complicated by the fact that employers are resistant to hiring SLD adults. This paper provides: (1) an overview of SLD including a definition, legal considerations, and the impact of employer resistance; (2) guidelines for distinguishing between 3 types of SLD adults-those with mild, moderate, and severe learning disabilities in relation to 3 factors; and (3) a section pertaining specifically to the counseling needs of the SLD adult.

A number of T cell functions were followed in mice after thymectomy in adult life. It was found that T cells involved in these functions could be divided roughly into two subpopulations: one whose activity was relatively long-lived (longer than 20 weeks) and one, relatively short-lived (on the order of a few weeks). In the long-lived class were those T cells involved in the helper function in the primary IgM and IgG responses to SRBC in vivo and in vitro. Priming for the secondary demonstration of helper activity or delayed hypersensitivity specific for SRBC seemed to involve both classes, although the contribution from the short-lived class was greater. These findings are consistent with models for T cell heterogeneity in which a short-lived population of T cells contains precursors distinct from a second long-lived population containing memory cells. Both classes can apparently contribute to a pool of activated effector cells in a process driven by antigenic stimulation.

Sleep-activity patterns were objectively recorded over a 24-hr period in 19 elderly nursing home residents. On average, both sleep and wake times were observed during every hour of the 24 recorded hours; however, the sleep pattern of the residents was fragmented so that they rarely experienced even a single hour of consolidated time spent sleeping. It is hypothesized that several independent factors, including compensation for lost sleep, increased total time in bed, weakening of social constraints, and deterioration of the circadian sleep-wake rhythm, are interacting to produce this increase in sleep fragmentation.