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The Role of Executive Function in Developmental Stuttering
No full textDevelopmental stuttering is a complex disorder and children who stutter form a heterogeneous group. Most contemporary researchers would agree that multiple factors, including those associated with linguistic, motor, sensory, and emotional processes, are likely involved in its development and/or maintenance. There is growing evidence, however, that cognitive processes also play a role. In this article, we briefly review behavioral and parent-report studies of executive function in children who stutter, the findings of which have generally suggested that these skills may be challenging for at least some children who stutter. We then consider how deficits in executive function could provide an explanatory account for not only the multifactorial nature of developmental stuttering but also the considerable amount of variability that exists among individuals who stutter
A Critique of Olfactory Objects
No full textDoes the sense of smell involve the perception of odor objects? General discussion of perceptual objecthood centers on three criteria: stimulus representation, perceptual constancy, and figure-ground segregation. These criteria, derived from theories of vision, have been applied to olfaction in recent philosophical debates about psychology. An inherent problem with such framing of olfactory objecthood is that philosophers explicitly ignore the constitutive factors of the sensory systems that underpin the implementation of these criteria. The biological basis of odor coding is fundamentally different from the coding principles of the visual system. This article analyzes the three measures of perceptual objecthood against the biological background of the olfactory system. It contrasts the coding principles in olfaction with the visual system to show why these criteria of objecthood fail to be instantiated in odor perception. The argument demonstrates that olfaction affords perceptual categorization without the need to form odor objects
Speech Rate Effects on VOT in a 3-category Language: Evidence from Hakha Chin
No full textThis study probes the claim made under Laryngeal Realism (e.g., Beckman et al., 2011/2013), by investigating the effect of speech rate on VOT in Hakha Chin. The present study uses the diagnostics of changing the speech rate (Beckman et al., 2011) and examines whether it can be used to find the specified phonological features of a language with a three-way contrast, Hakha Chin. Laryngeal Realism states that the phonological features are privative and that the aspirating language is specified with the feature [spread glottis], while the true voiced language is specified with the feature of [voice]. It has been widely known that the speech rate affects laryngeal stops asymmetrically, and LR authors argue this is because the phonological features are privative rather than binary (e.g. Kessinger & Blumstein, 1997). Methodologically, it attempts to experimentally control the rate variation with the help of a metronome (de Jong, 2001). The present study observes that in Hakha Chin, at a slower rate, the VOT of the prevoiced stop and the aspirated stop increase, while that of the voiceless unaspirated does not, which supports the claims of the LR, but with caveats due to speaker variations
Questions and controversies in the study of time-varying functional connectivity in resting fMRI
No full textThe brain is a complex, multiscale dynamical system composed of many interacting regions. Knowledge of the spatiotemporal organization of these interactions is critical for establishing a solid understanding of the brain’s functional architecture and the relationship between neural dynamics and cognition in health and disease. The possibility of studying these dynamics through careful analysis of neuroimaging data has catalyzed substantial interest in methods that estimate time-resolved fluctuations in functional connectivity (often referred to as “dynamic” or time-varying functional connectivity; TVFC). At the same time, debates have emerged regarding the application of TVFC analyses to resting fMRI data, and about the statistical validity, physiological origins, and cognitive and behavioral relevance of resting TVFC. These and other unresolved issues complicate interpretation of resting TVFC findings and limit the insights that can be gained from this promising new research area. This article brings together scientists with a variety of perspectives on resting TVFC to review the current literature in light of these issues. We introduce core concepts, define key terms, summarize controversies and open questions, and present a forward-looking perspective on how resting TVFC analyses can be rigorously and productively applied to investigate a wide range of questions in cognitive and systems neuroscience
Data visualization literacy: Definitions, conceptual frameworks, exercises, and assessments
No full textIn the information age, the ability to read and construct data visualizations becomes as important as the ability to read and write text. However, while standard definitions and theoretical frameworks to teach and assess textual, mathematical, and visual literacy exist, current data visualization literacy (DVL) definitions and frameworks are not comprehensive enough to guide the design of DVL teaching and assessment. This paper introduces a data visualization literacy framework (DVL-FW) that was specifically developed to define, teach, and assess DVL. The holistic DVL-FW promotes both the reading and construction of data visualizations, a pairing analogous to that of both reading and writing in textual literacy and understanding and applying in mathematical literacy. Specifically, the DVL-FW defines a hierarchical typology of core concepts and details the process steps that are required to extract insights from data. Advancing the state of the art, the DVL-FW interlinks theoretical and procedural knowledge and showcases how both can be combined to design curricula and assessment measures for DVL. Earlier versions of the DVL-FW have been used to teach DVL to more than 8,500 residential and online students, and results from this effort have helped revise and validate the DVL-FW presented here
Introduction: Rendering (Time)
No full textThis special issue of Intermédialités/Intermediality considers the relationship between media, time, and forms of cultural and artistic expression. With the contributions to this issue, we aim to engage closely with an exciting and longstanding research theme that mixes philosophy and media and film studies with work from history, geography, women and gender studies, and the expansive field of environment and ecological studies
SRAssembler: Selective Recursive local Assembly of homologous genomic regions
No full textBackground: The falling cost of next-generation sequencing technology has allowed deep sequencing across related species and of individuals within species. Whole genome assemblies from these data remain high time- and resource-consuming computational tasks, particularly if best solutions are sought using different assembly strategies and parameter sets. However, in many cases, the underlying research questions are not genome-wide but rather target specific genes or sets of genes. We describe a novel assembly tool, SRAssembler, that efficiently assembles only contigs containing potential homologs of a gene or protein query, thus enabling gene-specific genome studies over large numbers of short read samples. Results: We demonstrate the functionality of SRAssembler with examples largely drawn from plant genomics. The workflow implements a recursive strategy by which relevant reads are successively pulled from the input sets based on overlapping significant matches, resulting in virtual chromosome walking. The typical workflow behavior is illustrated with assembly of simulated reads. Applications to real data show that SRAssembler produces homologous contigs of equivalent quality to whole genome assemblies. Settings can be chosen to not only assemble presumed orthologs but also paralogous gene loci in distinct contigs. A key application is assembly of the same locus in many individuals from population genome data, which provides assessment of structural variation beyond what can be inferred from read mapping to a reference genome alone. SRAssembler can be used on modest computing resources or used in parallel on high performance computing clusters (most easily by invoking a dedicated Singularity image). Conclusions: SRAssembler offers an efficient tool to complement whole genome assembly software. It can be used to solve gene-specific research questions based on large genomic read samples from multiple sources and would be an expedient choice when whole genome assembly from the reads is either not feasible, too costly, or unnecessary. The program can also aid decision making on the depth of sequencing in an ongoing novel genome sequencing project or with respect to ultimate whole genome assembly strategies
A consensus guide to capturing the ability to inhibit actions and impulsive behaviors in the stop-signal task
No full textResponse inhibition is essential for navigating everyday life. Its derailment is considered integral to numerous neurological and psychiatric disorders, and more generally, to a wide range of behavioral and health problems. Response-inhibition efficiency furthermore correlates with treatment outcome in some of these conditions. The stop-signal task is an essential tool to determine how quickly response inhibition is implemented. Despite its apparent simplicity, there are many features (ranging from task design to data analysis) that vary across studies in ways that can easily compromise the validity of the obtained results. Our goal is to facilitate a more accurate use of the stop-signal task. To this end, we provide 12 easy-to-implement consensus recommendations and point out the problems that can arise when they are not followed. Furthermore, we provide user-friendly open-source resources intended to inform statistical-power considerations, facilitate the correct implementation of the task, and assist in proper data analysis
Nickel-Catalyzed Arylboration of Alkenylarenes: Synthesis of Boron-Substituted Quaternary Carbons and Regiodivergent Reactions
No full textA method for the construction of boron‐substituted quaternary carbons or diarylquaternary carbons by arylboration of highly substituted alkenylarenes is presented. A wide range of alkenes and arylbromides can participate in this reaction thus allowing for a diverse assortment of products to be prepared. In addition, a solvent dependent regiodivergent arylboration of 1,2‐disubstituted alkenylarenes is presented, thus greatly increasing the scope of products that can be accessed
Integrating Classroom Video Cases into a Teaching Methods Course
No full textThis design case illustrates a three-semester-long curricular and instructional design project focusing on the design and implementation of a technology-enhanced case-based learning experience for pre-service teachers within a teaching methods course. This case highlights the iterative process that a teacher educator and an instructional designer went through to integrate technology-enhanced cases into a methods course and connect them to other aspects of the course experiences, as well as the teacher education program in general. The first part of this case provides an overview of the project, the designers and their personal objectives, design context, information on the online environment and case materials, and ideas, challenges, and differences of the designers shared before the actual design process. The second part of this case presents each phase of our design from the first to the final semester, including the discussions of our goals, issues, results, and reflections