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Comparing Behavioral Interventions and Sensory Integration Therapy to Improve Occupational Performance in Children with Autism
No full textChildren with autism spectrum disorder often receive ABA therapy to improve occupational performance limited by sensory processing deficits. However, sensory integration interventions have also been proven effective within this population. This modified systematic review examined “How does sensory integration therapy compare to behavioral interventions (e.g., ABA) in children diagnosed with ASD to improve occupational performance?” Our initial comprehensive search consisted of an extensive database search for relevant studies using the following search terms: children, autism spectrum disorder or ASD, ABA, sensory integration, and occupational performance. Searches yielded a broad range of articles, which were then further examined in meeting the inclusion criteria of articles consisting of participants of ages between preschool (3/4yrs) to 18yrs and diagnosed with ASD, that are peer-reviewed, published in English, published between February 1, 2015- now, and that evaluate/utilize sensory integration based or behavioral-based interventions to analyze occupational performance/occupation-based related outcomes. Excluded articles consisted of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and dissertations, and studies that were not published in English, included participants older than adults and were not diagnosed with ASD, published before February 1, 2015, and that did not evaluate/utilize sensory integration based or behavioral-based interventions to analyze occupational performance or occupation-based related outcomes. Overall, 15 articles were selected and included in the review, demonstrating moderate to low levels of evidence. The findings revealed potentially positive outcomes of ABA therapy/sensory integration in improving occupational performance and displayed receptiveness in incorporating more sensory-driven activities within the practice. Additional research is needed to address the benefits of ABA therapy and sensory integration in improving occupational performance in children with Autism
Modular and Scalable Biosignal Learning Platform
No full textBiosignal acquisition and processing are fundamental skills for students in bioengineering fields. However, existing tools fall into two main categories. Low-cost biosignal sensors are accessible and affordable, but suffer from a large amount of noise which inhibits effective learning. On the other hand, high-end laboratory-grade systems provide clean and reliable signals but are prohibitively expensive, impractical for widespread use, and are designed as “black box” systems, with fully encapsulated signal processing and noise rejection circuits. This disconnect limits students’ abilities to learn and engage with EMG and other biosignal processing techniques, especially students with limited background knowledge of electronics and complicated circuit diagrams. To address this issue we propose a modular and scalable biosignal learning platform designed to bridge the gap between low-cost and high-end systems. The prototype uses an advanced lab kit that records EMG signals to control a prosthetic gripper. The learning platform integrates a printed circuit board (PCB) for each signal processing stage (e.g., amplification, notch filtering, low-pass filtering), with clearly marked inputs and outputs that allow students to visualize the effect of each stage on the biosignal. This setup allows students to individually test stages or build other systems using preexisting PCBs. This modular architecture allows students of all skill levels to gain hands-on experience with signal processing while tracking the different stages that the signal goes through without the need to be an expert in electronics and circuit design
Groundskeeping as a Theoretical Framework: Understanding the Experiences of an Emerging Discipline-Based Education Researcher
Get PDFGroundskeeping is a supportive leadership style that combines mentorship, institutional change, and leadership to support individuals at the intersection of their personal aspirations and an organization’s needs. This paper uses a theoretical framework of groundskeeping and applies it to the experiences of Robert, an Emerging Discipline-Based Education Researcher (EDBER) who wanted to do physics education research. In this instrumental case study, we explore how the environmental, human-centered, and anti-deficit philosophical principles of groundskeeping manifest in the interpersonal and structural supports that facilitated Robert’s transition into education research. We highlight how creating a new entry-point into Discipline-Based Education Research, providing professional development, and facilitating collaboration nurtured Robert. The case study shows a need for balance between integrating newcomers into existing education research norms and advocating for systemic changes to foster inclusive and thriving research environments
Mobilizing Discord on the United States’ Many Borders: Critical Social Science and Geopolitical Complexity
Get PDFAttention to the political landscape connecting the United States, Mexico, and Central America has returned with glaring intensity, highlighting the visibly geostrategic elements of bordering practice. Scholars have focused on how state power materializes at multiple scales while at the same time being attentive to the contestable and mutable nature of myriad agentic forces. This talk operates similarly by considering prospects for a frictional and at times ambiguous spatial politics. I extend the notion of discord as a productive lens through which to consider securitization, mobility, and migration. I use two short examples—the border-industrial complex and migrant caravans—to illustrate my theoretical concept. Discordance—replete with disagreement, cacophony, and complementarity—disrupts conformist tendencies to analyze mobilities as mere effects of larger systems that unfold coherently, asking us to instead hold possibility and peril together. Dwelling in the frictions of discord directs attention to sites and processes not previously legible as political
The Effect of Using Pelvic Floor Exercises Administered Through a Smartphone Application in Postpartum Women with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Get PDFPelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) affects 50% of postpartum women and can lead to pelvic pain, stress urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, or sexual dysfunction (Grimes, 2023). The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to determine if the implementation of pelvic floor exercise (PFE) as guided by a smartphone application, to improve adherence and technique of exercises, will improve PFD symptoms and quality of life (QOL). At an OBGYN clinic in northern Indiana, all women who presented for their 6-week postpartum appointment were screened for PFD with the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory (PFDI-20) and QOL with the Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire (PFIQ-7). A total of 18 women were recruited to participate and a total of 17 women completed the project. To achieve a reduction in PFD symptoms and an improvement in QOL, a smartphone application, Squeezy Connect©, was used to guide participants through PFE three times a day for three months to promote proper technique. Squeezy Connect© also provided reminders when PFE sessions were due, to improve adherence. Following the intervention, participants completed screenings with the PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 again. PFD and QOL pre- and post-intervention were compared using a Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. There was a statistically significant decrease in PFD (V=0, p\u3c 0.001) and improvement in QOL (V=0, p\u3c 0.001). These findings can be used by OBGYN clinics to treat PFD and improve outcomes with PFE. Future practice should include screening for PFD, PFE as the first-line treatment of PFD, and the use of smart phones to improve compliance and technique. Nurse practitioners serve an important role in increasing access to care for screening, guidance, and patient education on PFD in postpartum. This project highlights the need for further research to assess the use of smartphone applications and their impact on pelvic floor strength and QOL in postpartum women with PFD
Book Review for Hoebeke, E. Richard, James R. LaBonte, and Kent E. Loeffler. 2024. Adventive weevils recorded from North America: A review and illustrated manual for their identification (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea, excluding Scolytinae). The Coleopterists Society Special Publication 5: 1-603, 226 color plates.
Get PDFBook Review for Hoebeke, E. Richard, James R. LaBonte, and Kent E. Loeffler. 2024. Adventive weevils recorded from North America: A review and illustrated manual for their identification (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea, excluding Scolytinae). The Coleopterists Society Special Publication 5: 1-603, 226 color plates
Resonances of Universalism in Tolkien\u27s Legendarium
Get PDFPresented at the inaugural Holy Moot, a survey of a collection of passages from Tolkien\u27s writings that demonstrate having the resonances of patristic universalism is conducted. It is then argued that all Tolkien’s writings be investigated separately in their context, comparing the location of each item under investigation with one another, and explore their connections without syncretizing them into a monolithic construct. To do this, it is argued that a hermeneutical theory rooted in the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead is necessary. Concluding is a connecting of Whitehead\u27s understanding of the expression of language with Tolkien’s own understanding of expression as an essential part of the concept of sub-creation, furthering the case that a Whiteheadian theory of interpretation not only assists in supporting the presentation\u27s thesis, but resonates closer with Tolkien\u27s own approach to interpretation
Nuclear Physics with STAR and ePIC
No full textWe worked on two different international experiments, STAR and ePIC, and carried out research on different particle physics projects with the collider at Brookhaven National Lab. The proton has a spin of 1/2 ħ which is only partially explained by our current knowledge of the proton\u27s structure. A goal of the STAR, and soon ePIC, is to determine how much the gluons contribute to the spin of a proton. The students who focused on the STAR aspect of research worked on finding the relative luminosities and the number of pi0s which is measured by finding the photon pairs measured by STAR which resembles the mass of a pi0. We also calculated relative luminosities for polarized proton-proton collisions in the STAR experiment by evaluating scaler data across selected fills and identifying inconsistencies in spin patterns and bunch crossings. Another student worked with ePIC to assist with research and development for the Electron-Ion Collider and the ePIC detector. We aided in this work by searching for the cause of a discrepancy in test beam data for a prototype of the LFHCal subdetector. We will present our findings from our work with STAR and ePIC detectors