bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Styrene–butadiene–styrene copolymer-compatibilized interfacial-modified graphene oxide with mechanical and electrical properties
Authors: Wang Hengwei , Wang Zhe , Wang Xue , Wang Lun , Cai Yanhua , Hong Kailiang , Sun Liguo , Lu Guoming , Zhao Dongyu , Li Zewen
Published: November 2015

This article deals with the investigation of electrical and mechanical properties of styrene–butadiene–styrene tri-block copolymer (SBS) nanocomposites containing SBS-grafted graphene oxide (SBS- g-GO) nanofillers dispersed in the SBS matrix through a solution processing method. In order to improve the compatibility of graphene oxide in SBS, graphene oxide was modified by maleic anhydride-grafted SBS to SBS- g-GO. The SBS- g-GO were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that the SBS molecules were homogeneously bonded onto the surface of the GO, leading to an improvement of the mechanical and electrical properties of SBS/SBS- g-GO composites due to the excellent interfacial adhesion and dispersion of SBS- g-GO in SBS.
Visibility matters
Authors: Lipphardt Veronika , Sommer Marianne
Published: November 2015

Images are at the heart of strategies of persuasion. They render certain aspects visible and leave others unrepresented; and they may shape processes of scientific reasoning and imagination. By tracing diagrammatic images in the anthropological sciences throughout the 20th century, the contributions to this special issue highlight some dominant pictorial traditions for rendering human evolution and diversity visible. This article aims to provide an overview of and an introduction to the special issue ‘Visibility Matters’.
A condensed transfer function method as a tool for solving vibroacoustic problems
Authors: Meyer Valentin , Maxit Laurent , Guyader Jean-Louis , Leissing Thomas , Audoly Christian
Published: November 2015

Substructuring approaches are nowadays widely used to predict numerically the vibroacoustic behavior of complex mechanical systems. Some of these methods are based on admittance or mobility frequency transfer functions at the coupling interfaces. They have already been used intensively to couple subsystems linked by point contacts and enable to solve problems at higher frequency while saving computation costs. In the case of subsystems coupled along lines, a Condensed Transfer Function method is developed in the present paper. The admittances on the coupling line are condensed in order to reduce the number of coupling forces evaluated. Three variants are presented, where the transfer functions are condensed using three different functions. After describing the principle of the CTF method, simple structures will be given as test cases for validation.
Infinite-stage magnetic clutch for shaft speed amplification
Authors: Leong Foo-Hong , Tsai Nan-Chyuan , Chiu Hsin-Lin
Published: November 2015

An innovative design of magnetic coupler for shaft speed amplification is proposed and verified by experiments. The structure of proposed magnetic coupler is similar to an infinite-stage gearbox. In addition, the mathematical model of flux density is derived to look into the equation of adjustable gear ratio and effect of speed amplification. Moreover, two sets of experiments, namely verification of gear ratio and observation of stall phenomenon, are built up to examine the capability and drawback of the proposed variable-gear-ratio magnetic coupler. Three types of gear ratio are presented by theoretically analysis at first and then examined by experiments. The gear ratios for these three specific types between the input and output rotors are 4.75, 5.75, and 10.5, respectively. That is, the rotational speed of the output rotor can be precisely and realistically amplified. Besides, in order to reduce the torque inertia of outer rotor, a ferrite bush is inserted to the inner side of the core rotor to decrease the flux density at air gap. On the other hand, the overlapped area of permanent magnets, which are attached onto the inner rotor and outer rotor, has to be appropriately chosen. The smaller the overlapped area, the weaker is the magnetic attractive force at air gap. As long as these two modifications (an inserted ferrite bush and the aforesaid overlapped area) are validated, the torque inertia of outer rotor can be significantly reduced. Accordingly, the required power to rotate the outer rotor can be greatly reduced if the overlapped depth is shortened. However, insufficient overlapped depth between the high-speed rotor and low-speed rotor will bring about stall phenomenon caused by the magnetic attractive force between the high-speed rotor and the low-speed rotor being weaker than the start-up torque inertia. In other words, the reduced overlapped depth can also reduce the start-up torque inertia but stall phenomenon may easily occur relatively.
A 3D stable trot of a quadruped robot over uneven terrains
Authors: Khorram Mahdi , Moosavian S Ali A
Published: November 2015

Legged robots have superior advantages rather than wheeled robots for moving over uneven terrains in the presence of various obstacles. The design of an appropriate path for the main body and legs is an important issue for such robots especially on the uneven terrains. In this paper, the focus is to develop a stable gait for a quadruped robot to trot on uneven terrains. First, a stability condition is developed for a whole-body quadruped robot over uneven terrains based on avoiding the tumbling. By using a simple model, a point with zero moments is calculated in the three-dimensional space. Then, the reference path of this point is determined so that the tumbling moments become zero. The path of the main body will be calculated by using an optimal controller. The main feature of the proposed gait generation framework is that the height of robot can change continuously and stably on uneven terrains. To evaluate the robot stability, the tumbling moments around diagonal lines are calculated and some methods are proposed to reduce these moments to improve the robot stability. The tip of swing foot is also planned to avoid any collision with the environment. The proposed method will be demonstrated using an 18-Degrees of freedom (DOF) quadruped robot in simulation and experimental studies. The experimental setup is a small-size quadruped robot, which is composed of a rectangular plate as its main body with four legs that each one has three active joints with DC servo motors. Obtained results reveal that the robot can trot on uneven terrains stably. Besides, the comparison with the previous methods approves the merits of proposed algorithm on uneven terrains.
Background review for the ‘2015 European guideline on the management of Chlamydia trachomatis infections’
Authors: Lanjouw E , Ouburg S , de Vries HJ , Stary A , Radcliffe K , Unemo M
Published: November 2015

Summary

Chlamydia trachomatis infections are major public health concerns globally. Of particular grave concern is that the majority of persons with anogenital Chlamydia trachomatis infections are asymptomatic and accordingly not aware of their infection, and this silent infection can subsequently result in severe reproductive tract complications and sequelae. The current review paper provides all background, evidence base and discussions for the 2015 European guideline on the management of Chlamydia trachomatis infections (Lanjouw E, et al. Int J STD AIDS 2015). Comprehensive information and recommendations are included regarding the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of anogenital, pharyngeal and conjunctival Chlamydia trachomatis infections in European countries. However, Chlamydia trachomatis also causes the eye infection trachoma, which is not a sexually transmitted infection. The 2015 European Chlamydia trachomatis guideline provides up-to-date guidance regarding broader indications for testing and treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis infections; clearer recommendation of using validated nucleic acid amplification tests only for diagnosis; advice on (repeated) Chlamydia trachomatis testing; recommendation of increased testing to reduce the incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease and prevent exposure to infection and recommendations to identify, verify and report Chlamydia trachomatis variants. Improvement of access to testing, test performance, diagnostics, antimicrobial treatment and follow-up of Chlamydia trachomatis patients are crucial to control its spread.
Current issues and perspectives in food safety and risk assessment
Authors: Eisenbrand G
Published: November 2015

In this review, current issues and opportunities in food safety assessment are discussed. Food safety is considered an essential element inherent in global food security. Hazard characterization is pivotal within the continuum of risk assessment, but it may be conceived only within a very limited frame as a true alternative to risk assessment. Elucidation of the mode of action underlying a given hazard is vital to create a plausible basis for human toxicology evaluation. Risk assessment, to convey meaningful risk communication, must be based on appropriate and reliable consideration of both exposure and mode of action. New perspectives, provided by monitoring human exogenous and endogenous exposure biomarkers, are considered of great promise to support classical risk extrapolation from animal toxicology.
Insuring the unknown
Authors: Parsons C
Published: November 2015

Uncertainty is the central element in insurance. This article examines how insurers evaluate and price risks that can present very high levels of uncertainty, and which many underwriters regard as especially hazardous in insurance terms. These are the risks associated with new medical devices, new pharmaceutical products and others substances for human consumption, such as food additives. Insurance is likely to be needed for these products both during their research and development phases, including insurance for clinical trials, and also once the device, drug or other substance gains approval and is in regular use.

The article examines the types of insurance that are available to cover these risks, the organizations that provide insurance and how the insurance is organised. It discusses the basic principles that insurers use to price insurance before considering the difficulties presented by novel and complex risks generally. The article concludes with a description of the techniques that insurers employ to analyse and price the particular risks that are our subject and a discussion of how underwriters seek to overcome the special problems associated with them.
remember and forget in Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons: A corpus-informed account
Authors: Lahey Ernestine
Published: November 2015

This article presents findings of corpus-informed stylistic analysis of the verbs remember and forget in Dan Brown’s novel Angels and Demons, published in 2000. The study aimed at testing two hypotheses generated through qualitative analysis: (1) that Angels and Demons employs the verbs remember and forget with a higher-than-usual frequency; and (2) that these verbs are employed by Brown as a means to present new information via focalized narration. Using WordSmith Tools (Scott, 2013) and data drawn from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) (Davies, 2008), I demonstrate that the first of these hypotheses is validated in the case of forget, and specifically the word-form forgotten, which is overrepresented in the novel at a level that is statistically significant. This trend is reversed for remember, which is significantly underrepresented. With regard to the second hypothesis, I will show that while forget is often used in the presentation of new information, this is not true for remember, which is more likely to be used to indicate an information gap resulting from misremembering or failure to remember. I will suggest reasons for these patterns, arguing that the marked frequency with which Brown employs these two verbs can be attributed to a tension between his competing communicative and rhetorical aims, namely, his need to present the reader with new information on the one hand, and his attempt to enact an ethical appeal for his protagonist Robert Langdon on the other.
The role of cohesive zone properties on intergranular to transgranular fracture transition in polycrystalline solids
Authors: Lin Liqiang , Wang Xianqiao , Zeng Xiaowei
Published: November 2015

A cohesive zone model is employed to simulate the fracture evolution and crack propagation in polycrystalline solids. Numerical simulations of fracture growth with various cohesive zone properties are presented and the simulation results capture the fracture transition from intergranular to transgranular mode. Three different random Voronoi grain cell tessellations are presented to study the grain size effects. The simulation results show that the intergranular to transgranular fracture transition in the polycrystalline solid is sensitive to key cohesive law parameters such as fracture energy and cohesive strength along grain boundaries and in grain cells. This study also provides evidence that tensile strength of polycrystalline solid increases as grain cell size decreases.
A Case Study of Cross-Dressing
Authors: Gallo Mona
Published: November 2015

There are two goals for presenting this article. The first goal is to consider socialized gender roles, clinical treatment, and strategic marriage therapy and to present a case study detailing the progression of counseling with a cross-dressing client with the spouse. The second goal is to prepare counselor educators, counselors, and counseling supervisors by encouraging consideration for the cross-dressing client and encouraging discussions around gender identity and gender expression and to improve the therapeutic practices with nontraditional gender identities and nontraditional gender expressions.
Humility as a Predictor of Intercultural Competence
Authors: Paine David R. , Jankowski Peter J. , Sandage Steven J.
Published: November 2015

The present study tested two models of the association between humility, differentiation-of-self (DoS), and intercultural competence among graduate trainees in the helping professions. The sample consisted of 75 graduate students from a Protestant-affiliated university in the United States. Results indicated that DoS mediated the positive association between humility and intercultural competence. Results therefore supported a definition of intercultural competence as the ability to effectively navigate interpersonal difference. Implications are considered for training in intercultural competence within couple and family therapy.
Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy
Authors: Dunham Shea M.
Published: November 2015

Dr. Shea Dunham interviews Dr. Scott Woolley about Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT). Dr. Woolley discusses what attracted him to EFT, the founders of EFT and the differences in their approaches, key components of the model, diversity, and how pathology is viewed from an EFT perspective. Finally he discusses the research base of EFT.
Career Counseling and Family Therapy
Authors: Vess Logan , Lara Tracy
Published: November 2015

Mark Savickas, PhD, has taught career counseling at Kent State University for 40 years while also serving as a professor of Family and Community Medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University. His 80 articles, 45 book chapters, and 500 presentations to professional groups have dealt with vocational behavior and career counseling. He published Career Counseling (2011) and edited Convergence in Career Development Theories (1994 with R. Lent), Handbook of Career Counseling Theory and Practice (1996 with B. Walsh), Vocational Interests (1999 with A. Spokane), the Handbook of Vocational Psychology (2005 with B. Walsh) and the four-volume Major Works in Career Studies (2012 with K. Inkson). An interview with Mark Savickas, PhD, relating to his contributions career counseling revealed many connections between career and family counseling, including the how career concerns are a part of the family constellation. The interview examined the evolution of the career construction interview and similarities in the narrative processes that serve as a foundation for the theory.
Towers of Hanoi and London: Reliability and Validity of Two Executive Function Tasks
Authors: Humes George E. , Welsh Marilyn C. , Retzlaff Paul , Cookson Nicole
Published: November 2015

The Towers of Hanoi and London are presumed to measure executive functions such as planning and working memory. Both have been used as a putative assessment of frontal lobe function. In this study, both tasks were administered to 61 normal adult participants to test the assumption that the two tasks are measuring the same cognitive processes. The results revealed a significant, but relatively low (.37) correlation between performances on the two tasks. Follow-up analyses indicated that the likely source of the lack of convergence was the unreliability of the Tower of London. Thus, the common assumption that the two tasks are isomorphic must be questioned.
Working Men Views of Poverty
Authors: Strier Roni , Eisikovits Zvi , Sigad Laura , Buchbinder Eli
Published: November 2015

Despite the alarming numbers of workers living in poverty in developed countries, work is still commonly seen as a way out of poverty. From a social constructivist perspective and based on qualitative research of the working poor in Israel, the article explores low-income Arab and Jewish working men’s views of poverty. It addresses research topics such as the meaning of work, the perception of the workplace, and the experience of poverty and coping strategies. In addition, the article examines the presence of ethnic differences in the social construction of in-work poverty. At the theoretical level, the article questions dominant views of work as the main exit from poverty, highlights the impact of gender and ethnicity in the construction of in-work poverty, and suggests the need for more context and gender-informed policies to respond to the complexity of the male working poor population.
Constructing subjectivity through labour pain: A Beauvoirian analysis
Authors: Cohen Shabot Sara
Published: November 2015

Traditional western conceptions of pain have commonly associated pain with the inability to communicate and with the absence of the self. Thus pain, it seems, must be avoided, since it is to blame for alienating the body from subjectivity and the self from others. Recent work on pain, however, has began to challenge these assumptions, mainly by discerning between different kinds of pain and by pointing out how some forms of pain might even constitute a crucial element in the production of subjectivity. This article deals with the specific form of pain that is labour pain. Pain in labour has been investigated in medicine and lately, copiously, within the social sciences. Analyses from a more philosophical perspective are still very much missing, however, and in developing such analyses, de Beauvoir’s ideas on subjectivity as inherently embodied, as situated, and as profoundly ambiguous when authentically lived, appear to be of significant use.
We have never been civilized: Torture and the materiality of world political binaries
Authors: Austin Jonathan Luke
Published: November 2015

This article demonstrates how world political binaries (democratic–autocratic, civilized–barbarian, etc.) are materially, as well as ideationally, constructed. By drawing on the analytical sensibilities of Actor-Network Theory, it is shown that differences in the actions, practices and/or behaviours of states usually situated at one or another extreme of socio-political dichotomies are sometimes dependent only on the availability of, and/or global inequalities in, mundane material ‘allies’, such as airplanes, sedatives and military bases. Empirically, the article evidences this claim by constructing a comparative case study of the Argentine torture regime and ‘Death Flights’ programme (c. 1975–1983) and the post-9/11 US-led ‘extraordinary rendition’ programme. By describing the contours of each case in microsociological detail, I suggest that differences in the forms of violence enacted in these two cases (both involving torture but one resulting in death and the other indefinite detention) were not related to the democratic or ‘civilized’ status of the US and the authoritarian or fascist-cum-barbarian status of Argentina (and the subjective motivations that we attribute such binary signifiers), but, rather, to differences in the agencies of the non-human object of the aircraft available in each case. These empirical findings allow the article to affirm the value-added of Actor-Network Theory’s ‘reconstructive’ method in International Relations for: 1) ‘mangling’ power-saturated world political binaries without relying on critical ‘deconstruction’; 2) revealing the ever-present material-semiotic fragility of those dualisms; and 3) unveiling the ideational ‘purifications’ that sustain dichotomies in spite of their often lacking an empirical basis through a refusal to engage with materiality.
Trends in job satisfaction among German nurses from 1990 to 2012
Authors: Alameddine Mohamad , Bauer Jan Michael , Richter Martin , Sousa-Poza Alfonso
Published: November 2015

Objective

Improving the job satisfaction of nurses is essential to enhance their productivity and retention and to improve patient care. Our aim was to analyse trends in German nurses' job satisfaction to enhance understanding of the nursing labour market and inform future policies.

Methods

We used 1990–2012 German Socioeconomic Panel data for trends in nurses' job satisfaction. Comparisons were drawn with doctors, other health care workers, and employees in other sectors of employment. Analysis explored associations between job satisfaction trends and other aspects of employment, such as whether full time or part time and pay. To account for fluctuations across the period of analysis, linear trends were generated using ordinary least squares.

Results

Over 23 years, job satisfaction of German nurses underwent a steady and gradual decline, dropping by an average 7.5%, whereas that of doctors and other health care workers increased by 14.4% and 1%, respectively. The decline for part-time nurses (13%) was more pronounced than that for full-time nurses (3%). At the same time, nurses' pay rose by only 3.8% compared to a 23.8% increase for doctors.

Conclusions

The steady decline in nurses' job satisfaction over the last two decades may be attributable to the multiple reforms and associated policy changes that generally disadvantaged nurses. Contributing factors to job satisfaction decline include lower pay and the demanding and strenuous work environment. Irrespective of the reason, health services researchers, leaders, and policy makers should investigate the reasons for this decline given the forecast growth in work load and complexity of care. Supportive policies for nurses would help enhance the quality and sustainability of German health care.
Narratives of popular music heritage and cultural identity: The affordances and constraints of popular music memories
Authors: van der Hoeven Arno
Published: November 2015

This article examines the relationship between popular music, memory and cultural identity. It draws upon narrative approaches to memory and identity in order to explore how engagement with music from the past can both afford and constrain identity construction. On the basis of in-depth interviews with, among others, heritage practitioners and audience members, I discuss how practices in the cultural and heritage industries affect the way in which popular music’s past is narrated. Although those narratives offer a sense of belonging and identity through their connection to experiences of time and place, there are also factors that compromise this potential. The article discusses limits to the accuracy of memories and impediments to representations of local diversity. Furthermore, I argue that copyright regulation affects which stories about popular music’s past can be told.
Beyond professionalism: Classed and gendered capital in childcare work
Authors: Andrew Yarrow
Published: November 2015

This article examines the value of work in childcare, and the ways this is impacted by historical schemes of value in relation to social class and gender. It critically examines the push for professionalism within the field, showing that this favours particular classed forms of cultural capital, while rendering other forms of capital invisible. Drawing on interviews with childcare workers in Australia – overwhelmingly female and with little access to symbolic capital – the data shows an ambivalence towards the professionalisation process and frustration about the lack of recognition for their work, either financially or culturally. The workers’ views highlight emotional and relational skills, which are at odds with traditional definitions of professional skills. The author argues that what is needed is a new concept of childcare expertise, which acknowledges the classed and gendered histories of workers, and the already significant worth of the work they do.
Stakeholders, networks and links in early childhood policy: Network analysis and the Transition to School: Position Statement
Authors: Wallis Jake , Dockett Sue
Published: November 2015

The importance of a positive start to school has been highlighted in a range of national and international research. This has stimulated considerable ongoing research attention, as well as initiatives across policy and practice, all with the aim of promoting a positive transition to school for all children. Despite the common interests across these sectors, the links and/or relationships between and among research, policy and practice remain unclear. This article maps the potential online users of the Transition to School: Position Statement – a document developed collaboratively by researchers, policymakers and practitioners – and organisations whose ambit includes transition to school. Using network analysis, the authors identify the online network of stakeholders involved in the field of early childhood and the links between these, before considering how such links might influence discourse and policy formation around transition to school. The analysis highlights weak cross-sectoral links and online networks dominated by government departments and agencies. Implications of these results are explored and the potential for digital research methods in research about transition to school is considered.
Optimum design for passive suspension system of a vehicle to prevent rollover and improve ride comfort under random road excitations
Authors: Seifi Abolfazl , Hassannejad Reza , Hamed Mohammad A
Published: November 2015

The main functions of suspension system are to provide ride comfort for the passengers and vehicle handling (road holding). But, in many studies, full attention to the ride comfort leads to the determination of incorrect suspension system parameters as well as other problems such as rollover and reducing road-holding ability in the vehicle. The aim of this study is to present a method for the optimized design of the vehicle suspension system in order to improve the ride comfort, road holding, workspace and preventing rollover, considering a full vehicle model with 11-DOF. The most important feature of this study is that the prevention of rollover factor and all of suspension functions are considered simultaneously. In this research, in order to assess the ride comfort, the vertical acceleration values of seats that are caused by random road roughness are calculated by power spectral density of road in frequency domain. In the context of prevention of rollover, Fishhook manoeuvre is performed using a mathematical model for the roll motion, and then the dynamic behaviour of the variables is considered in rollover threshold. Then, the optimization problem is solved to minimize the vertical acceleration values and vehicle roll angle by considering the physical limitation and safety of the model. The results of the optimization show that the vertical acceleration, in frequency domain at the desired boundary values (as defined in ISO 2631), decreases and rollover resistance of the vehicle increases.
Co-producing knowledge through participatory theatre: reflections on ethnography, empathy and power
Authors: Enria Luisa
Published: November 2015

This article is based on methodological reflections from a participatory theatre project with economically marginal youth in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown. It offers empirical considerations on the application of participatory methods in reference to three concerns of feminist research: the situated nature of knowledge; the wish to create non-hierarchical knowledge; and the orientation towards emancipatory action. In discussing the potential for meaningful participation to create inclusive research spaces, the paper suggests the importance of acknowledging the necessarily indeterminate and imperfect nature of our efforts to mitigate power imbalances and the challenge of intersubjective understanding in our research encounters.
Contracting out of fiduciary duties
Authors: Lim Ernest
Published: November 2015

A significant implication arising out of an increasingly influential view that fiduciary duties are terms expressed or implied into voluntary undertakings is that all express or implied fiduciary duties can be excluded. This article critiques this implication by advancing the argument that this implication is doctrinally unjustified and normatively questionable through an analysis of the circumstances in which directors’ fiduciary duties have been contracted out under English law.
Role of myosin light chain and myosin light chain kinase in advanced glycation end product–induced endothelial hyperpermeability in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Wu Fan , Guo Xiaohua , Xu Jing , Wang Weiju , Li Bingling , Huang Qiaobing , Su Lei , Xu Qiulin
Published: November 2015

We have previously reported that advanced glycation end products activated Rho-associated protein kinase and p38 mitogen–activated protein kinase, causing endothelial hyperpermeability. However, the mechanisms involved were not fully clarified. Here, we explored the role of myosin light chain kinase in advanced glycation end product–induced endothelial hyperpermeability. Myosin light chain phosphorylation significantly increased by advanced glycation end products in endothelial cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner, indicating that myosin light chain phosphorylation is involved in the advanced glycation end product pathway. Advanced glycation end products also induced myosin phosphatase–targeting subunit 1 phosphorylation, and small interfering RNA knockdown of the receptor for advanced glycation end products, or blocking myosin light chain kinase with its inhibitor, ML-7, or small interfering RNA abated advanced glycation end product–induced myosin light chain phosphorylation. Advanced glycation end product–induced F-actin rearrangement and endothelial hyperpermeability were also diminished by inhibition of receptor for advanced glycation end product or myosin light chain kinase signalling. Moreover, inhibiting myosin light chain kinase with ML-7 or blocking receptor for advanced glycation end product with its neutralizing antibody attenuated advanced glycation end product–induced microvascular hyperpermeability. Our findings suggest a novel role for myosin light chain and myosin light chain kinase in advanced glycation end product–induced endothelial hyperpermeability.
Vowel Intelligibility in Children With and Without Dysarthria
Authors: Levy Erika S. , Leone Dorothy , Moya-Gale Gemma , Hsu Sih-Chiao , Chen Wenli , Ramig Lorraine O.
Published: November 2015

Children with dysarthria due to cerebral palsy (CP) present with decreased vowel space area and reduced word intelligibility. Although a robust relationship exists between vowel space and word intelligibility, little is known about the intelligibility of vowels in this population. This exploratory study investigated the intelligibility of American English (AE) vowels produced by children with dysarthria and typically developing children (TD). Three CP and five TD repeated words with contrastive vowels /i-ɪ/, /æ-ɛ/, /ɑ-ʌ/, /o-u/ produced by a native AE adult. Adult listeners transcribed the utterances orthographically and rated their ease of understanding. Overall, CP presented with less-intelligible vowels than TD. For CP, a trend was found with the lowest intelligibility for /ɑ/ (CP = 7%, TD = 66%), /ɪ/ (CP = 30%, TD = 82%), and /ʌ/ (CP = 38%, TD = 99%), and more heterogeneous vowel confusions; however, intelligibility differences between vowels did not reach statistical significance. Clinical implications include that, unless further studies show vowel-specific effects, treatment targeting the entire vowel system may be warranted for increasing intelligibility.
Crossmodal Transfer of Stimulus Control: Preparing Students with Severe Multiple Disabilities for Audiological Assessment
Authors: Goetz Lori , Gee Kathy , Sailor Wayne
Published: November 2015

Crossmodal transfer of stimulus control procedures was used to establish reliable responding to an auditory cue in three severely multiply handicapped students who had previously failed to demonstrate reliable responses to stimuli presented in the auditory mode. As a result, all three students were able to participate in formal audiometric evaluations of their hearing status. Procedures were designed to be replicable in a typical classroom setting serving severely handicapped students. Results are discussed in terms of their utility in facilitating audiological testing for untestable persons and in terms of implications for teaching students functional use of the auditory sensory channel.
A Comparison of the Effects of Teacher and Peer Supervision on Work Performance and On-Task Behavior
Authors: Knapczyk Dennis R. , Johnson William A. , McDermott Gregory
Published: November 2015

This study evaluated the effectiveness of teacher and peer supervision in increasing levels of on-task behavior and work performance in a prevocational setting. Six severely retarded individuals served as subjects and were assigned an assembly task. Results indicated that close supervision by either a teacher or peer was superior to the baseline condition. In addition, results showed that peer supervision produced higher levels of on-task behavior among subjects than did teacher supervision. It was suggested that delegating some student supervisory responsibilities permits a teacher to use instructional time more efficiently and affords the supervising peer an opportunity to learn valuable work-related skills.
A Domestic Training Environment for Students Who are Severely Handicapped
Authors: Freagon Sharon , Wheeler Jill , Hill Linda , Brankin Gayle , Costello David , Peters William M.
Published: November 2015

This paper describes a domestic training environment created through a joint agreement among 10 rural public school districts. The environment was designed to teach severely handicapped students domestic skills in a natural and future community environment. The program was provided by the DeKalb County Special Education Association (DCSEA) in the state of Illinois. Severely handicapped students, ages 18 to 21, received training from a certified teacher and an assistant three overnights a week for 3 consecutive weeks. All students, ages 6 to 21, received day training in the environment from their classroom teachers. Skills checklists and schedules utilized by the domestic trainers are discussed and illustrated along with the logistics and costs of providing the training environment.
Teaching Athletic Skills to Students Who are Mentally Retarded
Authors: Cuvo Anthony J. , Ellis Patrick J. , Wisotzek Ira E. , Davis Paula J. , Schilling Don , Bechtal D. Reed
Published: November 2015

P.L. 94–142 provides the right to physical education for handicapped pupils including nonacademic and extracurricular activities such as athletics. Despite the legislative mandate for physical education and the value of athletic activity, few validated programs have been published to teach complex gross motor skills, such as sports, to mentally retarded students. Therefore, two experiments were conducted to evaluate procedures to teach athletic skills to moderately and severely mentally retarded students. Participants were taught the standing long jump (Experiment 1) and the 50-yard dash (Experiment 2), using task analysis and a training package of prompts and response consequences. Experimental control was evaluated by the multiple baseline across subjects design. Results showed acquisition and maintenance of the two athletic skills. The efficacy of behavioral techniques for teaching athletic skills to moderately and severely retarded persons is also discussed.
Changes in Levels of Mental Retardation: A Comparison of Institutional and Community Populations
Authors: Keith Kenneth D. , Ferdinand L. Rene
Published: November 2015

Increasingly, persons with complex disabilities are served in community settings, and institutionalization is less often a treatment of choice. However, relatively little work has been reported comparing the community and institution in terms of individual data. This study was conducted in order to compare changes in level of mental retardation among persons served in a community-based service system and institutionalized persons from the same geographic region. Comparisons were made at all levels of mental retardation and of cohort groups matched on age, sex, ambulation, and initial level of retardation. In general, persons in the community were more likely to increase their functioning level, while those at the institution were found to decrease at a higher rate. Particularly noteworthy differences were found within the severely retarded group. The impact of community interaction and stimulation is discussed, and implications for service providers are suggested.
Leisure Skills Instruction in a Community Residential Setting with Young Adults Who are Deaf/Blind Severely Handicapped
Authors: Hamre-Nietupski Susan , Nietupski John , Sandvig Rick , Sandvig Mary Beth , Ayres Barbara
Published: November 2015

This paper discusses general considerations for selecting recreation/leisure skill targets for deaf/blind severely handicapped individuals along with specific leisure task/materials adaptations. A pilot study is also presented illustrating such considerations and adaptations in teaching deaf/blind young adults to operate a tape player.
Community Instruction: A Natural Cues and Corrections Decision Model
Authors: Ford Alison , Mirenda Pat
Published: November 2015

Community environments offer a rich variety of stimuli to which severely handicapped students must learn to respond. Teaching procedures are needed that will draw a student's attention to the relevant cues and corrections as they naturally occur in the community. A decision model is presented which should allow teachers to intervene more systematically when students fail to respond to relevant cues and corrections.
Review of Task Analytic Leisure Skill Training Efforts: Practitioner Implications and Future Research Needs
Authors: Nietupski John , Hamre-Nietupski Susan , Ayres Barbara
Published: November 2015

The authors review recreation/leisure training programs that have been conducted with moderately/severely handicapped individuals. Emphasis is placed on data based task analytic, instructional efforts and recent curriculum volumes/position papers. Implications for practitioners are provided, as well as future research needs in the recreation/leisure skill domain.
Teaching Postural Reactions to Students with Severe Cerebral Palsy: An Evaluation of Theory and Technique
Authors: Noonan Mary Jo
Published: November 2015

Neuromotor intervention approaches, based on central nervous system development among nonhandicapped infants and young children, are presently the most popular motor training approaches with cerebral palsied children. Empirical data in support of neuromotor or other approaches to motor training, however, are lacking. In response to the absence of a data base, the theoretical basis and effectiveness of a neuromotor intervention was investigated across seven cerebral palsied, severely handicapped children, ages 2 1/2 to 12 years. Results suggested a training effect in the data of three children. Theoretical relationships among abnormal tonic reflexes and normal motor patterns were not supported by the data. Because results were not consistent across all children, it was suggested that future research focus on subject characteristics that may relate to the effectiveness of intervention. Additionally, recommendations were made regarding measurement systems for evaluating change, and strategies for investigating multicomponent training procedures.
A Comparison of Reactive and Nonreactive Toys on Severely Handicapped Children's Manipulative Play
Authors: Bambara Linda M. , Spiegel-McGill Phyllis , Shores Richard E. , Fox James J.
Published: November 2015

A concurrent schedule design was used to compare the effects of three commercial reactive toys and three nonreactive toys on the estimated amount of time three severely handicapped children engaged in manipulative activity and visual attention to toy play. The reactive toys used were capable of producing sound and/or sustaining motion as a consequence of manipulation. The nonreactive toys were identical to the reactive ones, however they were modified to eliminate or restrict their sensory feedback features. On each daily nine minute session, each subject was exposed to three pairs of toys presented in succession; each toy pair consisted of one reactive toy and its nonreactive toy counterpart. The results indicated that in comparison to the nonreactive toys, the reactive toys had a substantially greater influence on the amount of time each of the three subject children engaged in manipulative activity. The comparative effects of the two toy classes on visual attention to toy play were inconclusive. This study is discussed within the context of making appropriate toy selections for severely handicapped children.
The Importance of Choice-Making Skills for Students with Severe Disabilities
Authors: Shevin Mayer , Klein Nancy K.
Published: November 2015

Making choices is an essential part of functioning independently as an adult in society. Activities specifically directed toward helping students learn to make choices, however, are typically neglected in educational programs for students with severe disabilities. This paper presents a rationale for the inclusion of choice-making as an important skill area for persons with severe disabilities. Behavioral approaches that present useful means of conceptualizing choice-making in the school life of severely disabled students are identified. Procedures are suggested for teaching choice-making skills, for integrating opportunities for exercising those skills throughout the course of the student's school life, and for fostering choice-making skills through the use of logical consequences.
Where Are the Generalized Outcomes? (An Examination of Instructional Objectives)
Authors: Billingsley Felix F.
Published: November 2015

It is argued that behavioral objectives will be most useful when they are not only technologically adequate and include functional target behaviors, but when generalization is explicitly specified as a desired educational outcome as well. This investigation was undertaken to determine whether IEP objectives for selected pupils in participating schools included generalization as an outcome of instruction. It was found that although a considerable number of objectives related to the development of potentially functional skills, very few suggested the desirability of generalized performance. Possible reasons for the omission of generalized outcomes are discussed and recommendations are provided for the construction of objectives.
Integrated Work Opportunities for Adults with Severe Handicaps: The Extended Training Option
Authors: Brown Lou , Shiraga Betsy , York Jennifer , Kessler Kim , Strohm Beth , Rogan Patty , Sweet Mark , Zanella Kathy , VanDeventer Pat , Loomis Ruth
Published: November 2015

One major reason why those adults with the most severe intellectual handicaps are prevented from performing meaningful work in nonsheltered environments is the requirement that they cannot do so unless they receive direct pay. Unfortunately, as long as direct pay is an admission requirement to the real world of work, confinement to unnecessarily costly, antihabilitative, and counterproductive segregated facilities and prevocational programs that never lead to real work in the real world will prevail. The highly selective and closely monitored use of an Extended Training Option is offered as a reasonable procedure that can be used to arrange for nonsheltered functioning while the attitudes and skills necessary for direct pay are developed. Specifically, workers with severe intellectual handicaps should be placed in nonsheltered vocational environments, unless health considerations are contraindicated. Then they should be taught to perform meaningful work. Then all reasonable attempts to secure contingent direct pay should be made. Direct pay can no longer function as a barrier to integrated work opportunities.
“Euthanasia” of Persons with Severe Handicaps: Refuting the Rationalizations
Authors: Lusthaus Evelyn
Published: November 2015

Many rationalizations have been proposed for the euthanasia of persons with severe handicaps. Those that are most convincing appeal to the alleged good to handicapped individuals of being allowed to die. This article examines two common rationalizations and presents arguments to refute them. The article calk for parents, professionals, and friends of persons with severe handicaps to be clear and vocal in refuting euthanasia and its rationales.
The Impact of the Acquisition of Successive Training Exemplars on Generalization
Authors: Pancsofar Ernest L. , Bates Paul
Published: November 2015

The present investigation contains an analysis of three generalization effects after the acquisition of one or more training exemplars by students with severe to profound levels of mental retardation. Specifically, generalization across settings, for exemplars with stimulus variations and exemplars with response variations, was assessed following the acquisition of a pre-established sequence of training exemplars. General results indicated that following the acquisition of one or two exemplars from any single group of similarly operated soap dispensers, generalization occurred 100%, 62%, and 0% across settings, for exemplars of varying stimulus features and for exemplars of varying response features, respectively. After one or two exemplars from two groups of similarly operated soap dispensers had been acquired, generalization occurred 100%, 100%, and 50% across settings, for exemplars of varying stimulus features and for exemplars of varying response features, respectively. Implications for selecting training exemplars for students with severe handicaps are discussed.
The Active Assessment of Educability: A Case Study
Authors: Ulicny Gary R. , Thompson Susan K. , Favell James E. , Thompson Max S.
Published: November 2015

It has been suggested that when people with profound mental retardation do not show significant progress in training programs, those training efforts should be discontinued. This case study examines this implicit uneducability diagnosis for an individual who had not shown progress in over 2 years of training in eating skills. During 138 days of programming by a special training team, the subject made variable but substantial progress toward independent eating. An attempt to transfer these techniques to regular direct care staff resulted in reductions in both procedural consistency and subject performance. Results suggest that negative educability assessments based on performance in standard educational programs may be misleading.