PICTOAPRENDE: Design and evaluation of a tool that contributes to the personal autonomy of children and youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in Ecuador

This paper presents the development and evaluation of PICTOAPRENDE, which is an interactive software designed to improve oral communication. Additionally, it contributes to the development of children and youth who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Ecuador. To fulfill this purpose initially analyzes the intervention area where the general characteristics of people with ASD and their status in Ecuador is described. Statistical techniques used for this evaluation constitutes the basis of this study. A section that presents the development of research-based cognitive and social parameters of the area of intervention is also shown. Finally, the algorithms to obtain the measurements and experimental results along with the analysis of them are presented.

Locus of Control revisited: development of a new bi-dimensional measure

Locus of control (LOC) has a long tradition in Psychology, and various instruments have been designed for its measurement. However, the dimensionality of the construct is unclear, and still gives rise to considerable controversy. The aim of the present work is to present new evidence of validity in relation to the dimensionality of LOC. To this end, we developed a new measurement instrument with 23 items. The sample was made up of 697 Spanish participants, of whom 57.5% were women (M=22.43; SD= 9.19). The results support the bi-dimensionality of LOC: internal (α=.87) and external (α=.85). Furthermore, both subscales have shown adequate validity evidence in relation to self-efficacy, achievement motivation and optimism (r xy> .21). Statistically significant differences were found by sex (p < .05): men scored higher in external LOC and women in internal LOC. The validity evidence supports a two-dimensional structure for the LOC, and the measurement instrument developed showed adequate psychometric properties.

"Learning together, growing with family": the implementation and evaluation of a family support programme

The "Learning together, growing with family" programme is targeted to at-risk parents and children from 6 to 11 years old, with a preventive focus on promoting positive parent-child relationships. In this study, we examined the quality of the programme implementation and its influence on the programme results in a sample of 425 parents and 138 facilitators drawn from the first trial. Mixed methods were used, consisting of: parental self-reports on parenting dimensions, professionals' records on parental attendance and appraisals on six topics of the implementation process, and focus group discussions in which facilitators reported on the initial steps of the implementation. Results showed a high quality of implementation with respect to the group facilitator and the programme organization factors, followed by the coordination with services and the support facilities offered to participants and, finally, by the factors of fidelity and prior organization steps. Results of the focus groups confirmed that the prior steps were challenging and offered the more effective strategies. Better quality in the implementation factors predicted better parenting styles and parental competencies after the programme, as well as a higher attendance rate. In sum, this study demonstrates the importance of good implementation in at-risk contexts and provides some clues as to the key elements that moderate programme effectiveness.

Evaluation of blood zinc, calcium and blood lead levels among children aged 1-36 months

Background: Early childhood lead exposure is associated with numerous adverse health effects. Biomonitoring among susceptible populations, such as children, has not been previously conducted. The aim of the study is to evaluate the blood lead (Pb) and total blood calcium (Ca) levels; blood zinc (Zn) levels. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed to collect healthy children age 1-36 months (Mean ± SD: 1.5 ± 0.6 age, 60% boys) in the study from January 2010 to September 2011. Results: The overall mean blood Pb levels were 42.18 ± 12.13 μg/L, the overall mean blood Zn and total blood Ca concentrations were 62.18 ± 12.33 μmol/L and 1.78 ± 0.13 mmol/L, respectively. The prevalence of elevated blood Pb levels in all children was 1.3%. A significant difference was found between female and male subjects for the blood Pb and Zn. After controlling for gender and age, there was a weak positive correlation between total blood Ca and Zn level. Conclusions: The blood Pb levels had a significant negative correlation with total blood Ca level after adjusting for age and gender, and these findings suggest that Pb had effect on positive blood Zn and total blood Ca levels; parents should pay more attention to the nutrition of girls.

Evaluation of separation management algorithms in Class G airspace

Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in support of government applications has already seen significant growth and the potential for use of UAVs in commercial applications is expected to rapidly expand in the near future. However, the issue remains on how such automated or operator-controlled aircraft can be safely integrated into current airspace. If the goal of integration is to be realized, issues regarding safe separation in densely populated airspace must be investigated. This paper investigates automated separation management concepts in uncontrolled airspace that may help prepare for an expected growth of UAVs in Class G airspace. Not only are such investigations helpful for the UAV integration issue, the automated separation management concepts investigated by the authors can also be useful for the development of new or improved Air Traffic Control services in remote regions without any existing infrastructure. The paper will also provide an overview of the Smart Skies program and discuss the corresponding Smart Skies research and development effort to evaluate aircraft separation management algorithms using simulations involving realworld data communication channels, and verified against actual flight trials. This paper presents results from a unique flight test concept that uses real-time flight test data from Australia over existing commercial communication channels to a control center in Seattle for real-time separation management of actual and simulated aircraft. The paper also assesses the performance of an automated aircraft separation manager.

An evaluation of brief correspondence programs for problem drinkers

The provision of accessible and cost-effective treatment to a large number of problem drinkers is a significant challenge to health services. Previous data suggest that a correspondence intervention may assist in these efforts. We recruited 277 people with alcohol abuse problems and randomly allocated them to immediate cognitive behavioral treatment by correspondence (ICBT), 2 months in a waiting list (WL2-CBT), self-monitoring (SM2-CBT), or extended self-monitoring (SM6-CBT). Everyone received correspondence CBT after the control period. Over 2 months later, no drop in alcohol intake occurred in the waiting list, and CBT had a greater impact than SM. No further gains from SM were seen after 2 months. Effects of CBT were well maintained and were equivalent, whether it was received immediately or after 2 to 6 months of self-monitoring. Weekly alcohol intake fell 48% from pretreatment to 18.6 alcohol units at 12 months. Our results confirmed that correspondence CBT for alcohol abuse was accessible and effective for people with low physical dependence.

Prevention of postnatal distress or depression : an evaluation of an intervention at preparation for parenthood classes.

Determined the effectiveness of a psychosocial intervention, provided to expectant couples in routine antenatal classes, on the postpartum psychosocial adjustment of women and men. Preparation for Parenthood programs were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: usual service ('control'), experimental ('empathy'), or non-specific control ('baby-play'). The latter condition controlled for the non-specific effects of the intervention, these being: the provision of an extra class; asking couples to consider the early postpartum weeks; and receiving booster information after the antenatal class, and again shortly after the birth. Women and men were categorised into three levels of self-esteem, as measured antenatally: low, medium and high. 268 participants were recruited antenatally. Interview data and self-report information was collected from 202 of these women at 6 weeks postpartum, and 180 women at 6 months postpartum. The intervention consisted of a session focusing on psychosocial issues related to becoming first-time parents. Participants discussed possible postpartum concerns in separate gender groups for part of the session, and then discussed these issues with their partners

An evaluation of current and future botnet defenses

Botnets are large networks of compromised machines under the control of a bot master. These botnets constantly evolve their defences to allow the continuation of their malicious activities. The constant development of new botnet mitigation strategies and their subsequent defensive countermeasures has lead to a technological arms race, one which the bot masters have significant incentives to win. This dissertation analyzes the current and future states of the botnet arms race by introducing a taxonomy of botnet defences and a simulation framework for evaluating botnet techniques. The taxonomy covers current botnet techniques and highlights possible future techniques for further analysis under the simulation framework. This framework allows the evaluation of the effect techniques such as reputation systems and proof of work schemes have on the resources required to disable a peer-to-peer botnet. Given the increase in the resources required, our results suggest that the prospects of eliminating the botnet threat are limited.

In the Rough : In-Field evaluation of an autonomous vehicle for golf course maintenance

Maintenance is a time consuming and expensive task for any golf course or driving range manager. For a golf course the primary tasks are grass mowing and maintenance (fertilizer and herbicide spreading), while for a driving range mowing, maintenance and ball collection are required. All these tasks require an operator to drive a vehicle along paths which are generally predefined. This paper presents some preliminary in-field tsting results for an automated tractor vehicle performing golf ball collection on an actual driving range, and mowing on difficult unstructured terrain.

In vivo evaluation of an ultra-thin polycaprolactone film as a wound dressing

The use of ultra-thin films as dressings for cutaneous wounds could prove advantageous in terms of better conformity to wound topography and improved vapour transmission. For this purpose, ultra-thin poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) films of 5-15 microm thickness were fabricated via a biaxial stretching technique. To evaluate their in vivo biocompatibility and feasibility as an external wound dressing, PCL films were applied over full and partial-thickness wounds in rat and pig models. Different groups of PCL films were used: untreated, NaOH-treated, untreated with fibrin, NaOH-treated with perforations, and NaOH-treated with fibrin and S-nitrosoglutathione. Wounds with no external dressings were used as controls. Wound contraction rate, histology and biomechanical analyses were carried out. Wounds re-epithelialized completely at a comparable rate. Formation of a neo-dermal layer and re-epithelialization were observed in all the wounds. A lower level of fibrosis was observed when PCL films were used, compared to the control wounds. Ultimate tensile strength of the regenerated tissue in rats reached 50-60% of that in native rat skin. Results indicated that biaxially-stretched PCL films did not induce inflammatory reactions when used in vivo as a wound dressing and supported the normal wound healing process in full and partial-thickness wounds.

Evaluation of a hybrid scaffold/cell construct in repair of high-load-bearing osteochondral defects in rabbits

The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and potential of a hybrid scaffold system in large- and high-load-bearing osteochondral defects repair. The implants were made of medical-grade PCL (mPCL) for the bone compartment whereas fibrin glue was used for the cartilage part. Both matrices were seeded with allogenic bone marrow-derived mesenchymal cells (BMSC) and implanted in the defect (4 mm diameter×5 mm depth) on medial femoral condyle of adult New Zealand White rabbits. Empty scaffolds were used at the control side. Cell survival was tracked via fluorescent labeling. The regeneration process was evaluated by several techniques at 3 and 6 months post-implantation. Mature trabecular bone regularly formed in the mPCL scaffold at both 3 and 6 months post-operation. Micro-Computed Tomography showed progression of mineralization from the host–tissue interface towards the inner region of the grafts. At 3 months time point, the specimens showed good cartilage repair. In contrast, the majority of 6 months specimens revealed poor remodeling and fissured integration with host cartilage while other samples could maintain good cartilage appearance. In vivo viability of the transplanted cells was demonstrated for the duration of 5 weeks. The results demonstrated that mPCL scaffold is a potential matrix for osteochondral bone regeneration and that fibrin glue does not inherit the physical properties to allow for cartilage regeneration in a large and high-load-bearing defect site. Keywords: Osteochondral tissue engineering; Scaffold; Bone marrow-derived precursor cells; Fibrin glue

Design and evaluation of a prototype tracking system

In this paper, we present the design and construction of a prototype target tracking system. The experimental set up consists of three main modules for moving the object, detecting the motion of the object and its tracking. The mechanism for moving the object includes an object and two stepper motors and their driving and control circuitry. The detection of the object’s motion is realized by photo switch array. The tracking mechanism consists of a laser beam and two DC servomotors and their associated circuitry. The control algorithm is a standard fuzzy logic controller. The system is designed to operate in two modes in such a way that the role of target and tracker can be interchanged. Experimental results indicate that the fuzzy controller is capable of controlling the system in both modes.

A three year outcome evaluation of a theory based drink driving education program

This study reports on the impact of a "drink driving education program" taught to grade ten high school students. The program which involves twelve lessons uses strategies based on the Ajzen and Madden theory of planned behavior. Students were trained to use alternatives to drink driving and passenger behaviors. One thousand seven hundred and seventy-four students who had been taught the program in randomly assigned control and intervention schools were followed up three years later. There had been a major reduction in drink driving behaviors in both intervention and control students. In addition to this cohort change there was a trend toward reduced drink driving in the intervention group and a significant reduction in passenger behavior in this group. Readiness to use alternatives suggested that the major impact of the program was on students who were experimenting with the behavior at the time the program was taught. The program seems to have optimized concurrent social attitude and behavior change.

Test and evaluation of non conventional instrument transformers and sampled value process bus on Powerlink's transmission network

IEC 61850 Process Bus technology has the potential to improve cost, performance and reliability of substation design. Substantial costs associated with copper wiring (designing, documentation, construction, commissioning and troubleshooting) can be reduced with the application of digital Process Bus technology, especially those based upon international standards. An IEC 61850-9-2 based sampled value Process Bus is an enabling technology for the application of Non-Conventional Instrument Transformers (NCIT). Retaining the output of the NCIT in its native digital form, rather than conversion to an analogue output, allows for improved transient performance, dynamic range, safety, reliability and reduced cost. In this paper we report on a pilot installation using NCITs communicating across a switched Ethernet network using the UCAIug Implementation Guideline for IEC 61850-9-2 (9-2 Light Edition or 9-2LE). This system was commissioned in a 275 kV Line Reactor bay at Powerlink Queensland’s Braemar substation in 2009, with sampled value protection IEDs 'shadowing' the existing protection system. The results of commissioning tests and twelve months of service experience using a Fibre Optic Current Transformer (FOCT) from Smart Digital Optics (SDO) are presented, including the response of the system to fault conditions. A number of remaining issues to be resolved to enable wide-scale deployment of NCITs and IEC 61850-9-2 Process Bus technology are also discussed.