Young children's performance on the balance scale: The influence of relational complexity

Three experiments investigated the effect of complexity on children's understanding of a beam balance. In nonconflict problems, weights or distances varied, while the other was held constant. In conflict items, both weight and distance varied, and items were of three kinds: weight dominant, distance dominant, or balance (in which neither was dominant). In Experiment 1, 2-year-old children succeeded on nonconflict-weight and nonconflict-distance problems. This result was replicated in Experiment 2, but performance on conflict items did not exceed chance. In Experiment 3, 3- and 4-year-olds succeeded on all except conflict balance problems, while 5- and 6-year-olds succeeded on all problem types. The results were interpreted in terms of relational complexity theory. Children aged 2 to 4 years succeeded on problems that entailed binary relations, but 5- and 6-year-olds also succeeded on problems that entailed ternary relations. Ternary relations tasks from other domains-transitivity and class inclusion-accounted for 93% of the age-related variance in balance scale scores. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).

A cognitive complexity metric applied to cognitive development

Two experiments tested predictions from a theory in which processing load depends on relational complexity (RC), the number of variables related in a single decision. Tasks from six domains (transitivity, hierarchical classification, class inclusion, cardinality, relative-clause sentence comprehension, and hypothesis testing) were administered to children aged 3-8 years. Complexity analyses indicated that the domains entailed ternary relations (three variables). Simpler binary-relation (two variables) items were included for each domain. Thus RC was manipulated with other factors tightly controlled. Results indicated that (i) ternary-relation items were more difficult than comparable binary-relation items, (ii) the RC manipulation was sensitive to age-related changes, (iii) ternary relations were processed at a median age of 5 years, (iv) cross-task correlations were positive, with all tasks loading on a single factor (RC), (v) RC factor scores accounted for 80% (88%) of age-related variance in fluid intelligence (compositionality of sets), (vi) binary- and ternary-relation items formed separate complexity classes, and (vii) the RC approach to defining cognitive complexity is applicable to different content domains. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.

Screening for vulnerability to abuse among older women: Women's health Australia study

The validity of a brief self-report screening measure for elder abuse was examined on a nationally representative sample of more than 12,000 older women it? the baseline survey of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. The screening instrument was a modification Of the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test. Construct validity was examined using factor analysis and correlation with a wide range of sociodemographic, psychological. and health-related variables. Four factors, each of three items, were identified representing the following domains: Vulnerability, Dependence, Dejection, and Coercion. The Vulnerability and Coercion factors had the highest face validity for abuse and demonstrated moderate to good construct validity. The six items comprising these factors may provide a simple screening tool for elder abuse The identified correlates of abuse indicators have the potential to enhance policy development, screening, intervention, and carer support programs.

Selenium content of Australian foods: A review of literature values

The aim of this study was to review the published literature values for the selenium content of Australian foods. A secondary aim was to compare the results for Australian foods with food composition data from international sources to investigate the extent of geographical variation. Published food composition data sources for the selenium content in Australian foods were identified and assessed for data quality using established criteria. The selenium content is available for 148 individual food items. The highest values found are for fish (12.0-63.2 mug/100 g), meats (4.75-37.9 mug/100 g) and eggs (9.00-41.4 mug/100 g), followed by cereals (1.00-20.3 mug/100 g). Moderate levels are seen in dairy products (2.00-7.89 mug/100 g) while most fruits and vegetables have low levels (trace-3.27 mug/100 g). High selenium foods show the greatest level of geographical variation, with foods from the United States generally having higher selenium levels than Australian foods and foods from the United Kingdom and New Zealand having lower levels. This is the first attempt to review the available literature for selenium composition of Australian foods. These data serve as an interim measure for the assessment of selenium intake for use in epidemiological studies of diet-disease relationships. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.

Does a reading lexicon provide orthographic representations for spelling?

University students spelled low-frequency words to dictation and subsequently made lexical decisions to them. In Experiment I, lexical decisions were slower on words students had spelled incorrectly relative to words they had spelled correctly, and there A as a larger repetition benefit 101 incorrectly spelled words. In experiment 2, the latency advantage for items spelled correctly was replicated when words were presented for only 200 ms and also in a spelling recognition task, In Experiment 3. masked identity and form priming effects were similar for words that had been spelled correctly and incorrectly, Item spelling accuracy tracked word frequency effects in the way chat it combined with repetition and priming effects. we inter that an individuals learning with a word's orthography underlies word frequency and item spelling accuracy effects and that a single orthographic lexicon serves visual word recognition and spelling. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science (USA).

Roof gutters: A key container for Aedes aegypti and Ochlerotatus notoscriptus (Diptera : Culicidae) in Australia

The contribution of roof gutters to Aedes aegypti (L.) and Ochlerotatus notoscriptus (Skuse) pupal populations was quantified for the first time in Cairns, Australia. Concurrent yard and roof surveys yielded ill estimated 6,934 mosquito pupae, comprising four species. Roof gutters were all uncommon but productive source of Ae. aegypti in both wet season (n = 11) and dry season (n = 2) surveys, producing 52.6% and 39.5% of the respective populations. First story gutters accounted for 92.3% of the positive gutters. Therefore, treatment of roof gutters is a critical element in Ae. aegypti control campaigns during dengue outbreaks. In wet season yards, the largest standing, crops of Ae. aegypti occurred in garden accoutrements, discarded household items, and rubbish (36.4%, 28.0%, and 20.6%, respectively). In dry season yards, rubbish produced 79.6% of the Ae. aegypti pupae. The number of Ae. aegypti pupae/person was 2.36 and 0.59 for the wet and dry season surveys, respectively.

Postpartum issues' for expectant mothers and fathers

Objective: To investigate the postpartum psychosocial and infant care topics that women and men who attend preparation for parenthood classes have been thinking or worrying about during the pregnancy. Furthermore, to compare the rates of endorsement of such issues for women and men so that clinicians can use this information to help plan which topics to include in preparation for parenthood classes. Design: A survey of expectant parents attending preparation for parenthood classes at a local public hospital. Participants completed a 17- to 19-item postpartum issues checklist devised for the study. Setting: Preparation for parenthood classes conducted in a public hospital in South Western Sydney, Australia. Participants: People attending the session were in their 2nd to 3rd trimester, of low to middle socioeconomic status, and 95% were expecting their first child. Eighty-five percent of women were accompanied by their male partner at the session. Data are reported from 201 women and 182 men. Measure: A 17-item issues checklist was devised initially and later expanded to 19 items. The initial checklist covered three psychosocial issues: interpersonal, intrapersonal, and parental competency. The expanded checklist also included items on infant care issues. Participants rated each item as to the extent to which they had been thinking or worrying about it over the past few weeks. Results: More than half of the men and women had been thinking or worrying about their ability to cope as new parents; just less than half of both men and women endorsed the item regarding the effect having a baby would have on their relationship with their partner; approximately 40% of women had thought that they might get bored or lonely when at home with the baby, and an equal rate of men reported that their partner experiencing this sense of boredom or loneliness was an issue for them. There were few differences between the genders in the rate of endorsement on the issues checklist. Conclusion: That many of the issues on the checklist are prevalent in both women and men at this time in the pregnancy would suggest that these are topics that would be pertinent for inclusion at preparation for parenthood classes. Although the checklist is not exhaustive, the data reported give empirical justification for inclusion of these topics in such classes.

An overview of drugs and ancillary equipment for the dentist's emergency kit

The concept of a basic (i.e., essential) medical emergency kit suitable for a general dental practitioner varies somewhat between different authorities. A practitioner's choice is also dependant on the proximity of medical aid and the nature of the dental practice. Over recent years the trend has been to restrict the items to a minimum, in the interest of both common sense and safety, for example, just oxygen, adrenaline 1:1000, an oral carbohydrate source, glyceryl trinitrate and aspirin as first options. Ancillary equipment should include an oxygen therapy facemask, a pocket mask and a set of oral (Guedel) airways. Two further medication options for consideration are an aerosol bronchodilator and, in certain circumstances, an injectable antihypoglycaemic agent. This paper provides a selective overview of the subject. An absolute necessity is for dentists to be competent in Basic Life Support skills, and to maintain a complete and current medical history for all patients.

Further evidence for the agreement between patients with stroke and their proxies on the Frenchay Activities Index

Objective: To determine item, subscale and total score agreement on the Frenchay Activities Index (FAI) between stroke patients and proxies six months after discharge from rehabilitation. Design: Prospective study design. Setting/subjects: Fifty patient-proxy pairs, interviewed separately, in the patient's residence. Main outcome measures: Modified FAI using 13 items. Individual FAI items, subscales and total score agreement as measured by weighted kappa and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Results: Excellent agreement was found for the total FAI (ICC 0.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78-0.93), and domestic (ICC 0.85, 95% CI 0.73-0.91) and outdoor (ICC 0.87, 95% CI 0.78-0.95) subscales, with moderate agreement found for the work/leisure subscale (ICC 0.63, 95% CI 0.34-0.78). For the individual FAI items, good, moderate, fair and poor agreement was found for five, three, four and one item, respectively. The best agreement was for objective items of preparing meals, washing-up, washing clothes, shopping and driving. The poorest agreement was for participation in hobbies, social outings and heavy housework. Scoring biases associated with patient or proxy demographic characteristics were found. Female proxies, and those who were spouses, scored patients lower on domestic activities; male patients, and those who were younger, scored themselves higher on outdoor activities and higher patient FIM scores were positively correlated with higher FAI scores. Conclusions: While total and subscale agreement on the FAI was high, individual item agreement varied. Proxy scores should be used with caution due to bias.

Identifying the communication activities of older people with aphasia: Evidence from naturalistic observation

Background: Increasingly there is a call from clinicians and researchers for measures that document the impact of aphasia on a person's everyday communication. Do existing assessments of communication disability adequately sample communication activities relevant to our clients? Communication skills and networks change with age. A need exists to determine the everyday communication activities of older people and in particular those with aphasia. Aims: The primary aim of this study was to describe and compare the everyday communication activities of older people with aphasia and healthy older people who are living in the community. A secondary aim was to investigate the content validity of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association Functional Assessment of Communication Skills for Adults (ASHA FACS, 1997) for older Australians. Methods & Procedures: Naturalistic observation was the method of choice for detailing the everyday communication of 15 older people with chronic aphasia following stroke and a matched group of 15 healthy older people who were living in the community. Researchers, in the role of participant observer, took field notes for 8 hours, over three occasions within a week. A total of 240 hours of observation have been coded in terms of communication activity, topic, communication partners, and place of communication. A brief 5-day diary served to check the representativeness of the observational data. After each hour of observation, the researcher checked which ASHA FACS items had been observed. Outcomes & Results: Naturalistic observation provided a rich, rigorous, and systematic methodology for detailing the dynamics and complexities of authentic communication. The most common communication activities for both groups were conversations at home and in social groups. Real-life communication was revealed to serve the dual purposes of transaction and interaction. Results indicate that older people with aphasia engage in similar communication activities to healthy older people although differences were evident in the frequency of communication and in specific activities such as story telling, writing, commenting, and acknowledging. ASHA FACS items were generally relevant to older Australians living in the community. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that communication activity is multifaceted in terms of the type of communication and contextual factors. The observational data describe the effects of aphasia on a person's everyday communication activity and reveal the impact of aphasia on the social functions of communication including sharing information, maintaining and establishing relationships, and telling one's story. Functional communication assessment requires a greater focus on the interactional and uniquely interpersonal aspects of social communication.

Comments on "Maintenance policies with two-dimensional warranty"

Chen and Popova [Res. Engng Syst. Saf. 77 (2002) 61] discuss maintenance policies for items sold with a two-dimensional warranty. However, their paper fails to give a proper review of the literature and it also contains errors. In this note we first review the relevant literature and then comment on the errors in their analysis. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Repair-replace strategies for two-dimensional warranty policies

For repairable items sold with free replacement warranty, the actions available to the manufacturer to rectify failures under warranty are to (1) repair the failed item or (2) replace it with a new one. A proper repair-replace strategy can reduce the expected cost of servicing the warranty. In this paper, we study repair-replace strategies for items sold with a two-dimensional free replacement warranty. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Zygosity Diagnosis in the Absence of Genotypic Data: An Approach Using Latent Class Analysis

For zygosity diagnosis in the absence of genotypic data, or in the recruitment phase of a twin study where only single twins from same-sex pairs are being screened, or to provide a test for sample duplication leading to the false identification of a dizygotic pair as monozygotic, the appropriate analysis of respondents' answers to questions about zygosity is critical. Using data from a young adult Australian twin cohort (N = 2094 complete pairs and 519 singleton twins from same-sex pairs with complete responses to all zygosity items), we show that application of latent class analysis (LCA), fitting a 2-class model, yields results that show good concordance with traditional methods of zygosity diagnosis, but with certain important advantages. These include the ability, in many cases, to assign zygosity with specified probability on the basis of responses of a single informant (advantageous when one zygosity type is being oversampled); and the ability to quantify the probability of misassignment of zygosity, allowing prioritization of cases for genotyping as well as identification of cases of probable laboratory error. Out of 242 twins (from 121 like-sex pairs) where genotypic data were available for zygosity confirmation, only a single case was identified of incorrect zygosity assignment by the latent class algorithm. Zygosity assignment for that single case was identified by the LCA as uncertain (probability of being a monozygotic twin only 76%), and the co-twin's responses clearly identified the pair as dizygotic (probability of being dizygotic 100%). In the absence of genotypic data, or as a safeguard against sample duplication, application of LCA for zygosity assignment or confirmation is strongly recommended.

Trichostome ciliates from Australian marsupials. III. Megavestibulum gen. nov. (Litostomatea : Macropodiniidae)

A new macropodiniid ciliate genus, Megavestibulum, is described which is endocommensal in the stomach of macropodid marsupials. Two new species, M. morganorum and M. kuhri, are described from Macropus dorsalis and Wallabia, bicolor respectively. Megavestibulum is holotrichous, the somatic ciliation arranged into meridional, curving kineties between broad ridges. The interkinetal ridges are lined apically by thick-walled vacuoles similar to those lining the longitudinal grooves of Macropodinium. The conical vestibulum is apical and very large, occupying up to 1/3 of the cell volume. The vestibular lip appears closable and has a cleft which may allow distention of the vestibullum to ingest large food items. The vestibular ultrastructure is similar to that of Macropodinium including the presence of vestibular vacuoles and the hemispherical differentiation of the distribution of small nematodesmata. Many specimens contained ingested whole ciliates of the genera Amylovorax and Polycosta. The structure of the vestibulum suggests that Megavestibulum is adapted for life as an active predator of other stomach ciliates as well as sweeping in small particulates. The morphology of Megavestibulum suggests that it represents the plesiomorphic body plan within the family Macropodiniidae.

Reliability of scores between stroke patients and significant others on the Reintegration to Normal Living (RNL) Index

Purpose: This study measured reliability between stroke patients' and significant others' scores on items on the Reintegration to Normal Living (RNL) Index and whether there were any scoring biases. Method The 11-item RNL Index was administered to 57 pairs of patients and significants six months after stroke rehabilitation. The index was scored using a 10-point visual analogue scale. Patient and significant other demographic information and data on patients' clinical, functional and cognitive status were collected. Reliability was measured using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and percent agreement. Results: Overall poor reliability was found for the RNL Index total score (ICC=.36, 95% CI. 07 to .59) and the daily functioning subscale (ICC=.24, 95% CI -.003 to .46) and moderate reliability was found for the perception of self subscale (ICC=.55, 95 % CI .28 to .73). There was a moderate bias for patients to rate themselves as achieving better reintegration than was indicated by significant others, although no demographic or clinical factors were associated with this bias. Exact match agreement was best for the subjective items and worse for items reflecting mobility around the community and participation in a work activity. Conclusions: Caution is needed when interpreting patient information reported by significant others on the RNL Index. The use of a shorter scale to rate the RNL Index requires investigation.