Seeing and hearing speech, sounds, and signs: functional magnetic resonance studies on fluent and dyslexic readers

Speech has both auditory and visual components (heard speech sounds and seen articulatory gestures). During all perception, selective attention facilitates efficient information processing and enables concentration on high-priority stimuli. Auditory and visual sensory systems interact at multiple processing levels during speech perception and, further, the classical motor speech regions seem also to participate in speech perception. Auditory, visual, and motor-articulatory processes may thus work in parallel during speech perception, their use possibly depending on the information available and the individual characteristics of the observer. Because of their subtle speech perception difficulties possibly stemming from disturbances at elemental levels of sensory processing, dyslexic readers may rely more on motor-articulatory speech perception strategies than do fluent readers. This thesis aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms of speech perception and selective attention in fluent and dyslexic readers. We conducted four functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments, during which subjects perceived articulatory gestures, speech sounds, and other auditory and visual stimuli. Gradient echo-planar images depicting blood oxygenation level-dependent contrast were acquired during stimulus presentation to indirectly measure brain hemodynamic activation. Lip-reading activated the primary auditory cortex, and selective attention to visual speech gestures enhanced activity within the left secondary auditory cortex. Attention to non-speech sounds enhanced auditory cortex activity bilaterally; this effect showed modulation by sound presentation rate. A comparison between fluent and dyslexic readers' brain hemodynamic activity during audiovisual speech perception revealed stronger activation of predominantly motor speech areas in dyslexic readers during a contrast test that allowed exploration of the processing of phonetic features extracted from auditory and visual speech. The results show that visual speech perception modulates hemodynamic activity within auditory cortex areas once considered unimodal, and suggest that the left secondary auditory cortex specifically participates in extracting the linguistic content of seen articulatory gestures. They are strong evidence for the importance of attention as a modulator of auditory cortex function during both sound processing and visual speech perception, and point out the nature of attention as an interactive process (influenced by stimulus-driven effects). Further, they suggest heightened reliance on motor-articulatory and visual speech perception strategies among dyslexic readers, possibly compensating for their auditory speech perception difficulties.

Bone health and vitamin D status in children with motor disability and adults with intellectual disability

Osteoporosis is not only a disease of the elderly, but is increasingly diagnosed in chronically ill children. Children with severe motor disabilities, such as cerebral palsy (CP), have many risk factors for osteoporosis. Adults with intellectual disability (ID) are also prone to low bone mineral density (BMD) and increased fractures. This study was carried out to identify risk factors for low BMD and osteoporosis in children with severe motor disability and in adults with ID. In this study 59 children with severe motor disability, ranging in age from 5 to 16 years were evaluated. Lumbar spine BMD was measured with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. BMD values were corrected for bone size by calculating bone mineral apparent density (BMAD), and for bone age. The values were transformed into Z-scores by comparison with normative data. Spinal radiographs were assessed for vertebral morphology. Blood samples were obtained for biochemical parameters. Parents were requested to keep a food diary for three days. The median daily energy and nutrient intakes were calculated. Fractures were common; 17% of the children had sustained peripheral fractures and 25% had compression fractures. BMD was low in children; the median spinal BMAD Z-score was -1.0 (range -5.0 – +2.0) and the BMAD Z-score <-2.0 in 20% of the children. Low BMAD Z-score and hypercalciuria were significant risk factors for fractures. In children with motor disability, calcium intakes were sufficient, while total energy and vitamin D intakes were not. In the vitamin D intervention studies, 44 children and adolescents with severe motor disability and 138 adults with ID were studied. After baseline blood samples, the children were divided into two groups; those in the treatment group received 1000 IU peroral vitamin D3 five days a week for 10 weeks, and subjects in the control group continued with their normal diet. Adults with ID were allocated to receive either 800 IU peroral vitamin D3 daily for six months or a single intramuscular injection of 150 000 IU D3. Blood samples were obtained at baseline and after treatment. Serum concentrations of 25-OH-vitamin D (S-25-OHD) were low in all subgroups before vitamin D intervention: in almost 60% of children and in 77% of adults the S-25-OHD concentration was below 50 nmol/L, indicating vitamin D insufficiency. After vitamin D intervention, 19% of children and 42% adults who received vitamin D perorally and 12% of adults who received vitamin D intramuscularly had optimal S-25-OHD (>80 nmol/L). This study demonstrated that low BMD and peripheral and spinal fractures are common in children with severe motor disabilities. Vitamin D status was suboptimal in the majority of children with motor disability and adults with ID. Vitamin D insufficiency can be corrected with vitamin D supplements; the peroral dose should be at least 800 IU per day.

Digital competence and professional development of vocational education and training teachers in Queensland

Teaching with digital technologies is essential to the development of 21st century students’ graduate capabilities. However, relatively little is known about the extent to which Queensland VET teachers engage with digitally-enhanced teaching, or have the capacity to do so. Using a mixed methods approach, this thesis investigated the current digital teaching capacities of VET teachers and how current professional development opportunities are helping to address their learning needs.

The association between student characteristics and the development of clinical reasoning in a graduate-entry, PBL medical programme

This study sought to assess the extent to which the entry characteristics of students in a graduate-entry medical programme predict the subsequent development of clinical reasoning ability. Subjects comprised 290 students voluntarily recruited from three successive cohorts of the University of Queensland's MBBS Programme. Clinical reasoning was measured once a year over a period of three years using two methods, a set of 10 Clinical Reasoning Problems (CRPs) and the Diagnostic Thinking Inventory (DTI). Data on gender, age at entry into the programme, nature of primary degree, scores on selection criteria (written examination plus interview) and academic performance in the first two years of the programme were recorded for each student, and their association with clinical reasoning skill analysed using univariate and multivariate analysis. Univariate analysis indicated significant associations between CRP score, gender and primary degree with a significant but small association between DTI and interview score. Stage of progression through the programme was also an important predictor of performance on both indicators. Subsequent multivariate analysis suggested that female gender is a positive predictor of CRP score independently of the nature of a subject's primary degree and stage of progression through the programme, although these latter two variables are interdependent. Positive predictors of clinical reasoning skill are stage of progression through the MBBS programme, female gender and interview score. Although the nature of a student's primary degree is important in the early years of the programme, evidence suggests that by graduation differences between students' clinical reasoning skill due to this factor have been resolved.

Assessing clinical reasoning: A method to monitor its development in a PBL curriculum

The aim of this study was to develop and trial a method to monitor the evolution of clinical reasoning in a PBL curriculum that is suitable for use in a large medical school. Termed Clinical Reasoning Problems (CRPs), it is based on the notion that clinical reasoning is dependent on the identification and correct interpretation of certain critical clinical features. Each problem consists of a clinical scenario comprising presentation, history and physical examination. Based on this information, subjects are asked to nominate the two most likely diagnoses and to list the clinical features that they considered in formulating their diagnoses, indicating whether these features supported or opposed the nominated diagnoses. Students at different levels of medical training completed a set of 10 CRPs as well as the Diagnostic Thinking Inventory, a self-reporting questionnaire designed to assess reasoning style. Responses were scored against those of a reference group of general practitioners. Results indicate that the CRPs are an easily administered, reliable and valid assessment of clinical reasoning, able to successfully monitor its development throughout medical training. Consequently, they can be employed to assess clinical reasoning skill in individual students and to evaluate the success of undergraduate medical schools in providing effective tuition in clinical reasoning.

Boosting morale and improving performance in the nursing setting

AIM AND BACKGROUND: While the importance of morale is well researched in the nursing literature, strategies and interventions are not so prolific. The complexities of interpersonal relationships within the clinical domain, and the critical issues faced by nurses on a daily basis, indicate that morale, job satisfaction and motivation are essential components in improving workplace efficiency, output and communication amongst staff. Drawing on educational, organizational and psychological literature, this paper argues that the ability to inspire morale in staff is a fundamental indicator of sound leadership and managerial characteristics. EVALUATION AND KEY ISSUES: Four practical concepts that could be implemented in the clinical setting are proposed. These include: role preparation for managers, understanding internal and external motivation, fostering internal motivation in nursing staff, and the importance of attitude when investing in relationships.

Multilevel Dodecagonal Space Vector Generation for Open-end Winding Induction Motor Drive Using Conventional Three Level Inverters

A novel dodecagonal space vector structure for induction motor drive is presented in this paper. It consists of two dodecagons, with the radius of the outer one twice the inner one. Compared to existing dodecagonal space vector structures, to achieve the same PWM output voltage quality, the proposed topology lowers the switching frequency of the inverters and reduces the device ratings to half. At the same time, other benefits obtained from existing dodecagonal space vector structure are retained here. This includes the extension of the linear modulation range and elimination of all 6+/-1 harmonics (n=odd) from the phase voltage. The proposed structure is realized by feeding an open-end winding induction motor with two conventional three level inverters. A detailed calculation of the PWM timings for switching the space vector points is also presented. Simulation and experimental results indicate the possible application of the proposed idea for high power drives.

What if tax reform was a fundamental human right?

As an election looms in Australia, the tax debate continues unabated. Self-interest abounds. When we remove self-interest, we are often reduced to standard design principles for a taxation system. Lost in this discussion is the fundamental purpose of tax, which is to finance government expenditure. Most would argue that tax revenue should be sufficient to meet basic economic and social needs of the community. But how does a community determine what these basic economic and social needs should be? One way is by using a human rights framework. This can provide guidance for both developing and developed countries considering tax reform.

Fundamental Tax Legislation [24th Edition]

Fundamental Tax Legislation 2016 contains the essential provisions from the primary legislation that affects Australia's taxation system. Updated and expanded for changes which occurred in 2015, this volume is an indispensable reference for undergraduate and postgraduate students of taxation. The Year in Review section has been updated to summarise the main legislative developments in taxation over the previous 12 months, a listing of the passage of tax related legislation during the last year and the inclusion of reference statistics (such as CPI quarterly figures and individual tax rates for residents and foreign residents). Also fully updated and revised to reflect the changes in 2015 is the Tax Rates and Tables section, which contains an accessible summary of the main tax rates and tables that students will need to refer to for their tax studies.

Busy auditors, ethical behavior, and discretionary accruals quality in Malaysia

The required professional and ethical pronouncements of accountants mean that auditors need to be competent and exercise due care and skill in the performance of their audits. In this study, we examine what happens when auditors take on more clients than they should, thus raising doubts about their ability to maintain competence and audit quality. Using 2803 observations of Malaysian companies from 2010 to 2013, we find that auditors with multiple clients are associated with lower earnings quality, proxied by total accruals and discretionary accruals. Our results demonstrate that associating client firms’ reported discretionary accruals with individual auditors, rather than their firms or offices, is important in determining audit quality. Moreover, we demonstrate that the disclosure of auditors’ signatures on their reports is useful for assessing auditor quality at the individual level, thus contributing to the debate on the usefulness of having auditor identities on reports.

Workplace training and generic and technical skill development in the Australian construction industry

- Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current skills gap in both generic and skill areas within the construction industry in Queensland, Australia. - Design/methodology/approach An internet-based survey was administered to collect the opinions of construction employees about the workplace-training environment and their perceptions towards training. The survey intended to address the following research questions, specifically in relation to the construction industry. - Findings The survey results reveal that whilst overall participation in workplace training is high, the current workplace training environments do not foster balanced skill development. The study reveals that in the current absence of a formal and well-balanced training mechanism, construction workers generally resort to their own informal self-development initiatives to develop the needed role-specific theoretical knowledge. - Research limitations/implications The findings of the research are based on the data primarily collected in the construction industry in Queensland, Australia. The data are limited to a single Tier 2 construction company. - Practical implications The findings of this study can be utilised to suggest improvements in the current (or develop new) workplace training initiatives. - Social implications The research suggests that workplace training has positive relationship with career growth. The results suggest that in the construction industry, employees are generally well aware of the importance of workplace training in their career development and they largely appreciate training as being a critical factor for developing their capacity to perform their roles successfully, and to maintain their employability. - Originality/value This paper is unique as it investigates the current skills gap in both generic and skill areas within the construction industry in Queensland, Australia. So far no work has been undertaken to identify and discusses the main method of workplace learning within the Tier 2 industry in the context of Queensland Australia.

Reduction of Torque Ripple in Induction Motor Drives Using an AdvancedHybrid PWM Technique

A voltage source inverter-fed induction motor produces a pulsating torque due to application of nonsinusoidal voltages. Torque pulsation is strongly influenced by the pulsewidth modulation (PWM) method employed. Conventional space vector PWM (CSVPWM) is known to result in less torque ripple than sine-triangle PWM. This paper aims at further reduction in the pulsating torque by employing advanced bus-clamping switching sequences, which apply an active vector twice in a subcycle. This paper proposes a hybrid PWM technique which employs such advanced bus-clamping sequences in conjunction with a conventional switching sequence. The proposed hybrid PWM technique is shown to reduce the torque ripple considerably over CSVPWM along with a marginal reduction in current ripple.