Mechanism of Ultrasound Scission of a Silver-Carbene Coordination Polymer

Scission of a supramolecular polymer-metal complex can be carried out using collapsing cavitation bubbles created by ultrasound. Although the most plausible scission mechanism of the coordinative bonds is through mechanical force, the influence of radicals and high hot-spot temperatures on scission has to be considered. A silver(I)-N-heterocyclic carbene complex was exposed to 20 kHz ultrasound in argon, nitrogen, methane, and isobutane saturated toluene. Scission percentages were almost equal under argon, nitrogen, and methane. Radical production differs by a factor of 10 under these gases, indicating that radical production is not a significant contributor to the scission process. A model to describe the displacement of the bubble wall, strain rates, and temperature in the gas shows that critical strain rates for coil-to-stretch transition, needed for scission, are achieved at reactor temperatures of 298 K, an acoustic pressure of 1.2 x 10(5) Pa, and an acoustic frequency of 20 kHz. Lower scission percentages were measured under isobutane, which also shows lower strain rates in model simulations. The activation of the polymer-metal complexes in toluene under the influence of ultrasound occurs through mechanical force.

Why reinvent the wheel? A behaviour analyst's reflections on pedagogy for inclusion for students with intellectual and developmental disability

The number of children identified as having intellectual or developmental disability is rising worldwide and their education has been found wanting. It has been said that “they simply need better teaching.” At the same time, there is an increasing evidence base that pedagogy that is based on the discipline of behaviour analysis offers the best prospect for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. On the basis of this evidence, it is proposed that behaviour analysis should be applied more broadly to improve teaching for all children with intellectual or developmental disability.

Design considerations for the autism spectrum disorder-friendly Key Stage 1 classroom

There is a growing consensus that an appropriate classroom environment will aid the performance of the pupil with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There are, however, very few design guidelines available when considering ASD and the school environment. Such guidelines that do exist tend only to be in general terms. Therefore, this article seeks to highlight design considerations specifically for the ASD-friendly Key Stage 1 (age five to eight) classroom. It will first highlight some of the challenges for those with autism spectrum disorder in a school environment and the triad of challenges faced by architects and designers when considering ASD-friendly classroom design. It will then go on to describe the findings and results of a two-year study carried out in conjunction with the ASD teaching staff of Northern Ireland's Southern Education and Library Board. These consist of 16 specific design considerations for the Key Stage 1 ASD-friendly classroom applicable to all classrooms for pupils between five and eight years of age.

Perception of patterns of musical beat distribution in phonological developmental dyslexia:significant longitudinal relations with word reading and reading comprehension

In a recent study, we reported that the accurate perception of beat structure in music ('perception of musical meter') accounted for over 40% of the variance in single word reading in children with and without dyslexia (Huss et al., 2011). Performance in the musical task was most strongly associated with the auditory processing of rise time, even though beat structure was varied by manipulating the duration of the musical notes.

Real-life Social Attention in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder defined by atypical social behaviour, of which atypical social attention behaviours are among the earliest clinical markers (Volkmar et al., 1997). Eye tracking studies using still images and movie clips have provided a method for the precise quantification of atypical social attention in ASD. This is generally characterised by diminished viewing of the most socially pertinent regions (eyes), and increased viewing of less socially informative regions (body, background, objects) (Klin et al., 2002; Riby & Hancock, 2008, 2009). Ecological validity within eye tracking studies has become an increasingly important issue. As of yet, however, little is known about the precise nature of the atypicalities of social attention in ASD in real-life. Objectives: To capture and quantify gaze patterns for children with an ASD within a real life setting, compared to two Typically Developing (TD) comparison groups. Methods: Nine children with an ASD were compared to two age matched TD groups – a verbal (N=9) and a non-verbal (N=9) comparison group. A real-life scenario was created involving an experimenter posing as a magician, and consisted of 3 segments: a conversation segment; a magic trick segment; and a puppet segment. The first segment explored children’s attentional preferences during a real-life conversation; the magic trick segment explored children’s use of the eyes as a communicative cue, and the puppet segment explored attention capture. Finally, part of the puppet section explored children’s use of facial information in response to an unexpected event. Results: The most striking difference between the groups was the diminished viewing of the eyes by the ASD group in comparison to both control groups. This was found particularly during the conversation segment, but also during the magic trick segment, and during the puppet segment. When in conversation, participants with ASD were found to spend a greater proportion time looking off-screen, in comparison to TD participants. There was also a tendency for the ASD group to spend a greater proportion of time looking to the mouth of the experimenter. During the magic trick segment, despite the fact that the eyes were not predictive of a correct location, both TD comparison groups continued to use the eyes as a communicative cue, whereas the ASD group did not. In the puppet segment, all three groups spent a similar amount of time looking between the puppet and regions of the experimenter’s face. However, in response to an unexpected event, the ASD group were significantly slower to fixate back on the experimenter’s face. Conclusions: The results demonstrate the reduced salience of socially pertinent information for children with ASD in real life, and they provide support for the findings from previous eye tracking studies involving scene viewing. However, the results also highlight a pattern looking off-screen for both the TD and ASD groups. This eye movement behaviour is likely to be associated specifically with real-life interaction, as it has functional relevance (Doherty-Sneddon et al., 2002). However, the fact that it is significantly increased in the ASD group has implications for their understanding of real life social interactions.

Impact of Neonatal Intensive Care on Late Preterm Infants: Developmental Outcomes at 3 Years

BACKGROUND: Late preterm infants (LPIs) (34-36 weeks' gestation) account for up to 75% of preterm births and constitute a significant proportion of all neonatal admissions. This study assessed the impact of neonatal intensive or high-dependency care (IC) on developmental outcomes of LPIs at 3 years of age. METHODS: This cohort study included 225 children born late preterm in Northern Ireland during 2006. Children born late preterm who received IC were compared with children born late preterm who did not receive IC. Cognitive, motor, and language skills were assessed by using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition. Growth was assessed by using anthropometric measures of height and weight. RESULTS: LPIs who received IC were more often less mature (34 weeks' gestation), with lower birth weight (<= 2500 g) and Apgar scores (<7 at 5 minutes) compared with the control group. They were more often born by cesarean delivery and more likely to have received resuscitation at birth. At 3 years of age, children born late preterm who received IC demonstrated similar cognitive, motor, and language skills compared with children in the control group. Measurements of growth also did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Despite having increased maternal, perinatal, and neonatal risk factors, there were no significant differences in early childhood development between LPIs who received IC and those who did not. LPIs do not receive routine follow-up after IC and this study provides useful and reassuring data for parents and clinicians on the longer-term outcome of this infant group.