Mental health difficulties among young people on the autistic spectrum in mainstream secondary schools: A comparative study

Young people on the autistic spectrum (AS) may be at an increased risk of developing mental health difficulties, but to date research evidence has been equivocal and/or inadequate. The aim of the current study was to document the mental health profiles of adolescents on the AS, and to identify factors that contribute to difficulties in this area. Mental health profiles of a group of adolescents on the AS (N=22) were compared to age, gender and SEN-provision-matched control groups of adolescents with dyslexia (N=21) and with no special educational needs (N=23) using the Beck Youth Inventories. Additionally, five participants on the AS participated in semi-structured interviews about their experience of school. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that adolescents on the AS experienced significantly greater anxiety, depression, anger and lower self-concept than those with no special educational needs. They also experienced significantly greater anxiety and anger than those with dyslexia. Qualitative analysis revealed that problems in social relationships, understanding the nature of the AS, and disruptions to routine were common contributory factors to the mental health difficulties of participants. However, interview data also revealed key coping strategies implemented by participants to help them overcome their difficulties. The implications of these findings are discussed, and methodological limitations are noted

Aplikasi Kidswall sebagai Media JejaringSosial Bagi Anak-Anak

Social network is one way in which we interact in cyberspace. As a social forum, social networks are often too general and likely to be abused by users. Crime, rudeness, sexual immorality, often became negative spotlight especially for parents who have little children. The parents hope social network can make interaction with each other calmly but still controlled. Based on this reason, the parents need a solution. The solution is implemented of social networking site that specifically for little children called Kidswall. This website is developed in PHP programming language and JQuery Ajax in the client side, that has features like user controlling, education development in a relational database, and also user can make interaction with the others. In blackbox testing has been done, it can be concluded that the process of user settings, education development, and interaction among the users become organized

Drug Predictive Cues Activate Aversion-Sensitive Striatal Neurons That Encode Drug Seeking

Drug-associated cues have profound effects on an addict’s emotional state and drug-seeking behavior. Although this influence must involve the motivational neural system that initiates and encodes the drug-seeking act, surprisingly little is known about the nature of such physiological events and their motivational consequences. Three experiments investigated the effect of a cocaine-predictive stimulus on dopamine signaling, neuronal activity, and reinstatement of cocaine seeking. In all experiments, rats were divided into two groups (paired and unpaired), and trained to self-administer cocaine in the presence of a tone that signaled the immediate availability of the drug. For rats in the paired group, self-administration sessions were preceded by a taste cue that signaled delayed drug availability. Assessments of hedonic responses indicated that this delay cue became aversive during training. Both the self-administration behavior and the immediate cue were subsequently extinguished in the absence of cocaine. After extinction of self-administration behavior, the presentation of the aversive delay cue reinstated drug seeking. In vivo electrophysiology and voltammetry recordings in the nucleus accumbens measured the neural responses to both the delay and immediate drug cues after extinction. Interestingly, the presentation of the delay cue simultaneously decreased dopamine signaling and increased excitatory encoding of the immediate cue. Most importantly, the delay cue selectively enhanced the baseline activity of neurons that would later encode drug seeking. Together these observations reveal how cocaine cues can modulate not only affective state, but also the neurochemical and downstream neurophysiological environment of striatal circuits in a manner that promotes drug seeking

The Reliability of Electromyographic Normalization Methods for Cycling Analyses

Electromyography (EMG) is normalized in relation to a reference maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) value. Different normalization techniques are available but the most reliable method for cycling movements is unknown. This study investigated the reliability of different normalization techniques for cycling analyses. Twenty‐five male cyclists (age 24.13 ± 2.79 years, body height 176.22 ± 4.87 cm and body mass 67.23 ± 4.19 kg, BMI = 21.70 ± 2.60 kg∙m‐1) performed different normalization procedures on two occasions, within the same testing session. The rectus femoris, biceps femoris, gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior muscles were examined. Participants performed isometric normalizations (IMVC) using an isokinetic dynamometer. Five minutes of submaximal cycling (180 W) were also undertaken, allowing the mean (DMA) and peak (PDA) activation from each muscle to serve as reference values. Finally, a 10 s cycling sprint (MxDA) trial was undertaken and the highest activation from each muscle was used as the reference value. Differences between reference EMG amplitude, as a function of normalization technique and time, were examined using repeated measures ANOVAs. The test‐retest reliability of each technique was also examined using linear regression, intraclass correlations and Cronbach’s alpha. The results showed that EMG amplitude differed significantly between normalization techniques for all muscles, with the IMVC and MxDA methods demonstrating the highest amplitudes. The highest levels of reliability were observed for the PDA technique for all muscles; therefore, our results support the utilization of this method for cycling analyses

Comparing online and face-to-face student counselling: what therapeutic goals are identified and what are the implications for educational providers?

Online counselling is increasingly being used as an alternative to face-to-face student counselling. Using an exploratory mixed methods design, this project investigates the practice by examining the types of therapeutic goals that 11 to 25 year olds identify online in routine practice. These goals are then compared to goals identified in equivalent school and community-based counselling services. 1,137 online goals (expressed by 504 young people) and 221 face-to-face goals (expressed by 220 young people) were analysed for key themes using grounded theory techniques. This analysis identified three core categories (1) Intrapersonal Goals, (2) Interpersonal Goals, and (3) Intrapersonal Goals directly related to others. Further statistical analysis of these themes indicated that online and face-to-face services appear to be being used in different ways by students. These differences are discussed alongside the implications for professionals working in educational settings

An enhanced recombinant amino-terminal acetylation system and novel in vivo high-throughput screen for molecules affection alpha-synuclein oligomerisation

Amino terminal acetylation is a ubiquitous protein modification affecting the majority of eukaryote proteins to regulate stability and function. We describe an optimised recombinant expression system for rapid production of aminoterminal-acetylated proteins within bacteria. We go on to describe the system’s use in a fluorescence based in vivo assay for use in the highthroughput screen to identify drugs that impact amino-terminal acetylation dependent oligomerisation. These new tools and protocols will allow researchers to enhance routine recombinant protein production and identify new molecules for use in research and clinical applications

Studi Kesesuaian Wisata Pantai Parangtritis Sebagai Rekreasi Pantai Kabupaten Bantul, YOGYAKARTA

Pantai Parangtritis adalah pantai yang berlokasi di Kabupaten Bantul, Yogyakarta. Pantai ini memiliki potensi pada sumberdaya pesisir yaitu dibidang pariwisata. Tetapi belum diketahui apakah pantai ini sudah sesuai atau belum. Selain itu lahan yang digunakan untuk kegiatan pariwisata masih belum dimanfaatkan secara optimal. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa perlu dilakukan pengembangan objek wisata di pantai ini. Untuk mendukung pengembangan tersebut maka perlu dilakukan studi kesesuaian terlebih dahulu. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah metode deskriptif. Penelitian ini dilakukan dengan observasi lapangan (pengumpulan data primer dan data sekunder) pada bulan Desember 2013 sampai bulan Januari 2014. Metode pengambilan sampel menggunakan metode purposif yang terbagi dalam lima titik lokasi sampling. Pengumpulan data primer berupa data kondisi perairan dan parameter kesesuaian wisata, seperti tipe pantai, lebar pantai, kemiringan pantai, material pantai, kecepatan arus, kecerahan perairan, penutupan lahan pantai, biota berbahaya, dan ketersediaan air tawar. Analisis yang digunakan adalah analisis Indeks Kesesuaian Wisata (IKW).Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa nilai IKW di Pantai Parangtritis termasuk kategori Sangat Sesuai (S1) dengan nilai IKW >80 %. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa Pantai Parangtritis mendukung untuk pengembangan kawasan wisata rekreasi panta

Effects of Varus Orthotics on Lower Extremity Kinematics During the Pedal Cycle

Purpose. Cycling has been shown to be associated with a high incidence of chronic pathologies. Foot orthoses are frequently used by cyclists in order to reduce the incidence of chronic injuries. The aim of the current investigation was to examine the influence of different varus orthotic inclines on the three-dimensional kinematics of the lower extremities during the pedal cycle. Methods. Kinematic information was obtained from ten male cyclists using an eight-camera optoelectronic 3-D motion capture system operating at 250 Hz. Participants cycled with and without orthotic intervention at three different cadences (70, 90 and 110 RPM). The orthotic device was adjustable and four different wedge conditions (0 mm – no orthotic, 1.5 mm, 3.0 mm and 4.5 mm) were examined. Two-way repeated measures ANOVAs were used to compare the kinematic parameters obtained as a function of orthotic inclination and cadence. Participants were also asked to subjectively rate their comfort in cycling using each of the four orthotic devices on a 10-point Likert scale. Results. The kinematic analysis indicated that the orthotic device had no significant influence at any of the three cadences. Analysis of subjective preferences showed a clear preference for the 0 mm, no orthotic, condition. Conclusions. This study suggests that foot orthoses do not provide any protection from skeletal malalignment issues associated with the aetiology of chronic cycling injuries

Educational interventions for children with ASD: A systematic literature review 2008–2013

Systematic literature reviews can play a key role in underpinning evidence-based practice. To date, large-scale reviews of interventions for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have focused primarily on research quality. To assist practitioners, the current review adopted a broader framework which allowed for greater consideration of educational utility. Between July and August 2013, 20 databases were searched, alongside web searches and hand searches, to identify ASD intervention studies published between 2008 and 2013. This search yielded 6,232 articles and the subsequent screening and evaluation process identified 85 best evidence studies. Studies were grouped into categories and individual interventions were assessed and classified as providing most; moderate; some; or a small amount of evidence. Interventions with most evidence tended to focus on younger children and core difficulties associated with ASD. Emerging trends, such as increasing evidence for technology-based interventions and peer-mediated interventions, were identified. An encouraging finding for practitioners is that in 59% of the studies, interventions were undertaken with or by school staff. Implications for school psychology practice as well as factors to consider when selecting educational interventions are discussed