The Effect of Music on the Social Behavior of a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is defined by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association as a developmental disability that causes problems with social skills and communication. The principle objective of this case study was to determine whether or not listening to music affects the social behaviors of a child with ASD. In addition, this study sought to determine if listening to different types of music caused a difference in the social behaviors of the child. Two types of music, nursery rhymes and classical instrumental, were used and four specific social behaviors; eye contact, joint attention, facial expressions, and attention seeking; were examined. Five minutes of listening to music was implemented at the beginning of each therapy session. The two musical types were alternated monthly over a semester of therapy. This study could have implications for future use of music in the treatment of social behaviors in children with ASD

Analyzing the Regionalized Awareness of Distraction Osteogenesis

There are multiple treatment options available to initiate bone growth within the oral cavity. Distraction osteogenesis is a surgical dental procedure performed to initiate new bone growth in the maxillofacial region. This procedure is an important advancement to dental professionals because of the minimal complications and great outcome of bone growth it offers. As dentistry is always evolving, it is imperative to relay current trends to other professionals within the field of dentistry. The goal of this research was to analyze the regionalized awareness of distraction osteogenesis. A survey was conducted among dentists in Kentucky and Tennessee with multiple questions to determine their knowledge and use of distraction osteogenesis. As a dental hygienist, it is important to be aware of these various procedures to provide current treatment options and inform each individual patient based on his/her particular needs. The survey sent to dentists in Tennessee and Kentucky provided vital information on the awareness of distraction osteogenesis. Results show that dentists are aware of the procedure although it is not an often-used technique

The Differences in Men and Women Senior Law Enforcement Leadership Style as it Relates to Subordinate Employee Job Satisfaction

Undergraduate Theoretica

Tracking Plasma Lactate Concentration in Vivo with a Catheter-Tip L-Lactate Sensor

To circumvent the problems of repeated blood sampling for in vitro analysis, a catheter-tip L-lactate sensor has been developed. The sensor was tested in anesthetized pigs (n=6). The sensor in vivo tracked the lactate concentration non-linearly, seeming to obey Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Calibration time was short, typically 1.5 min per lactate standard. Furthermore, time drift was small, typically -1.3% to -3.3% per hour of in vivo use

A System for Measuring Defect Induced Beam Modulation on Inertial Confinement Fusion-class Laser Optics

A multi-wavelength laser based system has been constructed to measure defect induced beam modulation (diffraction) from ICF class laser optics. The Nd:YLF-based modulation measurement system (MMS) uses simple beam collimation and imaging to capture diffraction patterns from optical defects onto an 8-bit digital camera at 1053, 527 and 351 nm. The imaging system has a field of view of 4.5 x 2.8 mm{sup 2} and is capable of imaging any plane from 0 to 30 cm downstream from the defect. The system is calibrated using a 477 micron chromium dot on glass for which the downstream diffraction patterns were calculated numerically. Under nominal conditions the system can measure maximum peak modulations of approximately 7:1. An image division algorithm is used to calculate the peak modulation from the diffracted and empty field images after the baseline residual light background is subtracted from both. The peak modulation can then be plotted versus downstream position. The system includes a stage capable of holding optics up to 50 pounds with x and y translation of 40 cm and has been used to measure beam modulation due to solgel coating defects, surface digs on KDP crystals, lenslets in bulk fused silica and laser damage sites mitigated with CO{sub 2} lasers

Versatile laser glass inspection and damage testing facility

A test facility is described which detects small opaque inclusions in large transparent components by using a commercial laser which delivers high energy pulses to the test sample at moderate frequency in a small diameter beam. The sample is automatically scanned such that each point in the volume is irradiated with ten pulses at twice the inclusion damage threshold - an amount sufficient to cause visible damage at inclusion sites. This approach permits detection of opaque inclusions in the parts per trillion and lower concentration range. The specifics of the device design and its performance are discussed in the context of automatic inclusion inspection and mapping in large laser optics

Nucleosome conformation dictates the histone code

Histone post-translational modifications (PTMs) play a critical role in chromatin regulation. It has been proposed that these PTMs form localized 'codes' that are read by specialized regions (reader domains) in chromatin-associated proteins (CAPs) to regulate downstream function. Substantial effort has been made to define [CAP: histone PTM] specificities, and thus decipher the histone code and guide epigenetic therapies. However, this has largely been done using the reductive approach of isolated reader domains and histone peptides, which cannot account for any higher-order factors. Here, we show that the [BPTF PHD finger and bromodomain: histone PTM] interaction is dependent on nucleosome context. The tandem reader selectively associates with nucleosomal H3K4me3 and H3K14ac or H3K18ac, a combinatorial engagement that despite being in cis is not predicted by peptides. This in vitro specificity of the BPTF tandem reader for PTM-defined nucleosomes is recapitulated in a cellular context. We propose that regulatable histone tail accessibility and its impact on the binding potential of reader domains necessitates we refine the 'histone code' concept and interrogate it at the nucleosome level

Finite element simulation of subsurface initiated damage from non-metallic inclusions in wind turbine gearbox bearings

The premature failure of wind turbine gearbox bearings significantly affects the reliability of wind turbine operation and energy production. Damage initiated from non-metallic inclusions known as White Etching Cracks (WECs) has been identified as the dominant initiation mechanism that causes the premature failure under the influence of transient events. In this study, the factors affecting the initiation of subsurface damage from non-metallic inclusions were investigated by finite element modelling. It was found that the direction of surface traction and loading-unloading cycle had a detrimental effect on stress concentration at the tips of the de-bonded non-metallic inclusions in bearing steel

Mapping of axial plastic zone for roller bearing overloads using neutron transmission imaging

Premature failure of wind turbine gearbox bearings is an ongoing concern for industry, with sudden overload events potentially contributing towards raceway damage, significantly hindering performance. Subsurface stresses generated along a line contact cause material yielding, and a probable crack initiation site. Currently, the ability to study subsurface plastic zone evolution using non-destructive techniques is limited. Neutron Bragg edge imaging is a novel technique, allowing for two-dimensional mapping of the Bragg edge broadening parameter, indicative of bulk plastic deformation. An experiment on the ENGIN-X strain scanning instrument, at the ISIS neutron source, UK, was setup for Bragg edge transmission imaging, to measure the effect of in situ loading on the raceway of a bearing, scaled-down from a traditional wind turbine gearbox bearing. Results demonstrate a strong correlation between load and the Bragg edge width, and allow for future experimental development in studying, not only the effect of overloads on fatigue life, but also the use of neutron imaging for evaluating plastic deformation in engineering components