Internal erosion often occurs when seepage flow is concentrated into a small, unprotected opening. One such example is where sandy soil is eroded through a defect in an overlying clay layer, resulting in a sand boil in the process. The erosion initiates through the heave and backward piping mechanisms and continues beneath the clay layer through the piping process, forming a pipe that progresses toward the source of the seepage. The initiation of erosion at the seepage flow concentration is a complex mechanism involving a number of hydraulic and soil mechanics principles, including: flow concentration, soil arching, heave, detachment of soil grains, and transportation of soil grains. A laboratory testing program is being performed to investigate the mechanisms of erosion into a concentrated, unprotected exit. The study builds upon previous research on the mechanisms of piping initiation performed at Utah State University and uses a similar apparatus. A number of different soils representing a range of grain size, grain shape, and gradations are being forced to erode into a range of constricted seepage exits. The exit is fixed with a riser pipe to model the upward transport of eroding soils. The results are compared with axisymmetric finite element analyses in order to develop a better understanding of the initiation process for backward erosion piping.

Children with autism often engage in repetitive behaviors and may not engage appropriately with leisure activities. Visual activity schedules are an effective way to promote independence and teach appropriate task engagement. Previous researchers have found that activity schedules are not only effective in teaching a range of skills, but also have been shown to reduce problem behavior. Paper-based activity schedules, while inexpensive and fairly easy to prepare, can be cumbersome. Socially, activity schedule books may also be stigmatizing. This study investigated the effectiveness of using an iPad to teach visual activity schedule following with preschoolers with autism. Findings from the current study add to previous research showing that technology-based activity schedules are an effective way to teach young children to engage in leisure activities independently. We also evaluated participants’ preferences for the iPad-based schedule versus the binder-based schedule and found that the iPad-based schedule was preferred for two of three participants.

Students who receive special education services in resource classroom settings often engage in low levels of on-task behavior during independent work time. Given the independent work demands in middle school classrooms, it is crucial for students who receive services in a resource classroom to engage in high levels of on-task behavior. The researchers examined the effects of activity schedules on on-task behavior, on-schedule behavior, and percentage of work problems correct in four middle school students receiving special education services in a resource math classroom. Results of the study demonstrate that on-task and on-schedule behavior increased for all participants following the implementation of the activity schedule in both math and language arts classroom settings. Both students and teachers indicated that they liked the intervention and the activity schedule improved on-task behavior. Results of this study extend the use of activity schedules to a novel setting and participant population.

Parents of children diagnosed with autism often report that their children lack the independent skills that typically developing children have that can help them succeed on their own throughout life, especially into adulthood. To increase task and daily independence and to decrease dependence on adults, and other people, there are a wide variety of interventions that can be implemented. This systematic literature review evaluated studies that had incorporated activity schedules; these activity schedules were implemented among those diagnosed with autism within the school setting and between the ages of three and twenty-one. Twenty-nine studies were included and analyzed to determine the most frequently used type of activity schedule format and why it is implemented, reasons an activity schedule may be chosen for implementation, and evaluated whether social validity is a frequently used tool of measurement for studies implementing an activity schedule. Percent rigor for more than half of the studies included concluded that those studies had the components to identify a quality study, and those that fell below the necessary criteria lacked measurements of social validity or procedural fidelity. The results showed that a photographic activity schedule is the most commonly used type of schedule and it is used to teach a child to independently complete an activity or a sequence of activities; theses skills have been shown to generalize and be maintained over periods of time, across settings, and researchers. / Applied Behavioral Analysis

No description available.

Research using visual activity schedules (VAS) with embedded video models (VM) has been effective to teach novel skills to children and adolescents with intellectual disability (ID). However, there is limited research using VAS/VM to teach adults with ID. The purpose of the current study was to determine if VAS/VM could be used as a self-instructional tool for adults with ID to increase independence in laundry skills. Results from the current study provide evidence that a functional relation exists when using VAS/VM to teach laundry skills to adults with ID. Two adults generalized the use of the VAS/VM to a novel setting with similar tasks.

Les sociologues s’accordent pour constater l’émergence de nouveaux rapports au temps, mais débattent des marges de manœuvre différenciées dont disposent les individus face à ces phénomènes. L’hypothèse que la vitesse de déplacement puisse être un levier est confortée par les études montrant que nos sociétés ont maîtrisé l’espace-temps grâce à l’amélioration des transports d’information et de marchandises. Cependant, peu de travaux empiriques abordent le sujet à l’échelle de l’individu. Cette thèse, qui repose sur une combinaison de méthodes qualitatives et quantitatives, a pour objectif de compléter ces recherches à travers l’étude des modes de transport utilisés et des pratiques spatiales quotidiennes en Île-de-France. Cette approche micro-sociale montre que l’augmentation du nombre et de la durée des activités hors du domicile n’est pas corrélée à une hausse des vitesses, mais à une diminution des distances parcourues pour se rendre à certaines activités. Ceci s’explique par les logiques de localisation des activités des individus. Pour celles auxquelles ils accordent de la valeur, ils maximisent la qualité de la destination, ce qui passe par l’utilisation de modes motorisés rapides. Pour les activités secondaires, ils minimisent leur temps de trajet en les localisant à proximité d’activités structurantes, ce qui induit l’usage de modes plus lents. Comme l’articulation entre ces deux logiques est plus aisée dans Paris qu’en banlieue, l’adoption d’un rythme de vie plus élevé et d’une planification plus souple y est facilitée. Plus que l’accès à la vitesse, ce sont les territoires de résidence qui induisent des disparités dans les marges de manœuvre face au temps / Times studies agree on the fact that our society is currently undergoing changes in terms of pace of life, but debates arise as to the uniformity of such changes within the population and individuals’ scope of action in the face of said phenomena. Given that society as a whole mastered time and space through the rise of transport speed, one is tempted to assume that it is also the case on the individual level. However, few empirical studies have taken it upon themselves to analyze the impact of speed in daily mobility on individuals’ pace of life. Using a combination of statistical analysis and in-depth interviews, this thesis aims at providing supplementary insight into the topic by analyzing transport modes and mobility patterns of inhabitants of the Greater Paris region. Through this micro-social analysis, we show that the more out-of-home activities people do, the lower their average speed in the course of a day is, whilst the average distance to a destination also decreases. This can be explained by the way they choose their destinations. For activities which are meaningful to them, they maximize the utility of their destination by using fast transport modes. For ancillary activities, they minimize travel time by locating them in the direct vicinity of their high-value activities, which prompts the use of slower modes. Finally, we show that the combination of these two rationales is easier in the center than in the suburbs, thus facilitating a high pace of life and more improvised schedules in the former. Hence, more than access to speed, it is residential location which induces disparities between people in their ability to deal with time demands

This study used a multiple probe across settings design to evaluate the effects of video activity schedules (VidAS) on the acquisition of life skills in various settings within the home. In a technology training phase, participants were taught how to navigate a mobile application and use the pause and play feature of the video using a system of least prompts. In baseline, participants were given a task direction to complete the tasks within each setting with access to a static picture schedule. During intervention, participant task completion was evaluated when self-instructing with the use of VidAS in each setting. One participant’s settings consisted of the living room, kitchen, and outdoor schedule, the other participant’s settings consisted of a checkbook, kitchen, and laundry schedule. One participant learned to self-instruct using the mobile technology and independently complete and navigate between and within tasks within each schedule.

This study determined the effectiveness of using picture activity schedules with preschoolers who exhibited disruptive behaviors in an inclusive setting during transition times in a public preschool. The participants in this study were three male and one female student, ages 3 years to 5 years, who were enrolled in an inclusive public preschool. All children are Caucasian. Three of the children had an individualized education plan including goals for speech and social-emotional concerns. One child was typically developing and did not have an individualized education plan. The study method used a single-subject withdrawal design (ABAB). The results confirmed that the use of picture activity schedules decreased the mean duration of transitions and the duration returned to pre-intervention levels when picture activity schedules were removed for two of the four children.

Children with autism typically exhibit deficits in behavior and also in visual processing. Development and implementation of visually-cued instructional procedures, combined with electronic technology, have been used successfully to teach children with autism complex behavior chains. This study used photographic activity schedules on computer slideshow software to teach two children with autism to follow computer-mediated cues and engage in four play activities, and to transition between each activity in their homes without the presence of a trained behavior therapist. Results of this study demonstrated that these technologies can be utilized in children's homes to promote computer-mediated play behavior while eliminating the necessary cost of a home behavior therapist to prompt and supervise such activities.