Educating Children with Autism

Subjectivism has become the dominant philosophical foundation for Bayesian inference. Yet in practice, most Bayesian analyses are performed with so-called “noninformative” priors, that is, priors constructed by some formal rule. We review the plethora of techniques for constructing such priors and discuss some of the practical and philosophical issues that arise when they are used. We give special emphasis to Jeffreys's rules and discuss the evolution of his viewpoint about the interpretation of priors, away from unique representation of ignorance toward the notion that they should be chosen by convention. We conclude that the problems raised by the research on priors chosen by formal rules are serious and may not be dismissed lightly: When sample sizes are small (relative to the number of parameters being estimated), it is dangerous to put faith in any “default” solution; but when asymptotics take over, Jeffreys's rules and their variants remain reasonable choices. We also provide an annotated b...

The Selection of Prior Distributions by Formal Rules

To learn about the lives of young adults with ASD, families with children born 1974–1984, diagnosed as preschoolers and followed into adolescence were contacted by mail. Of 76 eligible, 48 (63%) participated in a telephone interview. Global outcome scores were assigned based on work, friendships and independence. At mean age 24, half had good to fair outcome and 46% poor. Co-morbid conditions, obesity and medication use were common. Families noted unmet needs particularly in social areas. Multilinear regression indicated a combination of IQ and CARS score at age 11 predicted outcome. Earlier studies reported more adults with ASD who had poor to very poor outcomes, however current young people had more opportunities, and thus better results were expected.

Young Adult Outcome of Autism Spectrum Disorders

simple practical skills and social adaptation from early childhood and that abnormalities were recognisable from the second year of life. Many clinicians diagnose on their interpretation of Asperger’s clinical descriptions, rather than insisting on normal development before 3 years in the areas mentioned. In this article, a simple system of subgrouping based solely on a description of the type of social impairment will be used, which avoids the confusion inherent in trying to identify the named syndromes. This simple subgrouping has proved helpful in clinical practice even though the groups are no more sharply differentiated and permanent than in any other existing method of classification in the specialty.

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(97)09218-0.pdf

The Autistic Spectrum

Bayesian emulation of complex multi-output and dynamic computer models

Multidisciplinary data from 166 children with autistic spectrum disorders were subjected to cluster analysis. Cross-validation between random halves of the sample showed acceptable consistency of the clustering method. Four clinically meaningful subtypes emerged from the analysis. They did not differ in demographic characteristics but did show, on average, distinct differences in behavioral and cognitive areas. Over half of the sample fell into a subtype described as typically autistic with abnormal verbal and nonverbal communication, aloofness, impaired social skills, and sensory disturbances. Another 19% were similarly autistic but with moderate to severe mental handicap. The remaining children formed two subtypes: a high-functioning Asperger-like group who were overactive and aggressive, and a small group who were impaired in social and language skills, had restricted interests, and a family history of learning problems. This study highlights important differences among children with autism and emphasizes relationships between cognitive functioning and subtypes of the disorder.

Subtypes of Autism by Cluster Analysis.

Glyphosate is a broad spectrum herbicide that can lead to root rot like damage on crops. This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of glyphosate on the root-colonizing Fusarium spp. The r...

Effects of glyphosate on Fusarium spp.: its influence on root colonization of weeds, propagule density in the soil, and crop emergence

Fungal colonization of glyphosate-treated seedlings using a new root plating technique

For a group model in which the group $\mathbf{G}$ acts freely on the parameter space $\mathbf{\Omega}$, this paper considers a prior which is a product of right Haar measure on $\mathbf{G}$ and a limiting form of Jeffreys' prior for the maximal invariant. When the parameter of interest is the orbit of $\mathbf{G}$ in $\mathbf{\Omega}$, it is shown that such a prior is the reference prior defined by Bernardo. A method of calculating this reference prior is given which avoids the necessity of working in a parameterization of $\mathbf{\Omega}$ which expresses $\mathbf{\Omega}$ as a product of $\mathbf{G}$ and a cross section. Examples of the multivariate normal distribution, with the parameter of interest being the correlation matrix or the eigenvalues of the covariance matrix, are discussed.

/pdf/reference-priors-for-the-orbit-in-a-group-model-1d896ywd3d.pdf

Reference priors for the orbit in a group model

Summary: Resume: Zusammenfassung

Seedlings of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were less sensitive to glyphosate when grown in heat-treated soil than in raw soil. Pythium spp. and Fusarium spp. were not detected in heat-treated loam or muck soils at the time of glyphosate treatment, although fungi of several other genera were present. The efficacy of glyphosate on wheat or beans grown in heat-treated loam soil was restored when untreated aqueous soil extracts were added to the heat-treated soil. Bean seedlings grown in five different soil types varied in their sensitivity to glyphosate. The variation in LD50 among autoclaved soils was lower than that among raw soils. Between 13- to 47-fold more glyphosate was required to kill the bean seedlings in any of the autoclaved soils compared with their corresponding raw soils. This differential effect was not observed on bean seedlings sprayed with either 2, 4-D or paraquat. LD50 values for glyphosate on apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) seedlings growing in previously sterilized loam soil were reduced by inoculation of the soil with a representative Fusarium sp. or Pythium sp. obtained earlier from apple seedlings treated with glyphosate, but not by a Cylindrocarpon sp. from apple or Pythium ultimum Trow from glyphosate-treated bean. The efficacy of glyphosate on bean, wheat or apple seedlings can be affected by changes in certain microbial components of the soil.



Effet d'un traitement du sol a la chaleur et de la microflore sur l'efficacite du glyphosate sur plantules



Des plantules de ble (Triticum aestivum L.) et de haricots (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) ont ete moins sensibles au glyphosate quand elles sont cultivees dans des sols traites par la chaleur que dans des sols bruts. Pythium spp et Fusarium spp. n'ont pas ete detectes dans la terre traitee a la chaleur ou dans des sols fumes au moment de l'application du glyphosate, bien que des champignons de quelques autres genres aient ete presents. L'efficacite du glyphosate sur ble et haricots cultives en sol traite par la chaleur a ete recuperee quand des extraits aqueux de sols non traites ont ete additionnes au sol traite. Les plantules de haricots cultives dans 5 types de sols ont varie dans leur sensibilite au glyphosate. La variation des DL50 pour les sols autoclaves etait plus faible en comparaison de celle des sols bruts. Il a fallu de 13 a 47 fois plus de glyphosate pour detruire les plantules de haricot dans tous les sols autoclaves que dans les sols bruts correspondants. Cet effet differentiel n'a pas ete observe chez les plantules de haricots traites avec du 2,4 D ou du paraquat. Les valeurs de DL50 pour le glyphosate sur des plantules de pommiers (Malus domestica Borkh.) cultivees sur des sols avec de la terre precedemment sterilisee, ont ete reduites par l'innoculation du sol avec un Fusarium sp. ou Pythium sp. obtenu plutot a partir de plantules de pommier traitees au glyphosate, mais pas avec du Cylindrocarpon du pommier, ou un Pythium ultimum venant d'un haricot traite au glyphosate. L'efficacite du glyphosate sur plantules de haricot, ble ou pommier peut etre affecte par des changements de la composition microbiologique du sol.



Die Wirkung von Boden-Hitzesterilisation und Mikroflora auf die Wirksamkeit von Glyphosat auf Keimpflanzen



Keimpflanzen von Weizen (Triticum aestivum L.) und Buschbohne (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) waren, in hitzebehandeltem Boden wachsend, gegenuber Glyphosat weniger empfindlich als in unbehandeltem Boden. Pythium spp. und Fusarium spp. wurden in hitzebehandeltem Lehm- oder stark organischem Boden zur Glyphosatbehandlung nicht gefunden, obwohl andere Pilzgattungen vorhanden waren. Die Wirksamkeit des Glyphosats auf in hitzebehandeltem Boden gezogenen Weizen- oder Bohnenpflanzen stellte sich wieder ein, wenn unbehandelte wasrige Bodenextrakte dem hitzebehandeltem Boden zugefugt wurden. Bohnenkeimpflanzen zeigten in 5 verschiedenen Bodenarten eine unterschiedliche Empfindlichkeit gegenuber Glyphosat. Die LD50 variierte in autoklavierten Boden weniger als in unbehandelten. Zur Abtotung der Bohnen-keimpflanzen waren in den autoklavierten Boden 13- bis 47mal grosere Wirkstoffmengen erforderlich als in den entsprechenden unbehandelten Boden. Diese Wirkungsunterschiede wurden bei mit 2,4-D oder Paraquat behandelten Bohnenkeimpflanzen nicht beobachtet. Wurden Apfelsamlinge (Malus domestica Borkh.) in sterilisiertem Lehmboden angezogen, so sanken die LD50-Werte fur Glyphosat bei Inokulation des Bodens mit reprasentativen Fusarium- oder Pythium-Arten, die zuvor von Glyphosat-behandelten Apfelsamlingen gewonnen worden waren, jedoch nicht mit einer Cylindrosporium-Art von Apfeln oder Pythium ultimum Trow von Glyphosat-gehandelteten Bohnen. Die Wirksamkeit von Glyphosat auf Keimpflanzen von Bohnen, Weizen oder Apfeln kann durch Veranderungen bestimmter mikrobiologischer Bodenkomponenten beeinflust werden.

David M. Eaves

Papers

Subtypes of Autism by Cluster Analysis.

Effects of glyphosate on Fusarium spp.: its influence on root colonization of weeds, propagule density in the soil, and crop emergence

Fungal colonization of glyphosate-treated seedlings using a new root plating technique

Reference priors for the orbit in a group model

The effect of soil heat treatment and microflora on the efficacy of glyphosate in seedlings