AES Core Research Articles

The clinical effects of Orff music therapy on children with autism spectrum disorder: a comprehensive evaluation.

This study aimed to investigate the clinical effects of Orff music therapy on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from the perspectives of parents, evaluators, and therapists. 93 children with ASD aged 3-6 years participated in the study. They were divided into an observation group (n = 48) receiving comprehensive rehabilitation intervention including Orff music therapy, and a control group (n = 45) receiving only comprehensive rehabilitation intervention. The Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), and Psycho-educational Profile-3rd edition (PEP-3) were used for assessments before and after the intervention. There were no significant demographic differences between the two groups. Both groups showed significant improvements in Sensory, Relating, Language, CVP, EL, RL, VMI, AE, SR, and CARS scores at T1, T2, and T3 (T1 vs. T2, T2 vs. T3, T1 vs. T3) (all p < 0.05). The observation group demonstrated significant changes in Body and Object use and FM, while the control group showed some changes in these domains. Social and self-help, GM, CMB, and CVB also significantly improved in both groups after 6 months of intervention (all p < 0.05). In terms of different time intervals, the observation group showed greater improvements in Sensory, Relating, Language, CARS scores, EL, RL, and SR compared to the control group (all p < 0.05). The improvement levels in Body and Object use, CVP, FM, VMI, and AE did not differ significantly between the two groups in the T1-T2 interval, but were significantly higher in the observation group in the T2-T3 and T1-T3 intervals (all p < 0.05). The magnitude of changes in Social and self-help, GM, CMB, and CVB did not differ significantly between the groups. Orff music therapy showed significant improvements in language expression, language comprehension, social skills, cognitive abilities, imitation abilities, emotional expression and fine motor in children with ASD. These findings provide support for the use of Orff music therapy as an effective intervention for children with ASD.

Impact of child maltreatment on bulimic behaviors among the tunisian general population

IntroductionChild maltreatment (CM) refers to all forms of physical or psychological violence, sexual abuse, and neglect of a person under the age of 18, resulting in actual or potential harm to their health, survival, development, or dignity. It is recognized as a predictor of psychological difficulties in adulthood, such as bulimic behavior.ObjectivesThe aim of our study was to assess the link between CM and bulimic behaviors in the Tunisian general population.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study among Facebook group members, using an online questionnaire, from February 17, 2023, to May 26, 2023. All respondents over the age of 18 were included in the study. CM was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), which provides information on five types of maltreatment: emotional abuse (EA), physical abuse (PA), sexual abuse (SA), emotional neglect (EN), and physical neglect (PN). The Bulimic Investigatory Test, Edinburgh (BITE) was used to screen and assess the intensity of bulimic behavior.ResultsA total of 528 responses were included in the study. The mean age of the sample was 33.3±11.95 years. Mean AE, AP, AS, NE, NP, and overall CTQ scores were 8.30; 6.58; 6.38; 10.14; 7.26, and 49.72, respectively. A history of severe AE, AP, AS, NE, or NP was reported by 13.1%, 10.8%, 8.5%, 11.6% and 8.3% of respondents, respectively. The mean BITE score was 10.76 ±6.85 and 6.6% of our population were at high risk of developing bulimic behavior.In the bivariate study, the BITE score was significantly correlated with all forms of MI. The strongest correlation was with AE (r=0.310; p&lt;0.001).In the multivariate study, only AE was associated with bulimic behaviors.ConclusionsThis study highlighted a positive association between various forms of child neglect and abuse, and bulimic behaviors. It is therefore worth noting that interventions for these disorders may be more effective if they target not only the behavior itself but also underlying risk factors such as maltreatment.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Crop-livestock synergies and by-products recycling: major factors for agroecology in West African agro-sylvo-pastoral systems

In Western Africa, agro-sylvo-pastoral systems are dominant and food demand is booming. To meet this demand, many farmers intensify the production with industrial inputs (mineral fertilizers, feeds, pesticides, herbicides). However, the price of these inputs is rocketing. To face this issue, some farmers reconsider crops, livestock, and tree synergies and by-product recycling to increase their production sustainably at a lower cost. The study aimed to characterize the diversity of Koumbia’s farming systems and to assess farming systems’ technical performance in an agroecological perspective. We surveyed 391 farms in the county of Koumbia (Burkina Faso). Considering 15 agricultural practices (4 on by-products recycling, 4 on soil protection, 4 on industrial inputs limitation, 2 on smart use of natural resources, and 1 on cropping diversification), a multivariate analysis (PCA+HAC) combined to an agroecology (Ae) scoring system (−15 to +15) based on 15 specific indicators (one/practice), we highlighted 3 agroecological farming systems clusters. These clusters are distributed along a gradient of agroecology intensity (Ae+: high degree of Ae, Ae+/−: medium degree, and Ae−: poor degree). Ae+ farms (Ae score: +3.0) group 17% of the farms, Ae+/− (Ae score: −4.5) group 58% of the farms, and Ae− (Ae score: −10.5) group 25% of the farms. Ae+ raise more livestock and recycle a higher rate of crop-livestock by-products in fodder, organic manure, and mulch. These recycling practices are facilitated by better levels of equipment for transportation and storage and soil water and crop residue conservation measures, including maintenance of the wooded park on the cultivated fields. This set of practices, which close better the agricultural system, produces a systemic effect which has a positive impact on yields and on the whole ecosystem. Our findings outline for the first time that crop-livestock synergies and by-product recycling are major factors of agroecological transition in agro-sylvo-pastoral systems.

The relationship of body image and weight: A cross-sectional observational study of a Dutch female sample.

Body image concerns may play a role in weight changing behaviour. The objective of this study was to assess body image in different weight groups. Participants reported satisfaction with (AE) and investment in (AO) appearance, and the discrepancy between current and ideal body size (BS). These scores were compared between weight groups based on body-mass index (BMI) using analysis of variance. One-sample t-tests and Cohen's d effect sizes examined the magnitude of differences within each weight group relative to neutral midpoints of the scales; cluster analysis identified body image profiles. A total of 27 896 women were included in this study. AE scores were highest for people with underweight and normal weight, AO scores were highest for the underweight group and lowest in class III obesity, and BS scores were largest in the obese groups (all p < .001) Cluster analysis identified eight body image profiles. In people with obesity, the most prevalent profiles included a preference for a smaller body and low satisfaction with appearance, but differed in investment in appearance (low vs. high). Most people with underweight were allocated to profiles showing high investment in their appearance, preference of a larger body, but differences in satisfaction with appearance (neutral vs. high). While people with a higher BMI have on average more body image concerns, different body image profiles exist in all weight groups. Future research should examine whether and which individuals in terms of body image profile may benefit more from weight interventions.

A 10pJ/bit 256b AES-SoC Exploiting Memory Access Acceleration

Low-cost high-volume internet of things sensors require an end-to-end secure private-content exchange. Restricted energy and computing of system-on-a-chip for low-cost sensor applications drive lightweight hardware acceleration of security primitives. A trade-off between power and time needs to be achieved to develop such primitives. The main challenge is to handle memory transportation in the crypto-accelerator. Here we propose different approaches for AES-128/256 Sbox acceleration schemes. We designed a Sbox unit to be connected as a logic unit. The unit was tested as a RISC-V ISA instruction in the RISC-V processor to reduce software execution times. This unit was also included in an AES hardware core with direct memory access (DMA), which avoids using the main processor to access the data. We fabricated a RISC-V based 32-bit SoC in a standard 180nm CMOS technology that includes the Sbox calculation using pipeline and a pure-combinational approach. Measurement results indicate lower memory access and lower energy requirements than pure software approaches up to 100 times with a custom Sbox instruction. The AES core also provides a minimum energy consumption of 3.58 pJ/cycle. At its best, the combined SoC performs the encryption in active-mode with energy consumption of 9.7 pJ/bit. This solution offers up to three times energy savings compared to previously reported work.

Eluding Side Channel Attacks by using Masking 128Bit AES Design

Advanced encryption standard is detailing for data crypto graphing. The algorithm used universally for cryptography and secure data transmission, the algorithm puissant to intruders, who often attack via side channels. One of the observed attacks was estimate the power implanted in AES core and processed probable scrutinizing to guess the key on multiple iterations. So in order to elude side channel attacks and reduce power consumed in AES standard, design proposed with masking and pipeline scheme. This design helps in shrinking power consumption as compare to AES algorithm and upgrade to withstand from attacks. Another major improvement in the design is LUT’s used for masking and original algorithm almost equal, area phenomenon also solved out. The proposed algorithm implemented in VERTEX-7 FPGA board and simulated using Xilinx Vivado 2015.2 and Modelsim.

Lightweight implementation of SILC, CLOC, AES-JAMBU and COLM authenticated ciphers

Authenticated encryption schemes provide both confidentiality and integrity services, simultaneously. CAESAR competition will identify a portfolio of authenticated ciphers, which is expected to be suitable for widespread adoption and offers advantages over AES-GCM. An important criterion for selecting the final candidates, besides security, is the hardware performance in resource-limited environments. In this paper, SILC, CLOC, AES-JAMBU, and COLM authenticated ciphers have been selected from the third round of the CAESAR competition for hardware evaluation. The main reasons to choose these schemes are their lightweight design, sufficient security level, and the use of the AES algorithm as their underlying block cipher. To the best our knowledge, it is the first time that an 8-bit lightweight architecture which is compatible with API v2 is presented for the selected schemes. To implement AES, the Atomic-AES v2 which is one of the smallest implementations has been adopted according to the requirements of the selected schemes. Furthermore, to reduce the area in the hardware implementation, several techniques are used, including implementing one AES core in the datapath, sharing registers to store intermediate values, implementing the tweak functions with the shuffling of wires, and implementing doubling on the GF(2128) with 8-bit architecture to construct the higher-order multipliers. The implementation results are presented on ASIC and FPGA platforms. The proposed architecture for each scheme on the two platforms is similar, but different optimization techniques are used for each platform, e.g. the AES S-box is implemented as ROM-based and logic-based on FPGA and ASIC, respectively. The comparing of the results with 128-bit implementations shows that the area on FPGA and ASIC is reduced up to 65% and 88%, respectively. The results of the current study demonstrate that AES-JAMBU has the lowest hardware area and the highest throughput and performance on both platforms. Besides, CLOC has the highest area reduction on both platforms, compared with those of the 128-bit implementations.

A Framework for Determining the Impact of Value Chain Participation on Smallholder Farm Efficiency

We analyze the efficiency of wheat farmers toward the ever-increasing demand for wheat in Tanzania. Translog production and cost functions were utilized in the stochastic frontier analysis to examine technical, allocative, and economic efficiencies (TE, AE, and EE) of wheat farmers in Northern Tanzania. Propensity score matching through caliper radius and nearest neighbor methods were utilized to analyze the impact of value chain participation on smallholder farm efficiency levels. Analysis revealed that the average TE, AE, and EE scores for farmers’ value chain participation were 79%, 80%, and 64%, respectively, in the study area, implying that wheat farmers could still improve level of TE, AE, and EE by 21%, 20%, and 36%, respectively. Caliper radius matching revealed that the net effects of farmers’ participation in vertical coordination on TE, AE, and EE were 6.8%, 5.7%, and 8.7%, respectively, while the net effects of farmers’ horizontal coordination participation were 6.3%, 9.5%, and 11.6%, respectively. This indicates that farmer’s participation in value chain (vertical and horizontal coordination) would positively impact their level of wheat farm efficiencies. Based on the results, we recommend the expansion of wheat plots and use of modern farming technologies to increase wheat production in Tanzania. To further improve farm unit efficiency, we recommend additional formal education for future farmers, more on-farm extension training, and participation in the value chain through contracts and farmers’ associations.

A Self‐Report Measure of Productive Thinking in Solving Insight Problems

AbstractThere is broad agreement among executives on the importance of innovation and creativity in organizations. The paper aimed to provide information on the effectiveness of a new cognitive style inventory, the Productive‐Reproductive Thinking Inventory (P‐R), in identifying people with creative problem‐solving potential. Participants completed the P‐R Inventory, Kirton's Adaption‐Innovation Inventory (KAI), the Assimilator‐Explorer Inventory, self‐rating of insight problem‐solving, and a battery of insight problem‐solving tasks under controlled conditions. The P‐R scale was a significant predictor of problem‐solving performance and insight self‐ratings and correlated significantly with KAI and AE scores. In addition, the results supported distinguishing two types of reproductive thinking which are differentially associated with insight performance. The distinction was supported by confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation models. Using controlled conditions may limit the generality of the findings and further research should be carried out in applied settings. The P‐R inventory is short and easily administered and may provide HR professionals with a useful screening tool for assessing creative problem‐solving potential. The measure differs from the KAI in several ways that may offer advantages for creativity researchers in that it is non‐proprietary, based on well‐established psychological constructs, and is more particularly applicable to insight problem‐solving.

Dental survey of institutionalized children with autistic disorder.

ABSTRACTThe objective of this study was to assess the oral hygiene practices, dietary pattern, dental caries status and needs of institutionalized autistic children. The sample consisted of 35 children (28 males and 7 females) in the age group of 5 to 10 years from two institutions in Maharashtra, India. The parents of the children were interviewed regarding oral hygiene practices of their respective ward and instructed to maintain a 4-day diet chart for their children. A clinical examination was conducted using WHO dentition status and treatment needs index and a simplified oral hygiene index for ages 4 to 6 years and 7 to 10 years (deciduous and mixed dentition) was used to assess the oral hygiene. The results of diet chart analysis according to Nizel AE and Papas AS score showed the ‘at meal’ sugar exposure close to nil, while the ‘in between’ meal sugar exposure was observed to be more than three times per day among maximum children. The oral hygiene status was poor with abundance of soft debris and fair calculus accumulation. The mean caries experience (deft) in these children was 6.4. The present study provided baseline data which has been used for planning a comprehensive oral health care program.How to cite this article: Chadha GM, Kakodkar P, Chaugule V, Nimbalkar V. Dental Survey of Institutionalized Children with Autistic Disorder. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2012;5(1):29-32.

5-Substituted 2-aminothiophenes as A 1 adenosine receptor allosteric enhancers

Two series of 5-substituted 2-amino-4-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)thiophenes were prepared and evaluated as allosteric enhancers at the A 1 adenosine receptor (A 1AR). In the 3-benzoyl series, a 5-phenyl group was found to confer the greatest potency ( 9a: ED 50 = 2.1 μM, AE score = 18%). However, the analogue with no 5-substituent ( 6b: ED 50 = 15.8 μM, AE score = 77%) proved to be the most efficacious. In the 3-ethoxycarbonyl series, the 5-(4-chlorophenyl) analogue was clearly the most potent and efficacious ( 9l: ED 50 = 6.6 μM, AE score = 57%). The antagonist activity of all compounds was measured using a [ 3H]CPX competitive binding assay.

An Empirical Examination of a Model of Social Climate in Elementary Schools

The purpose of this study was to (a) determine the adequacy of survey items in assessing a recently proposed model of school climate; and (b) examine the utility of the model-based climate measures by testing several hypotheses regarding relations among school climate, school structural characteristics, and student performance. A sample of 8,609 students in Grades 3 through 6 completed questionnaires. Schools represented approximately one third of 122 elementary schools in a large, suburban school district located near a major metropolitan area. Scales corresponding to the model's component parts (i.e., social order-social action crossed by instrumental-expressive) were constructed. Scale items loaded on separate factors in factor analyses and showed moderate to high internal consistency. As expected, there was greater agreement on scales for students (a) when assigned to their schools, compared to being pooled with all students, and (b) who had been in the school longer, compared to those who have been in school a shorter time. Only the Social Order scales reliably identified student membership in ethnically similar schools (i.e., students who only spoke English). Factor scales showed significant relations with school structural characteristics: Schools having larger student class sizes and student-teacher ratios tended to have lower levels of classroom climate (scored lower on the Social Action-Instrumental [AI] and Social Action-Expressive [AE] scales) and higher levels of school climate (scored higher on the Social Order-Instrumental [OI] and Social Order-Expressive JOEl scales). Schools having higher levels of OI and OE and lower levels of AI and AE had higher criterion-referenced test (CRT) scores. OI was most predictive of the school CRT scores. More racially uniform schools, compared to racially mixed schools, had lower AI and AE scores. However, AI appeared to benefit racially mixed, rather than racially uniform, schools in predicting CRT scores.

Methodological issues in short-term motor memory research.

Four methodological issues identified and studied by short-term motor memory researchers were examined in this paper: (a) the distributions of three commonly used measures of error (AE, CE, and VE); (b) statistical analysis of these scores as dependent measures in an experiment; (c) within-cell and experiment-wise estimates of the reliability of CE; and (d) the power of the statistical test with CE as the dependent measure. The first two sub-problems were explored theoretically, while the latter two were subjected to empirical examination using four data sets from previously published experiments. The distributions of AE and VE scores were described as non-normal under certain conditions, while the CE score distribution was shown to be normal. Therefore analyses of these three dependent measures may require different statistical procedures. In light of this information, the assumptions affecting estimates of reliability and power in an experimental framework were examined. Based on an analysis of the four data sets, a strategy was proposed in which a relatively small number of subjects could be utilized in an experiment without sacrificing desired experimental controls.