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Background: Efficient word identification is directly tied to strong mental representations of words, which include spellings, meanings and pronunciations. Orthographic learning is the process by which spellings for individual words are acquired. Methods: In the present study, we combined the classic self-teaching paradigm with eye tracking to detail the process by which complex pseudowords are learned. With this methodology, we explored the visual processing and learning of complex pseudowords, as well as the transfer of that learning. We explore visual processing across exposures during the initial reading task and then measure learning and transfer in orthographic choice and spelling tasks. Results: Online eye movement monitoring during the repeated reading of complex pseudowords revealed that visual processing varied across exposures with key differences based on word type Further, data from both dictation and eye movements recorded during the orthographic choice task suggested stronger learning of morphologically than orthographically complex pseudowords after four encounters. Finally, results suggested that learning transfer occurred, with similar levels of accurate recognition of new pseudowords that were morphologically or orthographically related to pseudowords learned during the reading phase than of new pseudowords never read. Conclusions: The present study provides new insights into theory and methodological discussions of orthographic learning.

A wide share of secondary school children does not reach the expected competence level in reading. These children could benefit from more efficient intervention responses, providing a better understanding of their cognitive weaknesses/deficits. Our aim was to explore the cognitive heterogeneity of a population of poor readers identified from a large sample of 948 sixth-grade children. We first assessed the contribution of phoneme awareness (PA), rapid automatized naming (RAN), and visual attention span (VAS) to reading performance in a subset of 281 children including poor and average readers/spellers. We show that all three skills are unique and significant predictors of reading fluency. We then restricted the analysis to participants with normal Raven's score (IQ) and oral language skills to focus on 110 children with more specific reading difficulties. A unique VAS deficit was found in 18% of these poor readers while 20% and 15.5% showed a unique PA or RAN deficit. Children with multiple or no deficit were further identified. The overall findings provide evidence for a variety of cognitive profiles in poor readers. They suggest that, in addition to PA interventions, training programs targeting VAS might be useful for the nontrivial share of poor readers who exhibit a VAS deficit.

Moisture transfer is a key phenomenon for simulating the energy balance of the walls of historical buildings as it has an impact on indoor and outdoor comfort, energy consumption and the durability of the walls. It is therefore essential to consider moisture transfer through walls when simulating old city centres, in order to properly assess the impact of different retrofit solutions on building and city energy balances. However, urban climate models neglect this phenomenon. The objective of this paper is to integrate the coupled mass and heat transfers into the urban climate model Town Energy Balance (TEB). A specially designed numerical method for solving hygrothermal transfers at the urban scale is updated and the hygrothermal transfer through walls is integrated using an IMplicit/EXplicit (IMEX) discretization scheme with large spatiotemporal scales. The reliability of this modified version of TEB for representing a historical district is verified by comparing the simulated results with in-situ measurements in a building of the medieval city centre of Cahors (France). The comparison is carried out for several points in the wall and for indoor conditions, running from June to December 2021. The integration of the moisture transfers through the walls greatly improves the moisture estimation inside the building. This new version of the model gives a good representation of the hygrothermal behaviour of a historical building and could therefore be used to compare several renovation scenarios for the medieval centre of Cahors, with regard to durability, energy and microclimatic issues. • Integration of moisture transfer through walls in the urban climate model TEB. • Validation of the modified version of TEB by comparison with in-situ measurements. • Hygrothermal simulation of a historical city centre in the South of France. • Significant improvement in indoor relative humidity simulated by TEB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) studies indicate that altered brain glutamatergic function may be associated with the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and the response to antipsychotic treatment. However, the association of altered glutamatergic function with clinical and demographic factors is unclear.Objective: To assess the associations of age, symptom severity, level of functioning, and antipsychotic treatment with brain glutamatergic metabolites.Data Sources: The MEDLINE database was searched to identify journal articles published between January 1, 1980, and June 3, 2020, using the following search terms: MRS or magnetic resonance spectroscopy and (1) schizophrenia or (2) psychosis or (3) UHR or (4) ARMS or (5) ultra-high risk or (6) clinical high risk or (7) genetic high risk or (8) prodrome* or (9) schizoaffective. Authors of 114 1H-MRS studies measuring glutamate (Glu) levels in patients with schizophrenia were contacted between January 2014 and June 2020 and asked to provide individual participant data.Study Selection: In total, 45 1H-MRS studies contributed data.Data Extraction and Synthesis: Associations of Glu, Glu plus glutamine (Glx), or total creatine plus phosphocreatine levels with age, antipsychotic medication dose, symptom severity, and functioning were assessed using linear mixed models, with study as a random factor.Main Outcomes and Measures: Glu, Glx, and Cr values in the medial frontal cortex (MFC) and medial temporal lobe (MTL).Results: In total, 42 studies were included, with data for 1251 patients with schizophrenia (mean [SD] age, 30.3 [10.4] years) and 1197 healthy volunteers (mean [SD] age, 27.5 [8.8] years). The MFC Glu (F1,1211.9 = 4.311, P = .04) and Glx (F1,1079.2 = 5.287, P = .02) levels were lower in patients than in healthy volunteers, and although creatine levels appeared lower in patients, the difference was not significant (F1,1395.9 = 3.622, P = .06). In both patients and volunteers, the MFC Glu level was negatively associated with age (Glu to Cr ratio, F1,1522.4 = 47.533, P < .001; cerebrospinal fluid-corrected Glu, F1,1216.7 = 5.610, P = .02), showing a 0.2-unit reduction per decade. In patients, antipsychotic dose (in chlorpromazine equivalents) was negatively associated with MFC Glu (estimate, 0.10 reduction per 100 mg; SE, 0.03) and MFC Glx (estimate, -0.11; SE, 0.04) levels. The MFC Glu to Cr ratio was positively associated with total symptom severity (estimate, 0.01 per 10 points; SE, 0.005) and positive symptom severity (estimate, 0.04; SE, 0.02) and was negatively associated with level of global functioning (estimate, 0.04; SE, 0.01). In the MTL, the Glx to Cr ratio was positively associated with total symptom severity (estimate, 0.06; SE, 0.03), negative symptoms (estimate, 0.2; SE, 0.07), and worse Clinical Global Impression score (estimate, 0.2 per point; SE, 0.06). The MFC creatine level increased with age (estimate, 0.2; SE, 0.05) but was not associated with either symptom severity or antipsychotic medication dose.Conclusions and Relevance: Findings from this mega-analysis suggest that lower brain Glu levels in patients with schizophrenia may be associated with antipsychotic medication exposure rather than with greater age-related decline. Higher brain Glu levels may act as a biomarker of illness severity in schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Circulating free DNA (cfDNA) is an exciting novel method to diagnose, monitor, and predict resistance and response to cancer therapies, with the potential to radically alter the management of cancer patients. To fulfill its potential, greater knowledge about preanalytical variables is required to optimize and standardize the collection process, and maximize the yield and utility of the small quantities of cfDNA extracted. Methods: To this end, we have compared the cfDNA extraction efficiency of three different protocols, including a protocol developed in house (Jewish General Hospital). We evaluated the impact on cfDNA levels of preanalytical variables including speed and timing of the second centrifugation and the use of k-EDTA and CTAD blood collection tubes. Finally, we analyzed the impact on fractional abundance of targeted pre-amplification and whole genome amplification on tumor and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from patients with breast cancer. Results: Making use of a novel protocol for cfDNA extraction we increased cfDNA quantities, up to double that of commercial kits. We found that a second centrifugation at 3,000 g on frozen plasma is as efficient as a high-speed (16,000 g) centrifugation on fresh plasma and does not affect cfDNA levels. Conclusions: These results allow for the implementation of protocols more suitable to the clinical setting. Finally, we found that, unlike targeted gene amplification, whole genome amplification resulted in altered fractional abundance of selected ctDNA variants. Impact: Our study of the preanalytical variables affecting cfDNA recovery and testing will significantly enhance the quality and application of ctDNA testing in clinical oncology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is 2 to 5 times more common in male individuals than in female individuals. While the male preponderant prevalence of ASD might partially be explained by sex differences in clinical symptoms, etiological models suggest that the biological male phenotype carries a higher intrinsic risk for ASD than the female phenotype. To our knowledge, this hypothesis has never been tested directly, and the neurobiological mechanisms that modulate ASD risk in male individuals and female individuals remain elusive.Objectives: To examine the probability of ASD as a function of normative sex-related phenotypic diversity in brain structure and to identify the patterns of sex-related neuroanatomical variability associated with low or high probability of ASD.Design, Setting, and Participants: This study examined a cross-sectional sample of 98 right-handed, high-functioning adults with ASD and 98 matched neurotypical control individuals aged 18 to 42 years. A multivariate probabilistic classification approach was used to develop a predictive model of biological sex based on cortical thickness measures assessed via magnetic resonance imaging in neurotypical controls. This normative model was subsequently applied to individuals with ASD. The study dates were June 2005 to October 2009, and this analysis was conducted between June 2015 and July 2016.Main Outcomes and Measures: Sample and population ASD probability estimates as a function of normative sex-related diversity in brain structure, as well as neuroanatomical patterns associated with low or high ASD probability in male individuals and female individuals.Results: Among the 98 individuals with ASD, 49 were male and 49 female, with a mean (SD) age of 26.88 (7.18) years. Among the 98 controls, 51 were male and 47 female, with a mean (SD) age of 27.39 (6.44) years. The sample probability of ASD increased significantly with predictive probabilities for the male neuroanatomical brain phenotype. For example, biological female individuals with a more male-typic pattern of brain anatomy were significantly (ie, 3 times) more likely to have ASD than biological female individuals with a characteristically female brain phenotype (P = .72 vs .24, respectively; χ21 = 20.26; P < .001; difference in P values, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.29-0.68). This finding translates to an estimated variability in population prevalence from 0.2% to 1.3%, respectively. Moreover, the patterns of neuroanatomical variability carrying low or high ASD probability were sex specific (eg, in inferior temporal regions, where ASD has different neurobiological underpinnings in male individuals and female individuals).Conclusions and Relevance: These findings highlight the need for considering normative sex-related phenotypic diversity when determining an individual's risk for ASD and provide important novel insights into the neurobiological mechanisms mediating sex differences in ASD prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies of hygrothermal transfers through walls have highlighted the impacts of this phenomenon on energy consumption and indoor conditions. However, urban scale models that aim to simulate weather conditions and urban heat island effects within cities neglect moisture transfer through walls. The objective of this paper is to propose a method for solving this phenomenon that could be integrated into an urban climate model. This kind of integration requires the numerical schemes to be adapted as well as the spatiotemporal scales. The proposed method is based on an Implicit/Explicit discretisation scheme and a decoupled numerical approach for solving. Numerical stability is ensured by reducing the time step in critical moments, which are detected by five tests. This method is validated by comparison with a reference model (Delphin ®), on several study cases using different wall compositions and climates. A mesh sensitivity analysis is performed and shows that low permeability walls require a finer mesh than walls made of highly hygroscopic or capillary active materials. Furthermore, the more layers there are in the wall, the finer the mesh size needs to be. This numerical method allowed a balance to be found between computational cost and accuracy level in accordance with the expectations for an urban climate model. The future integration of this method into an urban climate model will make it possible to carry out energy/climate simulations, including the hygrothermal behaviour of walls, and thus to study its impact at urban scale. • The numerical scheme is suitable for solving moisture transfer at the urban scale. • The resolution method is based on a decoupled numerical approach. • The fixed timestep is reduced at critical moments which are detected by five tests. • Validation is performed by intermodel comparison for several walls and climates. • The mesh sensitivity analysis is carried out for fifteen walls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the first airmail services in the world, the Aeropostale , was located at the Montaudran airport of Toulouse, France. This landmark and its surroundings will be refurbished in the years to come and will be transformed into a mixed-use development, the Aerospace Campus, with residential buildings, and commercial, sports, educational and cultural facilities. This new district has been planned mostly on the basis of heritage and functional rules. The UCI project (from “Urban Cool Islands”) is a French national research project that discusses procedures aiming at incorporating a set of reasoned measures for local climate adaptation into this new urban area that will be set as a landmark development. This research aims to analyse and compare various suitable, resilient urban design strategies to provide support for their application in the Montaudran district, focusing on mitigating urban heat island effects in summer conditions. Three main methodological steps were undertaken: (1) the initial urban plan was assessed relative to a set of well-known urban morphology parameters and a microclimate analysis; (2) a set of urban design variations was established based on important microclimate adaptation measures as well as on the constraints and opportunities of the original plan; (3) the microclimate was modelled and the thermal comfort of pedestrians analysed. Results pointed out the major influence of water and green features on the mitigation of urban heat islands, notably in daytime. Besides creating an important urban cool island for pedestrians, the results showed great opportunities for supporting decision makers on specific integrated actions towards a truly sustainable neighbourhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common chronic inflammatory, demyelinating disorder. Given its variable prognosis, the identification of new prognostic biomarkers is needed. The aims of our study were to assess the prognostic values of CSF β-amyloid-42 (Aβ42) and β-amyloid-40 (Aβ40) levels in MS patients. Eighty-nine (55 RRMS, 34 PPMS) patients with a recent diagnosis and 27 controls were included in this single-centre retrospective study. Clinical, MRI and CSF data have been collected and were analysed to evaluate the potential value of CSF Aβ42 and Aβ40 levels as MS biomarkers. CSF Aβ levels as well as Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio were identical in MS patients and controls. Although CSF Aβ42 and Aβ40 levels were higher in PPMS than in RRMS and in patients with higher EDSS, a multivariate analysis including age and EDSS demonstrated that only age of patients was associated with CSF amyloid levels. Additionally, 55 RRMS patients were followed for 3 years. We found no association between baseline amyloid levels and 3-year disability. Our data do not support an association between CSF amyloid levels and MS status and disease severity. We suggest that CSF amyloid levels are not a prognostic biomarker in recently diagnosed RRMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impermeable pavements in high-density cities are one of the main causes of the aggravation of the Urban Heat Islands (UHI) phenomenon. The transformation of impermeable pavements into cool pavements constitutes a promising and innovative technique for the mitigation of UHIs. This review paper treats the technique of cool pavements or evaporative pavements, firstly on the basis of the energy balance that occurs on the surface of such pavements, in the aim of identifying the different approaches that can be adopted to enhance the technique employed. Then, this work will place particular emphasis on the various factors and properties that help to optimize this technique, as well as on the effect that incorporating certain materials has on the properties mentioned, in order to expand perceptions in the design of cool pavements. The paper ends with the main criteria for durability of cooling pavements and the corresponding maintenance techniques. • Find out the approaches to mitigate urban heat islands by cool pavements' technique. • Demonstrate the approaches followed through graphs grouping studies' results. • Review pavements' properties and other external factors promoting evaporation. • Review effect of some by-products on pavements' properties promoting evaporation. • Review effect of some by-products or additives on cool pavements' durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the theatrical production "Henry IV Parts 1 & 2" directed by Gregory Doran, performed at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon in London, England on May 7-8, 2014.

Abstract: The coupling of a direct thermal calculation with an optimization algorithm to achieve the identification of the thermal characteristics of a building structure is presented in this paper. The resolution of the direct thermal calculation is based on an electric network representation, based on a numerical solution using the finite differences method. The optimization model minimizes a criterion such as « least squares » between the wished temperatures inside the building and the model respond (time domain) by an inverse iterative algorithm « Reflective Newton ». The proposed optimization model is then validated with an experimental case, a closed wooden structure with one heated side. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]