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Purpose: Reading requires the activation of several cognitive processes, some of which are basic, e.g. recognizing letters and words, whereas others are complex, such as working memory and ability to think about one's own learning strategies. One condition for fulfilling a complex cognitive task, such as understanding a text, is the ability to maintain and process information, which depends on working memory., Objective: To analyze the ability of using metacognitive strategies for reading, the phonological working memory of school children with learning disabilities, and also determine if there is relation between these skills and reading comprehension., Method: The sample consisted of 30 school-age children and teenagers of both genders, aged 8 to 12 years, who were enrolled in primary school. They were divided in two groups, experimental (EG) and control (CG). All children were subjected to evaluation of reading comprehension, phonological working memory, and use of metacognitive skills for reading. The results were compared between groups through the Mann-Whitney test, and correlation between variables was analyzed through Spearman correlation test., Result: Statistical comparison between EG and CG showed statistically significant difference. Positive and effective correlation was observed between reading comprehension, phonological working memory and metacognitive tests., Conclusion: children with learning disabilities presented deficits in phonological working memory and use of metacognitive strategies. The positive and effective correlation between the abilities analyzed suggests that failure in the phonological working memory and use of metacognitive strategies interfere with reading comprehension.

The ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters Pdr11p and its paralog Aus1p are expressed under anaerobic growth conditions at the plasma membrane of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and are required for sterol uptake. However, the precise mechanism by which these ABC transporters facilitate sterol movement is unknown. In this study, an overexpression and purification procedure was developed with the aim to characterise the Pdr11p transporter. Engineering of Pdr11p variants fused at the C terminus with green fluorescent protein (Pdr11p-GFP) and containing a FLAG tag at the N terminus facilitated expression analysis and one-step purification, respectively. The detergent-solubilised and purified protein displayed a stable ATPase activity with a broad pH optimum near 7.4. Mutagenesis of the conserved lysine to methionine (K788M) in the Walker A motif abolished ATP hydrolysis. Remarkably, and in contrast to Aus1p, ATPase activity of Pdr11p was insensitive to orthovanadate and not specifically stimulated by phosphatidylserine upon reconstitution into liposomes. Our results highlight distinct differences between Pdr11p and Aus1p and create an experimental basis for further biochemical studies of both ABC transporters to elucidate their function.

Unlabelled: The flying feathers of birds are keratinous appendages designed for maximum performance with a minimum weight penalty. Thus, their design contains ingenious combinations of components that optimize lift, stiffness, aerodynamics, and damage resistance. This design involves two main parts: a central shaft that prescribes stiffness and lateral vanes which allows for the capture of air. Within the feather vane, barbs branch from the shaft and barbules branch from barbs, forming a flat surface which ensures lift. Microhooks at the end of barbules hold barbs tightly together, providing the close-knit, unified structure of the feather vane and enabling a repair of the structure through the reattachment of un-hooked junctions. Both the shaft and barbs are lightweight biological structures constructed of keratin using the common motif of a solid shell and cellular interior. The cellular core increases the resistance to buckling with little added weight. Here we analyze the detailed structure of the feather barb and, for the first time, explain its flexural stiffness in terms of the mechanics of asymmetric foam-filled beams subjected to bending. The results are correlated and validated with finite element modeling. We compare the flexure of single barbs as well as arrays of barbs and find that the interlocking adherence of barbs to one another enables a more robust structure due to minimized barb rotation during deflection. Thus, the flexure behavior of the feather vane can be tailored by the adhesive hooking between barbs, creating a system that mitigates damage. A simplified three-dimensional physical model for this interlocking mechanism is constructed by additive manufacturing. The exceptional architecture of the feather vane will motivate the design of bioinspired structures with tailored and unique properties ranging from adhesives to aerospace materials., Statement of Significance: Despite its importance to bird flight, literature characterizing the feather vane is extremely limited. The feather vane is composed of barbs that branch from the main shaft (rachis) and barbules that branch from barbs. In this study, the flexural behavior of the feather barb and the role of barbule connections in reinforcing the feather vane are quantitatively investigated for the first time, both experimentally and theoretically. Through the performed experiments, structure-function relationships within the feather vane are uncovered. Additionally, in the proposed model the sophisticated structure of the barbs and the interlocking mechanism of the feather vane are simplified to understand these processes in order to engineer new lightweight structures and adhesives., (Copyright © 2016 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To identify and describe the speech rate and fluency of children with phonological disorder (PD) with and without speech-language therapy., Methods: Thirty children, aged 5-8 years old, both genders, were divided into three groups: experimental group 1 (G1) — 10 children with PD in intervention; experimental group 2 (G2) — 10 children with PD without intervention; and control group (CG) — 10 children with typical development. Speech samples were collected and analyzed according to parameters of specific protocol., Results: The children in CG had higher number of words per minute compared to those in G1, which, in turn, performed better in this aspect compared to children in G2. Regarding the number of syllables per minute, the CG showed the best result. In this aspect, the children in G1 showed better results than those in G2., Conclusion: Comparing children's performance in the assessed groups regarding the tests, those with PD in intervention had higher time of speech sample and adequate speech rate, which may be indicative of greater auditory monitoring of their own speech as a result of the intervention.

Introduction Childhood is a critical period for language development and maturation of the central auditory system. Unilateral hearing loss (UHL) is considered a minimal impairment, and little is discussed regarding its impact on the development of language, communication, and school performance. Objectives A bibliographical survey of scientific articles published from 2001 to 2011 was performed to verify which language disorders can occur in children with UHL and which tests were performed to identify them. Data Synthesis Three databases were used: PubMed, Lilacs, and The Cochrane Library. As inclusion criteria, the articles should have samples of children with UHL, without other impairments, aged between 3 months and 12 years, and reference to language tests applied in this population. Out of 236 papers initially selected, only 5 met the inclusion criteria. In the articles studied, 12 tests were used for language assessment in children with UHL, out of which 9 were directed toward expressive language, and 3 toward receptive language. Children with UHL demonstrated lower scores on receptive and expressive language tests when compared with children with normal hearing. However, they obtained better scores on expressive language tests than children with bilateral hearing loss. Conclusion The findings of this survey showed that only a small number of studies used language tests in children with UHL or addressed language alterations resulting from this type of impairment. Therefore we emphasize the importance of investments in new studies on this subject to provide better explanations related to language difficulties presented by children with UHL.

Background: The creation of new educational strategies based on technology is the essence of telehealth. This innovative learning is an alternative to promote integration and improve the professional practices in speech-language pathology (SLP). The objective of this study was to evaluate an SLP technology designed for distance learning., Materials and Methods: The survey selected fourth-year SLP students (n=60) from three public universities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. The experimental group (EG) contained 10 students from each university (n=30), and the remaining students formed the control group (CG). Initially, both groups answered a preprotocol questionnaire, and the EG students received the technology, the recommendations, and the deadline to explore the material. In the second stage all students answered the postprotocol questionnaire in order to evaluate the validity and the learning of the technology contents., Results: The comparison between the CG students showed that their performance worsened in the majority in comparison with the EG students, who showed an improved performance., Conclusions: Therefore, this study concluded that the technology instrument actually responded to the population studied and is recommended to complement traditional teaching.

The aim of the current study was to investigate verbal communication skills in children with typical language development and ages between 6 and 8 years. Participants were 10 children of both genders in this age range without language alterations. A 30-minute video of each child's interaction with an adult (father and/or mother) was recorded, fully transcribed, and analyzed by two trained researchers in order to determine reliability. The recordings were analyzed according to a protocol that categorizes verbal communicative abilities, including dialogic, regulatory, narrative-discursive, and non-interactive skills. The frequency of use of each category of verbal communicative ability was analyzed (in percentage) for each subject. All subjects used more dialogical and regulatory skills, followed by narrative-discursive and non-interactive skills. This suggests that children in this age range are committed to continue dialog, which shows that children with typical language development have more dialogic interactions during spontaneous interactions with a familiar adult.

The aim of this study was to verify the moment with more reliable data to survey children's pragmatic profile. Participants were five children with typical language development and ages between 7 years and 1 month and 8 years and 11 months. Data collection involved a 150-minute recording of a child-researcher interaction, divided into five 30-minute individual sessions. Data were later analyzed according to a verbal communicative abilities protocol, and the individual pragmatic profiles of each 30-minute sample and the whole 150-minute sample were outlined for comparison (sessions 1 through 5 x overall total of sessions) of reliability indexes (RI) and reliability status (RS). Inter and intra-observer analyses were performed to calculate the RI and RS, respectively. The results presented by children 1 and 2 reached the larger RI in session 2; the child 3 showed similar RI values in sessions 3, 4 and 5; the child 4 had the largest RI in sessions 1 and 3; and the child 5 reached the same RI value in all sessions. Regarding the RS, session 2 presented the largest percentage of high reliability for most children, followed by session 3. On the analysis performed by category of verbal communicative abilities, session 3 presented the largest RS for dialogic and narrative-discursive abilities, and also for the overall total of verbal communicative abilities. In general, it was observed that sessions 2 and 3 allowed the largest RI and RS on the analysis performed to outline the children's pragmatic profile.

The oral language development depends on the effective development of the hearing system. In cases of children presenting with hearing loss, a cochlear implant is an electronic device indicated to (re)habilitate the hearing function. Thus, it is of paramount importance to assess and follow the oral language development of children fitted with a cochlear implant (CI) to measure the effectiveness of the electronic device and support the therapeutic planning of these children. Questions are currently being raised about the instruments to assess the oral language of children using a CI, and, seeking the answers, this systematic review aimed at surveying these instruments. Searches were performed in three different databases utilizing six different descriptors to select articles published from 2004 to 2009 that performed an oral language assessment of children with a CI. Initially, 373 articles were found, and, after the application of inclusion criteria, 47 articles were analyzed, resulting in a survey of 74 instruments for oral language assessment, including tests, questionnaires and inventories. In analyzing the articles, it was realized that the studies included in this systematic review presented varied methodologies and low levels of evidence, with a greater concentration of instruments assessing receptive and expressive language, emphasizing the survey of the child's vocabulary and questionnaires. Thus, it can be verified that other linguistic skills, such as morphosyntactic, semantic, and narrative-pragmatic ones that are important in structuring speech and language for the effectiveness of the child's speech, are not being focused on. Just one of the instruments cited, a questionnaire, was specific for the oral language assessment of children with cochlear implants.

Background: interrelation of phonetics, phonology and auditory processing in English Language Teaching., Aim: to determine whether prior contact with English phonetics favors general learning of this language (L2), i.e. second language, in Portuguese speakers; to verify performance of these individuals in an auditory processing test prior to and after being taught L2., Method: participants of the study were eight college students who had only studied English in high school. These participants were divided into two groups: control group - were only enrolled in English classes; experimental group - were enrolled in English phonetic classes prior to their enrollment in English classes. Participants were submitted to an auditory processing test and to an oral test in English (Oral Test) prior to and after the classes. Data were analyzed in the same way, i.e. prior to and after the classes., Results: these were expressed statistically by T-Student's test. Analyses indicated no difference in performance between groups. Scores indicated better performance of the control group for answering questions in English in the Oral Test. The experimental group had better performance in the auditory processing test after being enrolled to English phonetic classes and English course., Conclusion: prior basic knowledge of English did not enhance general learning (improvement in pronunciation) of the second language, however, it improved the ability of temporal processing in the used test.

Background: high-functioning autism (HFA) and Asperger Syndrome (AS) are pervasive developmental disorders that present alterations in the communicative and social skills., Aim: to use verbal communicative skill strategies (VCS) to increase the mean length of utterance (MLU) produced by individuals with HFA and AS., Method: participants were three 12-year-old males with HFA or AS. Data was collected from videotape recordings of structured verbal interaction sessions with the researcher and each participant during eight months. In order to verify the effects of the intervention, a multiple baseline research design across the participants was used, being composed by two phases: baseline (BL) and intervention (I). In the BL phase, spontaneous interaction situations occurred between the researcher and each participant. In the first phase of I, the intervention sessions occurred twice a week and gradually worked their way to once a week, but only after each participant had reached the goal of increasing the MLU. The number of sessions decreased gradually to avoid any drop in performance. The strategies which were used were divided in blocks of activities: spontaneous conversation; activities involving specific language difficulties; games with rules; story/report telling; and meta-linguistic activities., Results: the application of the proposed strategies for verbal communicative abilities achieved the purpose of increasing the MLU of all three participants., Conclusion: suggestions are made for further researches that investigate the maintenance of the results in other environments and during the interaction with different communication partners.

Background: The prevalence of asthma in Mexico is of 12% in the general population. Allergic illnesses diminish the quality of life and increase the costs of health services. In our country there is a lack of information about asthma and the concomitant presence of other allergic diseases in adults., Objective: To identify the association of asthma with other allergic illnesses in adults., Material and Methods: Patients of the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Service diagnosed with allergic asthma, according to GINA, were included. The studied variables were: age, sex, and the presence of concomitant illnesses, doing a descriptive statistic analysis., Results: 100 allergic asthmatic patients were included, 69% corresponded to female and 31% to male. The association with allergic illnesses was as follows: rhinitis 92%, conjunctivitis 33% and atopic dermatitis 5%. In 13% it was associated to sinusitis, which is considered an infectious illness., Conclusions: Asthma has an important association with allergic diseases, especially rhinitis. The female group, as well as the age group between the third and fourth decades of the life, were the most affected. It is important to identify the relationship between asthma and other allergenic entities in order to establish a specific treatment, to diminish medical attention costs and to improve the quality of life of the patients.

We studied the patients that were admitted to the Psychiatry Department of Hospital Clinico San Carlos in Madrid from 1977 to 1986, evaluating the prevalence of the abuse and/or alcohol dependence and its distribution by the sociodemographic variables of age and sex. Of a total of 9,425 patients, 772 had a diagnosis of alcoholism which represented and 8.1% of the admittances. The associations of alcoholism with other psychiatric pathologies was analyzed by means of the study of double diagnosis. A 15.5% of the alcoholic patients admitted between 1981-1986 had a second diagnosis.