Temporal lobe asymmetry and dyslexia: an in vivo study using MRI

A new, sensitive method of measurement of current-voltage characteristics (CVC) of the type i(U) approximately U(1 + beta U2) was applied to study ionic channels formed by gramicidin D in bilayer lipid membranes (BLM). The values of the non-linearity coefficient beta of the CVC of membranes modified by gramicidin D depended on electrolyte concentration, C, and expressed the weak nonlinearity of the CVC. In symmetric electrolyte conditions, the coefficient beta(A) increased with the increasing electrolyte concentration from -17 V-2 at 0.03 mol/l KCl to 8 V-2 at 3 mol/l KCl. In asymmetric electrolyte conditions (different electrolyte concentrations at the two sides of the BLM) the coefficient beta(A) also increased with increasing C. A theory is proposed describing the weak nonlinearity of CVC of ionic channels based on electrodiffusion model. This theory assumes that the electrochemical potential mu(x) of an ion within the ion channel depends on the coordinate x along the channel axis. According to the proposed model, CVC nonlinearity is mainly determined by the ends of the ion channel. We showed that the structure of gramicidin D ionic channel is sensitive to the concentration of ions, and in fact changes at one end of the channel influence the parameters of the other channel end.     

Teaching reading to disabled readers with language disorders: a controlled evaluation of synthetic speech feedback

In a long-term study two groups of language and reading impaired students (N = 15 + 15) were reading with the aid of segmented speech-feedback in a computerized program. One group received feedback that was simultaneously segmented visually and auditorily into syllables, the other received feedback by letter names. In both groups subjects were expected to synthesize segments into words and to compare their synthesis to whole word feed-back subsequently provided by the computer. They worked for half a lesson (approximately 20 minutes) a day for a total of 40 days. During this period the experiment groups progressed more in reading than a control group of age and reading-level-matched students (N = 35) who received traditional remedial instruction. The group in the syllable condition gained slightly more in non-word reading and in syllable segmentation than did the letter group. Differences in gains in reading abilities were not explained by differences in age, but to some extent by initial level of phoneme and syllable awareness. Future applications of the speech-feedback system are discussed.     

VAPOR-LIQUID EQUILIBRIA OF POLYMER SOLUTION USING UNIQUAC

The UNIQUAC excess Gibbs energy model of Abrams and Prausnitz(1975)is extended to represent thevapor-liquid equilibria of polymer solution with only two adjustable parameters.Discussions on the application ofthe Staverman-Guggenheim and the Flory-Huggins combinatorial contribution in the UNIQUAC model are givenin this paper.The UNIQUAC model with either Staverman-Guggenheim or Flory-Huggins combinatorial expres-sion presents results with about the same accuracy for polymer solutions.Comparisons between the UNIQUAC model and the Flory equation show that theUNIQUAC model can give some better results than the Flory equa-tion in general.     

Long-Term Effects of Phoneme Awareness and Letter Sound Training: An Intervention Study With Children at Risk for Dyslexia.

Positive long-term effects of phoneme awareness training in kindergarten were found in this study with children of dyslexic parents. Thirty-five at-risk children (attending 26 different classes) participated in an intensive 17-week program in their regular kindergarten classes designed to help them improve in phoneme awareness. Follow-up measures indicated that the trained children outperformed 47 untrained at-risk controls in both word and nonword reading in Grades 2, 3, and 7. For the very poorest readers, significant effects were found--even in Grade 7 reading comprehension. However, the trained at-risk children were found to lag behind a 2nd control group of 41 not-at-risk children in most aspects of reading. Treatment-resistant children had relatively poor phonological representations of known words. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)