The relationship between oral and written language

It has been agreed for some time now that reading is primarily a language-based activity and that deficits in oral language will be reflected in deficits in reading ability. This paper explores the association between specific aspects of oral and written language as reflected in current literature and research.     

Effects of electrical stimulation of the amygdaloid central nucleus on neocortical arousal in the rabbit

This study sought to determine whether electrical stimulation of the amygdaloid central nucleus (ACe) produces cholinergically mediated neocortical arousal manifested in the suppression of frontal cortex delta wave (1-4 Hz) activity. Stimulation in both anesthetized and conscious rabbits produced a suppression of delta activity that was accompanied by bradycardia and blocked by cholinergic antagonists. Stimulation of the adjacent putamen did not produce delta suppression, whereas stimulation of the adjacent ventral globus pallidus produced a suppression of shorter duration than that produced by ACe stimulation. The results suggest that the ACe influences neocortical arousal, which may be mediated by its influence on the activity of cholinergic neurons of the nucleus basalis.     

The effect of steam treating waste cooking oil on the yield of methyl ester

The effect of steam injection and sedimentation treatment of waste cooking oil on the quality of TG, to be used as a raw material for the production of biodiesel, was investigated. The effect of steam treatment was evaluated in terms of a number of physical and chemical characteristics. Significant decreases in the moisture, FFA, and PV, as well as increased energy value, were observed. GC analysis of the treated materials demonstrated little change in either the overall composition of the oils or the iodine value. The decreases in moisture from 1.4 to 0.4% and in FFA from 6.27 to 4.28% were found to correlate strongly with an increase in yield of ester from 67.5 to 83.5%.     

Response characteristics of neurons in the medial component of the medial geniculate nucleus during Pavlovian differential fear conditioning in rabbits.

The amygdaloid central nucleus (ACE) may contribute significantly to Pavlovian fear-conditioned bradycardic responses during the presentation of conditioned emotional stimuli. Because the medial component of the medial geniculate nucleus (MGm) is a major source of input to the region of the ACE, the extracellular single-unit responses of MGm neurons were examined during Pavlovian differentially conditioned bradycardic responding in rabbits. Conditioning involved pairing one tone (CS+) with paraorbital shock and presenting another tone (CS–) in the absence of shock. Two general classes of MGm neurons were identified based on their conditioned-response characteristics. One group responded with greater increases in activity and at a shorter latency to the CS+ compared with the CS–, whereas the other group responded with greater increases in activity and at a shorter latency to the CS– compared with the CS+. Recordings from MGm neurons in naive rabbits prior to conditioning provided evidence that the acoustic stimuli used subsequently as the CS+ and CS– did not evoke differential responses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lesions of the cerebellar vermis and cerebellar hemispheres: Effects on heart rate conditioning in rats.

The effects of lesions of the cerebellum on the acquisition of heart rate (HR) conditioned responses (CRs) were examined in rats. Large lesions of the cerebellar vermis severely attenuated the acquisition of differentially conditioned bradycardic responses in restrained rats without affecting unconditioned HR responses to the tone conditioned stimuli (CSs) or the shock unconditioned stimulus/stimuli (UCS). In Exp 2, Ss were trained unrestrained, and under these conditions the CR was tachycardia in control Ss. Lesions of the vermis again severely attenuated acquisition of this CR without affecting unconditioned response (UCR) to the CSs or UCS. Bilateral lesions of the cerebellar hemispheres did not affect HR conditioning in either test procedure. The vermis of the cerebellum is an essential component of an HR conditioning circuit in the rat. The cerebellar hemispheres, which are involved in some discrete somatomotor CRs, have no essential functional contribution to HR conditioning. Results are discussed in relation to contributions from a forebrain system involved in HR conditioning and in relation to lateral cerebellar contributions to discrete somatomotor CRs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing the Validity of Parenting Measures in a Sample of Chinese Adolescents.

The purpose of this study was to assess the construct validity of adolescent-report parenting behavior measures (primarily derived from the Parental Behavior Measure) in a sample of 480 adolescents from Beijing, China. Results suggest that maternal support, monitoring, and autonomy granting were valid measures when assessing maternal socialization strategies and Chinese adolescent development. Measures of punitiveness and love withdrawal demonstrated limited validity, whereas maternal positive induction demonstrated little validity. The major implications of these results are that measures of "negative" parenting that included physical or psychological manipulations may not have salience for the development of Chinese adolescents. Moreover, researchers and clinicians should question the applicability of instruments and measures designed to assess family process when working with individuals in families from diverse cultural backgrounds. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)