Rolandic Epilepsy And Dyslexia.

Although benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) is an idiopathic, age-related epilepsy syndrome with favorable outcome, recent studies have shown impairment in specific neuropsychological tests. The objective of this study was to analyze the comorbidity between dyslexia and BECTS. Thirty-one patients with clinical and electroencephalographic diagnosis of BECTS (group A) and 31 paired children (group B) underwent a language and neuropsychological assessment performed with several standardized protocols. Our findings were categorized as: a) dyslexia; b) other difficulties; c) without difficulties. Our results were compared and statistically analyzed. Our data showed that dyslexia occurred in 19.4% and other difficulties in 74.2% of our patients. This was highly significant when compared with the control group (p<0.001). Phonological awareness, writing, reading, arithmetic, and memory tests showed a statistically significant difference when comparing both groups. Our findings show significant evidence of the occurrence of dyslexia in patients with BECTS.

Resonancias discursivas y cortesía en prácticas de lecto-escritura

In this paper we present a study of reading comprehension based on a contrastive argumentative-discursive approach. We examine the relationship between linguistic materiality and discursive processes, observing the connection between reading in a foreign language, writing production and textual memories in the mother tongue. In addition to an interest in practical language teaching and learning processes (in this case of Spanish and Portuguese), we investigate the question of politeness and the theoretical relationship between subjectivity, language, and textuality. The latter, being understood as the result of discourse regularities, is unique for each and every production, yet is also conditioned by plural discursive memories resulting from contradictory social relationships in a specific historical context (Foucault, 1986; Pêcheux, 1990). In the experiment presented here, we follow some of the procedures of the methodology applied in the European Galatea Project developed for the study of reading strategies in the inter-comprehension between Romance languages (Dabène, 1996). We use the procedure of simulation and the subjective projection of participants as well as the notion of discursive resonance in the analysis. The results, having to do with directness and indirectness in speech and the question of politeness in two typologically close languages, lead to the conclusion that the concept of politeness goes beyond a pragmatic strategy used to avoid conflicts to be approached as a marker of cultural identity constitution. The relevance of discursive awareness and its theoretical and practical consequences are then emphasized.

Flicker perimetry in healthy subjects: influence of age and gender, learning effect and short-term fluctuation

PURPOSE: To determine the mean critical fusion frequency and the short-term fluctuation, to analyze the influence of age, gender, and the learning effect in healthy subjects undergoing flicker perimetry. METHODS: Study 1 - 95 healthy subjects underwent flicker perimetry once in one eye. Mean critical fusion frequency values were compared between genders, and the influence of age was evaluated using linear regression analysis. Study 2 - 20 healthy subjects underwent flicker perimetry 5 times in one eye. The first 3 sessions were separated by an interval of 1 to 30 days, whereas the last 3 sessions were performed within the same day. The first 3 sessions were used to investigate the presence of a learning effect, whereas the last 3 tests were used to calculate short-term fluctuation. RESULTS: Study 1 - Linear regression analysis demonstrated that mean global, foveal, central, and critical fusion frequency per quadrant significantly decreased with age (p<0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in mean critical fusion frequency values between males and females (p>0.05), with the exception of the central area and inferonasal quadrant (p=0.049 and p=0.011, respectively), where the values were lower in females. Study 2 - Mean global (p=0.014), central (p=0.008), and peripheral (p=0.03) critical fusion frequency were significantly lower in the first session compared to the second and third sessions. The mean global short-term fluctuation was 5.06±1.13 Hz, the mean interindividual and intraindividual variabilities were 11.2±2.8% and 6.4±1.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that, in healthy subjects, critical fusion frequency decreases with age, that flicker perimetry is associated with a learning effect, and that a moderately high short-term fluctuation is expected.

Em jogo a relação entre pesquisador e clube : futebol e processos grupais

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Pedagogia do esporte : organização, sistematização, aplicação e avaliação de conteúdos esportivos na educação não formal = Sport pedagogy : organization, systematization and application of sports content in non-formal education

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Dificuldades de aprendizagem : um olhar na perspectiva do movimento gimnico

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Bayesian online algorithms for learning in discrete Hidden Markov Models

We propose and analyze two different Bayesian online algorithms for learning in discrete Hidden Markov Models and compare their performance with the already known Baldi-Chauvin Algorithm. Using the Kullback-Leibler divergence as a measure of generalization we draw learning curves in simplified situations for these algorithms and compare their performances.

Collaborative e-learning and Learning Objects

The Learning Object (OA) is any digital resource that can be reused to support learning with specific functions and objectives. The OA specifications are commonly offered in SCORM model without considering activities in groups. This deficiency was overcome by the solution presented in this paper. This work specified OA for e-learning activities in groups based on SCORM model. This solution allows the creation of dynamic objects which include content and software resources for the collaborative learning processes. That results in a generalization of the OA definition, and in a contribution with e-learning specifications.

Adoption of integrated production of peach system in Parana State

The success in the adoption of peach integrated production (IP) was evaluated in small orchards of the Parana State. The importance of specific technical accompaniment; points of strangulating in adoption of technology and the classification of the areas to IP conformity were evaluated. The seasons 2005/2006 (without IP orientation) and 2006/2007 (with IP orientation) were compared considering 20 producers who were oriented monthly to attend the minimum requisites. The incidence of peach rust (Tranzschelia discolor) and of brown rot (Monilinia fructicola) in full bloom was evaluated in 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 seasons, as biological parameters to accompany the efficiency of system adoption. After the technical accompaniment in 2007/2008 season, the software APOIA-Novo Rural-PI (APOIA-PI) was applied to measure the conformity to IP in peach orchards. The conformity index of each orchard was compared to the minimum requisite to classify as IP (0.7). The major difficulties in register of field book were: pests monitoring; collect of climate data and the harvest evaluation. The technical accompaniment increased in 60% the conformity in use of field book. In 2007/2008 season, the brown rot incidence increased in some areas, caused by not following IP recommendations. The inadequate management caused the increment in pathogen inoculum, promoting the disease development in peach orchards. The APOIA-PI classified two orchards as good agricultural practices (GAP) (0.7 <= conformity index >= 0.4), two as integrated production (IP) (>= 0.7) and the other orchards had conformity index lower than 0.4.

A rapid single-step multiplex method for discriminating between Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) species in Australia

Inaccurate species identification confounds insect ecological studies. Examining aspects of Trichogramma ecology pertinent to the novel insect resistance management strategy for future transgenic cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., production in the Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) of Western Australia required accurate differentiation between morphologically similar Trichogramma species. Established molecular diagnostic methods for Trichogramma identification use species-specific sequence difference in the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-2 chromosomal region; yet, difficulties arise discerning polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fragments of similar base pair length by gel electrophoresis. This necessitates the restriction enzyme digestion of PCR-amplified ITS-2 fragments to readily differentiate Trichogramma australicum Girault and Trichogramma pretiosum Riley. To overcome the time and expense associated with a two-step diagnostic procedure, we developed a “one-step” multiplex PCR technique using species-specific primers designed to the ITS-2 region. This approach allowed for a high-throughput analysis of samples as part of ongoing ecological studies examining Trichogramma biological control potential in the ORIA where these two species occur in sympatry.

Beginning readers' use of orthographic analogies in word reading

This research re-investigated the claim that beginning readers exploit information from the orthographic rime of clue words to help them to decode unfamiliar words. In Experiment 1, first-grade children were equally able to use orthographic information from the beginning, middle, and end of clue words to identify unfamiliar target words. Moreover, the improvement in reading end- (or orthographic rime-) same target words following clue word presentation reflected phonological priming. In second-grade children, with correction for retesting effects, improvement following clue word presentation for end-same and beginning-same target words was equivalent, although end-same target words improved more than middle-same target words. In Experiment 2, both first- and second-grade children were able to use orthographic information from the beginning, middle, and end of clue words to identify unfamiliar words. Clue word presentation enhanced the reading of beginning-same and end-same target words more than middle-same target words. Improvement was the same for beginning-same and end-same target words. Target word improvement following clue word presentation was greater than that for phonologically primed words only in children reading target words sharing the beginning sequence of the clue word. (C) 1998 Academic Press.

Bimanual co-ordination in Parkinson's disease

The basal ganglia may be involved in bimanual co-ordination. Parkinson's disease (which impairs basal ganglia output) is clinically reported to cause difficulties in the performance of co-ordinated bimanual movements. Nevertheless, any bimanual co-ordination difficulties may be task specific, as experimental observations are equivocal. To infer the role of the basal ganglia in co-ordinating the two arms, this study investigated the bimanual co-ordination of patients with Parkinson's disease. Sixteen Parkinson's disease patients and matched control subjects performed a bimanual cranking task, at different speeds (1 and 2 Hz) and phase relationships. All subjects performed the required bimanual in-phase movement on a pair of cranks, at fast (2 Hz) and slow (1 Hz) speeds. However the Parkinson's disease patients were unable to perform the asymmetrical anti-phase movement, in which rotation of the cranks differed by 180 degrees, at either speed; but instead reverted to the in-phase symmetrical movement. For Parkinson's disease patients, performance of the in-phase movement was more accurate and stable when an external timing cue was used; however for anti-phase movement, the external cue accentuated the tendency for patients to revert to more symmetrical, in-phase movements.

Presentation of the HPV16E7 protein by skin grafts is insufficient to allow graft rejection in an E7-primed animal

The E7 transforming protein of Human Papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) is expressed in the skin of a line of RIB mice transgenic for the E6 and E7 open reading frames of HPV16 driven from the alpha A crystallin promoter (FVB alpha AcryHPV16E6E7). We have transferred skin from FVB alpha AcryHPV16E6E7 mice to naive or E7-primed syngeneic NE recipients to assess whether the E7 protein of HPV16 can function as a minor transplantation antigen (MTA) and promote skin graft rejection. FVB mice did not reject E7 expressing tail or flank skin grafts. E7 immunized FVB x C57BL/6J mice recipients of FVB alpha AcryHPV16E6E7 x C57BL/6J skin generated humoral and DTH responses to E7 in vivo and E7-specific CTL precursors in the spleen, but failed to reject 57 expressing tail skin grafts by 100 days posttransfer. Thus although HPV16 E7 + ve mesenchymal and endodermal tumors can be eliminated by an E7-specific immune response, the same protein is unable to act as a MTA and promote graft rejection when expressed in skin cells. Lack of rejection of grafts expressing MTAs such as E7 may be relevant to the immunology of epithelial tumors expressing tumor-specific antigens and to our understanding of the immunology of diseases of the skin. (C) 1997 Academic Press.

Tube feeding with a diabetes-specific feed for 12 weeks improves glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes patients

Background and aims: Assess longer-term (12 weeks) effects of a diabetes-specific feed on postprandial glucose response, glycaemic control (HbA1c), lipid profile, (pre)-albumin, clinical course and tolerance in diabetic patients. Methods: In this randomized, controlled, double-blind, parallel group study 25 type 2 diabetic patients on tube feeding were included. Patients received a soy-protein based, multi-fibre diabetes-specific feed or isocaloric, fibre-containing standard feed for 12 weeks, while continuing on their anti-diabetic medication. At the beginning, after 6 and 12 weeks, several (glycaemic) parameters were assessed. Results: The postprandial glucose response (iAUC) to the diabetes-specific feed was lower at the 1st assessment compared with the standard feed (p = 0.008) and this difference did not change over time. HbA1c decreased over time in the diabetes-specific and not in the standard feed group (treatment*time:p = 0.034): 6.9 +/- 0.3% (mean +/- SEM) at baseline vs. 6.2 +/- 0.4% at 12 weeks in the diabetes-specific group compared to 7.9 +/- 0.3% to 8.7 +/- 0.4% in the standard feed group. No significant treatment*time effect was found for fasting glucose, insulin, (pre-) albumin or lipid profile, except for increase of HDL in the diabetes-specific group. Conclusions: The diabetes-specific feed studied significantly improved longer-term glycaemic control in diabetic patients. This was achieved in addition to on-going anti-diabetic medication and may affect clinical outcome. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism.

Alterations in Plasmodium falciparum genotypes during sequential infections suggest the presence of strain specific immunity

Many of the asexual stage Plasmodium falciparum proteins that are the targets of host protective responses are markedly polymorphic. The full repertoire of diversity is not defined for any antigen. Most studies have focused on the genes encoding merozoite surface proteins 1 and 2 (MSP1, MSP2). We explored the extent of diversity of some of the less studied merozoite surface antigens and analyzed the degree of complexity of malaria field isolates by deriving nucleotide sequences of several antigens. We have determined the genotype of apical membrane antigen 1 (AMA1) in a group of 30 field samples, collected over 29 months, from individuals living in an area of intense malaria transmission in Irian Jaya, identifying 14 different alleles. AMA1 genotyping was combined with previously determined MSP2 typing. AMA1 had the greatest power in distinguishing between isolates but methodological problems, especially when mixed infections are present, suggest it is not an ideal typing target. MSP1, MSP3, and glutamate-rich protein genotypes were also determined from a smaller group of samples, and all results were combined to derive an extended antigenic haplotype. Within this subset of 10 patients, nine different genotypes could be discerned; however, five patients were all infected with the same strain. This strain was present in individuals from two separate villages and was still present 12 months later. This strain was predominant at the first time point but had disappeared at the fourth time point. This significant change in malaria genotypes could be due to strain-specific immunity developing in this population.