Process-Oriented Profiling of Speech Sound Disorders

The differentiation between subtypes of speech sound disorder (SSD) and the involvement of possible underlying deficits is part of ongoing research and debate. The present study adopted a data-driven approach and aimed to identify and describe deficits and subgroups within a sample of 150 four to seven-year-old Dutch children with SSD. Data collection comprised a broad test battery including the Computer Articulation Instrument (CAI). Its tasks Picture Naming (PN), NonWord Imitation (NWI), Word and NonWord Repetition (WR; NWR) and Maximum Repetition Rate (MRR) each render a variety of parameters (e.g., percentage of consonants correct) that together provide a profile of strengths and weaknesses of different processes involved in speech production. Principal Component Analysis on the CAI parameters revealed three speech domains: (1) all PN parameters plus three parameters of NWI; (2) the remaining parameters of NWI plus WR and NWR; (3) MRR. A subsequent cluster analysis revealed three subgroups, which differed significantly on intelligibility, receptive vocabulary, and auditory discrimination but not on age, gender and SLPs diagnosis. The clusters could be typified as three specific profiles: (1) phonological deficit; (2) phonological deficit with motoric deficit; (3) severe phonological and motoric deficit. These results indicate that there are different profiles of SSD, which cover a spectrum of degrees of involvement of different underlying problems

Annual (2023) taxonomic update of RNA-directed RNA polymerase-encoding negative-sense RNA viruses (realm Riboviria: kingdom Orthornavirae: phylum Negarnaviricota)

55 Pág.In April 2023, following the annual International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) ratification vote on newly proposed taxa, the phylum Negarnaviricota was amended and emended. The phylum was expanded by one new family, 14 new genera, and 140 new species. Two genera and 538 species were renamed. One species was moved, and four were abolished. This article presents the updated taxonomy of Negarnaviricota as now accepted by the ICTV.This work was supported in part through the Laulima Government Solutions, LLC, prime contract with the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infec tious Diseases (NIAID) under Contract No. HHSN272201800013C. J.H.K. performed this work as an employee of Tunnell Government Services (TGS), a subcontractor of Laulima Government Solutions, LLC, under Contract No. HHSN272201800013C. U.J.B. was supported by the Division of Intramural Resarch, NIAID. This work was also funded in part by Contract No. HSHQDC15-C-00064 awarded by DHS S and T for the management and operation of The National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Centre, a federally funded research and development centre operated by the Battelle National Biodefense Institute (V.W.); and NIH contract HHSN272201000040I/HHSN27200004/D04 and grant R24AI120942 (N.V., R.B.T.). S.S. acknowl edges support from the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES), USDA-ARS project 58-6066-9-033 and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hatch Project, under Accession Number 1021494. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analysis, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of the Army, the U.S. Department of Defence, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S and T), or of the institutions and companies affiliated with the authors. In no event shall any of these entities have any responsibility or liability for any use, misuse, inability to use, or reliance upon the information contained herein. The U.S. departments do not endorse any products or commercial services mentioned in this publication. The U.S. Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the U.S.Government retains a non-exclusive, paid up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for U.S. Government purposes.Peer reviewe

Is head balance a major determinant for swallowing problems in patients with spinal muscular atrophy type 2?

Contains fulltext : 69599.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)A child with spinal muscular atrophy type 2 was referred for evaluation of eating and swallowing problems. The dysphagia evaluation demonstrated coughing during eating and drinking and occasionally stertorous when eating solid food. The videofluoroscopic swallow study showed a late upper esophageal sphincter opening with hypopharyngeal residue, more with solid food than with thin liquid. His lumbar lordosis associated with anterior tilted pelvis and his problems with head balance due to weak neck musculature caused compensatory behavior like a retracted neck and mandible. This position negatively influences the opening of the upper esophageal sphincter. This case supported the idea that dysphagia in spinal muscular atrophy type 2 is caused by both a bulbar component as well as a treatable posture component

Nanoscale Chemical Imaging of the Reduction Behavior of a Single Catalyst Particle

A closer look: Investigation of the reduction properties of a single Fischer-Tropsch catalyst particle, using in situ scanning transmission X-ray microscopy with spatial resolution of 35 nm, reveals a heterogeneous distribution of Fe0, Fe2+, and Fe3+ species. Regions of different reduction properties are defined and explained on the basis of local chemical interactions and catalyst morpholog

Nanoscale Chemical Imaging of the Reduction Behavior of a Single Catalyst Particle

A closer look: Investigation of the reduction properties of a single Fischer-Tropsch catalyst particle, using in situ scanning transmission X-ray microscopy with spatial resolution of 35 nm, reveals a heterogeneous distribution of Fe0, Fe2+, and Fe3+ species. Regions of different reduction properties are defined and explained on the basis of local chemical interactions and catalyst morpholog

Language Impairment in Cerebellar Ataxia

Background: Several studies have suggested that language impairment can be observed in patients with cerebellar pathology. The aim of this study was to investigate language performance in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6). Methods: We assessed speech and language in 29 SCA6 patients with standardized linquistic tests and correlated this with the severity of ataxia, as quantified by the Scale of Assessment and Rating of Ataxia. Results: Individual patients show mild-to-moderate linguistic impairment. Linguistic abnormalities were most distinct on the writing and comprehension subtests. A strong correlation between severity of ataxia and linguistic performance was consistently found. Conclusions: This study confirms the occurrence of linguistic impairments in patients with cerebellar degenerative diseases, such as SCA6. The relation between linguistic abnormalities and severity of ataxia provides further evidence for a role of the cerebellum in linguistic processing. (C) 2014 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Societ