Influence of laterality on reading performance: Preliminary data

La lectura constituye un elemento fundamental que posibilita a los seres humanos la capacidad de aprender. Los problemas en el rendimiento lector son muy comunes en niños. Uno de los factores asociados con estas dificultades son los problemas de lateralidad. En consecuencia, el objetivo de esta investigación es valorar la influencia que puede tener la lateralidad, como componente neuropsicológico, en el rendimiento lector. Para comprobar si se da esta relación se evaluó la lateralidad y el rendimiento lector de 30 alumnos entre los 6 y los 9 años a través de pruebas como el Test de Lateralidad de la Prueba Neuropsicológica y pruebas de comprensión y velocidad lectora, así como se han comparado estos resultados con el rendimiento de los alumnos en la materia de Lengua. Los resultados muestran una correlación significativa entre las variables velocidad y comprensión lectora y el rendimiento en lengua. Sin embargo, esta relación no fue significativa comparando estas variables con la lateralidad. Estos resultados sugieren la necesidad de continuar investigando en esta área, así como la necesidad de incluir en los centros programas de intervención global y general que tengan como finalidad, no sólo intervenir en los casos con dificultades, sino intentar prevenirlas desde edades tempranas.Reading is a fundamental element that enables human beings the ability to learn. Problems in reading performance are very common in children. One of the factors related to these problems are laterality problems. Consequently, the objective of this research is to assess the influence that laterality can have, as a neuropsychological component, in the reading performance. In order to check whether this relationship exists, we evaluated the laterality and reading performance of 30 students aged from 6 to 9 years old through tests such as the Laterality Test of the Neuropsychological Battery and tests of comprehension and reading speed, as well as comparing these results with the performance of the students in the subject of Language. The results show a significant correlation be-tween the variables speed and reading comprehension and language performance. How-ever, this relationship was not significant when these variables were combined with laterality. These results suggest the need for further research in this area, as well as the need for global and general intervention programmes that aim not only to intervene in difficult cases, but also to try to prevent them from an early age

Cathodoluminescence of defects in sintered tin oxide

Cathodoluminescence (CL) in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) has been used to investigate the luminescence mechanisms in tin oxide. Sintered material prepared from high purity powder has been found to show a strong dependence of the CL emission on the thermal treatments applied during sample preparation. SEM images show the presence of nano and microcrystalline grains. The correlation of the grain size and morphology with the optical emission is analyzed by CL microscopy and spectroscopy. The main emission bands appear centered at about 2.58, 2.25, and 1.94 eV depending on the sintering treatment. CL images reveal that the 2.25 and the 2.58 eV bands are associated at specific crystal faces. The evolution of the luminescence bands with mechanical milling shows a complex evolution of the 1.94 and 2.58 eV emissions which is explained by formation and recovery of defects during milling

Cathodoluminescence and REBIC study of defects in tin oxide

Cathodoluminescence (CL) and remote electron beam induced current (REBIC) in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) has been used to investigate the electron recombination mechanisms in tin oxide. Sintered material prepared from high purity powder has been found to show a strong dependence of the CL emission on the thermal treatments applied during sample preparation. SEM images show the presence of nano and microcrystalline grains. The correlation of the grain size and morphology with the optical emission is analysed by CL microscopy and spectroscopy. The evolution of the luminescence bands with mechanical milling shows a complex evolution of the 1.94 eV and 2.58 eV emissions which is explained by formation and recovery of defects during milling. REBIC measurements and imaging are used to characterize the formation of a potential barrier at the grain boundaries

Surface reconstruction of polycrystalline TiO_2 in oxygen atmosphere

Polyerystalline TiO2 surface reconstruction in oxygen atmosphere has been investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and cathodoluminescence in the scanning electron microscopy (SEM-CL). The reactivity to oxygen is related to the presence of defects as interstitial Ti ions, that induce growth of protrusions, large terraces and polygonal shaped structures

Growth and characterization of SnO_2 micro- and nanotubes

Micro- and nanotubes, and other elongated structures of SnO_2 as wires and rods, were grown after sintering in argon flow at temperatures ranging from 1350 degrees C to 1500 degrees C. The morphology and luminescence properties of these structures have been investigated by means of the secondary electron and the cathodoluminescence (CL) modes of the scanning electron microscope (SEM)

Oxygen vacancy related distortions in rutile TiO_2 nanoparticles: a combined experimental and theoretical study

The effects of doubly ionized oxygen vacancies [(V_O)ˆ(2+)]on the electronic structure and charge distribution in rutile TiO_2 are studied by combining first-principles calculations based on density functional theory and experimental results from x-ray photoelectron and x-ray absorption measurements carried out in synchrotron facilities on rutile TiO_2 nanoparticles. The generalized gradient approximation of the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof functional has demonstrated its suitability for the analysis of the [(V_O)ˆ(2+)]defects in rutile TiO_2. It has been found that the presence of empty electronic states at the conduction band shifted ̴1 eV from t_(2g) and e_(g) states can be associated with local distortions induced by [(V_O)ˆ(2+)]defects, in good agreement with Gauss-Lorentzian band deconvolution of experimental O K-edge spectra. The asymmetry of t(2g) and e(g) bands at the O-K edge has been associated with [(V_O)ˆ(2+)], which can enrich the understanding of studies where the presence of these defects plays a key role, as in the case of doped TiO_2

Tubular micro- and nanostructures of TCO materials grown by a vapor-solid method

Microtubes and rods with nanopipes of transparent conductive oxides (TCO), such as SnO_2, TiO_2, ZnO and In_2O_3, have been fabricated following a vapor-solid method which avoids the use of catalyst or templates. The morphology of the as-grown tubular structures varies as a function of the precursor powder and the parameters employed during the thermal treatments carried out under a controlled argon flow. These materials have been also doped with different elements of technological interest (Cr, Er, Li, Zn, Sn). Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) measurements show that the concentration of the dopants achieved by the vapor-solid method ranges from 0.5 to _3 at.%. Luminescence of the tubes has been analyzed, with special attention paid to the influence of the dopants on their optical properties. In this work, we summarize and discuss some of the processes involved not only in the anisotropic growth of these hollow micro and nanostructures, but also in their doping

Validation of an Online Version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) for Alcohol Screening in Spanish University Students

Online alcohol screening may be helpful in preventing alcohol use disorders. We assessed psychometric properties of an online version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) among Spanish university students. We used a longitudinal online survey (the UNIVERSAL project) of first-year students (18-24 years old) in five universities, including the AUDIT, as part of the WHO World Mental Health International College Student (WMH-ICS) initiative. A reappraisal interview was carried out with the Timeline Followback (TLFB) for alcohol consumption categories and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) for alcohol use disorder. Reliability, construct validity and diagnostic accuracy were assessed. Results: 287 students (75% women) completed the MINI, of whom 242 also completed the TLFB. AUDIT's Cronbach's alpha was 0.82. The confirmatory factor analysis for the one-factor solution of the AUDIT showed a good fit to the data. Significant AUDIT score differences were observed by TLFB categories and by MINI disorders. Areas under the curve (AUC) were very large for dependence (AUC = 0.96) and adequate for consumption categories (AUC > 0.7). AUDIT cut-off points of 6/8 (women/men) for moderate-risk drinking and 13 for alcohol dependence showed sensitivity/specificity of 76.2%/78.9% and 56%/97.5%, respectively. The online version of the AUDIT is useful for detecting alcohol consumption categories and alcohol dependence in Spanish university students.This research was funded by Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria, Instituto de Salud Carlos III FEDER (PI13/00343); Ministerio de Sanidad, Consumo y Bienestar Social, Plan Nacional Sobre Drogas PNSD (exp.2015I015); and from the DIUE of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2017SGR452). L. Ballester was supported by an FPU grant (FPU15/05728); M. J. Blasco was supported by a Rio Hortega grant (ISCIII, CM14/00125); P. Castellvi was supported by a Sara Borrell grant (ISCIII, CD12/00440), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Commission, the University of Jaen, Spain (R08/06/2018) and the Instituto de Estudios Giennenses; and P. Mortier was supported by a Sara Borrell grant (ISCIII, CD18/00049)

Self-esteem and suicidal behaviour in youth: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies

Background: Previous literature suggests that low self-esteem is a risk factor for suicide attempts, but no meta-analyses have been conducted to assess this association in adolescents/young adults. The present study examined the relationship between low self-esteem and suicide attempts in young people (12-26 years old). Method: Meta-analyses were performed using random-effects models (ES) and odds ratio (OR). Heterogeneity and sensitivity analyses were performed. Results: From 26,883 initial titles, 22 studies met the inclusion criteria, of which 9 studies had data that could be included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed that youths with lower self-esteem were more likely to have future suicide attempts, with an effect size (self-esteem as continuous variable) of d = .58 (95% CI = .44 - .73) and, for low self-esteem (categorical variable) an OR = 1.99 (95% CI = 1.39-2.86; p < .001). Conclusion: A low level of self-esteem is a risk factor for suicide attempts in adolescents/young adults

Análisis de rendimiento de aplicaciones MPI en clusters de Raspberries Pi3

La asignatura Programación de Sistemas Distribuidos (PSD) dedica una parte del temario a las aplicaciones de alto rendimiento y, en particular, a las aplicaciones desarrolladas con MPI. En resumen, estas aplicaciones despliegan en las máquinas físicas del sistema distribuido una serie de procesos, los cuales deben explotar -de la forma más eficiente posible- los recursos compartidos del sistema para incrementar su rendimiento. El objetivo principal de este proyecto consiste en analizar el rendimiento de clusters de bajo presupuesto, concretamente, de sistemas formados por placas Raspberry Pi3