Parent-child interaction in Nigerian families: conversation analysis, context and culture

This paper uses a conversation analysis (CA) approach to explore parent child interaction (PCI) within Nigerian families. We illustrate how speech and language therapists (SLTs), by using CA, can tailor recommendations according to the interactional style of each individual family that are consonant with the family’s cultural beliefs. Three parent-child dyads were videoed playing and talking together in their home environments. The analysis uncovered a preference for instructional talk similar to that used in the classroom. Closer examination revealed that this was not inappropriate when considering the context of the activities and their perceived discourse role. Furthermore, this was not necessarily at the expense of responsivity or semantic contingency. The preference for instructional talk appeared to reflect deeply held cultural beliefs about the role of adults and children within the family and it is argued that the cultural paradigm is vitally important to consider when evaluating PCI. Given a potential risk that such young children may be vulnerable in terms of language difficulties, we offer an example of how PCI can be enhanced to encourage language development without disrupting the naturally occurring talk or the underlying purpose of the interaction

Microautophagy of the Nucleus Coincides with a Vacuolar Diffusion Barrier at Nuclear–Vacuolar Junctions

Nuclear-vacuolar (NV) junctions are organelle contact sites in yeast. They exclude nuclear pores from the organelle interface. On the vacuolar side, a lipid-dependent process excludes specific membrane proteins, such as V-ATPase, from the contact site. This suggests that NV junctions establish selective diffusion barriers

Neighbor Overlap Is Enriched in the Yeast Interaction Network: Analysis and Implications

The yeast protein-protein interaction network has been shown to have distinct topological features such as a scale free degree distribution and a high level of clustering. Here we analyze an additional feature which is called Neighbor Overlap. This feature reflects the number of shared neighbors between a pair of proteins. We show that Neighbor Overlap is enriched in the yeast protein-protein interaction network compared with control networks carefully designed to match the characteristics of the yeast network in terms of degree distribution and clustering coefficient. Our analysis also reveals that pairs of proteins with high Neighbor Overlap have higher sequence similarity, more similar GO annotations and stronger genetic interactions than pairs with low ones. Finally, we demonstrate that pairs of proteins with redundant functions tend to have high Neighbor Overlap. We suggest that a combination of three mechanisms is the basis for this feature: The abundance of protein complexes, selection for backup of function, and the need to allow functional variation

A Randomized Trial Examining the Effects of Parent Engagement on Early Language and Literacy: The Getting Ready Intervention

Language and literacy skills established during early childhood are critical for later school success. Parental engagement with children has been linked to a number of adaptive characteristics in preschoolers including language and literacy development, and family-school collaboration is an important contributor to school readiness. This study reports the results of a randomized trial of a parent engagement intervention designed to facilitate school readiness among disadvantaged preschool children, with a particular focus on language and literacy development. Participants included 217 children, 211 parents, and 29 Head Start teachers in 21 schools. Statistically significant differences in favor of the treatment group were observed between treatment and control participants in the rate of change over 2 academic years on teacher reports of children’s language use (d = 1.11), reading (d = 1.25), and writing skills (d = .93). Significant intervention effects on children’s direct measures of expressive language were identified for a subgroup of cases where there were concerns about a child’s development upon entry into preschool. Additionally, other child and family moderators revealed specific variables that influenced the treatment’s effects

Extracellular and Luminal pH Regulation by Vacuolar H⁺-ATPase Isoform Expression and Targeting to the Plasma Membrane and Endosomes

Plasma membrane vacuolar H+ -ATPase (pm-V-ATPase) activity of tumor cells is a major factor in control of cytoplasmic and extracellular pH and metastatic potential, but the isoforms involved and the factors governing plasma membrane recruitment remain uncertain. Here, we examined expression, distribution and activity of V- ATPase isoforms in invasive prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3) cells. Isoforms 1 and 3 were the most highly expressed forms of membrane subunit a, with a1 and a3 the dominant plasma membrane isoforms. Correlation between pm-V-ATPase activity and invasiveness was limited, but RNAi knockdown of either a isoform did slow cell proliferation and inhibit invasion in vitro. Isoform a1 was recruited to the cell surface from the early endosome/recycling complex pathway, its knockdown arresting transferrin receptor (TfR) recycling. Isoform a3 was associated with the late endosomal/lysosomal compartment. Both a isoforms associated with accessory protein Ac45, knockdown of which stalled transit of a1 and Tf-TfR, decreased proton efflux and reduced cell growth and invasiveness, this latter effect at least partly due to decreased delivery of the membrane-bound matrix metalloproteinase MMP-14 to the plasma membrane. These data indicate that in prostatic carcinoma cells, a1 and a3 isoform populations predominate in different compartments where they maintain different luminal pH. Ac45 plays a central role in navigating the V-ATPase to the plasma membrane, and hence is an important factor in expression of the invasive phenotype

Intonation in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired infants

Intonation contours in the demand utterances of ten hearing impaired infants aged 12 to 24 months and ten matched normal hearing infants were measured and compared. Developmental changes within the normal-hearing infants were reflected in the time required to make fundamental frequency changes, duration of stable fundamental frequency following a change, vocalization time and number of utterances. Subgroups within the hearing impaired infants were differentiated by the frequency ranges used and by the number of amplitude changes. Number and size of fundamental frequency changes, number of amplitude changes and the frequency ranges used differentiated between normal-hearing and hearing-impaired infants. Results of this study indicate that measures of fundamental frequency and amplitude in the demand utterances of infants one to two years of age are affected by maturation and audition, thus suggesting that the role of intonation in language acquisition could be meaningfully investigated with intensive sampling of intonation contours both developmentally and in relation to marked physiological and environmental differences

The V-ATPase a3 Subunit: Structure, Function and Therapeutic Potential of an Essential Biomolecule in Osteoclastic Bone Resorption

This review focuses on one of the 16 proteins composing the V-ATPase complex responsible for resorbing bone: the a3 subunit. The rationale for focusing on this biomolecule is that mutations in this one protein account for over 50% of osteopetrosis cases, highlighting its critical role in bone physiology. Despite its essential role in bone remodeling and its involvement in bone diseases, little is known about the way in which this subunit is targeted and regulated within osteoclasts. To this end, this review is broadened to include the three other mammalian paralogues (a1, a2 and a4) and the two yeast orthologs (Vph1p and Stv1p). By examining the literature on all of the paralogues/orthologs of the V-ATPase a subunit, we hope to provide insight into the molecular mechanisms and future research directions specific to a3. This review starts with an overview on bone, highlighting the role of V-ATPases in osteoclastic bone resorption. We then cover V-ATPases in other location/functions, highlighting the roles which the four mammalian a subunit paralogues might play in differential targeting and/or regulation. We review the ways in which the energy of ATP hydrolysis is converted into proton translocation, and go in depth into the diverse role of the a subunit, not only in proton translocation but also in lipid binding, cell signaling and human diseases. Finally, the therapeutic implication of targeting a3 specifically for bone diseases and cancer is discussed, with concluding remarks on future directions