Exploring the phonological profiles of children with reading difficulties: A multiple case study

Studies of group differences have established that the phonological profiles of people with reading difficulties contain both strengths and weaknesses. The current study extends this work by exploring individual differences in phonological ability using a multiple case study approach. A heterogeneous sample of 56 children (M age = 9 years) with reading difficulties completed a battery of tasks measuring literacy, phonological processing, expressive vocabulary, and general ability. The phonological tasks included measures of phonological awareness (PA), phonological memory (PM), and rapid naming (RAN). A majority – although not all – of the children had phonological processing impairments. However, there was also substantial variability in the nature of children’s phonological difficulties. While multiple impairments encompassing two or more phonological domains were most common, impairments that were specific to PA, PM, or RAN also occurred frequently. Even within the domain of PA, where children completed three well-matched tasks, individual children were rarely impaired across all three measures and a number of different profiles were observed. Additional, group-level analyses indicated that PA was a significant predictor of decoding while RAN was a significant predictor of automatic word recognition and comprehension. Findings are discussed with reference to conceptual models of phonological processing and implications for assessment

Micropaleontología y Estratigrafía del límite Cenomaniense/Turoniense en la Cuenca Lusitánica, Portugal

En este trabajo se describe la sucesión de naturaleza carbonática de edad Cretácico medio expuesta en la región del valle del Río Mondego (Cuenca Lusitánica, Margen Occidental de Iberia, Portugal) y su contenido microfósil. La mayoría de las secciones del límite Cenomaniense-Turoniense descritas en la bibliografía registran facies de ambientes marinos de mayor rofundidad, mientras que la sección que se presenta en este trabajo muestra dicha transición en depósitos formados en un ambiente marino de aguas poco profundas. Los escasos foraminíferos bénticos que han sido hallados en esta sucesión no habían sido estudiados en detalle previamente en relación al evento de extinción del fi nal del Cenomaniense. En la sucesión del Río Mondego ha sido analizado también el “horizonte de ejecta”, expuesto en el litoral de Praia da Vitória, 10 km al norte de Nazaré

IgA in the horse: cloning of equine polymeric Ig receptor and J chain and characterization of recombinant forms of equine IgA

As in other mammals, immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the horse has a key role in immune defense. To better dissect equine IgA function, we isolated complementary DNA (cDNA) clones for equine J chain and polymeric Ig receptor (pIgR). When coexpressed with equine IgA, equine J chain promoted efficient IgA polymerization. A truncated version of equine pIgR, equivalent to secretory component, bound with nanomolar affinity to recombinant equine and human dimeric IgA but not with monomeric IgA from either species. Searches of the equine genome localized equine J chain and pIgR to chromosomes 3 and 5, respectively, with J chain and pIgR coding sequence distributed across 4 and 11 exons, respectively. Comparisons of transcriptional regulatory sequences suggest that horse and human pIgR expression is controlled through common regulatory mechanisms that are less conserved in rodents. These studies pave the way for full dissection of equine IgA function and open up possibilities for immune-based treatment of equine diseases

Rabies outbreak in Greece during 2012-2014: use of Geographical Information System for analysis, risk assessment and control

The objectives of this work were (i) geographical analysis of the 2012–2014 outbreak of rabies in Greece using GIS and (ii) comparative analysis of animal cases with data of potential human exposure to rabies together with environmental data, in order to provide information for risk assessment, effective monitoring and control. Most animal cases (40/48) involved red foxes, while domestic animals were also diagnosed with rabies. Overall, 80% of the cases were diagnosed in central northern Greece; 75% of the cases were diagnosed in low altitudes (<343·5 m), within a distance of 1 km from human settlements. Median distance from livestock farms was 201·25 m. Most people potentially exposed to rabies (889/1060) presented with dog bite injuries. Maximum entropy analysis revealed that distance from farms contributed the highest percentage in defining environmental niche profiles for rabid foxes. Oral vaccination programmes were implemented in 24 administrative units of the country during 2013 and 2014, covering a total surface area of ~60 000 km2. Rabies re-occurrence in Greece emphasizes the need for ongoing surveillance in cross-border areas and in areas with intense human activity

Nonpulmonary Outcomes of Asbestos Exposure

The adverse pulmonary effects of asbestos are well accepted in scientific circles. However, the extrapulmonary consequences of asbestos exposure are not as clearly defined. In this review the potential for asbestos to produce diseases of the peritoneum, immune, gastrointestinal (GIT), and reproductive systems are explored as evidenced in published, peer-reviewed literature. Several hundred epidemiological, in vivo, and in vitro publications analyzing the extrapulmonary effects of asbestos were used as sources to arrive at the conclusions and to establish areas needing further study. In order to be considered, each study had to monitor extrapulmonary outcomes following exposure to asbestos. The literature supports a strong association between asbestos exposure and peritoneal neoplasms. Correlations between asbestos exposure and immune-related disease are less conclusive; nevertheless, it was concluded from the combined autoimmune studies that there is a possibility for a higher-than-expected risk of systemic autoimmune disease among asbestos-exposed populations. In general, the GIT effects of asbestos exposure appear to be minimal, with the most likely outcome being development of stomach cancer. However, IARC recently concluded the evidence to support asbestos-induced stomach cancer to be “limited.” The strongest evidence for reproductive disease due to asbestos is in regard to ovarian cancer. Unfortunately, effects on fertility and the developing fetus are under-studied. The possibility of other asbestos-induced health effects does exist. These include brain-related tumors, blood disorders due to the mutagenic and hemolytic properties of asbestos, and peritoneal fibrosis. It is clear from the literature that the adverse properties of asbestos are not confined to the pulmonary system

PLIOCENE MANGROVES IN SOUTHEAST SPAIN: FOSSIL EVIDENCE AND PALAEOCLIMATIC IMPLICATIONS

Pliocene aged conservation Fossil Lagerstatten from Barranco del Tomate, Southeast Spain have revealed abundant plant and vertebrate remains that have been ascribed to a mangal origin. These findings are the first of their kind in the Pliocene and in the western Mediterranean region. Furthermore fossil mangroves are extremely rare within the geological record and often represented solely by fossil pollen grains. Their poor representation in the past may be a result of their poor preservation potential or the lack of a means of their identification. Further investigation into a possible mangrove deposit could therefore be the beginnings of the compilation of criteria for ancient mangrove identification. Subsequently a micro- and macropalaeontological and sedimentological assessment of the Plio/Pleistocene succession yielding mangrove Fossil Lagerstatten have been carried out using a facies approach. Five Facies Associations have been identified from the Cuevas. Espiritu Santo, and Salmeron Formations of the Vera Basin in Southeast Spain and their macro and micropalaeontological features interpreted. FA I consists of marine shelf sediments predominated by high diversity Brizalina, Bolivina. Heterolepa dutemplei foraminrferal assemblages, marine ostracod species and Amusium bivalves and constitutes the Cuevas Formation. The Espiritu Santo Formation is composed of three Facies Associations that track a clear shallowing in water depth and the marine to continental transition. FA II are low energy anoxic sediments that yield abundant mangrove flora and fauna in the form of Fossil Lagerstatten and are interpreted as being deposited In a secluded lagoon (<40m deep). Microfauna are dominated by buliminid and discorbid foraminifera and Cyphdeis mehensi. FA III shows a shift to deposition on a littoral beach, marked by a presence of Bphidium. Coastal plain/mangrove sedimentation (FA IV) follows, microfauna are dominated by euryhaline Ammonia beccarii and Cypn'deis mehensi. Fossil beds of cerithitd, potamid and ellobiid gastropods, combined with root imprints in oysters suggest mangrove colonization until the Late Pliocene. Finally FA V marks the onset of the Pleistocene, continental conditions and alluvial fan sedimentation. These findings may have profound Implications due to the distinct distribution of present mangroves. Identification of mangrove sediments, with current ideas in mind, can pinpoint a tropical, sheltered, intertidal shoreline. Tropical climates during the Pliocene in Southeast Spain infer increased heat transport to higher latitudes and may have profound implications on palaeoclimatic modelling for future climate change

The structural properties of iron in vitrified toxic waste ashes

A statistical approach has been utilised to characterise the structural and chemical properties of vitrified model sewage sludge combustion ashes. A d-optimal design has been applied to determine the effects of the compositional variability of vitrified wastes on iron redox and coordination as measured by 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. Several Fe sites have been observed through the deconvolution of Mössbauer spectra, representing the Fe2+ oxidation state and tetrahedrally and octahedrally coordinated Fe3+ ions. The interdependency of iron redox and iron coordination is demonstrated, and suggests that conversion of tetrahedral Fe3+ to octahedral Fe2+ preferentially occurs upon increasing Fe2+/ΣFe. For Fe2+/ΣFe=0·30-0·89, the abundance of octahedrally coordinated Fe3+ remains approximately constant whilst tetrahedrally coordinated Fe3+ exhibits a linear decrease in its abundance with increasing Fe2+/ΣFe ratio