Implicit learning, bilingualism, and dyslexia: insights from a study assessing AGL with a modified Simon task

This paper presents an experimental study investigating artificial grammar learning in monolingual and bilingual children, with and without dyslexia, using an original methodology. We administered a serial reaction time task, in the form of a modified Simon task, in which the sequence of the stimuli was manipulated according to the rules of a simple Lindenmayer grammar (more specifically, a Fibonacci grammar). By ensuring that the subjects focused on the correct response execution at the motor stage in presence of congruent or incongruent visual stimuli, we could meet the two fundamental criteria for implicit learning: the absence of an intention to learn and the lack of awareness at the level of resulting knowledge. The participants of our studies were four groups of 10-year-old children: 30 Italian monolingual typically developing children, 30 bilingual typically developing children with Italian L2, 24 Italian monolingual dyslexic children, and 24 bilingual dyslexic children with Italian L2. Participants were administered the modified Simon task developed according to the rules of the Fibonacci grammar and tested with respect to the implicit learning of three regularities: (i) a red is followed by a blue, (ii) a sequence of two blues is followed by a red, and (iii) a blue can be followed either by a red or by a blue. Results clearly support the hypothesis that learning took place, since participants of all groups became increasingly sensitive to the structure of the input, implicitly learning the sequence of the trials and thus appropriately predicting the occurrence of the relevant items, as manifested by faster reaction times in predictable trials. Moreover, group differences were found, with bilinguals being overall faster than monolinguals and dyslexics less accurate than controls. Finally, an advantage of bilingualism in dyslexia was found, with bilingual dyslexics performing consistently better than monolingual dyslexics and, in some conditions, at the level of the two control groups. These results are taken to suggest that bilingualism should be supported also among linguistically impaired individuals

Service Engagement: Psychopathology, Recovery Style and Treatments

The aim of the present study is to evaluate how recovery style, a set of strategies used by patients to interact with services and therapists, and the severity of psychotic symptoms affect the quality/continuity of taking charge of each patient. 156 psychotic patients at different stages of illness were enrolled. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected and integration/sealing-Over Scale, Recovery Style Questionnaire and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale were administered. Patients were distinguished into four groups according to the type of treatment received: clinical package, hospital package, day-care package, and residential package. A positive correlation between the cost of psychiatric performance and psychopathological severity (measured with PANSS scores) was identified. No association emerged between ISOS/RSQ total scores and costs. The sanitary expenditure appears to be linked to positive psychotic symptoms while lower performances are given for the treatment of patients with predominant negative symptoms. Recovery style itself has not a direct influence on the quantity/quality of psychiatric services

Double-Blinded, Vehicle-Controlled Proof of Concept Study to Investigate the Recurrence of Inflammatory and Noninflammatory Acne Lesions Using Tretinoin Gel (Microsphere) 0.04% in Male Patients after Oral Isotretinoin Use

Background. Although isotretinoin orally is commonly used for moderate to severe or scarring acne, it is not a cure. Unfortunately recurrence is unpredictable and varies within the acne population. Objectives. Using a proof of concept study, determine the recurrence of acne after isotretinoin use in male patients. Methods. Twenty males aged 18–45 years old were enrolled. Subjects successfully completed a treatment of acne vulgaris with oral isotretinoin (120–150 mg/kg/course). Subjects were randomized 1 to 1. The study duration was 24 weeks. The primary endpoint measured was the absolute change in lesion counts from baseline to weeks 16 and 24. Local tolerability assessments were measured. Results. There were favorable changes in all outcomes measured. Overall, there was a 38.7% lower lesion count with tretinoin 0.04% microsphere gel use versus vehicle. The active product was well tolerated with great patient satisfaction. There were no significant safety issues. The limitations included the low number of patients enrolled, average age, and percentage of patients lost to follow-up. Conclusion. In summary, the results favored tretinoin 0.04% microsphere gel in the prevention of recurrent acne after isotretinoin use in male patients over 18 years old over a six-month period

Migrant pathways to community mental health centres in Italy.

Background: Many studies indicate that migrants in western countries have limited access to and low utilization of community mental health centres (CMHCs) despite the high prevalence of mental disorders. Aims: We aimed to compare migrant pathways to care across four CMHCs located in different Italian provinces and to identify pathway to care predictors. Methods: Migrants attending the four CMHCs between 1 July 1999 and 31 December 2007 were included in the study. Data were gathered retrospectively from clinical data sets and chart review. Results: Five hundred and eleven (511) migrants attended the four CMHCs, 61% were referred by GPs or other health services and 39% followed non-medical pathways to care (self-referral or through social and voluntary organizations), with important site variations. Younger age and being married were predictors of medical pathways to care; lacking a residence permit and having a diagnosis of substance abuse were related to non-medical pathways. Conclusions: Pathways to CMHCs are complex and influenced by many factors. Non-medical pathways to care seem to be frequent among migrants in Italy. More attention should be paid to developing psychiatric consultation liaison models that also encompass the social services and voluntary organizations

Migrant pathways to community mental health centres in Italy.

Background: Many studies indicate that migrants in western countries have limited access to and low utilization of community mental health centres (CMHCs) despite the high prevalence of mental disorders. Aims: We aimed to compare migrant pathways to care across four CMHCs located in different Italian provinces and to identify pathway to care predictors. Methods: Migrants attending the four CMHCs between 1 July 1999 and 31 December 2007 were included in the study. Data were gathered retrospectively from clinical data sets and chart review. Results: Five hundred and eleven (511) migrants attended the four CMHCs, 61% were referred by GPs or other health services and 39% followed non-medical pathways to care (self-referral or through social and voluntary organizations), with important site variations. Younger age and being married were predictors of medical pathways to care; lacking a residence permit and having a diagnosis of substance abuse were related to non-medical pathways. Conclusions: Pathways to CMHCs are complex and influenced by many factors. Non-medical pathways to care seem to be frequent among migrants in Italy. More attention should be paid to developing psychiatric consultation liaison models that also encompass the social services and voluntary organizations

Phonological Awareness across Child Populations: How Bilingualism and Dyslexia Interact

Phonological awareness is a complex and multifaceted skill which plays an essential role in the development of an individual\u2019s language and literacy abilities. Phonological skills are indeed dramatically impaired in people with dyslexia, at any age and across languages, whereas their development in bilinguals is less clear. In addition, the interaction between bilingualism and dyslexia in this domain is still under-investigated. The aim of this paper is to provide new experimental evidence on this topic by exploring the phonological competence in Italian of monolingual and bilingual children with and without dyslexia. To this purpose, we developed three tasks, assessing nonword repetition, rhyme detection and spoonerisms, which we administered to 148 10-year- old children in two distinct studies. In Study 1, we found that two groups of L2 Italian typically developing bilinguals, having either Arabic or Romanian as L1, performed similarly to Italian monolinguals in all measures, pointing to absence of both bilingualism-related and L1-related effects in these tasks. In Study 2, we administered the same tasks to four groups of children: Italian monolinguals with dyslexia, Italian monolingual typically developing children, L2 Italian bilinguals with dyslexia and L2 Italian bilingual typically developing children. Results showed that children with dyslexia, both monolingual and bilingual, exhibited significantly more difficulties than typically developing children in all three tasks, whereas bilinguals, consistent with Study 1, performed similarly to their monolingual peers. In addition, no negative effects of bilingualism in dyslexia were found, indicating that being bilingual does not provide additional difficulties to children with dyslexia

Creating SAFE spaces for online learning in enabling maths courses

AIMS Transition Maths is a foundational maths unit offered fully online in pre-degree programs at the University of Tasmania, as well as through Open Universities Australia. The unit aims to prepare non-traditional and underrepresented students (such as first-in-family or of low socio-economic status) for tertiary study. Many of our students lack access to technology and established support networks; they often lack core mathematical skills and frequently recount previous negative experiences of formal maths education. These are both risk factors for maths anxiety (Khasawneh & Gosling, 2021). PEDAGOGICAL CONTEXT Our teaching approach is grounded in adult learning theory (Tate, 2012) and evidence-based practices (Brown, Roediger, & McDaniel, 2014) that lead to efficient learning for time poor students. We provide a rich suite of resources with a coherent structure and clear workflow for familiarity of process which assists with reducing anxiety. The workflow is closely aligned with weekly online contact sessions to enable real-time interactions which are designed to nurture a growth mindset where mistakes are celebrated as learning opportunities for all, rather than being seen as a failure of the individual. This has been shown to assist students with anxiety or depression to better cope with the stresses of university life (Dweck, 2017; p.38). We also use a differentiated instruction model and assessment framework to empower students to select the difficulty level at which they wish to work. LEARNING MODEL To overcome the isolation which can arise in online learning environments we focus on building relationships of trust through multimodal communication, both synchronous and asynchronous. We use team-teaching to create a learning community where participants have shared goals, space, and agency to decide how best to go about their learning (Hord, 2009). Activity-based sessions encourage group work and peer collaboration, and the presence of two teachers enables timely assistance, helping us to sustain the lively learning environment. Self-reflection is promoted at regular waypoints to ensure students achieve mathematical fluency and avoid the ‘illusion of knowing’ (Oakley, 2014). REFLECTION With a focus on open communication and relationship building we create safe spaces for effective online mathematics learning. Students report increasing confidence and they specifically acknowledge how motivated they became with our online team-teaching approach. REFERENCES Brown, P., Roediger, H., & McDaniel, M. (2014) Make it stick, Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press. Dweck, C. (2017) Mindset: Changing the way you think to fulfil your potential, London: Robinson. Hord, S. (2009). Professional Learning Communities. Journal of Staff Development, 30(1), 40-43. Khasawneh, E., & Gosling, C. (2021). What impact does maths anxiety have on university students?, BMC Psychology, 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-021-00537-2 Oakley, B. (2014) A mind for numbers: How to excel at maths & science, New York: TarcherPerigee. Tate, M. (2012) “Sit & get” Won’t grow dendrites brain, London: SAGE Publications

Bridging the Gap in Adult Dyslexia Research: Assessing the Efficacy of a Linguistic Intervention on Literacy Skills

While developmental dyslexia has been extensively studied in children, research on adults is still rather limited. This paper aims to bridge the gap in existing research by presenting the findings of a study that examined the reading and spelling skills of adults with dyslexia and assessed the effectiveness of a linguistic intervention designed to improve their literacy abilities. To address this issue, we first compared the profiles of 44 adults with dyslexia (age range: 16-30 y.o.) and 44 age-matched typical readers across tasks assessing reading, spelling, phonological awareness, morphological awareness and lexical access in Italian. The findings underscored pervasive impairments in dyslexia across all measured dimensions, reaffirming the persistent nature of language and literacy challenges into adulthood. In pursuit of the second objective, the study explored the potential for literacy skill improvement in adults with dyslexia through the implementation of a specialized intervention proposed to 24 dyslexic adults and delivered via a web application. The intervention program yielded positive outcomes in the experimental group, demonstrating significant improvements in word and text reading, spelling, and speed of phonological elaboration. This study, hence, contributes not only to our understanding of developmental dyslexia in adulthood but also emphasizes the tangible benefits of targeted linguistic interventions, thereby offering practical implications for the amelioration of literacy skills in this population

AeroVox: a web app developed for voice controlled drone operations with 3D spatial constraints

This project presents the development of a web-based application designed to enable voice-controlled drone operation, while incorporating 3D spatial constraints to ensure safe and controlled flights. Traditional drone control systems predominantly rely on manual inputs through controllers, which can be cumbersome and limit the operator's ability to react swiftly in dynamic or high-pressure environments. By implementing voice recognition technology, this system allows users to operate drones hands-free, offering greater flexibility and ease of use, particularly for those with less technical expertise. In addition to voice control, the integration of 3D geofencing ensures that drones operate within predefined areas, significantly enhancing operational safety by preventing unintended zone breaches. The motivation for this project stemmed from the need to improve both user accessibility and safety in drone operations. It was carried out within the context of the Drone Engineering Ecosystem (DEE) at the Escola d'Enginyeria de Telecomunicació i Aeroespacial de Castelldefels (EETAC). Initially, the project was intended to build upon existing applications within the DEE, but challenges with the original codebase and programming language led to a shift toward developing a new web application from scratch. This application was built using Vue.js for the front-end interface, combined with the MQTT communication protocol to facilitate real-time messaging between the drone and control system. Extensive testing was conducted through both simulation and real-world flight trials to evaluate system performance. The results confirmed the system's ability to accurately interpret and execute voice commands in real-time, while maintaining drone flight within the designated spatial boundaries. These tests demonstrated the effectiveness of the voice control system, providing intuitive command capabilities without compromising safety. While future improvements could focus on increasing the accuracy of voice recognition and expanding the complexity of 3D geofencing, this project provides a strong foundation for further innovation in human-drone interaction and paves the way for safer, more accessible drone control solutions.Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructur