Optical elements design of optical pick-up with characteristics of read-out spot for high density optical storage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Lihua; Ma, Jianshe; Liu, Lin; Pan, Longfa; Zhang, Jianyong; Lu, Junhui

2005-09-01

It is well known that the optical pick-up (OPU) plays a very important role in optical storage system. And the quality of OPU can be measured by the characteristics of OPU read-out spot for high density optical storage. Therefore this paper mainly designs an OPU model for high density optical storage to study the characteristics of OPU read-out spot. Firstly it analyses the optical read-out principle in OPU and contrives an optical read-out system based on the hereinbefore theory. In this step it chiefly designs the grating, splitter, collimator lens and objective lens. Secondly based on the aberrations analysis and theory involved by the splitter, the collimator lens and the optical lens, the paper uses the software CODE V to calculate the aberrations and to optimize the optical read-out system. Then the author can receive an ideal OPU read-out spot for high density optical storage and obtain the characteristics of the ideal OPU read-out spot. At the same time this paper analyses some influence factors which can directly affect the characteristics of the OPU read-out spot. Thirdly according to the up data the author practically manufactures a real optical pick-up to validate the hereinbefore designed optical read-out system. And it uses the Optical Spot Analyzer to get the image of the read-out spot. Comparing the ideal image to the actual image of the designed optical read-out system, the author finds out that the upwards analyses and design is suitable for high density storage and can be used in the actual production. And the author also receives the conclusion that the mostly influences on characteristics of OPU read-out spot for high density optical storage factors is not only the process of designing the grating, splitter, collimator lens and objective lens, but also the assembling work precision

Repeated Reading Intervention: Outcomes and Interactions with Readers' Skills and Classroom Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vadasy, Patricia F.; Sanders, Elizabeth A.

2008-01-01

This study examined effects of a repeated reading intervention, Quick Reads, with incidental word-level scaffolding instruction. Second- and third-grade students with passage-reading fluency performance between the 10th and 60th percentiles were randomly assigned to dyads, which were in turn randomly assigned to treatment (paired tutoring, n = 82)…

Towards Terabit Memories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoefflinger, Bernd

Memories have been the major yardstick for the continuing validity of Moore's law. In single-transistor-per-Bit dynamic random-access memories (DRAM), the number of bits per chip pretty much gives us the number of transistors. For decades, DRAM's have offered the largest storage capacity per chip. However, DRAM does not scale any longer, both in density and voltage, severely limiting its power efficiency to 10 fJ/b. A differential DRAM would gain four-times in density and eight-times in energy. Static CMOS RAM (SRAM) with its six transistors/cell is gaining in reputation because it scales well in cell size and operating voltage so that its fundamental advantage of speed, non-destructive read-out and low-power standby could lead to just 2.5 electrons/bit in standby and to a dynamic power efficiency of 2aJ/b. With a projected 2020 density of 16 Gb/cm², the SRAM would be as dense as normal DRAM and vastly better in power efficiency, which would mean a major change in the architecture and market scenario for DRAM versus SRAM. Non-volatile Flash memory have seen two quantum jumps in density well beyond the roadmap: Multi-Bit storage per transistor and high-density TSV (through-silicon via) technology. The number of electrons required per Bit on the storage gate has been reduced since their first realization in 1996 by more than an order of magnitude to 400 electrons/Bit in 2010 for a complexity of 32Gbit per chip at the 32 nm node. Chip stacking of eight chips with TSV has produced a 32GByte solid-state drive (SSD). A stack of 32 chips with 2 b/cell at the 16 nm node will reach a density of 2.5 Terabit/cm². Non-volatile memory with a density of 10 × 10 nm²/Bit is the target for widespread development. Phase-change memory (PCM) and resistive memory (RRAM) lead in cell density, and they will reach 20 Gb/cm² in 2D and higher with 3D chip stacking. This is still almost an order-of-magnitude less than Flash. However, their read-out speed is ~10-times faster, with as yet little data on their energy/b. As a read-out memory with unparalleled retention and lifetime, the ROM with electron-beam direct-write-lithography (Chap. 8) should be considered for its projected 2D density of 250 Gb/cm², a very small read energy of 0.1 μW/Gb/s. The lithography write-speed 10 ms/Terabit makes this ROM a serious contentender for the optimum in non-volatile, tamper-proof storage.

Surface Lifshits tails for random quantum Hamiltonians

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirsch, Werner; Raikov, Georgi

2017-03-01

We consider Schrödinger operators on L2(ℝd) ⊗L2 (ℝℓ) of the form Hω=H⊥⊗I∥ +I⊥⊗H∥ +Vω , where H⊥ and H∥ are Schrödinger operators on L2(ℝd) and L2(ℝℓ) , respectively, and Vω(x ,y ) :=∑ξ∈ℤdλξ(ω ) v (x -ξ ,y ) ,x ∈ℝd ,y ∈ℝℓ is a random "surface potential." We investigate the behavior of the integrated density of surface states of Hω near the bottom of the spectrum and near internal band edges. The main result of the current paper is that, under suitable assumptions, the behavior of the integrated density of surface states of Hω can be read off from the integrated density of states of a reduced Hamiltonian H⊥+Wω where Wω is a quantum mechanical average of Vω with respect to y ∈ℝℓ . We are particularly interested in cases when H⊥ is a magnetic Schrödinger operator, but we also recover some of the results from Kirsch and Warzel [J. Funct. Anal. 230, 222-250 (2006)] for non-magnetic H⊥.

Twin-bit via resistive random access memory in 16 nm FinFET logic technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shih, Yi-Hong; Hsu, Meng-Yin; King, Ya-Chin; Lin, Chrong Jung

2018-04-01

A via resistive random access memory (RRAM) cell fully compatible with the standard CMOS logic process has been successfully demonstrated for high-density logic nonvolatile memory (NVM) modules in advanced FinFET circuits. In this new cell, the transition metal layers are formed on both sides of a via, given two storage bits per via. In addition to its compact cell area (1T + 14 nm × 32 nm), the twin-bit via RRAM cell features a low operation voltage, a large read window, good data retention, and excellent cycling capability. As fine alignments between mask layers become possible, the twin-bit via RRAM cell is expected to be highly scalable in advanced FinFET technology.

Comparison of reading speed with 3 different log-scaled reading charts.

PubMed

Buari, Noor Halilah; Chen, Ai-Hong; Musa, Nuraini

2014-01-01

A reading chart that resembles real reading conditions is important to evaluate the quality of life in terms of reading performance. The purpose of this study was to compare the reading speed of UiTM Malay related words (UiTM-Mrw) reading chart with MNread Acuity Chart and Colenbrander Reading Chart. Fifty subjects with normal sight were randomly recruited through randomized sampling in this study (mean age=22.98±1.65 years). Subjects were asked to read three different near charts aloud and as quickly as possible at random sequence. The charts were the UiTM-Mrw Reading Chart, MNread Acuity Chart and Colenbrander Reading Chart, respectively. The time taken to read each chart was recorded and any errors while reading were noted. Reading performance was quantified in terms of reading speed as words per minute (wpm). The mean reading speed for UiTM-Mrw Reading Chart, MNread Acuity Chart and Colenbrander Reading Chart was 200±30wpm, 196±28wpm and 194±31wpm, respectively. Comparison of reading speed between UiTM-Mrw Reading Chart and MNread Acuity Chart showed no significant difference (t=-0.73, p=0.72). The same happened with the reading speed between UiTM-Mrw Reading Chart and Colenbrander Reading Chart (t=-0.97, p=0.55). Bland and Altman plot showed good agreement between reading speed of UiTM-Mrw Reading Chart with MNread Acuity Chart with the Colenbrander Reading Chart. UiTM-Mrw Reading Chart in Malay language is highly comparable with standardized charts and can be used for evaluating reading speed. Copyright © 2013 Spanish General Council of Optometry. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Comparison of reading speed with 3 different log-scaled reading charts

PubMed Central

Buari, Noor Halilah; Chen, Ai-Hong; Musa, Nuraini

2014-01-01

Background A reading chart that resembles real reading conditions is important to evaluate the quality of life in terms of reading performance. The purpose of this study was to compare the reading speed of UiTM Malay related words (UiTM-Mrw) reading chart with MNread Acuity Chart and Colenbrander Reading Chart. Materials and methods Fifty subjects with normal sight were randomly recruited through randomized sampling in this study (mean age = 22.98 ± 1.65 years). Subjects were asked to read three different near charts aloud and as quickly as possible at random sequence. The charts were the UiTM-Mrw Reading Chart, MNread Acuity Chart and Colenbrander Reading Chart, respectively. The time taken to read each chart was recorded and any errors while reading were noted. Reading performance was quantified in terms of reading speed as words per minute (wpm). Results The mean reading speed for UiTM-Mrw Reading Chart, MNread Acuity Chart and Colenbrander Reading Chart was 200 ± 30 wpm, 196 ± 28 wpm and 194 ± 31 wpm, respectively. Comparison of reading speed between UiTM-Mrw Reading Chart and MNread Acuity Chart showed no significant difference (t = −0.73, p = 0.72). The same happened with the reading speed between UiTM-Mrw Reading Chart and Colenbrander Reading Chart (t = −0.97, p = 0.55). Bland and Altman plot showed good agreement between reading speed of UiTM-Mrw Reading Chart with MNread Acuity Chart with the Colenbrander Reading Chart. Conclusion UiTM-Mrw Reading Chart in Malay language is highly comparable with standardized charts and can be used for evaluating reading speed. PMID:25323642

Effectiveness of Treatment Approaches for Children and Adolescents with Reading Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

PubMed Central

Galuschka, Katharina; Ise, Elena; Krick, Kathrin; Schulte-Körne, Gerd

2014-01-01

Children and adolescents with reading disabilities experience a significant impairment in the acquisition of reading and spelling skills. Given the emotional and academic consequences for children with persistent reading disorders, evidence-based interventions are critically needed. The present meta-analysis extracts the results of all available randomized controlled trials. The aims were to determine the effectiveness of different treatment approaches and the impact of various factors on the efficacy of interventions. The literature search for published randomized-controlled trials comprised an electronic search in the databases ERIC, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Cochrane, and an examination of bibliographical references. To check for unpublished trials, we searched the websites clinicaltrials.com and ProQuest, and contacted experts in the field. Twenty-two randomized controlled trials with a total of 49 comparisons of experimental and control groups could be included. The comparisons evaluated five reading fluency trainings, three phonemic awareness instructions, three reading comprehension trainings, 29 phonics instructions, three auditory trainings, two medical treatments, and four interventions with coloured overlays or lenses. One trial evaluated the effectiveness of sunflower therapy and another investigated the effectiveness of motor exercises. The results revealed that phonics instruction is not only the most frequently investigated treatment approach, but also the only approach whose efficacy on reading and spelling performance in children and adolescents with reading disabilities is statistically confirmed. The mean effect sizes of the remaining treatment approaches did not reach statistical significance. The present meta-analysis demonstrates that severe reading and spelling difficulties can be ameliorated with appropriate treatment. In order to be better able to provide evidence-based interventions to children and adolescent with reading disabilities, research should intensify the application of blinded randomized controlled trials. PMID:24587110

Computer-Assisted Learning in Elementary Reading: A Randomized Control Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shannon, Lisa Cassidy; Styers, Mary Koenig; Wilkerson, Stephanie Baird; Peery, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

This study evaluated the efficacy of Accelerated Reader, a computer-based learning program, at improving student reading. Accelerated Reader is a progress-monitoring, assessment, and practice tool that supports classroom instruction and guides independent reading. Researchers used a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the program with 344…

Supplemental Reading Strategy Instruction for Adolescents: A Randomized Trial and Follow-up Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cantrell, Susan Chambers; Almasi, Janice F.; Rintamaa, Margaret; Carter, Janis C.

2016-01-01

In this study, the authors examine the impact of a yearlong supplemental reading course involving daily instruction in the learning strategies curriculum on lower achieving adolescent students' reading achievement and motivation. Using a multiple-cohort randomized treatment-control group design over 4 years, they compared achievement and…

A Comparison of Seventh Grade Thai Students' Reading Comprehension and Motivation to Read English through Applied Instruction Based on the Genre-Based Approach and the Teacher's Manual

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sawangsamutchai, Yutthasak; Rattanavich, Saowalak

2016-01-01

The objective of this research is to compare the English reading comprehension and motivation to read of seventh grade Thai students taught with applied instruction through the genre-based approach and teachers' manual. A randomized pre-test post-test control group design was used through the cluster random sampling technique. The data were…

The Effects of Differing Densities of Glossing on Vocabulary Uptake and Reading Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Majuddin, Elvenna

2014-01-01

This study investigated the effects of differing densities of glossing on the uptake of target words and the comprehension of idea units from a reading text. The focus was whether different densities of glossing would create trade-off effects. Thirty-three Malaysian ESL learners were assigned to three different conditions: high-density glossing,…

A longitudinal cluster-randomized controlled study on the accumulating effects of individualized literacy instruction on students' reading from first through third grade.

PubMed

Connor, Carol McDonald; Morrison, Frederick J; Fishman, Barry; Crowe, Elizabeth C; Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Schatschneider, Christopher

2013-08-01

Using a longitudinal cluster-randomized controlled design, we examined whether students' reading outcomes differed when they received 1, 2, or 3 years of individualized reading instruction from first through third grade, compared with a treated control group. More than 45% of students came from families living in poverty. Following students, we randomly assigned their teachers each year to deliver individualized reading instruction or a treated control condition intervention focused on mathematics. Students who received individualized reading instruction in all three grades showed the strongest reading skills by the end of third grade compared with those who received fewer years of such instruction. There was inconsistent evidence supporting a sustained first-grade treatment effect: Individualized instruction in first grade was necessary but not sufficient for stronger third-grade reading outcomes. These effects were achieved by regular classroom teachers who received professional development, which indicates that policies that support the use of evidence-based reading instruction and teacher training can yield increased student achievement.

Non-volatile, high density, high speed, Micromagnet-Hall effect Random Access Memory (MHRAM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, Jiin C.; Katti, Romney R.; Stadler, Henry L.

1991-01-01

The micromagnetic Hall effect random access memory (MHRAM) has the potential of replacing ROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, and SRAMs because of its ability to achieve non-volatility, radiation hardness, high density, and fast access times, simultaneously. Information is stored magnetically in small magnetic elements (micromagnets), allowing unlimited data retention time, unlimited numbers of rewrite cycles, and inherent radiation hardness and SEU immunity, making the MHRAM suitable for ground based as well as spaceflight applications. The MHRAM device design is not affected by areal property fluctuations in the micromagnet, so high operating margins and high yield can be achieved in large scale integrated circuit (IC) fabrication. The MHRAM has short access times (less than 100 nsec). Write access time is short because on-chip transistors are used to gate current quickly, and magnetization reversal in the micromagnet can occur in a matter of a few nanoseconds. Read access time is short because the high electron mobility sensor (InAs or InSb) produces a large signal voltage in response to the fringing magnetic field from the micromagnet. High storage density is achieved since a unit cell consists only of two transistors and one micromagnet Hall effect element. By comparison, a DRAM unit cell has one transistor and one capacitor, and a SRAM unit cell has six transistors.

Changes in intrinsic local connectivity after reading intervention in children with autism.

PubMed

Maximo, Jose O; Murdaugh, Donna L; O'Kelley, Sarah; Kana, Rajesh K

2017-12-01

Most of the existing behavioral and cognitive intervention programs in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have not been tested at the neurobiological level, thus falling short of finding quantifiable neurobiological changes underlying behavioral improvement. The current study takes a translational neuroimaging approach to test the impact of a structured visual imagery-based reading intervention on improving reading comprehension and assessing its underlying local neural circuitry. Behavioral and resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data were collected from children with ASD who were randomly assigned to an Experimental group (ASD-EXP; n=14) and a Wait-list control group (ASD-WLC; n=14). Participants went through an established reading intervention training program (Visualizing and Verbalizing for language comprehension and thinking or V/V; 4-h per day, 10-weeks, 200h of face-to-face instruction). Local functional connectivity was examined using a connection density approach from graph theory focusing on brain areas considered part of the Reading Network. The main results are as follows: (I) the ASD-EXP group showed significant improvement, compared to the ASD-WLC group, in their reading comprehension ability evidenced from change in comprehension scores; (II) the ASD-EXP group showed increased local brain connectivity in Reading Network regions compared to the ASD-WLC group post-intervention; (III) intervention-related changes in local brain connectivity were observed in the ASD-EXP from pre to post-intervention; and (IV) improvement in language comprehension significantly predicted changes in local connectivity. The findings of this study provide novel insights into brain plasticity in children with developmental disorders using targeted intervention programs. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Determinants of the reliability of ultrasound tomography sound speed estimates as a surrogate for volumetric breast density

PubMed Central

Khodr, Zeina G.; Sak, Mark A.; Pfeiffer, Ruth M.; Duric, Nebojsa; Littrup, Peter; Bey-Knight, Lisa; Ali, Haythem; Vallieres, Patricia; Sherman, Mark E.; Gierach, Gretchen L.

2015-01-01

Purpose: High breast density, as measured by mammography, is associated with increased breast cancer risk, but standard methods of assessment have limitations including 2D representation of breast tissue, distortion due to breast compression, and use of ionizing radiation. Ultrasound tomography (UST) is a novel imaging method that averts these limitations and uses sound speed measures rather than x-ray imaging to estimate breast density. The authors evaluated the reproducibility of measures of speed of sound and changes in this parameter using UST. Methods: One experienced and five newly trained raters measured sound speed in serial UST scans for 22 women (two scans per person) to assess inter-rater reliability. Intrarater reliability was assessed for four raters. A random effects model was used to calculate the percent variation in sound speed and change in sound speed attributable to subject, scan, rater, and repeat reads. The authors estimated the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for these measures based on data from the authors’ experienced rater. Results: Median (range) time between baseline and follow-up UST scans was five (1–13) months. Contributions of factors to sound speed variance were differences between subjects (86.0%), baseline versus follow-up scans (7.5%), inter-rater evaluations (1.1%), and intrarater reproducibility (∼0%). When evaluating change in sound speed between scans, 2.7% and ∼0% of variation were attributed to inter- and intrarater variation, respectively. For the experienced rater’s repeat reads, agreement for sound speed was excellent (ICC = 93.4%) and for change in sound speed substantial (ICC = 70.4%), indicating very good reproducibility of these measures. Conclusions: UST provided highly reproducible sound speed measurements, which reflect breast density, suggesting that UST has utility in sensitively assessing change in density. PMID:26429241

Determinants of the reliability of ultrasound tomography sound speed estimates as a surrogate for volumetric breast density

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khodr, Zeina G.; Pfeiffer, Ruth M.; Gierach, Gretchen L., E-mail: GierachG@mail.nih.gov

Purpose: High breast density, as measured by mammography, is associated with increased breast cancer risk, but standard methods of assessment have limitations including 2D representation of breast tissue, distortion due to breast compression, and use of ionizing radiation. Ultrasound tomography (UST) is a novel imaging method that averts these limitations and uses sound speed measures rather than x-ray imaging to estimate breast density. The authors evaluated the reproducibility of measures of speed of sound and changes in this parameter using UST. Methods: One experienced and five newly trained raters measured sound speed in serial UST scans for 22 women (twomore » scans per person) to assess inter-rater reliability. Intrarater reliability was assessed for four raters. A random effects model was used to calculate the percent variation in sound speed and change in sound speed attributable to subject, scan, rater, and repeat reads. The authors estimated the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for these measures based on data from the authors’ experienced rater. Results: Median (range) time between baseline and follow-up UST scans was five (1–13) months. Contributions of factors to sound speed variance were differences between subjects (86.0%), baseline versus follow-up scans (7.5%), inter-rater evaluations (1.1%), and intrarater reproducibility (∼0%). When evaluating change in sound speed between scans, 2.7% and ∼0% of variation were attributed to inter- and intrarater variation, respectively. For the experienced rater’s repeat reads, agreement for sound speed was excellent (ICC = 93.4%) and for change in sound speed substantial (ICC = 70.4%), indicating very good reproducibility of these measures. Conclusions: UST provided highly reproducible sound speed measurements, which reflect breast density, suggesting that UST has utility in sensitively assessing change in density.« less

Effects of Differentiated Reading on Elementary Students' Reading Comprehension and Attitudes toward Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaunessy-Dedrick, Elizabeth; Evans, Linda; Ferron, John; Lindo, Myriam

2015-01-01

In this investigation, we examined the effects of a differentiated reading approach on fourth grade students' reading comprehension and attitudes toward reading. Eight Title I schools within one urban district were randomly assigned to treatment (Schoolwide Enrichment Model-Reading [SEM-R]) or control (district reading curriculum) conditions.…

Comparing Treatments for Children with ADHD and Word Reading Difficulties: A Randomized Clinical Trial

PubMed Central

Tamm, Leanne; Denton, Carolyn A.; Epstein, Jeffery N.; Schatschneider, Christopher; Taylor, Heather; Arnold, L. Eugene; Bukstein, Oscar; Anixt, Julia; Koshy, Anson; Newman, Nicholas C.; Maltinsky, Jan; Brinson, Patricia; Loren, Richard; Prasad, Mary R.; Ewing-Cobbs, Linda; Vaughn, Aaron

2017-01-01

Objective This randomized clinical trial compared Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) treatment alone, intensive reading intervention alone, and their combination for children with ADHD and word reading difficulties and disabilities (RD). Method Children (n=216; predominantly African American males) in grades 2–5 with ADHD and word reading/decoding deficits were randomized to ADHD treatment (carefully-managed medication+parent training), reading treatment (intensive reading instruction), or combined ADHD+reading treatment. Outcomes were parent and teacher ADHD ratings and measures of word reading/decoding. Analyses utilized a mixed models covariate-adjusted gain score approach with post-test regressed onto pretest and other predictors. Results Inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity outcomes were significantly better in the ADHD (parent Hedges g=.87/.75; teacher g=.67/.50) and combined (parent g=1.06/.95; teacher g=.36/41) treatment groups than reading treatment alone; the ADHD and Combined groups did not differ significantly (parent g=.19/.20; teacher g=.31/.09). Word reading and decoding outcomes were significantly better in the reading (word reading g=.23; decoding g=.39) and combined (word reading g=.32; decoding g=.39) treatment groups than ADHD treatment alone; reading and combined groups did not differ (word reading g=.09; decoding g=.00). Significant group differences were maintained at the three- to five-month follow-up on all outcomes except word reading. Conclusions Children with ADHD and RD benefit from specific treatment of each disorder. ADHD treatment is associated with more improvement in ADHD symptoms than RD treatment, and reading instruction is associated with better word reading and decoding outcomes than ADHD treatment. The additive value of combining treatments was not significant within disorder, but the combination allows treating both disorders simultaneously. PMID:28333510

Can Babies Learn to Read? A Randomized Trial of Baby Media

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neuman, Susan B.; Kaefer, Tanya; Pinkham, Ashley; Strouse, Gabrielle

2014-01-01

Targeted to children as young as 3 months old, there is a growing number of baby media products that claim to teach babies to read. This randomized controlled trial was designed to examine this claim by investigating the effects of a best-selling baby media product on reading development. One hundred and seventeen infants, ages 9 to 18 months,…

Assessment Data-Informed Guidance to Individualize Kindergarten Reading Instruction: Findings from a Cluster-Randomized Control Field Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Connor, Carol M.; Folsom, Jessica S.; Greulich, Luana; Meadows, Jane; Li, Zhi

2011-01-01

The purpose of this cluster-randomized control field trial was to examine whether kindergarten teachers could learn to differentiate classroom reading instruction using Individualized Student Instruction for Kindergarten (ISI-K) and to test the efficacy of differentiation on reading outcomes. The study involved 14 schools, 23 ISI-K (n = 305…

A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluation of "Time to Read", a Volunteer Tutoring Program for 8- to 9-Year-Olds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Sarah; Connolly, Paul

2013-01-01

Tutoring is commonly employed to prevent early reading failure, and evidence suggests that it can have a positive effect. This article presents findings from a large-scale ("n" = 734) randomized controlled trial evaluation of the effect of "Time to Read"--a volunteer tutoring program aimed at children aged 8 to 9 years--on…

Cross-lingual neighborhood effects in generalized lexical decision and natural reading.

PubMed

Dirix, Nicolas; Cop, Uschi; Drieghe, Denis; Duyck, Wouter

2017-06-01

The present study assessed intra- and cross-lingual neighborhood effects, using both a generalized lexical decision task and an analysis of a large-scale bilingual eye-tracking corpus (Cop, Dirix, Drieghe, & Duyck, 2016). Using new neighborhood density and frequency measures, the general lexical decision task yielded an inhibitory cross-lingual neighborhood density effect on reading times of second language words, replicating van Heuven, Dijkstra, and Grainger (1998). Reaction times for native language words were not influenced by neighborhood density or frequency but error rates showed cross-lingual neighborhood effects depending on target word frequency. The large-scale eye movement corpus confirmed effects of cross-lingual neighborhood on natural reading, even though participants were reading a novel in a unilingual context. Especially second language reading and to a lesser extent native language reading were influenced by lexical candidates from the nontarget language, although these effects in natural reading were largely facilitatory. These results offer strong and direct support for bilingual word recognition models that assume language-independent lexical access. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Toward self-assembled ferroelectric random access memories: hard-wired switching capacitor arrays with almost Tb/in.(2) densities.

PubMed

Evans, Paul R; Zhu, Xinhau; Baxter, Paul; McMillen, Mark; McPhillips, John; Morrison, Finlay D; Scott, James F; Pollard, Robert J; Bowman, Robert M; Gregg, J Marty

2007-05-01

We report on the successful fabrication of arrays of switchable nanocapacitors made by harnessing the self-assembly of materials. The structures are composed of arrays of 20-40 nm diameter Pt nanowires, spaced 50-100 nm apart, electrodeposited through nanoporous alumina onto a thin film lower electrode on a silicon wafer. A thin film ferroelectric (both barium titanate (BTO) and lead zirconium titanate (PZT)) has been deposited on top of the nanowire array, followed by the deposition of thin film upper electrodes. The PZT nanocapacitors exhibit hysteresis loops with substantial remnant polarizations, while although the switching performance was inferior, the low-field characteristics of the BTO nanocapacitors show dielectric behavior comparable to conventional thin film heterostructures. While registration is not sufficient for commercial RAM production, this is nevertheless an embryonic form of the highest density hard-wired FRAM capacitor array reported to date and compares favorably with atomic force microscopy read-write densities.

Exploring Differential Effects Across Two Decoding Treatments on Item-Level Transfer in Children with Significant Word Reading Difficulties: A New Approach for Testing Intervention Elements.

PubMed

Steacy, Laura M; Elleman, Amy M; Lovett, Maureen W; Compton, Donald L

2016-01-01

In English, gains in decoding skill do not map directly onto increases in word reading. However, beyond the Self-Teaching Hypothesis (Share, 1995), little is known about the transfer of decoding skills to word reading. In this study, we offer a new approach to testing specific decoding elements on transfer to word reading. To illustrate, we modeled word-reading gains among children with reading disability (RD) enrolled in Phonological and Strategy Training (PHAST) or Phonics for Reading (PFR). Conditions differed in sublexical training with PHAST stressing multi-level connections and PFR emphasizing simple grapheme-phoneme correspondences. Thirty-seven children with RD, 3 rd - 6 th grade, were randomly assigned 60 lessons of PHAST or PFR. Crossed random-effects models allowed us to identify specific intervention elements that differentially impacted word-reading performance at posttest, with children in PHAST better able to read words with variant vowel pronunciations. Results suggest that sublexical emphasis influences transfer gains to word reading.

An evaluation of image quality and accuracy of eye bank measurement of donor cornea endothelial cell density in the Specular Microscopy Ancillary Study.

PubMed

Lass, Jonathan H; Gal, Robin L; Ruedy, Katrina J; Benetz, Beth Ann; Beck, Roy W; Baratz, Keith H; Holland, Edward J; Kalajian, Andrea; Kollman, Craig; Manning, Francis J; Mannis, Mark J; McCoy, Kristen; Montoya, Monty; Stulting, Doyle; Xing, Dongyuan

2005-03-01

The Specular Microscopy Ancillary Study was designed to examine donor corneal endothelial specular image quality, compare the central endothelial cell density determined by eye banks with the endothelial cell density determined by a central specular microscopy reading center, and evaluate donor factors that may have an impact on specular image quality and endothelial cell density accuracy. Nonrandomized comparative trial. Endothelial specular images of donor corneas assigned in the Cornea Donor Study. Certified readers assessed donor image quality (analyzable from fair to excellent vs. unanalyzable) and determined the central endothelial cell density. Independent adjudication was performed if there was a difference in the quality of grading or if the endothelial cell density varied by > or =5.0% between readers. Average reading center-determined endothelial cell density was compared with the endothelial cell density determined by each eye bank. Evaluation of image quality and accuracy of endothelial cell density. Of 688 donor endothelial images submitted by 23 eye banks, 663 (96%) were analyzable (excellent, 40 [6%]; good, 302 [44%]; fair, 321 [47%]), and 25 (4%) were unanalyzable by reading center standards. In situ retrieval and greater epithelial exposure correlated with a higher image quality grading. The eye bank-determined endothelial cell density of 434 of the 663 (65%) analyzable images were within 10% of the endothelial cell density determined by the reading center, whereas 185 (28%) were more than 10% higher and 44 (7%) were more than 10% lower. Greater variation in endothelial cell density between the eye banks and the reading center was observed with shorter time of death to preservation, presence of an epithelial defect, folds in Descemet's membrane, lower image quality, and the use of fixed-frame or center method endothelial cell density analysis. Overall, donor endothelial specular image quality and accuracy of endothelial cell density determination were good. However, the data suggest that factors that may affect image quality and contribute to variation in interpretation of the endothelial cell density should be addressed, because the donor endothelial cell density is an important parameter for assessing long-term corneal graft survival.

Omega 3/6 Fatty Acids for Reading in Children: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial in 9-Year-Old Mainstream Schoolchildren in Sweden

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Mats; Fransson, Gunnar; Östlund, Sven; Areskoug, Björn; Gillberg, Christopher

2017-01-01

Background: Previous research has shown positive effects of Omega 3/6 fatty acids in children with inattention and reading difficulties. We aimed to investigate if Omega 3/6 improved reading ability in mainstream schoolchildren. Methods: We performed a 3-month parallel, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial followed by 3-month active…

Fluency Gains in Struggling College Readers from Wide Reading and Repeated Readings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ari, Omer

2015-01-01

Effects of wide reading and repeated readings were examined on struggling college readers' silent reading rate and reading comprehension relative to a vocabulary study control condition. Randomly assigned to a condition, community college students (N = 30) completed 25-min sessions individually in class three times a week for three weeks.…

Randomized controlled trial on the effects of training in the use of closed-circuit television on reading performance.

PubMed

Burggraaff, Marloes C; van Nispen, Ruth M A; Hoeben, Frank P; Knol, Dirk L; van Rens, Ger H M B

2012-04-24

To investigate the effectiveness of training in the use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) on reading performance in visually impaired patients. In a multicenter masked randomized controlled trial, 122 patients were randomized either to a treatment group that received usual delivery instructions from the CCTV supplier combined with concise outpatient standardized training, or to a control group that received delivery instructions only. The main outcome measure was reading performance, which was obtained by measuring reading acuity, reading speed, reading errors, column-tracking time, and technical reading, approximately two weeks after patients had received their CCTV and 3 months later. Videotapes of all measurements were rated by two investigators. Training effects were analyzed with linear mixed modeling. There were no statistically significant differences in results between the treatment and control group. However, introducing a CCTV increased reading acuity (mean difference [MD] 0.93 logRAD; P < 0.01) and maximum reading speed (MD 15 wpm; P < 0.01), and decreased the number of errors (MD 0.33; P = 0.04), compared to reading without CCTV. Average reading speed (P = 0.05), number of errors (P = 0.04), and column-tracking time (P = 0.01) improved over time. Prescribing a CCTV and the delivery instructions by the supplier seemed sufficient to improve reading performance. Additional training in the use of this device did not result in further improvement. Based on these results, outpatient low-vision rehabilitation centers may consider reallocating part of the training resources into other evidence-based rehabilitation programs. (trialregister.nl number, NTR1031.).

Does Early Reading Failure Decrease Children's Reading Motivation?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Paul L.; Fuchs, Douglas; Compton, Donald L.; Cordray, David S.; Fuchs, Lynn S.

2008-01-01

The authors used a pretest-posttest control group design with random assignment to evaluate whether early reading failure decreases children's motivation to practice reading. First, they investigated whether 60 first-grade children would report substantially different levels of interest in reading as a function of their relative success or failure…

Impacts of Dialogical Storybook Reading on Young Children's Reading Attitudes and Vocabulary Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kotaman, Huseyin

2013-01-01

The current study assessed the impact of parents' dialogical storybook reading on their children's receptive vocabulary and reading attitudes. Forty parents and their preschoolers participated in the study. Parents were randomly assigned to experimental or control groups. The experimental group received dialogical storybook reading training.…

Computerized Silent Reading Rate and Strategy Instruction for Fourth Graders at Risk in Silent Reading Rate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niedo, Jasmin; Lee, Yen-Ling; Breznitz, Zvia; Berninger, Virginia W.

2014-01-01

Fourth graders whose silent word reading and/or sentence reading rate was, on average, two-thirds standard deviation below their oral reading of real and pseudowords and reading comprehension accuracy were randomly assigned to treatment ("n" = 7) or wait-listed ("n" = 7) control groups. Following nine sessions combining…

The Effects of Pre-Reading Activities on Reading Comprehension of Iranian EFL Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moghaddam, Nahid Nemati; Mahmoudi, Asgar

2016-01-01

This study investigated the effects of three types of pre-reading activities (movie-watching, vocabulary presentation, and pre-reading summarization) on the reading comprehension of 76 elementary-level EFL Iranian learners. The participants were randomly assigned to one control and three experimental conditions and then a pretest was given to…

Reading Fluency Instruction for Students at Risk for Reading Failure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ring, Jeremiah J.; Barefoot, Lexie C.; Avrit, Karen J.; Brown, Sasha A.; Black, Jeffrey L.

2013-01-01

The important role of reading fluency in the comprehension and motivation of readers is well documented. Two reading rate intervention programs were compared in a cluster-randomized clinical trial of students who were considered at-risk for reading failure. One program focused instruction at the word level; the second program focused instruction…

Interventions for Reading Difficulties: A Comparison of Response to Intervention by ELL and EFL Struggling Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lovett, Maureen W.; De Palma, Maria; Frijters, Jan; Steinbach, Karen; Temple, Meredith; Benson, Nancy; Lacerenza, Lea

2008-01-01

This article explores whether struggling readers from different primary language backgrounds differ in response to phonologically based remediation. Following random assignment to one of three reading interventions or to a special education reading control program, reading and reading-related outcomes of 166 struggling readers were assessed…

Effects of an Informational Text Reading Comprehension Intervention for Fifth-Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritchey, Kristen D.; Palombo, Kimberly; Silverman, Rebecca D.; Speece, Deborah L.

2017-01-01

Upper elementary school students who have reading problems may have difficulty in one or more areas of reading, each requiring specific types of interventions. This study evaluated a short-term reading intervention for 46 fifth-grade students with poor reading comprehension. Students were randomly assigned to an intervention or no treatment…

Is Scientifically Based Reading Instruction Effective for Students with Below-Average IQs?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allor, Jill H.; Mathes, Patricia G.; Roberts, J. Kyle; Cheatham, Jennifer P.; Al Otaiba, Stephanie

2014-01-01

This longitudinal randomized-control trial investigated the effectiveness of scientifically based reading instruction for students with IQs ranging from 40 to 80, including students with intellectual disability (ID). Students were randomly assigned into treatment (n = 76) and contrast (n = 65) groups. Students in the treatment group received…

Effects of a Computer-Based Early Reading Program on the Early Reading and Oral Language Skills of At-Risk Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huffstetter, Mary; King, James R.; Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J.; Schneider, Jenifer J.; Powell-Smith, Kelly A.

2010-01-01

This study examined the effects of a computer-based early reading program (Headsprout Early Reading) on the oral language and early reading skills of at-risk preschool children. In a pretest-posttest control group design, 62 children were randomly assigned to receive supplemental instruction with Headsprout Early Reading (experimental group) or…

Reading Intervention Using Interactive Metronome in Children with Language and Reading Impairment: A Preliminary Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritter, Michaela; Colson, Karen A.; Park, Jungjun

2013-01-01

This exploratory study examined the effects of Interactive Metronome (IM) when integrated with a traditional language and reading intervention on reading achievement. Forty-nine school-age children with language and reading impairments were assigned randomly to either an experimental group who received the IM treatment or to a control group who…

Reading Linear Texts on Paper versus Computer Screen: Effects on Reading Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mangen, Anne; Walgermo, Bente R.; Bronnick, Kolbjorn

2013-01-01

Objective: To explore effects of the technological interface on reading comprehension in a Norwegian school context. Participants: 72 tenth graders from two different primary schools in Norway. Method: The students were randomized into two groups, where the first group read two texts (1400-2000 words) in print, and the other group read the same…

The Effects of an Intensive Reading Intervention for Ninth Graders with Very Low Reading Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solís, Michael; Vaughn, Sharon; Scammacca, Nancy

2015-01-01

This experimental study examined the efficacy of a multicomponent reading intervention compared to a control condition on the reading comprehension of adolescent students with low reading comprehension (more than 1½ standard deviations below normative sample). Ninth-grade students were randomly assigned to treatment (n = 25) and comparison (n =…

EFFECT OF QUALITY OF CHEST RADIOGRAPHS ON THE CATEGORIZATION OF COALWORKERS' PNEUMOCONIOSIS

PubMed Central

Pearson, N. G.; Ashford, J. R.; Morgan, D. C.; Pasqual, R. S. H.; Rae, S.

1965-01-01

An investigation into the effect of variations in radiographic technical quality on pneumoconiosis reading standards in the Pneumoconiosis Field Research of the National Coal Board is reported. From the group of men for whom retake films had been obtained because of unsatisfactory technique of the originals, a trial series of pairs and triplets of films showing differing technique was assembled. A total of 778 films was read for pneumoconiosis and assessed for technical quality by four readers. The quality was assessed in terms of three separate factors, viz., density (at high, medium, and low levels), contrast (satisfactory and unsatisfactory), and definition (satisfactory and unsatisfactory). The intra and inter observer consistency of this assessment was estimated, and the effect of techical quality on the reading of pneumoconiosis category was determined. A tendency for lower pneumoconiosis readings to be recorded on films with unsatisfactory technique was demonstrated. A random 10% sample of the best available films (those on which routine pneumoconiosis readings have been made) for all men examined since the beginning of the research was also read for technical quality. Of the total of 4,188 films, 80% were considered satisfactory. It appeared that films taken on second surveys were, in general, of rather better quality than those taken on first surveys. The physical attributes of the men examined had some effect on the technical standards, the proportion of unsatisfactory films rising with increasing values of the weight/sitting height ratio and being greater in men with pneumoconiosis categories 1 and A and in the middle age group. The tendency for lower pneumoconiosis readings to be recorded on films with unsatisfactory technique is in contrast to the results of work previously published. Different criteria for the selection of films and the assessment of technical quality, and possibly differing reading conventions, make comparison with other work difficult. PMID:14278806

A Randomized Experiment of a Mixed-Methods Literacy Intervention for Struggling Readers in Grades 4-6: Effects on Word Reading Efficiency, Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary, and Oral Reading Fluency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, James S.; Samson, Jennifer F.; Fitzgerald, Robert; Hartry, Ardice

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was (1) to examine the causal effects of READ 180, a mixed-methods literacy intervention, on measures of word reading efficiency, reading comprehension and vocabulary, and oral reading fluency and (2) to examine whether print exposure among children in the experimental condition explained variance in posttest reading…

Evaluating Approaches to Rendering Braille Text on a High-Density Pin Display.

PubMed

Morash, Valerie S; Russomanno, Alexander; Gillespie, R Brent; OModhrain, Sile

2017-10-13

Refreshable displays for tactile graphics are typically composed of pins that have smaller diameters and spacing than standard braille dots. We investigated configurations of high-density pins to form braille text on such displays using non-refreshable stimuli produced with a 3D printer. Normal dot braille (diameter 1.5 mm) was compared to high-density dot braille (diameter 0.75 mm) wherein each normal dot was rendered by high-density simulated pins alone or in a cluster of pins configured in a diamond, X, or square; and to "blobs" that could result from covering normal braille and high-density multi-pin configurations with a thin membrane. Twelve blind participants read MNREAD sentences displayed in these conditions. For high-density simulated pins, single pins were as quickly and easily read as normal braille, but diamond, X, and square multi-pin configurations were slower and/or harder to read than normal braille. We therefore conclude that as long as center-to-center dot spacing and dot placement is maintained, the dot diameter may be open to variability for rendering braille on a high density tactile display.

Effect of Atomoxetine Treatment on Reading and Phonological Skills in Children with Dyslexia or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Comorbid Dyslexia in a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Shaywitz, Sally; Shaywitz, Bennett; Wietecha, Linda; Wigal, Sharon; McBurnett, Keith; Williams, David; Kronenberger, William G; Hooper, Stephen R

2017-02-01

Evaluated the effects of atomoxetine on the reading abilities of children with dyslexia only or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comorbid dyslexia. Children aged 10-16 years (N = 209) met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for dyslexia only (n = 58), ADHD and comorbid dyslexia (n = 124), or ADHD only (n = 27) and were of normal intelligence. Patients were treated with atomoxetine (1.0-1.4 mg/kg/day) or placebo in a 16-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. The dyslexia-only and ADHD and comorbid dyslexia groups were randomized 1:1; the ADHD-only group received atomoxetine in a blinded manner. Reading abilities were measured with the Woodcock Johnson III (WJIII), Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP), Gray Oral Reading Tests-4, and Test of Word Reading Efficiency. Atomoxetine-treated dyslexia-only patients compared with placebo patients had significantly greater improvement (p < 0.02) with moderate to approaching high effect sizes (ES) on WJIII Word Attack (ES = 0.72), Basic Reading Skills (ES = 0.48), and Reading Vocabulary (ES = 0.73). In the atomoxetine-treated ADHD and comorbid dyslexia group, improvement on the CTOPP Elision measure (ES = 0.50) was significantly greater compared with placebo (p < 0.02). Total, inattentive, and hyperactive/impulsive ADHD symptom reductions were significant in the atomoxetine-treated ADHD and comorbid dyslexia group compared with placebo, and from baseline in the ADHD-only group (p ≤ 0.02). ADHD symptom improvements in the ADHD and comorbid dyslexia group were not correlated with improvements in reading. Atomoxetine treatment improved reading scores in patients with dyslexia only and ADHD and comorbid dyslexia. Improvements for patients with dyslexia only were in critical components of reading, including decoding and reading vocabulary. For patients with ADHD and comorbid dyslexia, improvements in reading scores were distinct from improvement in ADHD inattention symptoms alone. These data represent the first report of improvements in reading measures following pharmacotherapy treatment in patients with dyslexia only evaluated in a randomized, double-blind trial.

Effect of Atomoxetine Treatment on Reading and Phonological Skills in Children with Dyslexia or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Comorbid Dyslexia in a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Shaywitz, Bennett; Wietecha, Linda; Wigal, Sharon; McBurnett, Keith; Williams, David; Kronenberger, William G.; Hooper, Stephen R.

2017-01-01

Abstract Objectives: Evaluated the effects of atomoxetine on the reading abilities of children with dyslexia only or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comorbid dyslexia. Methods: Children aged 10–16 years (N = 209) met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for dyslexia only (n = 58), ADHD and comorbid dyslexia (n = 124), or ADHD only (n = 27) and were of normal intelligence. Patients were treated with atomoxetine (1.0–1.4 mg/kg/day) or placebo in a 16-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. The dyslexia-only and ADHD and comorbid dyslexia groups were randomized 1:1; the ADHD-only group received atomoxetine in a blinded manner. Reading abilities were measured with the Woodcock Johnson III (WJIII), Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP), Gray Oral Reading Tests-4, and Test of Word Reading Efficiency. Results: Atomoxetine-treated dyslexia-only patients compared with placebo patients had significantly greater improvement (p < 0.02) with moderate to approaching high effect sizes (ES) on WJIII Word Attack (ES = 0.72), Basic Reading Skills (ES = 0.48), and Reading Vocabulary (ES = 0.73). In the atomoxetine-treated ADHD and comorbid dyslexia group, improvement on the CTOPP Elision measure (ES = 0.50) was significantly greater compared with placebo (p < 0.02). Total, inattentive, and hyperactive/impulsive ADHD symptom reductions were significant in the atomoxetine-treated ADHD and comorbid dyslexia group compared with placebo, and from baseline in the ADHD-only group (p ≤ 0.02). ADHD symptom improvements in the ADHD and comorbid dyslexia group were not correlated with improvements in reading. Conclusions: Atomoxetine treatment improved reading scores in patients with dyslexia only and ADHD and comorbid dyslexia. Improvements for patients with dyslexia only were in critical components of reading, including decoding and reading vocabulary. For patients with ADHD and comorbid dyslexia, improvements in reading scores were distinct from improvement in ADHD inattention symptoms alone. These data represent the first report of improvements in reading measures following pharmacotherapy treatment in patients with dyslexia only evaluated in a randomized, double-blind trial. PMID:27410907

The Effect of CAI on Reading Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardman, Regina

A study determined whether computer assisted instruction (CAI) had an effect on students' reading achievement. Subjects were 21 randomly selected fourth-grade students at D. S. Wentworth Elementary School on the south side of Chicago in a low-income neighborhood who received a year's exposure to a CAI program, and 21 randomly selected students at…

Reading Success and Failure among Chinese Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Chen-chin

Drawing on a cross-national study of children's reading, a study examined the correlates of reading success and failure in Taiwan. Subjects, 240 randomly selected Taipei fifth graders, were administered a reading test, cognitive test, and mathematics achievement test. A structured interview with each child's mother and classroom behavior…

Music education for improving reading skills in children and adolescents with dyslexia.

PubMed

Cogo-Moreira, Hugo; Andriolo, Régis B; Yazigi, Latife; Ploubidis, George B; Brandão de Ávila, Clara Regina; Mari, Jair J

2012-08-15

Dyslexia (or developmental dyslexia or specific reading disability) is a specific learning disorder that has a neurobiological origin. It is marked by difficulties with accurate or fluent recognition of words and poor spelling in people who have average or above average intelligence and these difficulties cannot be attributed to another cause, for example, poor vision, hearing difficulty, or lack of socio-environmental opportunities, motivation, or adequate instruction. Studies have correlated reading skills with musical abilities. It has been hypothesized that musical training may be able to remediate timing difficulties, improve pitch perception, or increase spatial awareness, thereby having a positive effect on skills needed in the development of language and literacy. To study the effectiveness of music education on reading skills (that is, oral reading skills, reading comprehension, reading fluency, phonological awareness, and spelling) in children and adolescents with dyslexia. We searched the following electronic databases in June 2012: CENTRAL (2012, Issue 5), MEDLINE (1948 to May Week 4 2012 ), EMBASE (1980 to 2012 Week 22), CINAHL (searched 7 June 2012), LILACS (searched 7 June 2012), PsycINFO (1887 to May Week 5 2012), ERIC (searched 7 June 2012), Arts and Humanities Citation Index (1970 to 6 June 2012), Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Social Sciences and Humanities (1990 to 6 June 2012), and WorldCat (searched 7 June 2012). We also searched the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) and reference lists of studies. We did not apply any date or language limits. We planned to include randomized controlled trials. We looked for studies that included at least one of our primary outcomes. The primary outcomes were related to the main domain of the reading: oral reading skills, reading comprehension, reading fluency, phonological awareness, and spelling, measured through validated instruments. The secondary outcomes were self esteem and academic achievement. Two authors (HCM and RBA) independently screened all titles and abstracts identified through the search strategy to determine their eligibility. For our analysis we had planned to use mean difference for continuous data, with 95% confidence intervals, and to use the random-effects statistical model when the effect estimates of two or more studies could be combined in a meta-analysis. We retrieved 851 references via the search strategy. No randomized controlled trials testing music education for the improvement of reading skills in children with dyslexia could be included in this review. There is no evidence available from randomized controlled trials on which to base a judgment about the effectiveness of music education for the improvement of reading skills in children and adolescents with dyslexia. This uncertainty warrants further research via randomized controlled trials, involving a interdisciplinary team: musicians, hearing and speech therapists, psychologists, and physicians.

Characterization and modeling of SET/RESET cycling induced read-disturb failure time degradation in a resistive switching memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Po-Cheng; Hsu, Chun-Chi; Du, Sin-I.; Wang, Tahui

2017-12-01

Read operation induced disturbance in SET-state in a tungsten oxide resistive switching memory is investigated. We observe that the reduction of oxygen vacancy density during read-disturb follows power-law dependence on cumulative read-disturb time. Our study shows that the SET-state read-disturb immunity progressively degrades by orders of magnitude as SET/RESET cycle number increases. To explore the cause of the read-disturb degradation, we perform a constant voltage stress to emulate high-field stress effects in SET/RESET cycling. We find that the read-disturb failure time degradation is attributed to high-field stress-generated oxide traps. Since the stress-generated traps may substitute for some of oxygen vacancies in forming conductive percolation paths in a switching dielectric, a stressed cell has a reduced oxygen vacancy density in SET-state, which in turn results in a shorter read-disturb failure time. We develop an analytical read-disturb degradation model including both cycling induced oxide trap creation and read-disturb induced oxygen vacancy reduction. Our model can well reproduce the measured read-disturb failure time degradation in a cycled cell without using fitting parameters.

Expanding the Boundaries of Shared Book Reading: E-Books and Printed Books in Parent-Child Reading as Support for Children's Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korat, Ofra; Shamir, Adina; Heibal, Shani

2013-01-01

Early shared book reading activities are considered to be a promising context for supporting young children's language development. Ninety low socioeconomic status preschoolers and their mothers were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) e-book reading; (2) printed book reading; (3) regular kindergarten literacy program (control). Mothers…

Reading Electronic and Printed Books with and without Adult Instruction: Effects on Emergent Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Segal-Drori, Ora; Korat, Ofra; Shamir, Adina; Klein, Pnina S.

2010-01-01

The effects of electronic book (e-book) and printed book reading on children's emergent reading with and without adult instruction were investigated. One hundred twenty-eight 5- to 6-year-old kindergarten children from low SES families were randomly assigned to one of four groups (32 children each): (1) independently reading the e-book (EB); (2)…

The Random Forests Statistical Technique: An Examination of Its Value for the Study of Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matsuki, Kazunaga; Kuperman, Victor; Van Dyke, Julie A.

2016-01-01

Studies investigating individual differences in reading ability often involve data sets containing a large number of collinear predictors and a small number of observations. In this article, we discuss the method of Random Forests and demonstrate its suitability for addressing the statistical concerns raised by such data sets. The method is…

The Effect of Departmentalization on the Reading Achievement of Sixth-Grade Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Mary B.

A study examined whether departmentalization affected the reading achievement of sixth-grade students attending a Chicago public school. A random sample of 30 students was chosen from a group of 53 who received instruction in a departmentalized program. A second random sample of 30 was selected from a total of 54 students who received instruction…

WWC Review of the Report "Same-Language-Subtitling (SLS): Using Subtitled Music Video for Reading Growth". What Works Clearinghouse Single Study Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2013

2013-01-01

This randomized controlled trial examined the impacts of "Same-Language-Subtitling" ("SLS"), a karaoke-style subtitling intervention, on the reading comprehension skills of secondary school students in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Researchers randomly assigned 198 secondary school students with learning disabilities (ages 14 to 19) to…

A Multisite Cluster Randomized Field Trial of Open Court Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borman, Geoffrey D.; Dowling, N. Maritza; Schneck, Carrie

2008-01-01

In this article, the authors report achievement outcomes of a multisite cluster randomized field trial of Open Court Reading 2005 (OCR), a K-6 literacy curriculum published by SRA/McGraw-Hill. The participants are 49 first-grade through fifth-grade classrooms from predominantly minority and poor contexts across the nation. Blocking by grade level…

Influence of mono-axis random vibration on reading activity.

PubMed

Bhiwapurkar, M K; Saran, V H; Harsha, S P; Goel, V K; Berg, Mats

2010-01-01

Recent studies on train passengers' activities found that many passengers were engaged in some form of work, e.g., reading and writing, while traveling by train. A majority of the passengers reported that their activities were disturbed by vibrations or motions during traveling. A laboratory study was therefore set up to study how low-frequency random vibrations influence the difficulty to read. The study involved 18 healthy male subjects of 23 to 32 yr of age group. Random vibrations were applied in the frequency range (1-10 Hz) at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 m/s(2) rms amplitude along three directions (longitudinal, lateral and vertical). The effect of vibration on reading activity was investigated by giving a word chain in two different font types (Times New Roman and Arial) and three different sizes (10, 12 and 14 points) of font for each type. Subjects performed reading tasks under two sitting positions (with backrest support and leaning over a table). The judgments of perceived difficulty to read were rated using 7-point discomfort judging scale. The result shows that reading difficulty increases with increasing vibration magnitudes and found to be maximum in longitudinal direction, but with leaning over a table position. In comparison with Times New Roman type and sizes of font, subjects perceived less difficulty with Arial type for all font sizes under all vibration magnitude.

Reading Intervention for Poor Readers at the Transition to Secondary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Paula J.; Paul, Shirley-Anne S.; Smith, Glynnis; Snowling, Margaret J.; Hulme, Charles

2017-01-01

This study evaluated two 20-week reading interventions for pupils entering secondary school with reading difficulties. The interventions were delivered by trained teaching assistants (three 35-min sessions per week). 287 pupils (ages 11-13) from 27 schools were randomly allocated to three groups: reading intervention (targeting word recognition…

A Comparison of Responsive Interventions on Kindergarteners' Early Reading Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Little, Mary E.; Rawlinson, D'Ann; Simmons, Deborah C.; Kim, Minjung; Kwok, Oi-man; Hagan-Burke, Shanna; Simmons, Leslie E.; Fogarty, Melissa; Oslund, Eric; Coyne, Michael D.

2012-01-01

This study compared the effects of Tier 2 reading interventions that operated in response-to-intervention contexts. Kindergarten children (N = 90) who were identified as at risk for reading difficulties were stratified by school and randomly assigned to receive (a) Early Reading Intervention (ERI; Pearson/Scott Foresman, 2004) modified in response…

Examining the Relationships of Component Reading Skills to Reading Comprehension in Struggling Adult Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tighe, Elizabeth L.; Schatschneider, Christopher

2016-01-01

The current study employed a meta-analytic approach to investigate the relative importance of component reading skills to reading comprehension in struggling adult readers. A total of 10 component skills were consistently identified across 16 independent studies and 2,707 participants. Random effects models generated 76 predictor-reading…

Relations between CBM (Oral Reading and Maze) and Reading Comprehension on State Achievement Tests: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shin, Jaehyun

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of two widely used Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) in reading--oral reading and maze task--in relation to reading comprehension on state tests using a meta-analysis. A total of 61 studies (132 correlations) were identified across Grades 1 to 10. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted…

The Relationship between Prosodic Oral Reading Assessments and Standards-Based Reading Assessment in a 2nd Grade Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kariuki, Patrick; Baxter, Andrew

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between prosodic oral reading and overall reading comprehension of second grade students. The sample consisted of ten students who were randomly selected from a second grade classroom. The students read aloud from the book "Bedtime for Frances" by Lillian and Russell Hoban for a…

Music Training Increases Phonological Awareness and Reading Skills in Developmental Dyslexia: A Randomized Control Trial

PubMed Central

Flaugnacco, Elena; Lopez, Luisa; Terribili, Chiara; Montico, Marcella; Zoia, Stefania; Schön, Daniele

2015-01-01

There is some evidence for a role of music training in boosting phonological awareness, word segmentation, working memory, as well as reading abilities in children with typical development. Poor performance in tasks requiring temporal processing, rhythm perception and sensorimotor synchronization seems to be a crucial factor underlying dyslexia in children. Interestingly, children with dyslexia show deficits in temporal processing, both in language and in music. Within this framework, we test the hypothesis that music training, by improving temporal processing and rhythm abilities, improves phonological awareness and reading skills in children with dyslexia. The study is a prospective, multicenter, open randomized controlled trial, consisting of test, rehabilitation and re-test (ID NCT02316873). After rehabilitation, the music group (N = 24) performed better than the control group (N = 22) in tasks assessing rhythmic abilities, phonological awareness and reading skills. This is the first randomized control trial testing the effect of music training in enhancing phonological and reading abilities in children with dyslexia. The findings show that music training can modify reading and phonological abilities even when these skills are severely impaired. Through the enhancement of temporal processing and rhythmic skills, music might become an important tool in both remediation and early intervention programs. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02316873 PMID:26407242

Music Training Increases Phonological Awareness and Reading Skills in Developmental Dyslexia: A Randomized Control Trial.

PubMed

Flaugnacco, Elena; Lopez, Luisa; Terribili, Chiara; Montico, Marcella; Zoia, Stefania; Schön, Daniele

2015-01-01

There is some evidence for a role of music training in boosting phonological awareness, word segmentation, working memory, as well as reading abilities in children with typical development. Poor performance in tasks requiring temporal processing, rhythm perception and sensorimotor synchronization seems to be a crucial factor underlying dyslexia in children. Interestingly, children with dyslexia show deficits in temporal processing, both in language and in music. Within this framework, we test the hypothesis that music training, by improving temporal processing and rhythm abilities, improves phonological awareness and reading skills in children with dyslexia. The study is a prospective, multicenter, open randomized controlled trial, consisting of test, rehabilitation and re-test (ID NCT02316873). After rehabilitation, the music group (N = 24) performed better than the control group (N = 22) in tasks assessing rhythmic abilities, phonological awareness and reading skills. This is the first randomized control trial testing the effect of music training in enhancing phonological and reading abilities in children with dyslexia. The findings show that music training can modify reading and phonological abilities even when these skills are severely impaired. Through the enhancement of temporal processing and rhythmic skills, music might become an important tool in both remediation and early intervention programs.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02316873

Efficacy of a Word- and Text-Based Intervention for Students With Significant Reading Difficulties.

PubMed

Vaughn, Sharon; Roberts, Garrett J; Miciak, Jeremy; Taylor, Pat; Fletcher, Jack M

2018-05-01

We examine the efficacy of an intervention to improve word reading and reading comprehension in fourth- and fifth-grade students with significant reading problems. Using a randomized control trial design, we compare the fourth- and fifth-grade reading outcomes of students with severe reading difficulties who were provided a researcher-developed treatment with reading outcomes of students in a business-as-usual (BAU) comparison condition. A total of 280 fourth- and fifth-grade students were randomly assigned within school in a 1:1 ratio to either the BAU comparison condition ( n = 139) or the treatment condition ( n = 141). Treatment students were provided small-group tutoring for 30 to 45 minutes for an average of 68 lessons (mean hours of instruction = 44.4, SD = 11.2). Treatment students performed statistically significantly higher than BAU students on a word reading measure (effect size [ES] = 0. 58) and a measure of reading fluency (ES = 0.46). Though not statistically significant, effect sizes for students in the treatment condition were consistently higher than BAU students for decoding measures (ES = 0.06, 0.08), and mixed for comprehension (ES = -0.02, 0.14).

Constructing high complexity synthetic libraries of long ORFs using in vitro selection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cho, G.; Keefe, A. D.; Liu, R.; Wilson, D. S.; Szostak, J. W.

2000-01-01

We present a method that can significantly increase the complexity of protein libraries used for in vitro or in vivo protein selection experiments. Protein libraries are often encoded by chemically synthesized DNA, in which part of the open reading frame is randomized. There are, however, major obstacles associated with the chemical synthesis of long open reading frames, especially those containing random segments. Insertions and deletions that occur during chemical synthesis cause frameshifts, and stop codons in the random region will cause premature termination. These problems can together greatly reduce the number of full-length synthetic genes in the library. We describe a strategy in which smaller segments of the synthetic open reading frame are selected in vitro using mRNA display for the absence of frameshifts and stop codons. These smaller segments are then ligated together to form combinatorial libraries of long uninterrupted open reading frames. This process can increase the number of full-length open reading frames in libraries by up to two orders of magnitude, resulting in protein libraries with complexities of greater than 10(13). We have used this methodology to generate three types of displayed protein library: a completely random sequence library, a library of concatemerized oligopeptide cassettes with a propensity for forming amphipathic alpha-helical or beta-strand structures, and a library based on one of the most common enzymatic scaffolds, the alpha/beta (TIM) barrel. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

Fully automated breast density assessment from low-dose chest CT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Shuang; Margolies, Laurie R.; Xie, Yiting; Yankelevitz, David F.; Henschke, Claudia I.; Reeves, Anthony P.

2017-03-01

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among US women and the second leading cause of cancer death 1 . Breast density is an independent risk factor for breast cancer and more than 25 states mandate its reporting to patients as part of the lay mammogram report 2 . Recent publications have demonstrated that breast density measured from low-dose chest CT (LDCT) correlates well with that measured from mammograms and MRIs 3-4 , thereby providing valuable information for many women who have undergone LDCT but not recent mammograms. A fully automated framework for breast density assessment from LDCT is presented in this paper. The whole breast region is first segmented using an anatomy-orientated novel approach based on the propagation of muscle fronts for separating the fibroglandular tissue from the underlying muscles. The fibroglandular tissue regions are then identified from the segmented whole breast and the percentage density is calculated based on the volume ratio of the fibroglandular tissue to the local whole breast region. The breast region segmentation framework was validated with 1270 LDCT scans, with 96.1% satisfactory outcomes based on visual inspection. The density assessment was evaluated by comparing with BI-RADS density grades established by an experienced radiologist in 100 randomly selected LDCT scans of female subjects. The continuous breast density measurement was shown to be consistent with the reference subjective grading, with the Spearman's rank correlation 0.91 (p-value < 0.001). After converting the continuous density to categorical grades, the automated density assessment was congruous with the radiologist's reading in 91% cases.

Feedforward, high density, programmable read only neural network based memory system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daud, Taher; Moopenn, Alex; Lamb, James; Thakoor, Anil; Khanna, Satish

1988-01-01

Neural network-inspired, nonvolatile, programmable associative memory using thin-film technology is demonstrated. The details of the architecture, which uses programmable resistive connection matrices in synaptic arrays and current summing and thresholding amplifiers as neurons, are described. Several synapse configurations for a high-density array of a binary connection matrix are also described. Test circuits are evaluated for operational feasibility and to demonstrate the speed of the read operation. The results are discussed to highlight the potential for a read data rate exceeding 10 megabits/sec.

Involving Parents in Paired Reading with Preschoolers: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lam, Shui-fong; Chow-Yeung, Kamfung; Wong, Bernard P. H.; Lau, Kwok Kiu; Tse, Shuk In

2013-01-01

A paired reading program was implemented for 195 Hong Kong preschoolers (mean age = 4.7 years) and their parents from families with a wide range of family income. The preschoolers were randomly assigned to experimental or waitlist control groups. The parents in the experimental group received 12 sessions of school-based training on paired reading…

Randomized Controlled Trial of "Mind Reading" and In Vivo Rehearsal for High-Functioning Children with ASD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomeer, Marcus L.; Smith, Rachael A.; Lopata, Christopher; Volker, Martin A.; Lipinski, Alanna M.; Rodgers, Jonathan D.; McDonald, Christin A.; Lee, Gloria K.

2015-01-01

This randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of a computer software (i.e., "Mind Reading") and in vivo rehearsal treatment on the emotion decoding and encoding skills, autism symptoms, and social skills of 43 children, ages 7-12 years with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD). Children in treatment (n = 22)…

Effect of Delay on Search Decisions in a Task-Oriented Reading Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mañá, Amelia; Vidal-Abarca, Eduardo; Salmerón, Ladislao

2017-01-01

The goal of this study was to determine the effect of setting a delay between reading a text and answering comprehension questions on "when"-to-search and "what"-to-search decisions in a task-oriented reading environment. Fifty-five eighth-grade students were randomly divided into two groups. One group read one text, answered…

Tablet vs. Paper: The Effect on Learners' Reading Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dundar, Hakan; Akcayir, Murat

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to compare primary school 5th-class students' electronic text reading performance, reading speed and reading comprehension with tablet PCs and printed books. This study examined a sample of 20 students. The students were randomly divided into two groups, a control group and a treatment group. The control group students…

Miscue Analysis of Oral Reading among Less Proficient Readers in Primary Schools in Brunei Darussalam

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamid, Juliana Bte Haji Abdul; Abosi, Okechukwu

2011-01-01

Reading disability is the most common disability. At least one in five children has significant challenges learning to read. This study focused on the oral reading performance of 30 Year-Three students. The students were identified as less proficient readers from two randomly selected primary schools in Brunei Darussalam. The oral reading…

Impact of Intensive Summer Reading Intervention for Children with Reading Disabilities and Difficulties in Early Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christodoulou, Joanna A.; Cyr, Abigail; Murtagh, Jack; Chang, Patricia; Lin, Jiayi; Guarino, Anthony J.; Hook, Pamela; Gabrieli, John D. E.

2017-01-01

Efficacy of an intensive reading intervention implemented during the nonacademic summer was evaluated in children with reading disabilities or difficulties (RD). Students (ages 6-9) were randomly assigned to receive Lindamood-Bell's "Seeing Stars" program (n = 23) as an intervention or to a waiting-list control group (n = 24). Analysis…

Examining a Motivational Treatment and Its Impact on Adolescents' Reading Comprehension and Fluency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolters, Christopher A.; Barnes, Marcia A.; Kulesz, Paulina A.; York, Mary; Francis, David J.

2017-01-01

The authors' purpose was to examine adolescents' reading motivation in relation to standardized assessments of reading comprehension and fluency. After a reading pretest, 60 ninth-grade students (M age = 14.9 years) were randomly assigned to two groups. Compared to those in the control condition, those administered brief oral feedback intended to…

The Effects of Differentiated Instruction and Enrichment Pedagogy on Reading Achievement in Five Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reis, Sally M.; McCoach, D. Betsy; Little, Catherine A.; Muller, Lisa M.; Kaniskan, R. Burcu

2011-01-01

This experimental study examined the effect of a differentiated, enriched reading program on students' oral reading fluency and comprehension using the schoolwide enrichment model-reading (SEM-R). Treatment and control conditions were randomly assigned to 63 teachers and 1,192 second through fifth grade students across five elementary schools.…

The Effects of Teacher Read-Alouds and Student Silent Reading on Predominantly Bilingual High School Seniors' Learning and Retention of Social Studies Content

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Deborah K.; Swanson, Elizabeth; Petscher, Yaacov; Vaughn, Sharon

2014-01-01

Teacher read-alouds (TRA) are common in middle and high school content area classes. Because the practice of reading the textbook out loud to students is often used out of concern about students' ability to understand and learn from text when reading silently (SR), this randomized controlled trial was designed to experimentally manipulate text…

The effects of teacher read-alouds and student silent reading on predominantly bilingual high school seniors’ learning and retention of social studies content

PubMed Central

Reed, Deborah K.; Swanson, Elizabeth; Petscher, Yaacov; Vaughn, Sharon

2015-01-01

Teacher read-alouds (TRA) are common in middle and high school content area classes. Because the practice of reading the textbook out loud to students is often used out of concern about students’ ability to understand and learn from text when reading silently (SR), this randomized controlled trial was designed to experimentally manipulate text reading while blocking on all other instructional elements to determine the relative effects on learning content. Predominantly Spanish–English bilingual twelfth-graders (n = 123) were randomly assigned to either a TRA or SR condition and provided 1 week of high quality instruction in US history. Daily lessons included teaching key terms in the passage, previewing text headings, and conducting comprehension checks. Results of immediate, 1-week delayed, and 1-month delayed assessments of content learning revealed no significant differences between the two groups. Students were also asked to rate the method of reading they believed best helped them understand and remember information. Students in the SR condition more consistently agreed that reading silently was beneficial. Findings suggest low performing adolescents of different linguistic backgrounds can learn content as well when reading appropriately challenging text silently as when the teacher reads the text aloud to them. PMID:26346215

The Impact of Intensive Reading Intervention on Level of Attention in Middle School Students.

PubMed

Roberts, Greg; Rane, Shruti; Fall, Anna-Mária; Denton, Carolyn A; Fletcher, Jack M; Vaughn, Sharon

2015-01-01

The purpose of the study was to estimate the impact of reading intervention on ratings of student attention over time. We used extant data from a longitudinal randomized study of a response-based reading intervention to fit a multiple-indicator, multilevel growth model. The sample at randomization was 54% male, 18% limited English proficient, 85% eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 58% African American, and 32% Hispanic. Reading ability was measured by using the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement. Attention was measured by using the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behavior Scale. Findings indicate that intensive, response-based reading intervention over 3 years improved reading achievement and behavioral attention in middle school struggling readers, with treatment directly affecting reading, which in turn influenced attention. In the business-as-usual condition, there was no relation between improved reading and attention. The results are consistent with a correlated liabilities model of comorbidity. The results do not align with the inattention-as-cause hypothesis, which predicts that reading intervention should not affect attention. The findings do not support, but do not necessarily preclude, the phenocopy hypothesis. The results are especially pertinent for older students who may be inattentive partly because of years of struggling with reading.

The Impact of Intensive Reading Intervention on Level of Attention in Middle School Students

PubMed Central

Roberts, Greg; Rane, Shruti; Fall, Anna-Mária; Denton, Carolyn A.; Fletcher, Jack M.; Vaughn, Sharon

2014-01-01

Objective The purpose of the study was to estimate the impact of reading intervention on ratings of student attention over time. Method We used extant data from a longitudinal randomized study of a response-based reading intervention to fit a multiple-indicator, multilevel growth model. The sample at randomization was 54% male, 18% limited English proficient, 85% eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 58% African American, and 32% Hispanic. Reading ability was measured by using the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement. Attention was measured by using the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behavior Scale. Results Findings indicate that intensive, response-based reading intervention over 3 years improved reading achievement and behavioral attention in middle school struggling readers, with treatment directly affecting reading, which in turn influenced attention. In the business-as-usual condition, there was no relation between improved reading and attention. Conclusions The results are consistent with a correlated liabilities model of comorbidity. The results do not align with the inattention-as-cause hypothesis, which predicts that reading intervention should not affect attention. The findings do not support, but do not necessarily preclude, the phenocopy hypothesis. The results are especially pertinent for older students who may be inattentive partly because of years of struggling with reading. PMID:24885289

A highly symmetrical 10 transistor 2-read/write dual-port static random access memory bitcell design in 28 nm high-k/metal-gate planar bulk CMOS technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishii, Yuichiro; Tanaka, Miki; Yabuuchi, Makoto; Sawada, Yohei; Tanaka, Shinji; Nii, Koji; Lu, Tien Yu; Huang, Chun Hsien; Sian Chen, Shou; Tse Kuo, Yu; Lung, Ching Cheng; Cheng, Osbert

2018-04-01

We propose a highly symmetrical 10 transistor (10T) 2-read/write (2RW) dual-port (DP) static random access memory (SRAM) bitcell in 28 nm high-k/metal-gate (HKMG) planar bulk CMOS. It replaces the conventional 8T 2RW DP SRAM bitcell without any area overhead. It significantly improves the robustness of process variations and an asymmetric issue between the true and bar bitline pairs. Measured data show that read current (I read) and read static noise margin (SNM) are respectively boosted by +20% and +15 mV by introducing the proposed bitcell with enlarged pull-down (PD) and pass-gate (PG) N-channel MOSs (NMOSs). The minimum operating voltage (V min) of the proposed 256 kbit 10T DP SRAM is 0.53 V in the TT process, 25 °C under the worst access condition with read/write disturbances, and improved by 90 mV (15%) compared with the conventional one.

A Randomized Study of a Literacy-Integrated Science Intervention for Low-Socio-economic Status Middle School Students: Findings from first-year implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, Fuhui; Irby, Beverly J.; Lara-Alecio, Rafael; Guerrero, Cindy; Fan, Yinan; Huerta, Margarita

2014-08-01

This paper presents the findings from a randomized control trial study of reading/literacy-integrated science inquiry intervention after 1 year of implementation and the treatment effect on 5th-grade low-socio-economic African-American and Hispanic students' achievement in science and English reading. A total of 94 treatment students and 194 comparison students from four randomized intermediate schools participated in the current project. The intervention consisted of ongoing professional development and specific instructional science lessons with inquiry-based learning, direct and explicit vocabulary instruction, and integration of reading and writing. Results suggested that (a) there was a significantly positive treatment effect as reflected in students' higher performance in district-wide curriculum-based tests of science and reading and standardized tests of science, reading, and English reading fluency; (b) males and females did not differ significantly from participating in science inquiry instruction; (c) African-American students had lower chance of sufficiently mastering the science concepts and achieving above the state standards when compared with Hispanic students across gender and condition, and (d) below-poverty African-American females are the most vulnerable group in science learning. Our study confirmed that even a modest amount of literacy integration in inquiry-based science instruction can promote students' science and reading achievement. Therefore, we call for more experimental research that focus on the quality of literacy-integrated science instruction from which middle grade students, particularly low-socio-economic status students, can benefit.

Comparing treatments for children with ADHD and word reading difficulties: A randomized clinical trial.

PubMed

Tamm, Leanne; Denton, Carolyn A; Epstein, Jeffery N; Schatschneider, Christopher; Taylor, Heather; Arnold, L Eugene; Bukstein, Oscar; Anixt, Julia; Koshy, Anson; Newman, Nicholas C; Maltinsky, Jan; Brinson, Patricia; Loren, Richard E A; Prasad, Mary R; Ewing-Cobbs, Linda; Vaughn, Aaron

2017-05-01

This trial compared attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment alone, intensive reading intervention alone, and their combination for children with ADHD and word reading difficulties and disabilities (RD). Children (n = 216; predominantly African American males) in Grades 2-5 with ADHD and word reading/decoding deficits were randomized to ADHD treatment (medication + parent training), reading treatment (reading instruction), or combined ADHD + reading treatment. Outcomes were parent and teacher ADHD ratings and measures of word reading/decoding. Analyses utilized a mixed models covariate-adjusted gain score approach with posttest regressed onto pretest. Inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity outcomes were significantly better in the ADHD (parent Hedges's g = .87/.75; teacher g = .67/.50) and combined (parent g = 1.06/.95; teacher g = .36/41) treatment groups than reading treatment alone; the ADHD and Combined groups did not differ significantly (parent g = .19/.20; teacher g = .31/.09). Word reading and decoding outcomes were significantly better in the reading (word reading g = .23; decoding g = .39) and combined (word reading g = .32; decoding g = .39) treatment groups than ADHD treatment alone; reading and combined groups did not differ (word reading g = .09; decoding g = .00). Significant group differences were maintained at the 3- to 5-month follow-up on all outcomes except word reading. Children with ADHD and RD benefit from specific treatment of each disorder. ADHD treatment is associated with more improvement in ADHD symptoms than RD treatment, and reading instruction is associated with better word reading and decoding outcomes than ADHD treatment. The additive value of combining treatments was not significant within disorder, but the combination allows treating both disorders simultaneously. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

The Effects of Text Density Levels and the Cognitive Style of Field Dependence on Learning from a CBI Tutorial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ipek, Ismail

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of variations in text density levels and the cognitive style of field dependence on learning from a CBI tutorial, based on the dependent measures of achievement, reading comprehension, and reading rate, and of lesson completion time. Eighty college undergraduate students were randomly…

Variable size computer-aided detection prompts and mammography film reader decisions

PubMed Central

Gilbert, Fiona J; Astley, Susan M; Boggis, Caroline RM; McGee, Magnus A; Griffiths, Pamela M; Duffy, Stephen W; Agbaje, Olorunsola F; Gillan, Maureen GC; Wilson, Mary; Jain, Anil K; Barr, Nicola; Beetles, Ursula M; Griffiths, Miriam A; Johnson, Jill; Roberts, Rita M; Deans, Heather E; Duncan, Karen A; Iyengar, Geeta

2008-01-01

Introduction The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of computer-aided detection (CAD) prompts on reader behaviour in a large sample of breast screening mammograms by analysing the relationship of the presence and size of prompts to the recall decision. Methods Local research ethics committee approval was obtained; informed consent was not required. Mammograms were obtained from women attending routine mammography at two breast screening centres in 1996. Films, previously double read, were re-read by a different reader using CAD. The study material included 315 cancer cases comprising all screen-detected cancer cases, all subsequent interval cancers and 861 normal cases randomly selected from 10,267 cases. Ground truth data were used to assess the efficacy of CAD prompting. Associations between prompt attributes and tumour features or reader recall decisions were assessed by chi-squared tests. Results There was a highly significant relationship between prompting and a decision to recall for cancer cases and for a random sample of normal cases (P < 0.001). Sixty-four per cent of all cases contained at least one CAD prompt. In cancer cases, larger prompts were more likely to be recalled (P = 0.02) for masses but there was no such association for calcifications (P = 0.9). In a random sample of 861 normal cases, larger prompts were more likely to be recalled (P = 0.02) for both mass and calcification prompts. Significant associations were observed with prompting and breast density (p = 0.009) for cancer cases but not for normal cases (P = 0.05). Conclusions For both normal cases and cancer cases, prompted mammograms were more likely to be recalled and the prompt size was also associated with a recall decision. PMID:18724867

Variable size computer-aided detection prompts and mammography film reader decisions.

PubMed

Gilbert, Fiona J; Astley, Susan M; Boggis, Caroline Rm; McGee, Magnus A; Griffiths, Pamela M; Duffy, Stephen W; Agbaje, Olorunsola F; Gillan, Maureen Gc; Wilson, Mary; Jain, Anil K; Barr, Nicola; Beetles, Ursula M; Griffiths, Miriam A; Johnson, Jill; Roberts, Rita M; Deans, Heather E; Duncan, Karen A; Iyengar, Geeta

2008-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of computer-aided detection (CAD) prompts on reader behaviour in a large sample of breast screening mammograms by analysing the relationship of the presence and size of prompts to the recall decision. Local research ethics committee approval was obtained; informed consent was not required. Mammograms were obtained from women attending routine mammography at two breast screening centres in 1996. Films, previously double read, were re-read by a different reader using CAD. The study material included 315 cancer cases comprising all screen-detected cancer cases, all subsequent interval cancers and 861 normal cases randomly selected from 10,267 cases. Ground truth data were used to assess the efficacy of CAD prompting. Associations between prompt attributes and tumour features or reader recall decisions were assessed by chi-squared tests. There was a highly significant relationship between prompting and a decision to recall for cancer cases and for a random sample of normal cases (P < 0.001). Sixty-four per cent of all cases contained at least one CAD prompt. In cancer cases, larger prompts were more likely to be recalled (P = 0.02) for masses but there was no such association for calcifications (P = 0.9). In a random sample of 861 normal cases, larger prompts were more likely to be recalled (P = 0.02) for both mass and calcification prompts. Significant associations were observed with prompting and breast density (p = 0.009) for cancer cases but not for normal cases (P = 0.05). For both normal cases and cancer cases, prompted mammograms were more likely to be recalled and the prompt size was also associated with a recall decision.

Read clouds uncover variation in complex regions of the human genome

PubMed Central

Bishara, Alex; Liu, Yuling; Weng, Ziming; Kashef-Haghighi, Dorna; Newburger, Daniel E.; West, Robert; Sidow, Arend; Batzoglou, Serafim

2015-01-01

Although an increasing amount of human genetic variation is being identified and recorded, determining variants within repeated sequences of the human genome remains a challenge. Most population and genome-wide association studies have therefore been unable to consider variation in these regions. Core to the problem is the lack of a sequencing technology that produces reads with sufficient length and accuracy to enable unique mapping. Here, we present a novel methodology of using read clouds, obtained by accurate short-read sequencing of DNA derived from long fragment libraries, to confidently align short reads within repeat regions and enable accurate variant discovery. Our novel algorithm, Random Field Aligner (RFA), captures the relationships among the short reads governed by the long read process via a Markov Random Field. We utilized a modified version of the Illumina TruSeq synthetic long-read protocol, which yielded shallow-sequenced read clouds. We test RFA through extensive simulations and apply it to discover variants on the NA12878 human sample, for which shallow TruSeq read cloud sequencing data are available, and on an invasive breast carcinoma genome that we sequenced using the same method. We demonstrate that RFA facilitates accurate recovery of variation in 155 Mb of the human genome, including 94% of 67 Mb of segmental duplication sequence and 96% of 11 Mb of transcribed sequence, that are currently hidden from short-read technologies. PMID:26286554

The Effects of Collaborative Strategic Reading Instruction on the Reading Comprehension of Middle School Students: Year 2 Replication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Elizabeth; Mohammed, Sarojani S.; Boardman, Alison Gould; Vaughn, Sharon; Klingner, Janette; Roberts, Greg; Leroux, Audrey; Solis, Michael

2011-01-01

The current study is the second in a series of multi-site, multi-year randomized control trials designed to test the efficacy of a fully developed intervention, Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR), with adolescent readers. In year 1, the research questions were: (1) Does CSR improve reading comprehension for adolescent readers attending…

Scaffolding Voluntary Summer Reading for Children in Grades 3 to 5: An Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, James S.; White, Thomas G.

2008-01-01

The effects of a voluntary summer reading intervention with teacher and parent scaffolding were investigated in an experimental study. A total of 24 teachers and 400 children in Grades 3, 4, and 5 were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: control, books only, books with oral reading scaffolding, and books with oral reading and…

Diagnostic electrocardiography in epidemiological studies of Chagas' disease: multicenter evaluation of a standardized method.

PubMed

Lázzari, J O; Pereira, M; Antunes, C M; Guimarães, A; Moncayo, A; Chávez Domínguez, R; Hernández Pieretti, O; Macedo, V; Rassi, A; Maguire, J; Romero, A

1998-11-01

An electrocardiographic recording method with an associated reading guide, designed for epidemiological studies on Chagas' disease, was tested to assess its diagnostic reproducibility. Six cardiologists from five countries each read 100 electrocardiographic (ECG) tracings, including 30 from chronic chagasic patients, then reread them after an interval of 6 months. The readings were blind, with the tracings numbered randomly for the first reading and renumbered randomly for the second reading. The physicians, all experienced in interpreting ECGs from chagasic patients, followed printed instructions for reading the tracings. Reproducibility of the readings was evaluated using the kappa (kappa) index for concordance. The results showed a high degree of interobserver concordance with respect to the diagnosis of normal vs. abnormal tracings (kappa = 0.66; SE 0.02). While the interpretations of some categories of ECG abnormalities were highly reproducible, others, especially those having a low prevalence, showed lower levels of concordance. Intraobserver concordance was uniformly higher than interobserver concordance. The findings of this study justify the use by specialists of the recording of readings method proposed for epidemiological studies on Chagas' disease, but warrant caution in the interpretation of some categories of electrocardiographic alterations.

The Efficacy of PCI's "Reading Program--Level One": A Report of a Randomized Experiment in Brevard Public Schools and Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toby, Megan; Ma, Boya; Jaciw, Andrew; Cabalo, Jessica

2008-01-01

PCI Education sought scientifically based evidence on the effectiveness of the "PCI Reading Program--Level One" for students with severe disabilities. During the 2007-2008 academic year. Empirical Education conducted a randomized control trial (RCT) in two Florida districts, Brevard and Miami-Dade County Public Schools. For this…

Nonvolatile GaAs Random-Access Memory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Katti, Romney R.; Stadler, Henry L.; Wu, Jiin-Chuan

1994-01-01

Proposed random-access integrated-circuit electronic memory offers nonvolatile magnetic storage. Bits stored magnetically and read out with Hall-effect sensors. Advantages include short reading and writing times and high degree of immunity to both single-event upsets and permanent damage by ionizing radiation. Use of same basic material for both transistors and sensors simplifies fabrication process, with consequent benefits in increased yield and reduced cost.

Year One Results from the Multisite Randomized Evaluation of the i3 Scale-Up of Reading Recovery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

May, Henry; Gray, Abigail; Sirinides, Philip; Goldsworthy, Heather; Armijo, Michael; Sam, Cecile; Gillespie, Jessica N.; Tognatta, Namrata

2015-01-01

Reading Recovery (RR) is a short-term, one-to-one intervention designed to help the lowest achieving readers in first grade. This article presents first-year results from the multisite randomized controlled trial (RCT) and implementation study under the $55 million Investing in Innovation (i3) Scale-Up Project. For the 2011-2012 school year, the…

The Efficacy of PCI's Reading Program--Level One: A Report of a Randomized Experiment in Brevard Public Schools and Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Research Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Empirical Education Inc., 2008

2008-01-01

PCI Education sought scientifically based evidence on the effectiveness of the "PCI Reading Program--Level One" for students with severe disabilities. During the 2007-2008 academic year. Empirical Education conducted a randomized control trial (RCT) in two Florida districts, Brevard and Miami-Dade County Public Schools. For this…

A Stacked Approach to Reading Intervention: Increasing 2nd- and 3rd-Graders' Independent Reading Levels with an Intervention Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Chase; Durham, Patricia; Rosenbaum-Martinez, Crystal

2018-01-01

Fifty 2nd- and 3rd-grade students identified as experiencing difficulty reading were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. In the experimental group, students received a reading intervention called Read Two Impress for a total of 360 min. Students in the control continued to receive regular instruction from their teacher. A 2 × 3…

Neural activity tied to reading predicts individual differences in extended-text comprehension

PubMed Central

Mossbridge, Julia A.; Grabowecky, Marcia; Paller, Ken A.; Suzuki, Satoru

2013-01-01

Reading comprehension depends on neural processes supporting the access, understanding, and storage of words over time. Examinations of the neural activity correlated with reading have contributed to our understanding of reading comprehension, especially for the comprehension of sentences and short passages. However, the neural activity associated with comprehending an extended text is not well-understood. Here we describe a current-source-density (CSD) index that predicts individual differences in the comprehension of an extended text. The index is the difference in CSD-transformed event-related potentials (ERPs) to a target word between two conditions: a comprehension condition with words from a story presented in their original order, and a scrambled condition with the same words presented in a randomized order. In both conditions participants responded to the target word, and in the comprehension condition they also tried to follow the story in preparation for a comprehension test. We reasoned that the spatiotemporal pattern of difference-CSDs would reflect comprehension-related processes beyond word-level processing. We used a pattern-classification method to identify the component of the difference-CSDs that accurately (88%) discriminated good from poor comprehenders. The critical CSD index was focused at a frontal-midline scalp site, occurred 400–500 ms after target-word onset, and was strongly correlated with comprehension performance. Behavioral data indicated that group differences in effort or motor preparation could not explain these results. Further, our CSD index appears to be distinct from the well-known P300 and N400 components, and CSD transformation seems to be crucial for distinguishing good from poor comprehenders using our experimental paradigm. Once our CSD index is fully characterized, this neural signature of individual differences in extended-text comprehension may aid the diagnosis and remediation of reading comprehension deficits. PMID:24223540

Two Autistic Savant Readers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, N.; Hermelin, B.

1994-01-01

Two young autistic children exhibited normal reading comprehension but reading speeds considerably faster than controls. The effect of randomizing word order was minimal for the older of the two autistic boys. Results indicate that efficient grapheme-phoneme conversion is primarily responsible for the fast reading of the autistic children.…

An amorphous titanium dioxide metal insulator metal selector device for resistive random access memory crossbar arrays with tunable voltage margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cortese, Simone; Khiat, Ali; Carta, Daniela; Light, Mark E.; Prodromakis, Themistoklis

2016-01-01

Resistive random access memory (ReRAM) crossbar arrays have become one of the most promising candidates for next-generation non volatile memories. To become a mature technology, the sneak path current issue must be solved without compromising all the advantages that crossbars offer in terms of electrical performances and fabrication complexity. Here, we present a highly integrable access device based on nickel and sub-stoichiometric amorphous titanium dioxide (TiO2-x), in a metal insulator metal crossbar structure. The high voltage margin of 3 V, amongst the highest reported for monolayer selector devices, and the good current density of 104 A/cm2 make it suitable to sustain ReRAM read and write operations, effectively tackling sneak currents in crossbars without compromising fabrication complexity in a 1 Selector 1 Resistor (1S1R) architecture. Furthermore, the voltage margin is found to be tunable by an annealing step without affecting the device's characteristics.

Effects of Tier 3 Intervention for Students With Persistent Reading Difficulties and Characteristics of Inadequate Responders.

PubMed

Denton, Carolyn A; Tolar, Tammy D; Fletcher, Jack M; Barth, Amy E; Vaughn, Sharon; Francis, David J

2013-08-01

This article describes a randomized controlled trial conducted to evaluate the effects of an intensive, individualized, Tier 3 reading intervention for second grade students who had previously experienced inadequate response to quality first grade classroom reading instruction (Tier 1) and supplemental small-group intervention (Tier 2). Also evaluated were cognitive characteristics of students with inadequate response to intensive Tier 3 intervention. Students were randomized to receive the research intervention ( N = 47) or the instruction and intervention typically provided in their schools ( N = 25). Results indicated that students who received the research intervention made significantly better growth than those who received typical school instruction on measures of word identification, phonemic decoding, and word reading fluency and on a measure of sentence- and paragraph-level reading comprehension. Treatment effects were smaller and not statistically significant on phonemic decoding efficiency, text reading fluency, and reading comprehension in extended text. Effect sizes for all outcomes except oral reading fluency met criteria for substantive importance; however, many of the students in the intervention continued to struggle. An evaluation of cognitive profiles of adequate and inadequate responders was consistent with a continuum of severity (as opposed to qualitative differences), showing greater language and reading impairment prior to the intervention in students who were inadequate responders.

Effects of Tier 3 Intervention for Students With Persistent Reading Difficulties and Characteristics of Inadequate Responders

PubMed Central

Denton, Carolyn A.; Tolar, Tammy D.; Fletcher, Jack M.; Barth, Amy E.; Vaughn, Sharon; Francis, David J.

2013-01-01

This article describes a randomized controlled trial conducted to evaluate the effects of an intensive, individualized, Tier 3 reading intervention for second grade students who had previously experienced inadequate response to quality first grade classroom reading instruction (Tier 1) and supplemental small-group intervention (Tier 2). Also evaluated were cognitive characteristics of students with inadequate response to intensive Tier 3 intervention. Students were randomized to receive the research intervention (N = 47) or the instruction and intervention typically provided in their schools (N = 25). Results indicated that students who received the research intervention made significantly better growth than those who received typical school instruction on measures of word identification, phonemic decoding, and word reading fluency and on a measure of sentence- and paragraph-level reading comprehension. Treatment effects were smaller and not statistically significant on phonemic decoding efficiency, text reading fluency, and reading comprehension in extended text. Effect sizes for all outcomes except oral reading fluency met criteria for substantive importance; however, many of the students in the intervention continued to struggle. An evaluation of cognitive profiles of adequate and inadequate responders was consistent with a continuum of severity (as opposed to qualitative differences), showing greater language and reading impairment prior to the intervention in students who were inadequate responders. PMID:25308995

Super non-linear RRAM with ultra-low power for 3D vertical nano-crossbar arrays.

PubMed

Luo, Qing; Xu, Xiaoxin; Liu, Hongtao; Lv, Hangbing; Gong, Tiancheng; Long, Shibing; Liu, Qi; Sun, Haitao; Banerjee, Writam; Li, Ling; Gao, Jianfeng; Lu, Nianduan; Liu, Ming

2016-08-25

Vertical crossbar arrays provide a cost-effective approach for high density three-dimensional (3D) integration of resistive random access memory. However, an individual selector device is not allowed to be integrated with the memory cell separately. The development of V-RRAM has impeded the lack of satisfactory self-selective cells. In this study, we have developed a high performance bilayer self-selective device using HfO2 as the memory switching layer and a mixed ionic and electron conductor as the selective layer. The device exhibits high non-linearity (>10(3)) and ultra-low half-select leakage (<0.1 pA). A four layer vertical crossbar array was successfully demonstrated based on the developed self-selective device. High uniformity, ultra-low leakage, sub-nA operation, self-compliance, and excellent read/write disturbance immunity were achieved. The robust array level performance shows attractive potential for low power and high density 3D data storage applications.

230% room-temperature magnetoresistance in CoFeB /MgO/CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djayaprawira, David D.; Tsunekawa, Koji; Nagai, Motonobu; Maehara, Hiroki; Yamagata, Shinji; Watanabe, Naoki; Yuasa, Shinji; Suzuki, Yoshishige; Ando, Koji

2005-02-01

Magnetoresistance (MR) ratio up to 230% at room temperature (294% at 20 K) has been observed in spin-valve-type magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) using MgO tunnel barrier layer fabricated on thermally oxidized Si substrates. We found that such a high MR ratio can be obtained when the MgO barrier layer was sandwiched with amorphous CoFeB ferromagnetic electrodes. Microstructure analysis revealed that the MgO layer with (001) fiber texture was realized when the MgO layer was grown on amorphous CoFeB rather than on polycrystalline CoFe. Since there have been no theoretical studies on the MTJs with a crystalline tunnel barrier and amorphous electrodes, the detailed mechanism of the huge tunneling MR effect observed in this study is not clear at the present stage. Nevertheless, the present work is of paramount importance in realizing high-density magnetoresistive random access memory and read head for ultra high-density hard-disk drives into practical use.

Longitudinal Association of Anthropometry with Mammographic Breast Density in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (Swan)

PubMed Central

Reeves, Katherine W.; Stone, Roslyn A.; Modugno, Francesmary; Ness, Roberta B.; Vogel, Victor G.; Weissfeld, Joel L.; Habel, Laurel A.; Sternfeld, Barbara; Cauley, Jane A.

2009-01-01

High percent mammographic breast density is strongly associated with increased breast cancer risk. Though body mass index (BMI) is positively associated with risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, BMI is negatively associated with percent breast density in cross-sectional studies. Few longitudinal studies have evaluated associations between BMI and weight and mammographic breast density. We studied the longitudinal relationships between anthropometry and breast density in a prospective cohort of 834 pre- and perimenopausal women enrolled in an ancillary study to the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Routine screening mammograms were collected and read for breast density. Random intercept regression models were used to evaluate whether annual BMI change was associated with changes over time in dense breast area and percent density. The study population was 7.4% African American, 48.8% Caucasian, 21.8% Chinese, and 21.9% Japanese. Mean follow-up was 4.8 years. Mean annual weight change was +0.32 kg/year, mean change in dense area was -0.77 cm2/year, and mean change in percent density was -1.14%/year. In fully adjusted models, annual change in BMI was not significantly associated with changes in dense breast area (-0.17 cm2, 95% CI -0.64, 0.29). Borderline significant negative associations were observed between annual BMI change and annual percent density change, with percent density decreasing 0.36% (95% CI -0.74, 0.02) for a one unit increase in BMI over a year. This longitudinal study provides modest evidence that changes in BMI are not associated with changes in dense area, yet may be negatively associated with percent density. PMID:19065651

Do Specific Relevance Instructions Promote Transfer Appropriate Processing?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCrudden, Matthew T.

2011-01-01

This study examined whether specific relevance instructions affect transfer appropriate processing. Undergraduates (n = 52) were randomly assigned to one of three pre-reading question conditions that asked them what-questions, why-questions, or to read for understanding (i.e., control condition). There were no differences in reading time across…

Building Vocabulary Knowledge in Preschoolers through Shared Book Reading and Gameplay

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hassinger-Das, Brenna; Ridge, Katherine; Parker, Amira; Golinkoff, Roberta Michnick; Hirsh-Pasek, Kathy; Dickinson, David K.

2016-01-01

This study moves beyond previous investigations to examine whether an educational intervention combining shared book reading with a vocabulary game increases children's vocabulary knowledge. Four-year-olds (N = 44) were randomly assigned to dyads in either an intervention (shared book reading plus vocabulary review game) or comparison condition…

Collaborative Strategic Reading for Students with Learning Disabilities in Upper Elementary Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boardman, Alison G.; Vaughn, Sharon; Buckley, Pamela; Reutebuch, Colleen; Roberts, Greg; Klingner, Janette

2016-01-01

Sixty fourth- and fifth-grade general education teachers were randomly assigned to teach Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR; Klingner, Vaughn, Boardman, & Swanson, 2012), a set of reading comprehension strategies, or to a business-as-usual comparison group. Results demonstrate that students with learning disabilities (LD) who received CSR…

Professional Literature: Who Reads It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Patricia F.

1977-01-01

To find out if professional periodicals and books are really being read, the American Management Association and the American Society for Training and Development made a joint national survey of the reading habits of three thousand training managers randomly selected from their memberships. Charts of the 801 responses are presented and discussed.…

Validation of a Supplemental Reading Intervention for First-Grade Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Case, Lisa Pericola; Speece, Deborah L.; Silverman, Rebecca; Ritchey, Kristen D.; Schatschneider, Christopher; Cooper, David H.; Montanaro, Elizabeth; Jacobs, Dawn

2010-01-01

This experimental study was designed to validate a short-term supplemental reading intervention for at-risk first-grade children. Although substantial research on long-term supplemental reading interventions exists, less is known about short-term interventions. Thirty first-grade children were randomly assigned to intervention or control…

A Report on IRI Scoring and Interpretation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Betty

Noting that most classroom teachers use informal reading inventories (IRI) as diagnostic instruments, a study examined what oral reading accuracy level is most appropriate for the instructional level and whether repetitions should be counted as oral reading errors. Randomly selected students from the second through fifth grades at two elementary…

Adult Age Differences in Knowledge-Driven Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Lisa M. Soederberg; Stine-Morrow, Elizabeth A. L.; Kirkorian, Heather L.; Conroy, Michelle L.

2004-01-01

The authors investigated the effects of domain knowledge on online reading among younger and older adults. Individuals were randomly assigned to either a domain-relevant (i.e., high-knowledge) or domain-irrelevant (i.e., low-knowledge) training condition. Two days later, participants read target passages on a computer that drew on information…

Reading Attitudes of Texas High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bussert-Webb, Kathy; Zhang, Zhidong

2016-01-01

Through random sampling, we surveyed 2,568 high school students throughout Texas to determine their reading attitudes vis-à-vis individual and school background variables. Sources were the Rhody reading attitude scale and public domain campus summary data; the lenses of attitude theory and social justice informed this study. Significant…

Improving Content Knowledge and Comprehension for English Language Learners: Findings from a Randomized Control Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaughn, Sharon; Martinez, Leticia R.; Wanzek, Jeanne; Roberts, Greg; Swanson, Elizabeth; Fall, Anna-Mária

2017-01-01

Supporting the reading comprehension and content knowledge acquisition of English language learners (ELs) requires instructional practices that continue beyond developing the foundational skills of reading. In particular, the challenges ELs face highlight the importance of teaching reading comprehension practices in the middle grades through…

Extended length microchannels for high density high throughput electrophoresis systems

DOEpatents

Davidson, James C.; Balch, Joseph W.

2000-01-01

High throughput electrophoresis systems which provide extended well-to-read distances on smaller substrates, thus compacting the overall systems. The electrophoresis systems utilize a high density array of microchannels for electrophoresis analysis with extended read lengths. The microchannel geometry can be used individually or in conjunction to increase the effective length of a separation channel while minimally impacting the packing density of channels. One embodiment uses sinusoidal microchannels, while another embodiment uses plural microchannels interconnected by a via. The extended channel systems can be applied to virtually any type of channel confined chromatography.

The Effects of Reading from the Screen on the Reading Motivation Levels of Elementary 5th Graders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydemir, Zeynep; Ozturk, Ergun

2012-01-01

This study aims to explore the effects of reading from the screen on elementary 5th grade students' reading motivation levels. It used the randomized control-group pretest-posttest model, which is a true experimental design. The study group consisted of 60 students, 30 experimental and 30 control, who were attending the 5th grade of a public…

A Comparison of Performance on Cloze Tests, Group Reading Inventories and Standardized Reading Achievement in Grades Seven, Eight and Nine.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rakes, Thomas A.; McWilliams, Lana J.

A random sample of 300 seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students participated in a comparative study of performance on social studies cloze tests, social studies group reading inventories (GRI), and a popular standardized test (Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests, Survey E). It was found that cloze tests and GRIs constructed from social studies content…

The Effect of Speed Reading Strategies on Developing Reading Comprehension among the 2nd Secondary Students in English Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdelrahman, Mahmoud Sulaiman Hamad Bani; Bsharah, Muwafaq Saleem

2014-01-01

This study aimed to find the effect of speed reading strategies on developing reading comprehension among second secondary literary stream students in English language. The sample of the study consists of (42) students assigned into two groups who were chosen randomly from schools, a controlled group (21) students, and an experimental (21)…

The Connection between Print Awareness and Concepts of Reading in Young Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tevis, Glenna

A study investigated the relationship between reading to a child, the child's awareness of print, and the child's concept of reading. Twenty-four kindergarten children and 24 three-year-old children at a day care center were randomly assigned to three groups. Three times a week for four weeks, each child in each group was read a book in a…

A Randomized Study of a Literacy-Integrated Science Intervention for Low-Socio-Economic Status Middle School Students: Findings from First-Year Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tong, Fuhui; Irby, Beverly J.; Lara-Alecio, Rafael; Guerrero, Cindy; Fan, Yinan; Huerta, Margarita

2014-01-01

This paper presents the findings from a randomized control trial study of reading/literacy-integrated science inquiry intervention after 1 year of implementation and the treatment effect on 5th-grade low-socio-economic African-American and Hispanic students' achievement in science and English reading. A total of 94 treatment students and 194…

Enhancing the Interpretive Reading and Analytical Writing of Mainstreamed English Learners in Secondary School: Results from a Randomized Field Trial Using a Cognitive Strategies Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olson, Carol Booth; Kim, James S.; Scarcella, Robin; Kramer, Jason; Pearson, Matthew; van Dyk, David A.; Collins, Penny; Land, Robert E.

2012-01-01

In this study, 72 secondary English teachers from the Santa Ana Unified School District were randomly assigned to participate in the Pathway Project, a cognitive strategies approach to teaching interpretive reading and analytical writing, or to a control condition involving typical district training focusing on teaching content from the textbook.…

Outcomes of patients discharged from pharmacy-managed cardiovascular disease management.

PubMed

Olson, Kari L; Delate, Thomas; Rasmussen, Jon; Humphries, Tammy L; Merenich, John A

2009-08-01

To evaluate whether patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) discharged from the Clinical Pharmacy Cardiac Risk Service (CPCRS) would maintain their lipid goals with use of an electronic laboratory reminder system. A 2-year, randomized study at Kaiser Permanente Colorado. Patients with prior CAD (acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, percutaneous coronary intervention) who had been enrolled in the CPCRS for at least 1 year and who had 2 consecutive low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and blood pressure readings at goal within 6 months before enrollment were randomized to remain in the CPCRS (CPCRS care) or to receive usual care from primary care physicians plus laboratory reminder letters (usual care). The primary outcome was maintenance of LDL-C goal at study end. The t test and chi(2) test of association were used to assess differences in mean and categorical values, respectively. A total of 421 patients (214 CPCRS care, 207 usual care) were randomized. Their mean age was 72 years; 74% were male. After 1.7 years of follow-up, the proportions of patients maintaining their LDL-C goal of <100 mg/dL were 91% and 93.1% in the CPCRS care and usual care groups, respectively (P = .46). The proportions maintaining their LDL-C goal of <70 mg/dL were 68.6% and 56.8% in the CPCRS care and usual care groups, respectively (P = .23). This study demonstrated that LDL-C measures can remain controlled in most patients discharged from a cardiac disease management program.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Isobe, Hiroki; Fu, Liang

Here, we study the pairing symmetry of the interlayer paired state of composite fermions in quantum Hall bilayers. Based on the Halperin-Lee-Read (HLR) theory, the effect of the long-range Coulomb interaction and the internal Chern-Simons gauge fluctuation is analyzed with the random-phase approximation beyond the leading order contribution in small momentum expansion, and we observe that the interlayer paired states with a relative angular momentummore » $l=+1$ are energetically favored for filling ν=$$\\frac{1}2$$+$$\\frac{1}2$$ and $$\\frac{1}4$$+$$\\frac{1}4$$. The degeneracy between states with $±l$ is lifted by the interlayer density-current interaction arising from the interplay of the long-range Coulomb interaction and the Chern-Simons term in the HLR theory.« less

Read clouds uncover variation in complex regions of the human genome.

PubMed

Bishara, Alex; Liu, Yuling; Weng, Ziming; Kashef-Haghighi, Dorna; Newburger, Daniel E; West, Robert; Sidow, Arend; Batzoglou, Serafim

2015-10-01

Although an increasing amount of human genetic variation is being identified and recorded, determining variants within repeated sequences of the human genome remains a challenge. Most population and genome-wide association studies have therefore been unable to consider variation in these regions. Core to the problem is the lack of a sequencing technology that produces reads with sufficient length and accuracy to enable unique mapping. Here, we present a novel methodology of using read clouds, obtained by accurate short-read sequencing of DNA derived from long fragment libraries, to confidently align short reads within repeat regions and enable accurate variant discovery. Our novel algorithm, Random Field Aligner (RFA), captures the relationships among the short reads governed by the long read process via a Markov Random Field. We utilized a modified version of the Illumina TruSeq synthetic long-read protocol, which yielded shallow-sequenced read clouds. We test RFA through extensive simulations and apply it to discover variants on the NA12878 human sample, for which shallow TruSeq read cloud sequencing data are available, and on an invasive breast carcinoma genome that we sequenced using the same method. We demonstrate that RFA facilitates accurate recovery of variation in 155 Mb of the human genome, including 94% of 67 Mb of segmental duplication sequence and 96% of 11 Mb of transcribed sequence, that are currently hidden from short-read technologies. © 2015 Bishara et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Evaluation Of Digital Unsharp-Mask Filtering For The Detection Of Subtle Mammographic Microcalcifications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Heang-Ping; Vyborny, Carl J.; MacMahon, Heber; Metz, Charles E.; Doi, Kunio; Sickles, Edward A.

1986-06-01

We have conducted a study to assess the effects of digitization and unsharp-mask filtering on the ability of observers to detect subtle microcalcifications in mammograms. Thirty-two conventional screen-film mammograms were selected from patient files by two experienced mammographers. Twelve of the mammograms contained a suspicious cluster of microcalcifications in patients who subsequently underwent biopsy. Twenty of the mammograms were normal cases which were initially interpreted as being free of clustered microcalcifications and did not demonstrate such on careful review. The mammograms were digitized with a high-quality Fuji image processing/simulation system. The system consists of two drum scanners with which an original radiograph can be digitized, processed by a minicomputer, and reconstituted on film. In this study, we employed a sampling aperture of 0.1 mm X 0.1 mm and a sampling distance of 0.1 mm. The density range from 0.2 to 2.75 was digitized to 1024 grey levels per pixel. The digitized images were printed on a single emulsion film with a display aperture having the same size as the sampling aperture. The system was carefully calibrated so that the density and contrast of a digitized image were closely matched to those of the original radiograph. Initially, we evaluated the effects of the weighting factor and the mask size of a unsharp-mask filter on the appearance of mammograms for various types of breasts. Subjective visual comparisons suggested that a mask size of 91 X 91 pixels (9.1 mm X 9.1 mm) enhances the visibility of microcalcifications without excessively increasing the high-frequency noise. Further, a density-dependent weighting factor that increases linearly from 1.5 to 3.0 in the density range of 0.2 to 2.5 enhances the contrast of microcalcifications without introducing many potentially confusing artifacts in the low-density areas. An unsharp-mask filter with these parameters was used to process the digitized mammograms. We conducted observer performance experiments to evaluate the detectability of micro-calcifications in three sets of mammograms: the original film images, unprocessed digitized images, and unsharp-masked images. Each set included the same 20 normal cases and 12 abnormal cases. A total of 5 board-certified radiologists and 4 senior radiology residents participated as observers. In the first experiment, the detectability of microcalcifications was measured for the original, unprocessed digitized, and unsharp-masked images. Each observer read all 96 films in one session with the cases arranged in a different random order. A maximum of 15 seconds was allowed to read each image. To facilitate receiver operating character-istic (ROC) analysis, each observer ranked his/her observation regarding the presence or absence of a cluster of 3 or more microcalcifications on a 5-point confidence rating scale (1=definitely no microcalcifications, 2=probably no microcalcifications; 3=microcalcifi-cations possibly present; 4=microcalcifications probably present; 5=microcalcifications definitely present). The observer identified the location of the suspected microcalci-fications when the confidence rating was 2 or greater. In the second experiment, we evaluated whether reading the unsharp-masked image and the unprocessed digitized image side by side for each case would reduce false-positive detection rates for microcalcifications and thus improve overall performance. The observer was again allowed a maximum of 15 seconds to read each pair of images and was instructed to use the unsharp-masked image for primary reading and the unprocessed digitized image for reference. The experimental setting and procedures were otherwise the same as those for the first experiment.

Threshold-voltage modulated phase change heterojunction for application of high density memory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yan, Baihan; Tong, Hao, E-mail: tonghao@hust.edu.cn; Qian, Hang

2015-09-28

Phase change random access memory is one of the most important candidates for the next generation non-volatile memory technology. However, the ability to reduce its memory size is compromised by the fundamental limitations inherent in the CMOS technology. While 0T1R configuration without any additional access transistor shows great advantages in improving the storage density, the leakage current and small operation window limit its application in large-scale arrays. In this work, phase change heterojunction based on GeTe and n-Si is fabricated to address those problems. The relationship between threshold voltage and doping concentration is investigated, and energy band diagrams and X-raymore » photoelectron spectroscopy measurements are provided to explain the results. The threshold voltage is modulated to provide a large operational window based on this relationship. The switching performance of the heterojunction is also tested, showing a good reverse characteristic, which could effectively decrease the leakage current. Furthermore, a reliable read-write-erase function is achieved during the tests. Phase change heterojunction is proposed for high-density memory, showing some notable advantages, such as modulated threshold voltage, large operational window, and low leakage current.« less

Does early reading failure decrease children's reading motivation?

PubMed

Morgan, Paul L; Fuchs, Douglas; Compton, Donald L; Cordray, David S; Fuchs, Lynn S

2008-01-01

The authors used a pretest-posttest control group design with random assignment to evaluate whether early reading failure decreases children's motivation to practice reading. First, they investigated whether 60 first-grade children would report substantially different levels of interest in reading as a function of their relative success or failure in learning to read. Second, they evaluated whether increasing the word reading ability of 15 at-risk children would lead to gains in their motivation to read. Multivariate analyses of variance suggest marked differences in both motivation and reading practice between skilled and unskilled readers. However, bolstering at-risk children's word reading ability did not yield evidence of a causal relationship between early reading failure and decreased motivation to engage in reading activities. Instead, hierarchical regression analyses indicate a covarying relationship among early reading failure, poor motivation, and avoidance of reading.

Combined Modality Intervention for ADHD with Comorbid Reading Disorders: A Proof of Concept Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tannock, Rosemary; Frijters, Jan C.; Martinussen, Rhonda; White, Erin Jacquelyn; Ickowicz, Abel; Benson, Nancy J.; Lovett, Maureen W.

2018-01-01

To evaluate the relative efficacy of two reading programs with and without adjunctive stimulant medication for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and comorbid reading disorder (ADHD+RD). Sixty-five children (7-11 years in age) were assigned randomly to one of three intensive remedial academic programs (phonologically or…

Impact Evaluation: Minnesota Reading Corps K-3 Program. Appendices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markovitz, Carrie E.; Hernandez, Marc W.; Hedberg, Eric C.; Silberglitt, Benjamin

2014-01-01

Minnesota Reading Corps (MRC) is the largest AmeriCorps State program in the country. The goal of MRC is to ensure that students become successful readers and meet reading proficiency targets by the end of the third grade. Starting in 2011, the "Corporation for National and Community Service" (CNCS) sponsored a randomized controlled…

The Targeted Reading Intervention: Face-to-Face vs. Webcam Literacy Coaching of Classroom Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vernon-Feagans, L.; Bratsch-Hines, M.; Varghese, C.; Bean, A.; Hedrick, A.

2015-01-01

The targeted reading intervention (TRI) is a professional development program for rural kindergarten and first grade classroom teachers to help them provide effective reading strategies with struggling readers. In two randomized controlled trials, the TRI was delivered two ways: (1) literacy coaches provided support for classroom teachers through…

Integrating Reading Instruction into Vocational Agriculture Classes. Miscellaneous Publication 586. Contribution Number 3813.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullivan, Dorothy D.; Cardozier, V.R.

An experiment was conducted to determine whether special reading instruction integrated with agricultural instruction would result in improved reading ability and increased achievement in subject matter. random assignment was made of vocational agriculture classes in 12 Maryland schools to experimental and control groups. Units on soil sampling…

Collaborative Strategic Reading: Replications with Consideration of the Role of Fidelity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaughn, Sharon; Roberts, Greg; Reutebuch, Colleen

2013-01-01

Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) is a multicomponent reading intervention aimed at improving students' text comprehension. Two 1-year randomized controlled trials were conducted to determine the efficacy of CSR with seventh and eighth grade students. The Year 2 replication study was identical to the original Year 1 study except that the…

Increasing Young Children's Contact with Print during Shared Reading: Longitudinal Effects on Literacy Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piasta, Shayne B.; Justice, Laura M.; McGinty, Anita S.; Kaderavek, Joan N.

2012-01-01

Longitudinal results for a randomized-controlled trial (RCT) assessing the impact of increasing preschoolers' attention to print during reading are reported. Four-year-old children (N = 550) in 85 classrooms experienced a 30-week shared reading program implemented by their teachers. Children in experimental classrooms experienced shared-book…

Preparing beginning reading teachers: An experimental comparison of initial early literacy field experiences.

PubMed

Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Lake, Vickie E; Greulich, Luana; Folsom, Jessica S; Guidry, Lisa

2012-01-01

This randomized-control trial examined the learning of preservice teachers taking an initial Early Literacy course in an early childhood education program and of the kindergarten or first grade students they tutored in their field experience. Preservice teachers were randomly assigned to one of two tutoring programs: Book Buddies and Tutor Assisted Intensive Learning Strategies (TAILS), which provided identical meaning-focused instruction (shared book reading), but differed in the presentation of code-focused skills. TAILS used explicit, scripted lessons, and the Book Buddies required that code-focused instruction take place during shared book reading. Our research goal was to understand which tutoring program would be most effective in improving knowledge about reading, lead to broad and deep language and preparedness of the novice preservice teachers, and yield the most successful student reading outcomes. Findings indicate that all pre-service teachers demonstrated similar gains in knowledge, but preservice teachers in the TAILS program demonstrated broader and deeper application of knowledge and higher self-ratings of preparedness to teach reading. Students in both conditions made similar comprehension gains, but students tutored with TAILS showed significantly stronger decoding gains.

Repeated Reading of CD-ROM Storybook as a Support for Emergent Literacy: A Developmental Perspective in Two SES Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korat, Ofra; Blau, Hila

2010-01-01

We investigated the effect of repeated readings of an electronic book (e-book) on pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children from low (n = 127) and middle (n = 120) SES groups. Children were randomly assigned to one of three options: reading an e-book in five sessions, reading an e-book in three sessions, or receiving the regular kindergarten…

Can reading-specific training stimuli improve the effect of perceptual learning on peripheral reading speed?

PubMed

Bernard, Jean-Baptiste; Arunkumar, Amit; Chung, Susana T L

2012-08-01

In a previous study, Chung, Legge, and Cheung (2004) showed that training using repeated presentation of trigrams (sequences of three random letters) resulted in an increase in the size of the visual span (number of letters recognized in a glance) and reading speed in the normal periphery. In this study, we asked whether we could optimize the benefit of trigram training on reading speed by using trigrams more specific to the reading task (i.e., trigrams frequently used in the English language) and presenting them according to their frequencies of occurrence in normal English usage and observers' performance. Averaged across seven observers, our training paradigm (4 days of training) increased the size of the visual span by 6.44 bits, with an accompanied 63.6% increase in the maximum reading speed, compared with the values before training. However, these benefits were not statistically different from those of Chung, Legge, and Cheung (2004) using a random-trigram training paradigm. Our findings confirm the possibility of increasing the size of the visual span and reading speed in the normal periphery with perceptual learning, and suggest that the benefits of training on letter recognition and maximum reading speed may not be linked to the types of letter strings presented during training. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spectral density of mixtures of random density matrices for qubits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Lin; Wang, Jiamei; Chen, Zhihua

2018-06-01

We derive the spectral density of the equiprobable mixture of two random density matrices of a two-level quantum system. We also work out the spectral density of mixture under the so-called quantum addition rule. We use the spectral densities to calculate the average entropy of mixtures of random density matrices, and show that the average entropy of the arithmetic-mean-state of n qubit density matrices randomly chosen from the Hilbert-Schmidt ensemble is never decreasing with the number n. We also get the exact value of the average squared fidelity. Some conjectures and open problems related to von Neumann entropy are also proposed.

Docosahexaenoic acid for reading, working memory and behavior in UK children aged 7-9: A randomized controlled trial for replication (the DOLAB II study).

PubMed

Montgomery, Paul; Spreckelsen, Thees F; Burton, Alice; Burton, Jennifer R; Richardson, Alexandra J

2018-01-01

Omega-3 fatty acids are central to brain-development of children. Evidence from clinical trials and systematic reviews demonstrates the potential of long-chain Omega-3 supplementation for learning and behavior. However, findings are inconclusive and in need of robust replication studies since such work is lacking. Replication of the 2012 DOLAB 1 study findings that a dietary supplementation with the long-chain omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) had beneficial effects on the reading, working memory, and behavior of healthy schoolchildren. Parallel group, fixed-dose, randomized (minimization, 30% random element), double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (RCT). Mainstream primary schools (n = 84) from five counties in the UK in 2012-2015. Healthy children aged 7-9 underperforming in reading (<20th centile). 1230 invited, 376 met study criteria. 600 mg/day DHA (from algal oil), placebo: taste/color matched corn/soybean oil; for 16 weeks. Age-standardized measures of reading, working memory, and behavior, parent-rated and as secondary outcome teacher-rated. 376 children were randomized. Reading, working memory, and behavior change scores showed no consistent differences between intervention and placebo group. Some behavioral subscales showed minor group differences. This RCT did not replicate results of the earlier DOLAB 1 study on the effectiveness of nutritional supplementation with DHA for learning and behavior. Possible reasons are discussed, particularly regarding the replication of complex interventions. www.controlled-trials.com (ISRCTN48803273) and protocols.io (https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.k8kczuw).

Universality in eye movements and reading: A trilingual investigation.

PubMed

Liversedge, Simon P; Drieghe, Denis; Li, Xin; Yan, Guoli; Bai, Xuejun; Hyönä, Jukka

2016-02-01

Universality in language has been a core issue in the fields of linguistics and psycholinguistics for many years (e.g., Chomsky, 1965). Recently, Frost (2012) has argued that establishing universals of process is critical to the development of meaningful, theoretically motivated, cross-linguistic models of reading. In contrast, other researchers argue that there is no such thing as universals of reading (e.g., Coltheart & Crain, 2012). Reading is a complex, visually mediated psychological process, and eye movements are the behavioural means by which we encode the visual information required for linguistic processing. To investigate universality of representation and process across languages we examined eye movement behaviour during reading of very comparable stimuli in three languages, Chinese, English and Finnish. These languages differ in numerous respects (character based vs. alphabetic, visual density, informational density, word spacing, orthographic depth, agglutination, etc.). We used linear mixed modelling techniques to identify variables that captured common variance across languages. Despite fundamental visual and linguistic differences in the orthographies, statistical models of reading behaviour were strikingly similar in a number of respects, and thus, we argue that their composition might reflect universality of representation and process in reading. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reading Electronic Books as a Support for Vocabulary, Story Comprehension and Word Reading in Kindergarten and First Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korat, Ofra

2010-01-01

The effect of reading an electronic storybook (e-book) on Israeli children's language and literacy was examined in kindergarten children (N = 40; age 5:2-6:3) compared to first graders (N = 50; age 6:3-7:4). The children in each age group were randomly assigned to two groups: an intervention group which read the e-book five times and a control…

National Assessment of Title I: Interim Report. Volume II: Closing the Reading Gap: First Year Findings from a Randomized Trial of Four Reading Interventions for Striving Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torgesen, Joseph; Myers, David; Schirm, Allen; Stuart, Elizabeth; Vartivarian, Sonya; Mansfield, Wendy; Stancavage, Fran; Durno, Donna; Javorsky, Rosanne; Haan, Cinthia

2006-01-01

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, nearly 4 in 10 fourth graders read below the basic level. These literacy problems get worse as students advance through school and are exposed to progressively more complex concepts and courses. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of four remedial reading programs…

Long-Term Effects of Strategic Reading Instruction in the Intermediate Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Droop, Mienke; van Elsäcker, Willy; Voeten, Marinus J. M.; Verhoeven, Ludo

2016-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a program that offered sustained strategic reading instruction on reading abilities of third and fourth graders. The study was conducted among 1,469 children from 40 schools in the Netherlands. Schools were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. Multilevel…

Developing Low-Income Preschoolers' Social Studies and Science Vocabulary Knowledge through Content-Focused Shared Book Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, Jorge E.; Pollard-Durodola, Sharolyn; Simmons, Deborah C.; Taylor, Aaron B.; Davis, Matthew J.; Kim, Minjun; Simmons, Leslie

2011-01-01

This study evaluated the effects of integrating science and social studies vocabulary instruction into shared book reading with low-income preschool children. Twenty-one preschool teachers and 148 children from their classrooms were randomly assigned at the class level to either the Words of Oral Reading and Language Development (WORLD)…

The Impact of Strategy Instruction and Timing of Estimates on Low and High Working-Memory Capacity Readers' Absolute Monitoring Accuracy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linderholm, Tracy; Zhao, Qin

2008-01-01

Working-memory capacity, strategy instruction, and timing of estimates were investigated for their effects on absolute monitoring accuracy, which is the difference between estimated and actual reading comprehension test performance. Participants read two expository texts under one of two randomly assigned reading strategy instruction conditions…

New Directions in Apprentice Selection: Self-Perceived "On the Job" Literacy (Reading) Demands of Apprentices.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Peter; Gould, Warren

A study investigated the self-perceived, on-the-job literacy tasks of electrical mechanic apprentices in Victoria, Australia. A random sample of 401 apprentices from 19 locations representing all levels of apprenticeship training were questioned about their reading needs and the consequences of making a reading error in their work. Data were…

Write to Read: Investigating the Reading-Writing Relationship of Code-Level Early Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Cindy D.; Reutzel, D. Ray

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the code-related features used in current methods of writing instruction in kindergarten classrooms transfer reading outcomes for kindergarten students. We randomly assigned kindergarten students to 3 instructional groups: a writing workshop group, an interactive writing group, and a control group.…

English as Second Language: Students' Awareness of Learning Strategies Used in Reading Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hussain, Irshad; Javed, Muhammad; Munshi, Parveen

2015-01-01

This study investigated the reading strategies used by adult learners' to read materials in English language for their studies. The population of the study consisted of students of Universiti Sains Malaysia. A sample of 80 (40 Postgraduates and 40 Undergraduates) TESOL students enrolled in the University were selected randomly. The data were…

Examining the Effect of Computer-Based Passage Presentation on Reading Test Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higgins, Jennifer; Russell, Michael; Hoffmann, Thomas

2005-01-01

To examine the impact of transitioning 4th grade reading comprehension assessments to the computer, 219 fourth graders were randomly assigned to take a one-hour reading comprehension assessment on paper, on a computer using scrolling text to navigate through passages, or on a computer using paging text to navigate through passages. This study…

Reading Comprehension Strategy Instruction and Attribution Retraining for Secondary Students with Learning and Other Mild Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berkeley, Sheri; Mastropieri, Margo A.; Scruggs, Thomas E.

2011-01-01

A pre-post experimental design with 6-week delayed posttest was implemented to investigate the effects of reading comprehension strategy (RCS) instruction with and without attribution retraining (AR) on reading outcomes for seventh, eighth, and ninth graders with learning and other mild disabilities. Students were randomly assigned to one of three…

Repeated E-Book Reading and Its Contribution to Learning New Words among Kindergartners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korat, Ofra; Kozlov-Peretz, Olla; Segal-Drori, Ora

2017-01-01

The contribution of repeated e-book reading with and without word explanation support and its effect on receptive and expressive word learning among preschoolers was examined. Seventy-eight kindergartners were randomly divided into an experimental and a control group. The experimental group received two individual reading sessions of an e-book…

Using Regression Discontinuity to Test the Impact of a Tier 2 Reading Intervention in First Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Scott K.; Smolkowski, Keith; Chaparro, Erin A.; Smith, Jean L. M.; Fien, Hank

2015-01-01

Multitiered systems of reading instruction and intervention, including response to intervention, are widely used in early reading by schools to provide more intense services to students who need them. Research using randomized controlled trials has compared innovative Tier 2 interventions to business-as-usual Tier 2 approaches and established a…

Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial – Attention and Reading Trial (CITT-ART): Design and Methods

PubMed Central

Scheiman, Mitchell; Mitchell, G. Lynn; Cotter, Susan A.; Kulp, Marjean; Chase, Christopher; Borsting, Eric; Arnold, Eugene; Denton, Carolyn; Hertle, Richard

2016-01-01

Objective To describe the design and methodology of the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial: Attention and Reading Trial (CITT-ART), the first randomized clinical trial evaluating the effect of vision therapy on reading and attention in school-age children with symptomatic convergence insufficiency (CI). Methods CITT-ART is a multicenter, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial of 324 children ages 9 to 14 years in grades 3 to 8 with symptomatic CI. Participants are randomized to 16 weeks of office-based vergence/accommodative therapy (OBVAT) or placebo therapy (OBPT), both supplemented with home therapy. The primary outcome measure is the change in the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Version 3 (WIAT-III) reading comprehension subtest score. Secondary outcome measures are changes in attention as measured by the Strengths and Weaknesses of Attention (SWAN) as reported by parents and teachers, tests of binocular visual function, and other measures of reading and attention. The long-term effects of treatment are assessed 1 year after treatment completion. All analyses will test the null hypothesis of no difference in outcomes between the two treatment groups. The study is entering its second year of recruitment. The final results will contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between the treatment of symptomatic CI and its effect on reading and attention. Conclusion The study will provide an evidence base to help parents, eye professionals, educators, and other health care providers make informed decisions as they care for children with CI and reading and attention problems. Results may also generate additional hypothesis and guide the development of other scientific investigations of the relationships between visual disorders and other developmental disorders in children. PMID:26942226

Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial - Attention and Reading Trial (CITT-ART): Design and Methods.

PubMed

Scheiman, Mitchell; Mitchell, G Lynn; Cotter, Susan A; Kulp, Marjean; Chase, Christopher; Borsting, Eric; Arnold, Eugene; Denton, Carolyn; Hertle, Richard

2015-10-01

To describe the design and methodology of the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial: Attention and Reading Trial (CITT-ART), the first randomized clinical trial evaluating the effect of vision therapy on reading and attention in school-age children with symptomatic convergence insufficiency (CI). CITT-ART is a multicenter, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial of 324 children ages 9 to 14 years in grades 3 to 8 with symptomatic CI. Participants are randomized to 16 weeks of office-based vergence/accommodative therapy (OBVAT) or placebo therapy (OBPT), both supplemented with home therapy. The primary outcome measure is the change in the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-Version 3 (WIAT-III) reading comprehension subtest score. Secondary outcome measures are changes in attention as measured by the Strengths and Weaknesses of Attention (SWAN) as reported by parents and teachers, tests of binocular visual function, and other measures of reading and attention. The long-term effects of treatment are assessed 1 year after treatment completion. All analyses will test the null hypothesis of no difference in outcomes between the two treatment groups. The study is entering its second year of recruitment. The final results will contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between the treatment of symptomatic CI and its effect on reading and attention. The study will provide an evidence base to help parents, eye professionals, educators, and other health care providers make informed decisions as they care for children with CI and reading and attention problems. Results may also generate additional hypothesis and guide the development of other scientific investigations of the relationships between visual disorders and other developmental disorders in children.

Effectiveness of Music Education for the Improvement of Reading Skills and Academic Achievement in Young Poor Readers: A Pragmatic Cluster-Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial

PubMed Central

Cogo-Moreira, Hugo; de Ávila, Clara Regina Brandão; Ploubidis, George B.; Mari, Jair de Jesus

2013-01-01

Introduction Difficulties in word-level reading skills are prevalent in Brazilian schools and may deter children from gaining the knowledge obtained through reading and academic achievement. Music education has emerged as a potential method to improve reading skills because due to a common neurobiological substratum. Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of music education for the improvement of reading skills and academic achievement among children (eight to 10 years of age) with reading difficulties. Method 235 children with reading difficulties in 10 schools participated in a five-month, randomized clinical trial in cluster (RCT) in an impoverished zone within the city of São Paulo to test the effects of music education intervention while assessing reading skills and academic achievement during the school year. Five schools were chosen randomly to incorporate music classes (n = 114), and five served as controls (n = 121). Two different methods of analysis were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention: The standard method was intention-to-treat (ITT), and the other was the Complier Average Causal Effect (CACE) estimation method, which took compliance status into account. Results The ITT analyses were not very promising; only one marginal effect existed for the rate of correct real words read per minute. Indeed, considering ITT, improvements were observed in the secondary outcomes (slope of Portuguese = 0.21 [p<0.001] and slope of math = 0.25 [p<0.001]). As for CACE estimation (i.e., complier children versus non-complier children), more promising effects were observed in terms of the rate of correct words read per minute [β = 13.98, p<0.001] and phonological awareness [β = 19.72, p<0.001] as well as secondary outcomes (academic achievement in Portuguese [β = 0.77, p<0.0001] and math [β = 0.49, p<0.001] throughout the school year). Conclusion The results may be seen as promising, but they are not, in themselves, enough to make music lessons as public policy. PMID:23544117

Effectiveness of music education for the improvement of reading skills and academic achievement in young poor readers: a pragmatic cluster-randomized, controlled clinical trial.

PubMed

Cogo-Moreira, Hugo; Brandão de Ávila, Clara Regina; Ploubidis, George B; Mari, Jair de Jesus

2013-01-01

Difficulties in word-level reading skills are prevalent in Brazilian schools and may deter children from gaining the knowledge obtained through reading and academic achievement. Music education has emerged as a potential method to improve reading skills because due to a common neurobiological substratum. To evaluate the effectiveness of music education for the improvement of reading skills and academic achievement among children (eight to 10 years of age) with reading difficulties. 235 children with reading difficulties in 10 schools participated in a five-month, randomized clinical trial in cluster (RCT) in an impoverished zone within the city of São Paulo to test the effects of music education intervention while assessing reading skills and academic achievement during the school year. Five schools were chosen randomly to incorporate music classes (n = 114), and five served as controls (n = 121). Two different methods of analysis were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention: The standard method was intention-to-treat (ITT), and the other was the Complier Average Causal Effect (CACE) estimation method, which took compliance status into account. The ITT analyses were not very promising; only one marginal effect existed for the rate of correct real words read per minute. Indeed, considering ITT, improvements were observed in the secondary outcomes (slope of Portuguese = 0.21 [p<0.001] and slope of math = 0.25 [p<0.001]). As for CACE estimation (i.e., complier children versus non-complier children), more promising effects were observed in terms of the rate of correct words read per minute [β = 13.98, p<0.001] and phonological awareness [β = 19.72, p<0.001] as well as secondary outcomes (academic achievement in Portuguese [β = 0.77, p<0.0001] and math [β = 0.49, p<0.001] throughout the school year). The results may be seen as promising, but they are not, in themselves, enough to make music lessons as public policy.

Easy-to-read texts for students with intellectual disability: linguistic factors affecting comprehension.

PubMed

Fajardo, Inmaculada; Ávila, Vicenta; Ferrer, Antonio; Tavares, Gema; Gómez, Marcos; Hernández, Ana

2014-05-01

The use of 'easy-to-read' materials for people with intellectual disabilities has become very widespread but their effectiveness has scarcely been evaluated. In this study, the framework provided by Kintsch's Construction-Integration Model (1988) is used to examine (i) the reading comprehension levels of different passages of the Spanish text that have been designed following easy-to-read guidelines and (ii) the relationships between reading comprehension (literal and inferential) and various linguistic features of these texts. Sixteen students with mild intellectual disability and low levels of reading skills were asked to read easy-to-read texts and then complete a reading comprehension test. The corpus of texts was composed of a set of forty-eight pieces of news selected from www.noticiasfacil.es, a Spanish digital newspaper that publishes daily journalistic texts following international guidelines for the design of easy-to-read documents (IFLA, Tronbacke B. (1997) Guidelines for Easy-to-read Materials. IFLA, The Hague). Participants correctly answered 80% of the comprehension questions, showing significantly higher scores for literal questions than for inferential questions. The analyses of the texts' linguistic features revealed that the number of coreferences was the variable that best predicted literal comprehension, but contrary to what the previous literature seemed to indicate, the relationship between the two variables was inverse. In the case of inferential comprehension, the number of sentences was a significant negative predictor; that is, the higher the sentence density, the lower the ability of these students to find relationships between them. The effects of the rest of linguistic variables, such as word frequency and word length, on comprehension were null. These results provide preliminary empirical support for the use of easy-to-read texts but bring into question the validity of some popular design guidelines (e.g. augmenting word frequency) to optimally match texts and reading levels of students with intellectual disability. Two factors are suggested as contributing to the effect of sentence density on inferential comprehension: (i) long texts present higher conceptual density, so there are more ideas to store, retrieve and integrate, which increases the demand on inferential reasoning and (ii) long texts are perceived as difficult, which affects reading motivation and, consequently, induces passive reading strategies. The need for further research to elucidate the origin of our main findings with a larger and more heterogeneous sample of students with intellectual disability is highlighted. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DR-TA) and the Traditional Approach Using Tales of Virtue Based on His Majesty the King's Teaching Concepts in Seventh Grade Students' Reading Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chaemsai, Rungruedee; Rattanavich, Saowalak

2016-01-01

This study compares the English reading comprehension and ethical awareness of 7th grade students, when using either a directed reading-thinking activity (DR-TA), or a more traditional approach, involving tales of virtue based on His Majesty the King's teaching concepts. A randomized control group pretest-posttest design was used for the study,…

The Effects of Content-Enriched Shared Book Reading versus Vocabulary-Only Discussions on the Vocabulary Outcomes of Preschool Dual Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pollard-Durodola, Sharolyn D.; Gonzalez, Jorge E.; Saenz, Laura; Resendez, Nora; Kwok, Oiman; Zhu, Leina; Davis, Heather

2018-01-01

Research Findings: This study compared the effects of content-based shared book-reading instruction versus an explicit vocabulary-only condition on the vocabulary development of preschool dual language learners (DLLs). Using shared book reading as the mode of instruction, we randomly assigned 48 bilingual preschool teachers and 281…

Multiple-Component Remediation for Developmental Reading Disabilities: IQ, Socioeconomic Status, and Race as Factors in Remedial Outcome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morris, Robin D.; Lovett, Maureen W.; Wolf, Maryanne; Sevcik, Rose A.; Steinbach, Karen A.; Frijters, Jan C.; Shapiro, Marla B.

2012-01-01

Results from a controlled evaluation of remedial reading interventions are reported: 279 young disabled readers were randomly assigned to a program according to a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design (IQ, socioeconomic status [SES], and race). The effectiveness of two multiple-component intervention programs for children with reading disabilities (PHAB +…

Cross-Validation of easyCBM Reading Cut Scores in Washington: 2009-2010. Technical Report #1109

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irvin, P. Shawn; Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Anderson, Daniel; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2011-01-01

This technical report presents results from a cross-validation study designed to identify optimal cut scores when using easyCBM[R] reading tests in Washington state. The cross-validation study analyzes data from the 2009-2010 academic year for easyCBM[R] reading measures. A sample of approximately 900 students per grade, randomly split into two…

Assessing and Evaluating Department of Defense Efforts to Inform, Influence, and Persuade: An Annotated Reading List

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-01-01

reading, but the read- ings in this section may be given a lower priority. Paul W. Farris, Neil T. Bendle, Phillip E. Pfeifer, and David J. Reibstein...inform, influence, and persuade. Chip Heath and Dan Heath , Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, New York: Random House, 2007. This

An Experimental Study of Scheduling and Duration of "Tier 2" First-Grade Reading Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denton, Carolyn A.; Cirino, Paul T.; Barth, Amy E.; Romain, Melissa; Vaughn, Sharon; Wexler, Jade; Francis, David J.; Fletcher, Jack M.

2011-01-01

This study compared the effects on reading outcomes of delivering supplemental, small-group intervention to first-grade students at risk for reading difficulties randomly assigned to one of three different treatment schedules: extended (4 sessions per week, 16 weeks; n = 66), concentrated (4 sessions per week, 8 weeks; n = 64), or distributed (2…

The Influence of Personalization of Online Texts on Elementary School Students' Reading Comprehension and Attitudes toward Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ertem, Ihsan Seyit

2013-01-01

The purpose of this research was to examine the role of personalized and non-personalized online texts on elementary school fifth grade students' comprehension and their attitudes toward reading. Participants were 47 fifth-grade students from a rural elementary school in north Florida. The subjects were randomly assigned into two (personalized…

Interactive Book Reading: Promoting Emergent Literacy Skills in Preschool Children through a Parent Training Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woods, Latasha S.

2017-01-01

This pilot study examined the effects of the Interactive Book Reading at Home (IBR; Wasik, 2009) parent training program on the emergent literacy skills of preschool children and parent beliefs about reading. A quasi-experimental, pretest and posttest design was utilized. Twenty parent-child dyads were randomly assigned to a control or treatment…

A Pilot Study of a Kindergarten Summer School Reading Program in High-Poverty Urban Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denton, Carolyn A.; Solari, Emily J.; Ciancio, Dennis J.; Hecht, Steven A.; Swank, Paul R.

2010-01-01

This pilot study examined an implementation of a kindergarten summer school reading program in 4 high-poverty urban schools. The program targeted both basic reading skills and oral language development. Students were randomly assigned to a treatment group (n = 25) or a typical practice comparison group (n = 28) within each school; however,…

Replicating the Effects of a Teacher-Scaffolded Voluntary Summer Reading Program: The Role of Poverty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Thomas G.; Kim, James S.; Kingston, Helen Chen; Foster, Lisa

2014-01-01

A randomized trial involving 19 elementary schools (K-5) was conducted to replicate and extend two previous experimental studies of the effects of a voluntary summer reading program that provided (a) books matched to students' reading levels and interests and (b) teacher scaffolding in the form of end-of-year comprehension lessons. Matched…

Middle School Reading Comprehension and Content Learning Intervention for Below-Average Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Elizabeth; Wanzek, Jeanne; Vaughn, Sharon; Fall, Anna-Maria; Roberts, Greg; Hall, Colby; Miller, Veronica L.

2017-01-01

This study aimed to determine the efficacy of a content knowledge and reading comprehension treatment implemented by 8th-grade social studies teachers over the course of 1 school year. We randomly assigned 8th-grade students with reading difficulties to the intervention treatment condition (n = 45) or the business-as-usual comparison condition…

A Randomized Controlled Trial on The Beneficial Effects of Training Letter-Speech Sound Integration on Reading Fluency in Children with Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Fraga González, Gorka; Žarić, Gojko; Tijms, Jurgen; Bonte, Milene; van der Molen, Maurits W.

2015-01-01

A recent account of dyslexia assumes that a failure to develop automated letter-speech sound integration might be responsible for the observed lack of reading fluency. This study uses a pre-test-training-post-test design to evaluate the effects of a training program based on letter-speech sound associations with a special focus on gains in reading fluency. A sample of 44 children with dyslexia and 23 typical readers, aged 8 to 9, was recruited. Children with dyslexia were randomly allocated to either the training program group (n = 23) or a waiting-list control group (n = 21). The training intensively focused on letter-speech sound mapping and consisted of 34 individual sessions of 45 minutes over a five month period. The children with dyslexia showed substantial reading gains for the main word reading and spelling measures after training, improving at a faster rate than typical readers and waiting-list controls. The results are interpreted within the conceptual framework assuming a multisensory integration deficit as the most proximal cause of dysfluent reading in dyslexia. Trial Registration: ISRCTN register ISRCTN12783279 PMID:26629707

On the joint spectral density of bivariate random sequences. Thesis Technical Report No. 21

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aalfs, David D.

1995-01-01

For univariate random sequences, the power spectral density acts like a probability density function of the frequencies present in the sequence. This dissertation extends that concept to bivariate random sequences. For this purpose, a function called the joint spectral density is defined that represents a joint probability weighing of the frequency content of pairs of random sequences. Given a pair of random sequences, the joint spectral density is not uniquely determined in the absence of any constraints. Two approaches to constraining the sequences are suggested: (1) assume the sequences are the margins of some stationary random field, (2) assume the sequences conform to a particular model that is linked to the joint spectral density. For both approaches, the properties of the resulting sequences are investigated in some detail, and simulation is used to corroborate theoretical results. It is concluded that under either of these two constraints, the joint spectral density can be computed from the non-stationary cross-correlation.

Interlayer Pairing Symmetry of Composite Fermions in Quantum Hall Bilayers

DOE PAGES

Isobe, Hiroki; Fu, Liang

2017-04-17

Here, we study the pairing symmetry of the interlayer paired state of composite fermions in quantum Hall bilayers. Based on the Halperin-Lee-Read (HLR) theory, the effect of the long-range Coulomb interaction and the internal Chern-Simons gauge fluctuation is analyzed with the random-phase approximation beyond the leading order contribution in small momentum expansion, and we observe that the interlayer paired states with a relative angular momentummore » $l=+1$ are energetically favored for filling ν=$$\\frac{1}2$$+$$\\frac{1}2$$ and $$\\frac{1}4$$+$$\\frac{1}4$$. The degeneracy between states with $±l$ is lifted by the interlayer density-current interaction arising from the interplay of the long-range Coulomb interaction and the Chern-Simons term in the HLR theory.« less

Random numbers from vacuum fluctuations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shi, Yicheng; Kurtsiefer, Christian, E-mail: christian.kurtsiefer@gmail.com; Center for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117543

2016-07-25

We implement a quantum random number generator based on a balanced homodyne measurement of vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field. The digitized signal is directly processed with a fast randomness extraction scheme based on a linear feedback shift register. The random bit stream is continuously read in a computer at a rate of about 480 Mbit/s and passes an extended test suite for random numbers.

A Meta-Analysis of Red Yeast Rice: An Effective and Relatively Safe Alternative Approach for Dyslipidemia

PubMed Central

Li, Yinhua; Jiang, Long; Jia, Zhangrong; Xin, Wei; Yang, Shiwei; Yang, Qiu; Wang, Luya

2014-01-01

Objective To explore whether red yeast rice is a safe and effective alternative approach for dyslipidemia. Methods Pubmed, the Cochrane Library, EBSCO host, Chinese VIP Information (VIP), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Databases were searched for appropriate articles. Randomized trials of RYR (not including Xuezhikang and Zhibituo) and placebo as control in patients with dyslipidemia were considered. Two authors read all papers and independently extracted all relevant information. The primary outcomes were serum total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride (TG), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The secondary outcomes were increased levels of alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase, creatinine and fasting blood glucose. Results A total of 13 randomized, placebo-controlled trials containing 804 participants were analyzed. Red yeast rice exhibited significant lowering effects on serum TC [WMD = −0.97 (95% CI: −1.13, −0.80) mmol/L, P<0.001], TG [WMD = −0.23 (95% CI: −0.31, −0.14) mmol/L, P<0.001], and LDL-C [WMD = −0.87 (95% CI: −1.03, −0.71) mmol/L, P<0.001] but no significant increasing effect on HDL-C [WMD = 0.08 (95% CI: −0.02, 0.19) mmol/L, P = 0.11] compared with placebo. No serious side effects were reported in all trials. Conclusions The meta-analysis suggests that red yeast rice is an effective and relatively safe approach for dyslipidemia. However, further long-term, rigorously designed randomized controlled trials are still warranted before red yeast rice could be recommended to patients with dyslipidemia, especially as an alternative to statins. PMID:24897342

Comparison Between Digital and Synthetic 2D Mammograms in Breast Density Interpretation.

PubMed

Alshafeiy, Taghreed I; Wadih, Antoine; Nicholson, Brandi T; Rochman, Carrie M; Peppard, Heather R; Patrie, James T; Harvey, Jennifer A

2017-07-01

The purpose of this study was to compare assessments of breast density on synthetic 2D images as compared with digital 2D mammograms. This retrospective study included consecutive women undergoing screening with digital 2D mammography and tomosynthesis during May 2015 with a negative or benign outcome. In separate reading sessions, three radiologists with 5-25 years of clinical experience and 1 year of experience with synthetic 2D mammography read digital 2D and synthetic 2D images and assigned breast density categories according to the 5th edition of BI-RADS. Inter- and intrareader agreement was assessed for each BI-RADS density assessment and combined dense and nondense categories using percent agreement and Cohen kappa coefficient for consensus and all reads. A total of 309 patients met study inclusion criteria. Agreement between consensus BI-RADS density categories assigned for digital and synthetic 2D mammography was 80.3% (95% CI, 75.4-84.5%) with κ = 0.73 (95% CI, 0.66-0.79). For combined dense and nondense categories, agreement reached 91.9% (95% CI, 88.2-94.7%). For consensus readings, similar numbers of patients were shifted between nondense and dense categories (11 and 14, respectively) with the synthetic 2D compared with digital 2D mammography. Interreader differences were apparent; assignment to dense categories was greater with digital 2D mammography for reader 1 (odds ratio [OR], 1.26; p = 0.002), the same for reader 2 (OR, 0.91; p = 0.262), and greater with synthetic 2D mammography for reader 3 (OR, 0.86; p = 0.033). Overall, synthetic 2D mammography is comparable with digital 2D mammography in assessment of breast density, though there is some variability by reader. Practices can readily adopt synthetic 2D mammography without concern that it will affect density assessment and subsequent recommendations for supplemental screening.

The Effect of Baby Books on Mothers’ Reading Beliefs and Reading Practices

PubMed Central

Auger, Anamarie; Reich, Stephanie M.; Penner, Emily K.

2014-01-01

The impact of a baby book intervention on promoting positive reading beliefs and increasing reading frequency for low-income, new mothers (n = 167) was examined. The Baby Books Project randomly assigned low-income, first-time mothers to one of three study conditions, receiving educational books, non-educational books, or no books, during pregnancy and over the first year of parenthood. Home-based data collection occurred through pregnancy until 18 months post-partum. Mothers who received free baby books had higher beliefs about the importance of reading, the value of having resources to support reading, and the importance of verbal participation during reading. The results showed that providing any type of baby books to mothers positively influenced maternal reading beliefs, but did not increase infant-mother reading practices. Maternal reading beliefs across all three groups were significantly associated with self-reported reading frequency when children were at least 12 months of age. PMID:25264394

Visual assessment of breast density using Visual Analogue Scales: observer variability, reader attributes and reading time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ang, Teri; Harkness, Elaine F.; Maxwell, Anthony J.; Lim, Yit Y.; Emsley, Richard; Howell, Anthony; Evans, D. Gareth; Astley, Susan; Gadde, Soujanya

2017-03-01

Breast density is a strong risk factor for breast cancer and has potential use in breast cancer risk prediction, with subjective methods of density assessment providing a strong relationship with the development of breast cancer. This study aims to assess intra- and inter-observer variability in visual density assessment recorded on Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) among trained readers, and examine whether reader age, gender and experience are associated with assessed density. Eleven readers estimated the breast density of 120 mammograms on two occasions 3 years apart using VAS. Intra- and inter-observer agreement was assessed with Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and variation between readers visualised on Bland-Altman plots. The mean scores of all mammograms per reader were used to analyse the effect of reader attributes on assessed density. Excellent intra-observer agreement (ICC>0.80) was found in the majority of the readers. All but one reader had a mean difference of <10 percentage points from the first to the second reading. Inter-observer agreement was excellent for consistency (ICC 0.82) and substantial for absolute agreement (ICC 0.69). However, the 95% limits of agreement for pairwise differences were -6.8 to 15.7 at the narrowest and 0.8 to 62.3 at the widest. No significant association was found between assessed density and reader age, experience or gender, or with reading time. Overall, the readers were consistent in their scores, although some large variations were observed. Reader evaluation and targeted training may alleviate this problem.

Using histograms to introduce randomization in the generation of ensembles of decision trees

DOEpatents

Kamath, Chandrika; Cantu-Paz, Erick; Littau, David

2005-02-22

A system for decision tree ensembles that includes a module to read the data, a module to create a histogram, a module to evaluate a potential split according to some criterion using the histogram, a module to select a split point randomly in an interval around the best split, a module to split the data, and a module to combine multiple decision trees in ensembles. The decision tree method includes the steps of reading the data; creating a histogram; evaluating a potential split according to some criterion using the histogram, selecting a split point randomly in an interval around the best split, splitting the data, and combining multiple decision trees in ensembles.

Non-nuclear methods for HMA density measurements : final report, June 2008.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-05-01

Non-nuclear methods for the measurement of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) density offer the ability to take numerous density readings in a very short period of time, without the need for intensive licensing, training, and maintenance efforts common to nuclear...

The Relative Impact of Aligning Tier 2 Intervention Materials with Classroom Core Reading Materials in Grades K-2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foorman, Barbara R.; Herrera, Sarah; Dombek, Jennifer

2018-01-01

This randomized controlled trial in 55 low-performing schools across Florida compared 2 early literacy interventions--1 using stand-alone materials and 1 using materials embedded in the existing core reading/language arts program. A total of 3,447 students who were below the 30th percentile in vocabulary and reading-related skills participated in…

Improving the Reading of Bisyllabic Words That Involve Context-Sensitive Spelling Rules: Focus on Successes or on Failures?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steenbeek-Planting, Esther G.; van Bon, Wim H. J.; Schreuder, Robert

2013-01-01

The effect of two training procedures on the improvement of reading accuracy in poor readers was examined in relation to their initial reading level. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 60 poor readers. Poor readers were assigned to a control group that received no training, or one of two training conditions. One training concentrated…

WWC Review of the Report "Increasing Young Children's Contact with Print during Shared Reading: Longitudinal Effects on Literacy Achievement"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2012

2012-01-01

The study examined the impact of the "Project STAR" ("Sit Together and Read") reading program on the literacy skills of preschool students. Researchers randomly assigned 85 preschool classrooms in Ohio to one of three study groups at the start of the 2004-05 or 2005-06 school years: (1) A high-dose intervention group, in which…

Direct and Indirect Teaching: Using E-Books for Supporting Vocabulary, Word Reading, and Story Comprehension for Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korat, Ofra; Shamir, Adina

2012-01-01

We examine the effect of direct and indirect teaching of vocabulary and word reading on pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children following use of an electronic storybook (e-book). The children in each age group were randomly assigned to an intervention group which read the e-book or to a control group which was afforded the regular school…

Examining the Average and Local Effects of a Standardized Treatment for Fourth Graders with Reading Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wanzek, Jeanne; Petscher, Yaacov; Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Kent, Shawn C.; Schatschneider, Christopher; Haynes, Martha; Rivas, Brenna K.; Jones, Francesca G.

2016-01-01

The present study used a randomized control trial to examine the effects of a widely used multicomponent Tier 2-type intervention, Passport to Literacy, on the reading ability of 221 fourth graders who initially scored at or below the 30th percentile in reading comprehension. Intervention was provided by research staff to groups of 4-7 students…

Examining the Average and Local Effects of a Standardized Treatment for Fourth Graders with Reading Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wanzek, Jeanne; Petscher, Yaacov; Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Kent, Shawn; Christopher, Schatschneider; Haynes, Martha; Rivas, Brenna K.; Jones, Francesca G.

2016-01-01

The present study used a randomized control trial to examine the effects of a widely-used multi-component Tier 2 type intervention, Passport to Literacy, on the reading ability of 221 fourth graders who initially scored at or below the 30th percentile in reading comprehension. Intervention was provided by research staff to groups of 4-7 students…

Cross-Validation of easyCBM Reading Cut Scores in Oregon: 2009-2010. Technical Report #1108

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Bitnara Jasmine; Irvin, P. Shawn; Anderson, Daniel; Alonzo, Julie; Tindal, Gerald

2011-01-01

This technical report presents results from a cross-validation study designed to identify optimal cut scores when using easyCBM[R] reading tests in Oregon. The cross-validation study analyzes data from the 2009-2010 academic year for easyCBM[R] reading measures. A sample of approximately 2,000 students per grade, randomly split into two groups of…

Responsiveness and Attention during Picture-Book Reading in 18-Month-Old to 24-Month-Old Toddlers at Risk

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fletcher, Kathryn L.; Perez, Andreina; Hooper, Corrie; Claussen, Angelika H.

2005-01-01

The purpose of this research was to examine the spontaneous responsiveness and attention during picture-book reading in 18-month-old to 24-month-old children from at-risk backgrounds. Twenty-five, 18-month-old children in an early intervention program were randomly assigned to a read condition or play condition for six months. At each seventh…

Exploring the Cross-Linguistic Transfer of Reading Skills in Spanish to English in the Context of a Computer Adaptive Reading Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Doris Luft; Basaraba, Deni Lee; Smolkowski, Keith; Conry, Jillian; Hautala, Jarkko; Richardson, Ulla; English, Sherril; Cole, Ron

2017-01-01

We explore the potential of a computer-adaptive decoding game in Spanish to increase the decoding skills and oral reading fluency in Spanish and English of bilingual students. Participants were 78 first-grade Spanish-speaking students attending bilingual programs in five classrooms in Texas. Classrooms were randomly assigned to the treatment…

Differences in the Reading of Shallow and Deep Orthography: Developmental Evidence from Hebrew and Turkish Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Paul; Kargin, Tevhide; Guldenoglu, Birkan

2014-01-01

The present study investigates differences in the word-reading process between individuals reading in a deep (unpointed Hebrew) and a shallow orthography (Turkish). The participants were 120 students evenly and randomly recruited from three levels of education (primary = 3rd-4th graders; middle = 6th-7th graders; high = 9th-10th graders). The…

Coaching and Demonstration of Evidence-Based Book-Reading Practices: Effects on Head Start Teachers' Literacy-Related Behaviors and Classroom Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gettinger, Maribeth; Stoiber, Karen C.

2016-01-01

This study examined the effects of coaching with versus without demonstrations of evidence-based book-reading practices on teachers' use of strategies during independent book-reading periods. A total of 22 Head Start teachers were randomly assigned to one of two cohorts. One cohort (n = 12) participated in biweekly coaching sessions that included…

The Impact of Item Dependency on the Efficiency of Testing and Reliability of Student Scores from a Computer Adaptive Assessment of Reading Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petscher, Yaacov; Foorman, Barbara R.; Truckenmiller, Adrea J.

2017-01-01

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the extent to which students who took a computer adaptive test of reading comprehension accounting for testlet effects were administered fewer passages and had a more precise estimate of their reading comprehension ability compared to students in the control condition. A randomized controlled…

Impacts after One Year of "Healing Classroom" on Children's Reading and Math Skills in DRC: Results from a Cluster Randomized Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aber, J. Lawrence; Torrente, Catalina; Starkey, Leighann; Johnston, Brian; Seidman, Edward; Halpin, Peter; Shivshanker, Anjuli; Weisenhorn, Nina; Annan, Jeannie; Wolf, Sharon

2017-01-01

This article examines the effects of one year of exposure to "Learning to Read in a Healing Classroom" (LRHC) on the reading and math skills of second- to fourth-grade children in the low-income and conflict-affected Democratic Republic of the Congo. LRHC consists of two primary components: teacher resource materials that infuse…

Prediction of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) Score Using Acoustic Measurements in a Sample of Iium Engineering Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fikri Zanil, Muhamad; Nur Wahidah Nik Hashim, Nik; Azam, Huda

2017-11-01

Psychiatrist currently relies on questionnaires and interviews for psychological assessment. These conservative methods often miss true positives and might lead to death, especially in cases where a patient might be experiencing suicidal predisposition but was only diagnosed as major depressive disorder (MDD). With modern technology, an assessment tool might aid psychiatrist with a more accurate diagnosis and thus hope to reduce casualty. This project will explore on the relationship between speech features of spoken audio signal (reading) in Bahasa Malaysia with the Beck Depression Inventory scores. The speech features used in this project were Power Spectral Density (PSD), Mel-frequency Ceptral Coefficients (MFCC), Transition Parameter, formant and pitch. According to analysis, the optimum combination of speech features to predict BDI-II scores include PSD, MFCC and Transition Parameters. The linear regression approach with sequential forward/backward method was used to predict the BDI-II scores using reading speech. The result showed 0.4096 mean absolute error (MAE) for female reading speech. For male, the BDI-II scores successfully predicted 100% less than 1 scores difference with MAE of 0.098437. A prediction system called Depression Severity Evaluator (DSE) was developed. The DSE managed to predict one out of five subjects. Although the prediction rate was low, the system precisely predict the score within the maximum difference of 4.93 for each person. This demonstrates that the scores are not random numbers.

Effects of a Randomized Reading Intervention Study Aimed at 9-Year-Olds: A 5-Year Follow-up.

PubMed

Wolff, Ulrika

2016-05-01

The present paper reports on a 5-year follow-up of a randomized reading intervention in grade 3 in Sweden. An intervention group (n = 57) received daily training for 12 weeks in phoneme/grapheme mapping, reading comprehension and reading speed, whereas a control group (n = 55) participated in ordinary classroom activities. The main aim was to investigate if there were remaining effects of the intervention on reading-related skills. Previous analyses showed that the intervention group performed significantly better than the control group on spelling, reading speed, reading comprehension and phoneme awareness at the immediate post-test with sustained effects 1 year later. Results from the 5-year follow-up show that the only significant difference between the intervention (n = 47) and the control group (n = 37) was on word decoding. There was also a significant interaction effect of group assignment and initial word decoding, in the way that the lowest-performing students benefitted the most from the intervention. Another aim was to examine if the children identified in a screening (n = 2212) as poor readers in grade 2 still performed worse than typical readers. The analyses showed that the typically developing students (n = 66) outperformed the students identified as poor readers in grade 2 on working memory, spelling, reading comprehension and word decoding. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Assessment Data-Informed Guidance to Individualize Kindergarten Reading Instruction: Findings from a Cluster-Randomized Control Field Trial

PubMed Central

Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Connor, Carol M; Folsom, Jessica Sidler; Greulich, Luana; Meadows, Jane; Li, Zhi

2010-01-01

The purpose of this cluster-randomized control field trial was to was to examine the extent to which kindergarten teachers could learn a promising instructional strategy, wherein kindergarten reading instruction was differentiated based upon students’ ongoing assessments of language and literacy skills and documented child characteristic by instruction (CXI) interactions; and to test the efficacy of this differentiated reading instruction on the reading outcomes of students from culturally diverse backgrounds. The study involved 14 schools and included 23 treatment (n = 305 students) and 21 contrast teacher (n = 251 students). Teachers in the contrast condition received only a baseline professional development that included a researcher-delivered summer day-long workshop on individualized instruction. Data sources included parent surveys, individually administered child assessments of language, cognitive, and reading skills and videotapes of classroom instruction. Using Hierarchical Multivariate Linear Modeling (HMLM), we found students in treatment classrooms outperformed students in the contrast classrooms on a latent measure of reading skills, comprised of letter-word reading, decoding, alphabetic knowledge, and phonological awareness (ES = .52). Teachers in both conditions provided small group instruction, but teachers in the treatment condition provided significantly more individualized instruction. Our findings extend research on the efficacy of teachers using Individualized Student Instruction to individualize instruction based upon students’ language and literacy skills in first through third grade. Findings are discussed regarding the value of professional development related to differentiating core reading instruction and the challenges of using Response to Intervention approaches to address students’ needs in the areas of reading in general education contexts. PMID:21818158

Random and Directed Walk-Based Top-k Queries in Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Fu, Jun-Song; Liu, Yun

2015-01-01

In wireless sensor networks, filter-based top-k query approaches are the state-of-the-art solutions and have been extensively researched in the literature, however, they are very sensitive to the network parameters, including the size of the network, dynamics of the sensors’ readings and declines in the overall range of all the readings. In this work, a random walk-based top-k query approach called RWTQ and a directed walk-based top-k query approach called DWTQ are proposed. At the beginning of a top-k query, one or several tokens are sent to the specific node(s) in the network by the base station. Then, each token walks in the network independently to record and process the readings in a random or directed way. A strategy of choosing the “right” way in DWTQ is carefully designed for the token(s) to arrive at the high-value regions as soon as possible. When designing the walking strategy for DWTQ, the spatial correlations of the readings are also considered. Theoretical analysis and simulation results indicate that RWTQ and DWTQ both are very robust against these parameters discussed previously. In addition, DWTQ outperforms TAG, FILA and EXTOK in transmission cost, energy consumption and network lifetime. PMID:26016914

Whole-Genome Sequencing and Assembly with High-Throughput, Short-Read Technologies

PubMed Central

Sundquist, Andreas; Ronaghi, Mostafa; Tang, Haixu; Pevzner, Pavel; Batzoglou, Serafim

2007-01-01

While recently developed short-read sequencing technologies may dramatically reduce the sequencing cost and eventually achieve the $1000 goal for re-sequencing, their limitations prevent the de novo sequencing of eukaryotic genomes with the standard shotgun sequencing protocol. We present SHRAP (SHort Read Assembly Protocol), a sequencing protocol and assembly methodology that utilizes high-throughput short-read technologies. We describe a variation on hierarchical sequencing with two crucial differences: (1) we select a clone library from the genome randomly rather than as a tiling path and (2) we sample clones from the genome at high coverage and reads from the clones at low coverage. We assume that 200 bp read lengths with a 1% error rate and inexpensive random fragment cloning on whole mammalian genomes is feasible. Our assembly methodology is based on first ordering the clones and subsequently performing read assembly in three stages: (1) local assemblies of regions significantly smaller than a clone size, (2) clone-sized assemblies of the results of stage 1, and (3) chromosome-sized assemblies. By aggressively localizing the assembly problem during the first stage, our method succeeds in assembling short, unpaired reads sampled from repetitive genomes. We tested our assembler using simulated reads from D. melanogaster and human chromosomes 1, 11, and 21, and produced assemblies with large sets of contiguous sequence and a misassembly rate comparable to other draft assemblies. Tested on D. melanogaster and the entire human genome, our clone-ordering method produces accurate maps, thereby localizing fragment assembly and enabling the parallelization of the subsequent steps of our pipeline. Thus, we have demonstrated that truly inexpensive de novo sequencing of mammalian genomes will soon be possible with high-throughput, short-read technologies using our methodology. PMID:17534434

Summer School Effects in a Randomized Field Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zvoch, Keith; Stevens, Joseph J.

2013-01-01

This field-based randomized trial examined the effect of assignment to and participation in summer school for two moderately at-risk samples of struggling readers. Application of multiple regression models to difference scores capturing the change in summer reading fluency revealed that kindergarten students randomly assigned to summer school…

Does Humor Have an Effect on the Performance of College Freshmen in Improving Scores on the Nelson Denny Reading Post Test?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schiller, Maryann F.

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of humor on the performance of college freshmen on the Nelson Denny Reading Post Test. The subjects, 36 college freshmen from two developmental reading improvement classes, were randomly assigned to experimental A or B or control sample groups. Students had previously taken forms F and C of the test…

An Examination of the Efficacy of a Multitiered Intervention on Early Reading Outcomes for First Grade Students at Risk for Reading Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fien, Hank; Smith, Jean Louise M.; Smolkowski, Keith; Baker, Scott K.; Nelson, Nancy J.; Chaparro, Erin

2015-01-01

This article presents findings of an efficacy trial examining the effect of a multitiered instruction and intervention model on first grade at-risk students' reading outcomes. Schools (N = 16) were randomly assigned to the treatment or control condition. In the fall of Grade 1, students were assigned to an instructional tier on the basis of…

A randomized approach to speed up the analysis of large-scale read-count data in the application of CNV detection.

PubMed

Wang, WeiBo; Sun, Wei; Wang, Wei; Szatkiewicz, Jin

2018-03-01

The application of high-throughput sequencing in a broad range of quantitative genomic assays (e.g., DNA-seq, ChIP-seq) has created a high demand for the analysis of large-scale read-count data. Typically, the genome is divided into tiling windows and windowed read-count data is generated for the entire genome from which genomic signals are detected (e.g. copy number changes in DNA-seq, enrichment peaks in ChIP-seq). For accurate analysis of read-count data, many state-of-the-art statistical methods use generalized linear models (GLM) coupled with the negative-binomial (NB) distribution by leveraging its ability for simultaneous bias correction and signal detection. However, although statistically powerful, the GLM+NB method has a quadratic computational complexity and therefore suffers from slow running time when applied to large-scale windowed read-count data. In this study, we aimed to speed up substantially the GLM+NB method by using a randomized algorithm and we demonstrate here the utility of our approach in the application of detecting copy number variants (CNVs) using a real example. We propose an efficient estimator, the randomized GLM+NB coefficients estimator (RGE), for speeding up the GLM+NB method. RGE samples the read-count data and solves the estimation problem on a smaller scale. We first theoretically validated the consistency and the variance properties of RGE. We then applied RGE to GENSENG, a GLM+NB based method for detecting CNVs. We named the resulting method as "R-GENSENG". Based on extensive evaluation using both simulated and empirical data, we concluded that R-GENSENG is ten times faster than the original GENSENG while maintaining GENSENG's accuracy in CNV detection. Our results suggest that RGE strategy developed here could be applied to other GLM+NB based read-count analyses, i.e. ChIP-seq data analysis, to substantially improve their computational efficiency while preserving the analytic power.

Evaluation of potential site for mineral processing plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izwan Ishak, Muhamad Noor; Sipaun, Susan Maria; Mustapha, Ismail; Fahmi Engku Chik, Engku Mohd; Abdullah, Nurliyana; Affandi Mahmood, Airwan

2018-01-01

Nuclear moisture-density gauge is a type of instrument for measuring density and moisture of the material in a relatively thin zone beneath a surface of the material by using low activity of neutron and gamma radiation source. Density and moisture content data of the compacted layers are needed to determine the degree of compaction of soils, aggregate, concrete, asphalt or other materials used in civil engineering works. A gamma radiation source is mounted inside gauge housing with the source rod vertically extended to various depth positions. Direct transmission gamma radiation technique is used to obtain the count reading for the number of photons emitted before it is converted into density reading by microprocessor. This paper presents the inspection technique and results for the measurement of soil moisture and density carried out at potential site for mineral processing plant, Malaysian Nuclear Agency. Primarily, the experiment was conducted to ensure the compaction of ground is suitable for the plant construction. From the calculation, the percentages of soil wet density compaction (%WD Compact) are within acceptable limits with respect to the standard compacted wet soil density measured in the laboratory.

Influence of writing and reading intertrack interferences in terms of bit aspect ratio in shingled magnetic recording

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nobuhara, Hirofumi; Okamoto, Yoshihiro; Yamashita, Masato; Nakamura, Yasuaki; Osawa, Hisashi; Muraoka, Hiroaki

2014-05-01

In this paper, we investigate the influence of the writing and reading intertrack interferences (ITIs) in terms of bit aspect ratio (BAR) in shingled magnetic recording by computer simulation using a read/write model which consists of a writing process based on Stoner-Wohlfarth switching asteroid by a one-side shielded isosceles triangular write head and a reading process by an around shielded read head for a discrete Voronoi medium model. The results show that BAR should be 3 to reduce the influence of writing and reading ITIs, media noise, and additive white Gaussian noise in an assumed areal density of 4.61Tbpsi.

Energy Transformation Topic: Correlation between Pre-Classroom Reading Activity and Students’ Curiosity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muttaqiin, A.; Sopandi, W.

2017-09-01

This research aimed to analyze the correlation between pre-classroom reading activity and students’ curiosity to science. 31 participants were selected randomly from one of the junior high schools in Cimahi. Spearman’s correlation was chosen since the data from two variables were not normally distributed. The result shows that there was a weak correlation between reading before learning and students’ curiosity in the classroom and it was not significant. Several factors influence this result, one of them was students’ reluctant in daily reading to science content.

Physiological patterns during practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique compared with patterns while reading Sanskrit and a modern language.

PubMed

Travis, F; Olson, T; Egenes, T; Gupta, H K

2001-07-01

This study tested the prediction that reading Vedic Sanskrit texts, without knowledge of their meaning, produces a distinct physiological state. We measured EEG, breath rate, heart rate, and skin conductance during: (1) 15-min Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice; (2) 15-min reading verses of the Bhagavad Gita in Sanskrit; and (3) 15-min reading the same verses translated in German, Spanish, or French. The two reading conditions were randomly counterbalanced, and subjects filled out experience forms between each block to reduce carryover effects. Skin conductance levels significantly decreased during both reading Sanskrit and TM practice, and increased slightly during reading a modern language. Alpha power and coherence were significantly higher when reading Sanskrit and during TM practice, compared to reading modern languages. Similar physiological patterns when reading Sanskrit and during practice of the TM technique suggests that the state gained during TM practice may be integrated with active mental processes by reading Sanskrit.

Non-volatile memory based on the ferroelectric photovoltaic effect

PubMed Central

Guo, Rui; You, Lu; Zhou, Yang; Shiuh Lim, Zhi; Zou, Xi; Chen, Lang; Ramesh, R.; Wang, Junling

2013-01-01

The quest for a solid state universal memory with high-storage density, high read/write speed, random access and non-volatility has triggered intense research into new materials and novel device architectures. Though the non-volatile memory market is dominated by flash memory now, it has very low operation speed with ~10 μs programming and ~10 ms erasing time. Furthermore, it can only withstand ~105 rewriting cycles, which prevents it from becoming the universal memory. Here we demonstrate that the significant photovoltaic effect of a ferroelectric material, such as BiFeO3 with a band gap in the visible range, can be used to sense the polarization direction non-destructively in a ferroelectric memory. A prototype 16-cell memory based on the cross-bar architecture has been prepared and tested, demonstrating the feasibility of this technique. PMID:23756366

How preview space/time translates into preview cost/benefit for fixation durations during reading.

PubMed

Kliegl, Reinhold; Hohenstein, Sven; Yan, Ming; McDonald, Scott A

2013-01-01

Eye-movement control during reading depends on foveal and parafoveal information. If the parafoveal preview of the next word is suppressed, reading is less efficient. A linear mixed model (LMM) reanalysis of McDonald (2006) confirmed his observation that preview benefit may be limited to parafoveal words that have been selected as the saccade target. Going beyond the original analyses, in the same LMM, we examined how the preview effect (i.e., the difference in single-fixation duration, SFD, between random-letter and identical preview) depends on the gaze duration on the pretarget word and on the amplitude of the saccade moving the eye onto the target word. There were two key results: (a) The shorter the saccade amplitude (i.e., the larger preview space), the shorter a subsequent SFD with an identical preview; this association was not observed with a random-letter preview. (b) However, the longer the gaze duration on the pretarget word, the longer the subsequent SFD on the target, with the difference between random-letter string and identical previews increasing with preview time. A third pattern-increasing cost of a random-letter string in the parafovea associated with shorter saccade amplitudes-was observed for target gaze durations. Thus, LMMs revealed that preview effects, which are typically summarized under "preview benefit", are a complex mixture of preview cost and preview benefit and vary with preview space and preview time. The consequence for reading is that parafoveal preview may not only facilitate, but also interfere with lexical access.

Fitness and food environments around junior high schools in Taiwan and their association with body composition: Gender differences for recreational, reading, food and beverage exposures.

PubMed

Chiang, Po-Huang; Huang, Lin-Yuan; Lee, Meei-Shyuan; Tsou, Hui-Chen; Wahlqvist, Mark L

2017-01-01

School environments may contribute to adolescent behavior, reproductive physiology and body composition (BC). The Nutritional and Health Survey in Taiwan (2010) for 1458 junior high school students was geo-mapped for 30 school environs. Facilities for physical activity (fitness centers, gymnasia and sports stadiums, activity centers and parks), sedentary activities (reading material rental shops (RMRS), internet cafes) and food and beverage outlets (FBOs) were calculated as weighted numbers within 1000m of schools. Multiple linear regressions were used to predict BC variable z-scores. For boys, higher fitness center densities and, for girls, gymnasia and sports stadiums were associated with less abdominal fatness. For girls, body mass index, waist circumference (WC) and triceps skinfold thickness (TSF) were greater when RMRS density was higher as was TSF with internet café density. Where there were no FBOs, boys' WC and TSF were less with more parks, but girls were shorter and WC more adverse. With greater RMRS density and no FBOs, girls still had increased WC/Hip ratio, and less mid-arm muscle circumference. Boys' findings were more evident after considering puberty. Physical activity facilities (differently by gender), food and beverage outlets absence for boys and low reading material rental shop density for girls increase the likelihood of healthier body composition.

Fitness and food environments around junior high schools in Taiwan and their association with body composition: Gender differences for recreational, reading, food and beverage exposures

PubMed Central

Chiang, Po-Huang; Huang, Lin-Yuan; Lee, Meei-Shyuan; Tsou, Hui-Chen

2017-01-01

School environments may contribute to adolescent behavior, reproductive physiology and body composition (BC). The Nutritional and Health Survey in Taiwan (2010) for 1458 junior high school students was geo-mapped for 30 school environs. Facilities for physical activity (fitness centers, gymnasia and sports stadiums, activity centers and parks), sedentary activities (reading material rental shops (RMRS), internet cafes) and food and beverage outlets (FBOs) were calculated as weighted numbers within 1000m of schools. Multiple linear regressions were used to predict BC variable z-scores. For boys, higher fitness center densities and, for girls, gymnasia and sports stadiums were associated with less abdominal fatness. For girls, body mass index, waist circumference (WC) and triceps skinfold thickness (TSF) were greater when RMRS density was higher as was TSF with internet café density. Where there were no FBOs, boys’ WC and TSF were less with more parks, but girls were shorter and WC more adverse. With greater RMRS density and no FBOs, girls still had increased WC/Hip ratio, and less mid-arm muscle circumference. Boys’ findings were more evident after considering puberty. Physical activity facilities (differently by gender), food and beverage outlets absence for boys and low reading material rental shop density for girls increase the likelihood of healthier body composition. PMID:28771561

Accelerating preschoolers' early literacy development through classroom-based teacher-child storybook reading and explicit print referencing.

PubMed

Justice, Laura M; Kaderavek, Joan N; Fan, Xitao; Sofka, Amy; Hunt, Aileen

2009-01-01

This study examined the impact of teacher use of a print referencing style during classroom-based storybook reading sessions conducted over an academic year. Impacts on preschoolers' early literacy development were examined, focusing specifically on the domain of print knowledge. This randomized, controlled trial examined the effects of a print referencing style on 106 preschool children attending 23 classrooms serving disadvantaged preschoolers. Following random assignment, teachers in 14 classrooms used a print referencing style during 120 large-group storybook reading sessions during a 30-week period. Teachers in 9 comparison classrooms read at the same frequency and with the same storybooks but used their normal style of reading. Children whose teachers used a print referencing style showed larger gains on 3 standardized measures of print knowledge: print concept knowledge, alphabet knowledge, and name writing, with medium-sized effects. The convergence of the present findings with those of previous efficacy studies indicates that print referencing intervention can be used confidently as an approach for facilitating print knowledge in preschool-age children. Speech-language pathologists can serve an important role in supporting preschool educators as they use this evidence-based technique with pupils in their classrooms.

To Wait in Tier 1 or Intervene Immediately: A Randomized Experiment Examining First Grade Response to Intervention (RTI) in Reading.

PubMed

Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Connor, Carol M; Folsom, Jessica S; Wanzek, Jeanne; Greulich, Luana; Schatschneider, Christopher; Wagner, Richard K

2014-10-01

This randomized controlled experiment compared the efficacy of two Response to Intervention (RTI) models - Typical RTI and Dynamic RTI - and included 34 first-grade classrooms ( n = 522 students) across 10 socio-economically and culturally diverse schools. Typical RTI was designed to follow the two-stage RTI decision rules that wait to assess response to Tier 1 in many districts, whereas Dynamic RTI provided Tier 2 or Tier 3 interventions immediately according to students' initial screening results. Interventions were identical across conditions except for when intervention began. Reading assessments included letter-sound, word, and passage reading, and teacher-reported severity of reading difficulties. An intent-to-treat analysis using multi-level modeling indicated an overall effect favoring the Dynamic RTI condition ( d = .36); growth curve analyses demonstrated that students in Dynamic RTI showed an immediate score advantage, and effects accumulated across the year. Analyses of standard score outcomes confirmed that students in the Dynamic condition who received Tier 2 and Tier 3 ended the study with significantly higher reading performance than students in the Typical condition. Implications for RTI implementation practice and for future research are discussed.

To Wait in Tier 1 or Intervene Immediately: A Randomized Experiment Examining First Grade Response to Intervention (RTI) in Reading

PubMed Central

Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Connor, Carol M.; Folsom, Jessica S.; Wanzek, Jeanne; Greulich, Luana; Schatschneider, Christopher; Wagner, Richard K.

2014-01-01

This randomized controlled experiment compared the efficacy of two Response to Intervention (RTI) models – Typical RTI and Dynamic RTI - and included 34 first-grade classrooms (n = 522 students) across 10 socio-economically and culturally diverse schools. Typical RTI was designed to follow the two-stage RTI decision rules that wait to assess response to Tier 1 in many districts, whereas Dynamic RTI provided Tier 2 or Tier 3 interventions immediately according to students’ initial screening results. Interventions were identical across conditions except for when intervention began. Reading assessments included letter-sound, word, and passage reading, and teacher-reported severity of reading difficulties. An intent-to-treat analysis using multi-level modeling indicated an overall effect favoring the Dynamic RTI condition (d = .36); growth curve analyses demonstrated that students in Dynamic RTI showed an immediate score advantage, and effects accumulated across the year. Analyses of standard score outcomes confirmed that students in the Dynamic condition who received Tier 2 and Tier 3 ended the study with significantly higher reading performance than students in the Typical condition. Implications for RTI implementation practice and for future research are discussed. PMID:25530622

Comparative Effectiveness of PCI Education's "PCI Reading Program": Phase 2--A Report of a Comparison Group Study in Brevard Public Schools and Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Research Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Empirical Education Inc., 2010

2010-01-01

PCI Education sought scientifically based evidence on the comparative effectiveness of the "PCI Reading Program" through a five-year longitudinal study. Phase 1 of the study consisted of a randomized control trial studying the efficacy of the "PCI Reading Program-Level One" that was conducted in the 2007-2008 in Miami-Dade…

Prospective, randomized, controlled trial using best-selling smoking-cessation book.

PubMed

Foshee, James P; Oh, Anita; Luginbuhl, Adam; Curry, Joseph; Keane, William; Cognetti, David

2017-07-01

Our prospective, randomized, controlled trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the self-help book, The Easy Way to Stop Smoking, by Allen Carr, in promoting smoking cessation in patients with head and neck cancer. We assessed active smokers for their willingness to read a smoking cessation book. Participants were randomized to either receive the book from our department or recommended to purchase the book. All patients received smoking cessation counseling at recruitment. Phone surveys were conducted at short- and long-term intervals to determine if the patients had purchased and/or read the book and whether they were still smoking. One hundred twelve patients were recruited, 52 of whom completed follow-up surveys. Those who received the book for free were more likely to read the book (p = 0.05). Reading the book did not correlate with successful smoking cessation (p = 0.81). Some 26% of the 27 patients who received the book quit smoking compared with 32% of the 25 patients who were recommended the book (p = 0.76). Patients who indicated motivation to quit smoking were more likely to succeed. In our study, smoking cessation did not appear to be influenced by reading The Easy Way to Stop Smoking. Despite 80.8% of the cohort indicating at least a readiness to quit smoking at recruitment, only 28.8% of patients managed to achieve successful smoking cessation at long-term follow-up. Patient motivation remains an important factor in achieving long-term smoking abstinence. Quitting smoking remains a daunting challenge for patients, with multiple interventions likely needed to achieve cessation.

Using Multisensory Phonics to Foster Reading Skills of Adolescent Delinquents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warnick, Kristan; Caldarella, Paul

2016-01-01

This study examined the effectiveness of a multisensory phonics-based reading remediation program for adolescent delinquents classified as poor readers living at a residential treatment center. We used a pretest--posttest control group design with random assignment. The treatment group participated in a 30-hr multisensory phonics reading…

Efficacy of Learning Strategies Instruction in Adult Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hock, Michael F.; Mellard, Daryl F.

2011-01-01

Results from randomized controlled trials of learning strategies instruction with 375 adult basic education participants are reported. Reading outcomes from whole group strategic instruction in 1 of 4 learning strategies were compared to outcomes of reading instruction delivered in the context of typical adult education units on social studies,…

Children's Ability to Comprehend Main Ideas After Reading Expository Prose.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baumann, James F.

A study was conducted to evaluate children's ability to comprehend main ideas after reading connected discourse and to develop and validate a straightforward and intuitively simple system for identifying main ideas in prose. Three experimental passages were randomly selected from third and sixth grade social studies textbooks, and education…

Improving Reading Comprehension and Social Studies Knowledge in Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaughn, Sharon; Swanson, Elizabeth A.; Roberts, Greg; Wanzek, Jeanne; Stillman-Spisak, Stephanie J.; Solis, Michael; Simmons, Deborah

2013-01-01

This study aimed to determine the efficacy of a content acquisition and reading comprehension treatment implemented by eighth-grade social studies teachers. Using a within-teacher design, the eighth-grade teachers' social studies classes were randomly assigned to treatment or comparison conditions. Teachers (n = 5) taught the same instructional…

Interventions for reading difficulties: a comparison of response to intervention by ELL and EFL struggling readers.

PubMed

Lovett, Maureen W; De Palma, Maria; Frijters, Jan; Steinbach, Karen; Temple, Meredith; Benson, Nancy; Lacerenza, Léa

2008-01-01

This article explores whether struggling readers from different primary language backgrounds differ in response to phonologically based remediation. Following random assignment to one of three reading interventions or to a special education reading control program, reading and reading-related outcomes of 166 struggling readers were assessed before, during, and following 105 intervention hours. Struggling readers met criteria for reading disability, were below average in oral language and verbal skills, and varied in English as a first language (EFL) versus English-language learner (ELL) status. The research-based interventions proved superior to the special education control on both reading outcomes and rate of growth. No differences were revealed for children of EFL or ELL status in intervention outcomes or growth during intervention. Oral language abilities at entry were highly predictive of final outcomes and of reading growth during intervention, with greater language impairment being associated with greater growth.

Creating ensembles of decision trees through sampling

DOEpatents

Kamath, Chandrika; Cantu-Paz, Erick

2005-08-30

A system for decision tree ensembles that includes a module to read the data, a module to sort the data, a module to evaluate a potential split of the data according to some criterion using a random sample of the data, a module to split the data, and a module to combine multiple decision trees in ensembles. The decision tree method is based on statistical sampling techniques and includes the steps of reading the data; sorting the data; evaluating a potential split according to some criterion using a random sample of the data, splitting the data, and combining multiple decision trees in ensembles.

Compact Holographic Data Storage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chao, T. H.; Reyes, G. F.; Zhou, H.

2001-01-01

NASA's future missions would require massive high-speed onboard data storage capability to Space Science missions. For Space Science, such as the Europa Lander mission, the onboard data storage requirements would be focused on maximizing the spacecraft's ability to survive fault conditions (i.e., no loss in stored science data when spacecraft enters the 'safe mode') and autonomously recover from them during NASA's long-life and deep space missions. This would require the development of non-volatile memory. In order to survive in the stringent environment during space exploration missions, onboard memory requirements would also include: (1) survive a high radiation environment (1 Mrad), (2) operate effectively and efficiently for a very long time (10 years), and (3) sustain at least a billion write cycles. Therefore, memory technologies requirements of NASA's Earth Science and Space Science missions are large capacity, non-volatility, high-transfer rate, high radiation resistance, high storage density, and high power efficiency. JPL, under current sponsorship from NASA Space Science and Earth Science Programs, is developing a high-density, nonvolatile and rad-hard Compact Holographic Data Storage (CHDS) system to enable large-capacity, high-speed, low power consumption, and read/write of data in a space environment. The entire read/write operation will be controlled with electrooptic mechanism without any moving parts. This CHDS will consist of laser diodes, photorefractive crystal, spatial light modulator, photodetector array, and I/O electronic interface. In operation, pages of information would be recorded and retrieved with random access and high-speed. The nonvolatile, rad-hard characteristics of the holographic memory will provide a revolutionary memory technology meeting the high radiation challenge facing the Europa Lander mission. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Evaluating the Collaborative Strategic Reading Intervention: An Overview of Randomized Controlled Trial Options

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hitchcock, John H.; Kurki, Anja; Wilkins, Chuck; Dimino, Joseph; Gersten, Russell

2009-01-01

When attempting to determine if an intervention has a causal impact, the "gold standard" of program evaluation is the randomized controlled trial (RCT). In education studies random assignment is rarely feasible at the student level, making RCTs harder to conduct. School-level assignment is more common but this often requires considerable resources…

DNA Barcoding through Quaternary LDPC Codes

PubMed Central

Tapia, Elizabeth; Spetale, Flavio; Krsticevic, Flavia; Angelone, Laura; Bulacio, Pilar

2015-01-01

For many parallel applications of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies short barcodes able to accurately multiplex a large number of samples are demanded. To address these competitive requirements, the use of error-correcting codes is advised. Current barcoding systems are mostly built from short random error-correcting codes, a feature that strongly limits their multiplexing accuracy and experimental scalability. To overcome these problems on sequencing systems impaired by mismatch errors, the alternative use of binary BCH and pseudo-quaternary Hamming codes has been proposed. However, these codes either fail to provide a fine-scale with regard to size of barcodes (BCH) or have intrinsic poor error correcting abilities (Hamming). Here, the design of barcodes from shortened binary BCH codes and quaternary Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes is introduced. Simulation results show that although accurate barcoding systems of high multiplexing capacity can be obtained with any of these codes, using quaternary LDPC codes may be particularly advantageous due to the lower rates of read losses and undetected sample misidentification errors. Even at mismatch error rates of 10−2 per base, 24-nt LDPC barcodes can be used to multiplex roughly 2000 samples with a sample misidentification error rate in the order of 10−9 at the expense of a rate of read losses just in the order of 10−6. PMID:26492348

DNA Barcoding through Quaternary LDPC Codes.

PubMed

Tapia, Elizabeth; Spetale, Flavio; Krsticevic, Flavia; Angelone, Laura; Bulacio, Pilar

2015-01-01

For many parallel applications of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies short barcodes able to accurately multiplex a large number of samples are demanded. To address these competitive requirements, the use of error-correcting codes is advised. Current barcoding systems are mostly built from short random error-correcting codes, a feature that strongly limits their multiplexing accuracy and experimental scalability. To overcome these problems on sequencing systems impaired by mismatch errors, the alternative use of binary BCH and pseudo-quaternary Hamming codes has been proposed. However, these codes either fail to provide a fine-scale with regard to size of barcodes (BCH) or have intrinsic poor error correcting abilities (Hamming). Here, the design of barcodes from shortened binary BCH codes and quaternary Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes is introduced. Simulation results show that although accurate barcoding systems of high multiplexing capacity can be obtained with any of these codes, using quaternary LDPC codes may be particularly advantageous due to the lower rates of read losses and undetected sample misidentification errors. Even at mismatch error rates of 10(-2) per base, 24-nt LDPC barcodes can be used to multiplex roughly 2000 samples with a sample misidentification error rate in the order of 10(-9) at the expense of a rate of read losses just in the order of 10(-6).

Evaluating the Effects of a Systemic Intervention on First-Grade Teachers' Explicit Reading Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson-Walker, Nancy J.; Fien, Hank; Kosty, Derek B.; Smolkowski, Keith; Smith, Jean Louise M.; Baker, Scott K.

2013-01-01

This article examines the efficacy of a multitiered systemic reading intervention for increasing the intensity and quality of explicit literacy instruction that teachers provide in first-grade classrooms. Schools ("j" = 16) were randomly assigned to the treatment or comparison condition. In both conditions, teachers ("i" = 42)…

The Effect of Presentation Strategy on Reading Comprehension of Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khoshsima, Hooshang; Rezaeiantiyar, Forouzan

2014-01-01

The present experimental study primarily aimed at examining the effect of presentation strategy on reading comprehension of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. To determine the effect of this strategy, 61 students who enrolled in English Language Center of Chabahar Maritime University were initially selected and then divided randomly into two…

Designing Guidance for Interpreting Dynamic Visualizations: Generating versus Reading Explanations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryoo, Kihyun; Linn, Marcia C.

2014-01-01

We compared designs of guidance to support students while interacting with dynamic visualizations of complex scientific phenomena in inquiry instruction. Three hundred thirty-two 7th-grade students were randomly assigned to either a reading or a generating condition and completed a web-based inquiry unit focusing on energy concepts in…

Leveraging Volunteers: An Experimental Evaluation of a Tutoring Program for Struggling Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacob, Robin; Armstrong, Catherine; Bowden, A. Brooks; Pan, Yilin

2016-01-01

This study evaluates the impacts and costs of the Reading Partners program, which uses community volunteers to provide one-on-one tutoring to struggling readers in under-resourced elementary schools. The evaluation uses an experimental design. Students were randomly assigned within 19 different Reading Partners sites to a program or control…

Effects of Three Questioning Strategies on EFL Reading Comprehension.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El-Koumy, Abdel Salam A.

This study investigated the effects of three classroom questioning strategies on the reading comprehension of learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Subjects were 86 first-year EFL students in the school of education of Suez Canal University (Egypt), randomly assigned to three treatment groups. The same instructor taught the three groups…

Effects of a Text-Processing Comprehension Intervention on Struggling Middle School Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barth, Amy E.; Vaughn, Sharon; Capin, Philip; Cho, Eunsoo; Stillman-Spisak, Stephanie; Martinez, Leticia; Kincaid, Heather

2016-01-01

Purpose: We examined the effects of a text-processing reading comprehension intervention emphasizing listening comprehension and expressive language practices with middle school students with reading difficulties. Method: A total of 134 struggling readers in grades 6-8 were randomly assigned to treatment (n = 83) and control conditions (n = 51)…

Enhancing Reading Comprehension among Students with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Randomized Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roux, Catherine; Dion, Eric; Barrette, Anne

2015-01-01

Reading with comprehension is a challenge for students with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. Unfortunately, research has little to offer to teachers trying to help these students. The present study pilots a new intervention targeting vocabulary, main idea identification, anaphoric relations, and text structure. Students (N = 13, M…

Morpho-Phonemic Analysis Boosts Word Reading for Adult Struggling Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray, Susan H.; Ehri, Linnea C.; Locke, John L.

2018-01-01

A randomized control trial compared the effects of two kinds of vocabulary instruction on component reading skills of adult struggling readers. Participants seeking alternative high school diplomas received 8 h of scripted tutoring to learn forty academic vocabulary words embedded within a civics curriculum. They were matched for language…

Engaging Struggling Adolescent Readers to Improve Reading Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, James S.; Hemphill, Lowry; Troyer, Margaret; Thomson, Jenny M.; Jones, Stephanie M.; LaRusso, Maria D.; Donovan, Suzanne

2017-01-01

This study examined the efficacy of a supplemental, multicomponent adolescent reading intervention for middle school students who scored below proficient on a state literacy assessment. Using a within-school experimental design, the authors randomly assigned 483 students in grades 6-8 to a business-as-usual control condition or to the Strategic…

Tier 3 Specialized Writing Instruction for Students with Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berninger, Virginia W.; Winn, William D.; Stock, Patricia; Abbott, Robert D.; Eschen, Kate; Lin, Shin-Ju; Garcia, Noelia; Anderson-Youngstrom, Marci; Murphy, Heather; Lovitt, Dan; Trivedi, Pamala; Jones, Janine; Amtmann, Dagmar; Nagy, William

2008-01-01

Two instructional experiments used randomized, controlled designs to evaluate the effectiveness of writing instruction for students with carefully diagnosed dyslexia, which is both an oral reading and writing disorder, characterized by impaired "word" decoding, reading, and spelling. In Study 1 (4th to 6th grade sample and 7th to 9th grade…

The Effects of ABRACADABRA on Reading Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis of Applied Field Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abrami, Philip; Borohkovski, Eugene; Lysenko, Larysa

2015-01-01

This meta-analysis summarizes research on the effects of a comprehensive, interactive web-based software (AXXX) on the development of reading competencies among kindergarteners and elementary students. Findings from seven randomized control trials and quasi-experimental studies undertaken in a variety of contexts across Canada, Australia and Kenya…

The Reading Process--The Relationship Between Word Recognition and Comprehension.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hays, Warren S.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between word recognition and comprehension achieved by second and fifth grade students when reading material at various levels of readability. A random sample of twenty-five second and twenty-five fifth graders, taken from three middle class schools, was administered a…

Enhancing Preschool Educators' Ability to Facilitate Conversations during Shared Book Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milburn, Trelani F.; Girolametto, Luigi; Weitzman, Elaine; Greenberg, Janice

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether professional development enhanced educators' use of conversational strategies during shared book reading with small groups of preschoolers. Twenty preschool educators and small groups of children from each of their classrooms were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group. The 10…

Just-in-Time Teaching Techniques through Web Technologies for Vocational Students' Reading and Writing Abilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chantoem, Rewadee; Rattanavich, Saowalak

2016-01-01

This research compares the English language achievements of vocational students, their reading and writing abilities, and their attitudes towards learning English taught with just-in-time teaching techniques through web technologies and conventional methods. The experimental and control groups were formed, a randomized true control group…

Multimedia Use in Higher Education in the UAE: A Cognitive Load Theory Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moussa-Inaty, Jase; Atallah, Fida

2012-01-01

The study investigates the use of different multimedia instructional design formats on learning. Undergraduate students from the College of Education at a public university in the United Arab Emirates were randomly assigned to groups corresponding to six instructional design formats, namely; Listen Only, Read Only, Read+ Listen, Listen + Graphics,…

Impact of Intensive Summer Reading Intervention for Children With Reading Disabilities and Difficulties in Early Elementary School.

PubMed

Christodoulou, Joanna A; Cyr, Abigail; Murtagh, Jack; Chang, Patricia; Lin, Jiayi; Guarino, Anthony J; Hook, Pamela; Gabrieli, John D E

Efficacy of an intensive reading intervention implemented during the nonacademic summer was evaluated in children with reading disabilities or difficulties (RD). Students (ages 6-9) were randomly assigned to receive Lindamood-Bell's Seeing Stars program ( n = 23) as an intervention or to a waiting-list control group ( n = 24). Analysis of pre- and posttesting revealed significant interactions in favor of the intervention group for untimed word and pseudoword reading, timed pseudoword reading, oral reading fluency, and symbol imagery. The interactions mostly reflected (a) significant declines in the nonintervention group from pre- to posttesting, and (2) no decline in the intervention group. The current study offers direct evidence for widening differences in reading abilities between students with RD who do and do not receive intensive summer reading instruction. Intervention implications for RD children are discussed, especially in relation to the relevance of summer intervention to prevent further decline in struggling early readers.

Books and babies: clinical-based literacy programs.

PubMed

Fortman, Kristine K; Fisch, Robert O; Phinney, Margaret Y; Defor, Terese A

2003-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess parental response to a clinic-based literacy program at a health maintenance organization. It was hypothesized that participation would be associated with increased literacy orientation by children. This randomized community trial took place at a Midwestern health maintenance organization. Six clinics were paired and randomly assigned to participate or not participate in Project Read. The main outcome variable was literacy orientation (book use). The target population was parents of children younger than 12 months (N = 165). After 6 months of participation, parents were surveyed by telephone. Seventy-five percent and 77% of the treatment and control groups, respectively, had positive literacy orientation; this difference was not significant. Persons receiving a videotape were more likely to have a positive literacy orientation (82.9% vs 69.2%; P <.05). The multivariate regression analyses also showed that receiving the free videotape was a significant intervention exposure. The members of the population in this study are reading to their children. Parents who receive a videotape on the importance of reading are likely to read more to their children.

Protein sensing by nanofluidic crystal and its signal enhancement

PubMed Central

Sang, Jianming; Du, Hongtan; Wang, Wei; Chu, Ming; Wang, Yuedan; Li, Haichao; Alice Zhang, Haixia; Wu, Wengang; Li, Zhihong

2013-01-01

Nanofluidics has a unique property that ionic conductance across a nanometer-sized confined space is strongly affected by the space surface charge density, which can be utilized to construct electrical read-out biosensor. Based on this principle, this work demonstrated a novel protein sensor along with a sandwich signal enhancement approach. Nanoparticles with designed aptamer onside are assembled in a suspended micropore to form a 3-dimensional network of nanometer-sized interstices, named as nanofluidic crystal hereafter, as the basic sensing unit. Proteins captured by aptamers will change the surface charge density of nanoparticles and thereby can be detected by monitoring the ionic conductance across this nanofluidic crystal. Another aptamer can further enlarge the variations of the surface charge density by forming a sandwich structure (capturing aptamer/protein/signal enhancement aptamer) and the read-out conductance as well. The preliminary experimental results indicated that human α-thrombin was successfully detected by the corresponding aptamer modified nanofluidic crystal with the limit of detection of 5 nM (0.18 μg/ml) and the read-out signal was enhanced up to 3 folds by using another thrombin aptamer. Being easy to graft probe, facile and low-cost to prepare the nano-device, and having an electrical read-out, the present nanofluidic crystal scheme is a promising and universal strategy for protein sensing. PMID:24404017

On the design of random metasurface based devices.

PubMed

Dupré, Matthieu; Hsu, Liyi; Kanté, Boubacar

2018-05-08

Metasurfaces are generally designed by placing scatterers in periodic or pseudo-periodic grids. We propose and discuss design rules for functional metasurfaces with randomly placed anisotropic elements that randomly sample a well-defined phase function. By analyzing the focusing performance of random metasurface lenses as a function of their density and the density of the phase-maps used to design them, we find that the performance of 1D metasurfaces is mostly governed by their density while 2D metasurfaces strongly depend on both the density and the near-field coupling configuration of the surface. The proposed approach is used to design all-polarization random metalenses at near infrared frequencies. Challenges, as well as opportunities of random metasurfaces compared to periodic ones are discussed. Our results pave the way to new approaches in the design of nanophotonic structures and devices from lenses to solar energy concentrators.

Anisotropy-driven transition from the Moore-Read state to quantum Hall stripes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Zheng; Sodemann, Inti; Sheng, D. N.; Fu, Liang

2017-05-01

We investigate the nature of the quantum Hall liquid in a half-filled second Landau level (n =1 ) as a function of band mass anisotropy using numerical exact diagonalization and density matrix renormalization group methods. We find increasing the mass anisotropy induces a quantum phase transition from the Moore-Read state to a charge density wave state. By analyzing the energy spectrum, guiding center structure factors, and by adding weak pinning potentials, we show that this charge density wave is a unidirectional quantum Hall stripe, which has a periodicity of a few magnetic lengths and survives in the thermodynamic limit. We find smooth profiles for the guiding center occupation function that reveal the strong coupling nature of the array of chiral Luttinger liquids residing at the stripe edges.

Adding access to a video magnifier to standard vision rehabilitation: initial results on reading performance and well-being from a prospective, randomized study.

PubMed

Jackson, Mary Lou; Schoessow, Kimberly A; Selivanova, Alexandra; Wallis, Jennifer

2017-01-01

Both optical and electronic magnification are available to patients with low vision. Electronic video magnifiers are more expensive than optical magnifiers, but they offer additional benefits, including variable magnification and contrast. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of access to a video magnifier (VM) added to standard comprehensive vision rehabilitation (VR). In this prospective study, 37 subjects with central field loss were randomized to receive standard VR (VR group, 18 subjects) or standard VR plus VM (VM group, 19 subjects). Subjects read the International Reading Speed Texts (IReST), a bank check, and a phone number at enrollment, at 1 month, and after occupational therapy (OT) as indicated to address patient goals. The Impact of Vision Impairment (IVI) questionnaire, a version of the Activity Inventory (AI), and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) were administered at enrollment, 1 month, after OT, 1 month later, and 1 year after enrollment. Assessments at enrollment and 1 month later were evaluated. At 1 month, the VM group displayed significant improvement in reading continuous print as measured by the IReST ( P = 0.01) but did not differ on IVI, AI, or DASS. From enrollment to 1 month all subjects improved in their ability to spot read (phone number and check; P < 0.01 for both). The VM group improved in their ability to find and read a number in a phone book more than the VR group at 1 month after initial consultation ( P = 0.02). All reported better well-being ( P = 0.02). All subjects reported better well-being on the IVI. The VM group read faster and was better at two spot reading tasks but did not differ from the VR group in other outcome measures.

Dynamics of the stress-mediated magnetoelectric memory cell N×(TbCo2/FeCo)/PMN-PT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preobrazhensky, Vladimir; Klimov, Alexey; Tiercelin, Nicolas; Dusch, Yannick; Giordano, Stefano; Churbanov, Anton; Mathurin, Theo; Pernod, Philippe; Sigov, Alexander

2018-08-01

Stress-mediated magnetoelectric heterostructures represent a very promising approach for the realization of ultra-low energy Random Access Memories. The magnetoelectric writing of information has been extensively studied in the past, but it was demonstrated only recently that the magnetoelectric effect can also provide means for reading the stored information. We hereby theoretically study the dynamic behaviour of a magnetoelectric random access memory cell (MELRAM) typically composed of a magnetostrictive multilayer N × (TbCo2 / FeCo) that is elastically coupled with a 〈0 1 1〉 PMN-PT ferroelectric crystal and placed in a Wheatstone bridge-like configuration. The numerical resolution of the LLG and electrodynamics equation system demonstrates high speed write and read operations with an associated extra-low energy consumption. In this model, the reading energy for a 50 nm cell size is estimated to be less than 5 aJ/bit.

High-frequency and hot-platen curing of medium-density fiberboards

Treesearch

Robert R. Stevens; George E. Woodson

1977-01-01

The effects of two curing methods-high-frequencey heating and hot-platen heating-on the properties of a ureaformaldehyde-bonded medium-density fiberboard prepared with a southern-hardwoods furnish (50% southern read oak, 25% mockernut hickory, and 25% sweetgum) were studied. Boards of three densities-38, 44, and 50 lb./ft3-were cured by the two...

Embedding perseverative interest of a child with autism in text may result in improved reading comprehension: A pilot study.

PubMed

El Zein, Farah; Solis, Michael; Lang, Russell; Kim, Min Kyung

2016-06-01

We investigated the effects of embedding the perseverative interest (PI) of a child with autism (i.e. cars) within texts on reading comprehension. A PI text condition (text altered to include cars) was compared with a non-PI text condition (same story without cars inserted) in an alternating treatment design. Dependent variables were responses to reading comprehension questions and number of words uttered during an oral retell (i.e. curriculum-based measures [CBMs]). The reading level, instructional routines, and therapist where held constant across the randomly alternated conditions. Both CBMs suggested that reading comprehension was enhanced when the story included the child's PI. These preliminary findings suggest that embedding the PIs of students with autism spectrum disorder within readings may result in more accurate responses to reading comprehension questions and more detailed oral retelling. These findings are discussed in terms of potential directions for future research.

Effects of standard training in the use of closed-circuit televisions in visually impaired adults: design of a training protocol and a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Burggraaff, Marloes C; van Nispen, Ruth M A; Melis-Dankers, Bart J M; van Rens, Ger H M B

2010-03-10

Reading problems are frequently reported by visually impaired persons. A closed-circuit television (CCTV) can be helpful to maintain reading ability, however, it is difficult to learn how to use this device. In the Netherlands, an evidence-based rehabilitation program in the use of CCTVs was lacking. Therefore, a standard training protocol needed to be developed and tested in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to provide an evidence-based training program in the use of this device. To develop a standard training program, information was collected by studying literature, observing training in the use of CCTVs, discussing the content of the training program with professionals and organizing focus and discussion groups. The effectiveness of the program was evaluated in an RCT, to obtain an evidence-based training program. Dutch patients (n = 122) were randomized into a treatment group: normal instructions from the supplier combined with training in the use of CCTVs, or into a control group: instructions from the supplier only. The effect of the training program was evaluated in terms of: change in reading ability (reading speed and reading comprehension), patients' skills to operate the CCTV, perceived (vision-related) quality of life and tasks performed in daily living. The development of the CCTV training protocol and the design of the RCT in the present study may serve as an example to obtain an evidence-based training program. The training program was adjusted to the needs and learning abilities of individual patients, however, for scientific reasons it might have been preferable to standardize the protocol further, in order to gain more comparable results. http://www.trialregister.nl, identifier: NTR1031.

Effects of standard training in the use of closed-circuit televisions in visually impaired adults: design of a training protocol and a randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Reading problems are frequently reported by visually impaired persons. A closed-circuit television (CCTV) can be helpful to maintain reading ability, however, it is difficult to learn how to use this device. In the Netherlands, an evidence-based rehabilitation program in the use of CCTVs was lacking. Therefore, a standard training protocol needed to be developed and tested in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to provide an evidence-based training program in the use of this device. Methods/Design To develop a standard training program, information was collected by studying literature, observing training in the use of CCTVs, discussing the content of the training program with professionals and organizing focus and discussion groups. The effectiveness of the program was evaluated in an RCT, to obtain an evidence-based training program. Dutch patients (n = 122) were randomized into a treatment group: normal instructions from the supplier combined with training in the use of CCTVs, or into a control group: instructions from the supplier only. The effect of the training program was evaluated in terms of: change in reading ability (reading speed and reading comprehension), patients' skills to operate the CCTV, perceived (vision-related) quality of life and tasks performed in daily living. Discussion The development of the CCTV training protocol and the design of the RCT in the present study may serve as an example to obtain an evidence-based training program. The training program was adjusted to the needs and learning abilities of individual patients, however, for scientific reasons it might have been preferable to standardize the protocol further, in order to gain more comparable results. Trial registration http://www.trialregister.nl, identifier: NTR1031 PMID:20219120

The Effects of Surface Structure Variables on Performance in Reading Comprehension Tests.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drum, Priscilla; And Others

1981-01-01

Concludes that reading comprehension tests that are valid for beginning readers should incorporate different factors than tests appropriate for upper elementary readers, since word recognition and word meaning are prime sources of difficulty for younger readers while content density depresses the performance of readers in upper elementary grades.…

Examining an Alternative to Score Equating: A Randomly Equivalent Forms Approach. Research Report. ETS RR-08-14

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liao, Chi-Wen; Livingston, Samuel A.

2008-01-01

Randomly equivalent forms (REF) of tests in listening and reading for nonnative speakers of English were created by stratified random assignment of items to forms, stratifying on item content and predicted difficulty. The study included 50 replications of the procedure for each test. Each replication generated 2 REFs. The equivalence of those 2…

Holography and optical information processing; Proceedings of the Soviet-Chinese Joint Seminar, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Sept. 21-26, 1991

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikaelian, Andrei L.

Attention is given to data storage, devices, architectures, and implementations of optical memory and neural networks; holographic optical elements and computer-generated holograms; holographic display and materials; systems, pattern recognition, interferometry, and applications in optical information processing; and special measurements and devices. Topics discussed include optical immersion as a new way to increase information recording density, systems for data reading from optical disks on the basis of diffractive lenses, a new real-time optical associative memory system, an optical pattern recognition system based on a WTA model of neural networks, phase diffraction grating for the integral transforms of coherent light fields, holographic recording with operated sensitivity and stability in chalcogenide glass layers, a compact optical logic processor, a hybrid optical system for computing invariant moments of images, optical fiber holographic inteferometry, and image transmission through random media in single pass via optical phase conjugation.

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of an Intervention to Promote Psychological Well-Being in Critically Ill Children: Soothing Through Touch, Reading, and Music.

PubMed

Rennick, Janet E; Stremler, Robyn; Horwood, Linda; Aita, Marilyn; Lavoie, Tanya; Majnemer, Annette; Antonacci, Marie; Knox, Alyssa; Constantin, Evelyn

2018-04-13

To examine the feasibility and acceptability of a PICU Soothing intervention using touch, reading, and music. Nonblinded, pilot randomized controlled trial. The PICU and medical-surgical wards of one Canadian pediatric hospital. Twenty PICU patients age 2-14 years old and their parents, randomized to an intervention group (n = 10) or control group (n = 10). PICU Soothing consisted of: 1) parental comforting (touch and reading), followed by 2) a quiet period with music via soft headbands, administered once daily throughout hospitalization. Acceptability and feasibility of the intervention and methods were assessed via participation rates, observation, measurement completion rates, semistructured interviews, and telephone calls. Psychological well-being was assessed using measures of distress, sleep, and child and parent anxiety in the PICU, on the wards and 3 months post discharge. Forty-four percent of parents agreed to participate. Seventy percent and 100% of intervention group parents responded positively to comforting and music, respectively. Most intervention group parents (70%) and all nurses felt children responded positively. All nurses found the intervention acceptable and feasible. Measurement completion rates ranged from 70% to 100%. Pilot data suggested lower intervention group child and parent anxiety after transfer to hospital wards. PICU Soothing is acceptable and feasible to conduct. Results support the implementation of a full-scale randomized controlled trial to evaluate intervention effectiveness.

A review of aspects relating to the improvement of holographic memory technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vyukhina, N. N.; Gibin, I. S.; Dombrovsky, V. A.; Dombrovsky, S. A.; Pankov, B. N.; Pen, E. F.; Potapov, A. N.; Sinyukov, A. M.; Tverdokhleb, P. E.; Shelkovnikov, V. V.

1996-06-01

Results of studying a holographic memory to write/read digital data pages are presented. The research has been carried out in Novosibirsk, Russia. Great attention was paid to methods of improving recording density and the reliability of data reading, the development of 'dry' photopolymers that provide recording of superimposed three-dimensional phase holograms, and the designing of parallel optic input large-scale integration (LSI) for reading and logical processing of data arriving from the holographic memory.

AFRESh: an adaptive framework for compression of reads and assembled sequences with random access functionality.

PubMed

Paridaens, Tom; Van Wallendael, Glenn; De Neve, Wesley; Lambert, Peter

2017-05-15

The past decade has seen the introduction of new technologies that lowered the cost of genomic sequencing increasingly. We can even observe that the cost of sequencing is dropping significantly faster than the cost of storage and transmission. The latter motivates a need for continuous improvements in the area of genomic data compression, not only at the level of effectiveness (compression rate), but also at the level of functionality (e.g. random access), configurability (effectiveness versus complexity, coding tool set …) and versatility (support for both sequenced reads and assembled sequences). In that regard, we can point out that current approaches mostly do not support random access, requiring full files to be transmitted, and that current approaches are restricted to either read or sequence compression. We propose AFRESh, an adaptive framework for no-reference compression of genomic data with random access functionality, targeting the effective representation of the raw genomic symbol streams of both reads and assembled sequences. AFRESh makes use of a configurable set of prediction and encoding tools, extended by a Context-Adaptive Binary Arithmetic Coding scheme (CABAC), to compress raw genetic codes. To the best of our knowledge, our paper is the first to describe an effective implementation CABAC outside of its' original application. By applying CABAC, the compression effectiveness improves by up to 19% for assembled sequences and up to 62% for reads. By applying AFRESh to the genomic symbols of the MPEG genomic compression test set for reads, a compression gain is achieved of up to 51% compared to SCALCE, 42% compared to LFQC and 44% compared to ORCOM. When comparing to generic compression approaches, a compression gain is achieved of up to 41% compared to GNU Gzip and 22% compared to 7-Zip at the Ultra setting. Additionaly, when compressing assembled sequences of the Human Genome, a compression gain is achieved up to 34% compared to GNU Gzip and 16% compared to 7-Zip at the Ultra setting. A Windows executable version can be downloaded at https://github.com/tparidae/AFresh . tom.paridaens@ugent.be. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

The Effect of Talking Story Books on Saudi Young EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alsamadani, Hashem Ahmed

2017-01-01

The current research study investigated the effects of talking story books on Saudi young EFL learners' reading comprehension skills. A sample of Saudi-young-EFL learners were randomly selected and divided into two groups: an experimental group (40 students) and a control group (39 students). Students of both groups took a pre reading…

Invented Spelling Activities in Small Groups and Early Spelling and Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martins, Margarida Alves; Salvador, Liliana; Albuquerque, Ana; Silva, Cristina

2016-01-01

Our aim was to assess the impact of an invented spelling programme conducted in small groups on children's written language acquisition in Portuguese. We expected the experimental group to have better post-test results than the control group in spelling and reading. Participants were 160 preschool-age children who were randomly divided into an…

Predictive Values of Selected Auditory Perceptual Factors in Relation to Measured First Grade Reading Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNinch, George

A study was conducted to determine the relationship between auditory perceptual skills and first-grade reading success when readiness and intelligence measures were used in conjunction with auditory skills assessments. Sex differences were also considered. Six boys and six girls were randomly selected from each of 10 first-grade classrooms.…

The Effects of Cuento Therapy on Reading Achievement and Psychological Outcomes of Mexican-American Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramirez, Sylvia Z.; Jain, Sachin; Flores-Torres, Leila L.; Perez, Roxanna; Carlson, Ralph

2009-01-01

This investigation evaluated the effects of cuento therapy (an intervention using Spanish-language tales) on children's self-esteem, affect, and reading test performance. The sample was composed of 58 third-grade Mexican-American students who were randomly assigned to the treatment and control groups. The results showed a mean self-esteem gain…

The Effect of an Instructional Intervention on Middle School English Learners' Science and English Reading Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lara-Alecio, Rafael; Tong, Fuhui; Irby, Beverly J.; Guerrero, Cindy; Huerta, Maggie; Fan, Yinan

2012-01-01

This study examined the effect of a quasi-experimental project on fifth grade English learners' achievement in state-mandated standards-based science and English reading assessment. A total of 166 treatment students and 80 comparison students from four randomized intermediate schools participated in the current project. The intervention consisted…

Effective Reading Comprehension in EFL Contexts: Individual and Collaborative Concept Mapping Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riahi, Zahra; Pourdana, Natasha

2017-01-01

The present study attempted to investigate the possible impacts of Individual Concept Mapping (ICM) and Collaborative Concept Mapping (CCM) strategies on Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension. For this purpose, 90 pre-intermediate female language learners ranged between 12 to 17 years of age were selected to randomly assign into ICM, CCM and…

Effects of Multimedia Annotations on Incidental Vocabulary Learning and Reading Comprehension of Advanced Learners of English as a Foreign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akbulut, Yavuz

2007-01-01

The study investigates immediate and delayed effects of different hypermedia glosses on incidental vocabulary learning and reading comprehension of advanced foreign language learners. Sixty-nine freshman TEFL students studying at a Turkish university were randomly assigned to three types of annotations: (a) definitions of words, (b) definitions…

The Effects of a Responsive Parenting Intervention on Parent-Child Interactions during Shared Book Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Landry, Susan H.; Smith, Karen E.; Swank, Paul R.; Zucker, Tricia; Crawford, April D.; Solari, Emily F.

2012-01-01

This study examined mother-child shared book reading behaviors before and after participation in a random-assignment responsive parenting intervention called Play and Learning Strategies (PALS) that occurred during infancy (PALS I), the toddler-preschool (PALS II) period, or both as compared with a developmental assessment (DAS) intervention (DAS…

The Utility of Blended Learning in EFL Reading and Grammar: A Case for Moodle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bataineh, Ruba Fahmi; Mayyas, Mais Barjas

2017-01-01

This study examines the effect of Moodle-enhanced instruction on Jordanian EFL students' reading comprehension and grammar performance. The study uses a quasi-experimental, pre- /post-test design. A purposeful sample of 32 students, enrolled in a language requirement course at a Jordanian state university, was randomly divided into an experimental…

Effects of the Paraphrasing Strategy on Expository Reading Comprehension of Young Adults with Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hua, Youjia; Woods-Groves, Suzanne; Ford, Jeremy W.; Nobles, Kelly A.

2014-01-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of teaching a three-step paraphrasing strategy on expository reading comprehension of young adults with intellectual disability. Ten learners from a postsecondary education program for individuals with disability participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to the control and…

Effectiveness of Structured Teacher Adaptations to an Evidence-Based Summer Literacy Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, James S.; Burkhauser, Mary A.; Quinn, David M.; Guryan, Jonathan; Kingston, Helen Chen; Aleman, Kirsten

2017-01-01

The authors conducted a cluster-randomized trial to examine the effectiveness of structured teacher adaptations to the implementation of an evidence-based summer literacy program that provided students with (a) books matched to their reading level and interests and (b) teacher scaffolding for summer reading in the form of end-of-year comprehension…

The Effect of Implementation of TBLT in Reading Comprehension Classes of Iranian EFL Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madhkhan, Mozhgan; Mousavi, Seyed Mojtaba

2017-01-01

The present study investigates the impact of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) on Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension performance. Seventy participants were assigned randomly to the experimental and control groups. Having instructed the two groups with the same texts but different task types and activities (i.e., tasks in 4 types) during…

Literacy Coaching to Improve Student Reading Achievement: A Multi-Level Mediation Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matsumura, Lindsay Clare; Garnier, Helen E.; Spybrook, Jessaca

2013-01-01

In a longitudinal group-randomized trial, we explore the key role of the quality of classroom text discussions in mediating the effects of Content-Focused Coaching (CFC) on student reading achievement (2983 students, 167 teachers). Schools in the United States serving large numbers of minority and English language learning (ELL) students from…

Findings from a Multiyear Scale-Up Effectiveness Trial of Open Court Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaden-Kiernan, Michael; Borman, Geoffrey; Caverly, Sarah; Bell, Nance; Sullivan, Kate; Ruiz de Castilla, Veronica; Fleming, Grace; Rodriguez, Debra; Henry, Chad; Long, Tracy; Hughes Jones, Debra

2018-01-01

This multiyear scale-up effectiveness study of Open Court Reading (OCR) involved approximately 4,500 students and more than 1,000 teachers per year in Grades K-5 from 49 elementary schools in seven districts across the country. Using a school-level cluster randomized trial design, we assessed the implementation and effectiveness of Open Court…

Reading Test Performance of English-Language Learners Using an English Dictionary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albus, Debra; Thurlow, Martha; Liu, Kristin; Bielinski, John

2005-01-01

The authors examined the effects of a simplified English dictionary accommodation on the reading-test performance of Hmong English-language learners (ELLs). Participants included a control group of 69 non-ELL students and an experimental group of 133 Hmong ELLs from 3 urban middle schools in Minnesota. In a randomized counterbalanced design, all…

Differential Effects of Two Spelling Procedures on Acquisition, Maintenance and Adaption to Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cates, Gary L.; Dunne, Megan; Erkfritz, Karyn N.; Kivisto, Aaron; Lee, Nicole; Wierzbicki, Jennifer

2007-01-01

An alternating treatments design was used to assess the effects of a constant time delay (CTD) procedure and a cover-copy-compare (CCC) procedure on three students' acquisition, subsequent maintenance, and adaptation (i.e., application) of acquired spelling words to reading passages. Students were randomly presented two trials of word lists from…

Print-Focused Read-Alouds in Early Childhood Special Education Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Justice, Laura M.; Logan, Jessica A. R.; Kaderavek, Joan N.; Dynia, Jaclyn M.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of print-focused read-alouds, implemented by early childhood special education (ECSE) teachers alone or in conjunction with caregivers, on the print knowledge of children with language impairment (LI). Using random assignment to conditions, children with LI were exposed, over an academic year of…

Accelerating Preschoolers' Early Literacy Development through Classroom-Based Teacher-Child Storybook Reading and Explicit Print Referencing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Justice, Laura M.; Kaderavek, Joan N.; Fan, Xitao; Sofka, Amy; Hunt, Aileen

2009-01-01

Purpose: This study examined the impact of teacher use of a print referencing style during classroom-based storybook reading sessions conducted over an academic year. Impacts on preschoolers' early literacy development were examined, focusing specifically on the domain of print knowledge. Method: This randomized, controlled trial examined the…

Fiction reading has a small positive impact on social cognition: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Dodell-Feder, David; Tamir, Diana I

2018-02-26

Scholars from both the social sciences and the humanities have credited fiction reading with a range of positive real-world social effects. Research in psychology has suggested that readers may make good citizens because fiction reading is associated with better social cognition. But does fiction reading causally improve social cognition? Here, we meta-analyze extant published and unpublished experimental data to address this question. Multilevel random-effects meta-analysis of 53 effect sizes from 14 studies demonstrated that it does: compared to nonfiction reading and no reading, fiction reading leads to a small, statistically significant improvement in social-cognitive performance (g = .15-.16). This effect is robust across sensitivity analyses and does not appear to be the result of publication bias. We recommend that in future work, researchers use more robust reading manipulations, assess whether the effects transfer to improved real-world social functioning, and investigate mechanisms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Non-Nuclear Alternatives to Monitoring Moisture-Density Response in Soils

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

devices can be done pretest or posttest , as they all provide a means to correct the raw field data readings. Moisture Density Indicator (M+DI) The...obtained from the soil nuclear density gauge. The devices and techniques that were tested are grouped into four broad families: nuclear, electrical...43  Details of device rejection based on errors .............................................................................. 43  Accuracy of

Normal and compound poisson approximations for pattern occurrences in NGS reads.

PubMed

Zhai, Zhiyuan; Reinert, Gesine; Song, Kai; Waterman, Michael S; Luan, Yihui; Sun, Fengzhu

2012-06-01

Next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies are now widely used in many biological studies. In NGS, sequence reads are randomly sampled from the genome sequence of interest. Most computational approaches for NGS data first map the reads to the genome and then analyze the data based on the mapped reads. Since many organisms have unknown genome sequences and many reads cannot be uniquely mapped to the genomes even if the genome sequences are known, alternative analytical methods are needed for the study of NGS data. Here we suggest using word patterns to analyze NGS data. Word pattern counting (the study of the probabilistic distribution of the number of occurrences of word patterns in one or multiple long sequences) has played an important role in molecular sequence analysis. However, no studies are available on the distribution of the number of occurrences of word patterns in NGS reads. In this article, we build probabilistic models for the background sequence and the sampling process of the sequence reads from the genome. Based on the models, we provide normal and compound Poisson approximations for the number of occurrences of word patterns from the sequence reads, with bounds on the approximation error. The main challenge is to consider the randomness in generating the long background sequence, as well as in the sampling of the reads using NGS. We show the accuracy of these approximations under a variety of conditions for different patterns with various characteristics. Under realistic assumptions, the compound Poisson approximation seems to outperform the normal approximation in most situations. These approximate distributions can be used to evaluate the statistical significance of the occurrence of patterns from NGS data. The theory and the computational algorithm for calculating the approximate distributions are then used to analyze ChIP-Seq data using transcription factor GABP. Software is available online (www-rcf.usc.edu/∼fsun/Programs/NGS_motif_power/NGS_motif_power.html). In addition, Supplementary Material can be found online (www.liebertonline.com/cmb).

Yellow filters can improve magnocellular function: motion sensitivity, convergence, accommodation, and reading.

PubMed

Ray, N J; Fowler, S; Stein, J F

2005-04-01

The magnocellular system plays an important role in visual motion processing, controlling vergence eye movements, and in reading. Yellow filters may boost magnocellular activity by eliminating inhibitory blue input to this pathway. It was found that wearing yellow filters increased motion sensitivity, convergence, and accommodation in many children with reading difficulties, both immediately and after three months using the filters. Motion sensitivity was not increased using control neutral density filters. Moreover, reading-impaired children showed significant gains in reading ability after three months wearing the filters compared with those who had used a placebo. It was concluded that yellow filters can improve magnocellular function permanently. Hence, they should be considered as an alternative to corrective lenses, prisms, or exercises for treating poor convergence and accommodation, and also as an aid for children with reading problems.

[Optic density of gastric content in the rapid assessment of pulmonary maturity of the newborn].

PubMed

Brandell, L; Sepúlveda, W H; Araneda, H; Mangiamarchi, M

1991-01-01

The authors studied the correlation between optical density at 650 nm (OD650) in paired samples of amniotic fluid and newborn gastric aspirate obtained from 50 pregnant women who underwent cesarean delivery and from their respective newborns. There was a good correlation between both samples (r = 0.92), which demonstrates that OD650 is a reliable method for studying neonatal pulmonary maturity, especially in those high-risk cases in which no prenatal study is available. None of the infants with mature readings (OD650 > or = 0.10) and 6 out of 13 infants with immature readings (OD650 < 0.10) developed RDS.

The Effectiveness of the Barton's Intervention Program on Reading Comprehension and Reading Attitude of Students with Dyslexia.

PubMed

Mihandoost, Zeinab; Elias, Habibah

2011-01-01

The current research tested the differences in reading attitude and reading comprehension in the dyslexic students between the control group and the experimental group following the Barton intervention program. Dyslexia screening instrument and reading text were employed in order to identify dyslexic students. The population of the study included 138 dyslexic students studying in schools in Ilam, Iran. From this population, 64 students were randomly selected and assigned to an experimental group as well as a control group. The experimental group was taught for 36 sessions, using the Barton's method at two levels, and ten lessons were provided to improve the reading skill. The reading comprehension and reading attitude instruments were employed for the measurement of the attitude and comprehension before and after the intervention program. The analysis of covariance showed a significant difference between the control group and the experimental group following the Barton intervention program. This study showed that dyslexic students learned to read, and a more direct instruction related to decoding could influence their progress more than the general exposure to education.

Resistive switching near electrode interfaces: Estimations by a current model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schroeder, Herbert; Zurhelle, Alexander; Stemmer, Stefanie; Marchewka, Astrid; Waser, Rainer

2013-02-01

The growing resistive switching database is accompanied by many detailed mechanisms which often are pure hypotheses. Some of these suggested models can be verified by checking their predictions with the benchmarks of future memory cells. The valence change memory model assumes that the different resistances in ON and OFF states are made by changing the defect density profiles in a sheet near one working electrode during switching. The resulting different READ current densities in ON and OFF states were calculated by using an appropriate simulation model with variation of several important defect and material parameters of the metal/insulator (oxide)/metal thin film stack such as defect density and its profile change in density and thickness, height of the interface barrier, dielectric permittivity, applied voltage. The results were compared to the benchmarks and some memory windows of the varied parameters can be defined: The required ON state READ current density of 105 A/cm2 can only be achieved for barriers smaller than 0.7 eV and defect densities larger than 3 × 1020 cm-3. The required current ratio between ON and OFF states of at least 10 requests defect density reduction of approximately an order of magnitude in a sheet of several nanometers near the working electrode.

Do reading additions improve reading in pre-presbyopes with low vision?

PubMed

Alabdulkader, Balsam; Leat, Susan

2012-09-01

This study compared three different methods of determining a reading addition and the possible improvement on reading performance in children and young adults with low vision. Twenty-eight participants with low vision, aged 8 to 32 years, took part in the study. Reading additions were determined with (a) a modified Nott dynamic retinoscopy, (b) a subjective method, and (c) an age-based formula. Reading performance was assessed with MNREAD-style reading charts at 12.5 cm, with and without each reading addition in random order. Outcome measures were reading speed, critical print size, MNREAD threshold, and the area under the reading speed curve. For the whole group, there was no significant improvement in reading performance with any of the additions. When participants with normal accommodation at 12.5 cm were excluded, the area under the reading speed curve was significantly greater with all reading additions compared with no addition (p = 0.031, 0.028, and 0.028, respectively). Also, the reading acuity threshold was significantly better with all reading additions compared with no addition (p = 0.014, 0.030, and 0.036, respectively). Distance and near visual acuity, age, and contrast sensitivity did not predict improvement with a reading addition. All, but one, of the participants who showed a significant improvement in reading with an addition had reduced accommodation. A reading addition may improve reading performance for young people with low vision and should be considered as part of a low vision assessment, particularly when accommodation is reduced.

Drop Calibration of Accelerometers for Shock Measurement

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-01

important that the screen is clear, the records displayed are crisp and values are easily read. The current DSO, used within the Division, in the...Capacitor ≤ ± 0.01% ξc Tolerance of capacitor Drop Mass Reading ≤ ± 0.083 %  dm 0.1g over 120g (typically) Reference Mass Reading ≤ ± 0.1 % rm...Therefore m has uncertainty components due to rm ,  dm and ξrme. The random component is  222 dmrmm  (6.8) and once again  dsodc

Investigation of estimators of probability density functions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Speed, F. M.

1972-01-01

Four research projects are summarized which include: (1) the generation of random numbers on the IBM 360/44, (2) statistical tests used to check out random number generators, (3) Specht density estimators, and (4) use of estimators of probability density functions in analyzing large amounts of data.

Method for compression of binary data

DOEpatents

Berlin, Gary J.

1996-01-01

The disclosed method for compression of a series of data bytes, based on LZSS-based compression methods, provides faster decompression of the stored data. The method involves the creation of a flag bit buffer in a random access memory device for temporary storage of flag bits generated during normal LZSS-based compression. The flag bit buffer stores the flag bits separately from their corresponding pointers and uncompressed data bytes until all input data has been read. Then, the flag bits are appended to the compressed output stream of data. Decompression can be performed much faster because bit manipulation is only required when reading the flag bits and not when reading uncompressed data bytes and pointers. Uncompressed data is read using byte length instructions and pointers are read using word instructions, thus reducing the time required for decompression.

Determination of the precision error of the pulmonary artery thermodilution catheter using an in vitro continuous flow test rig.

PubMed

Yang, Xiao-Xing; Critchley, Lester A; Joynt, Gavin M

2011-01-01

Thermodilution cardiac output using a pulmonary artery catheter is the reference method against which all new methods of cardiac output measurement are judged. However, thermodilution lacks precision and has a quoted precision error of ± 20%. There is uncertainty about its true precision and this causes difficulty when validating new cardiac output technology. Our aim in this investigation was to determine the current precision error of thermodilution measurements. A test rig through which water circulated at different constant rates with ports to insert catheters into a flow chamber was assembled. Flow rate was measured by an externally placed transonic flowprobe and meter. The meter was calibrated by timed filling of a cylinder. Arrow and Edwards 7Fr thermodilution catheters, connected to a Siemens SC9000 cardiac output monitor, were tested. Thermodilution readings were made by injecting 5 mL of ice-cold water. Precision error was divided into random and systematic components, which were determined separately. Between-readings (random) variability was determined for each catheter by taking sets of 10 readings at different flow rates. Coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated for each set and averaged. Between-catheter systems (systematic) variability was derived by plotting calibration lines for sets of catheters. Slopes were used to estimate the systematic component. Performances of 3 cardiac output monitors were compared: Siemens SC9000, Siemens Sirecust 1261, and Philips MP50. Five Arrow and 5 Edwards catheters were tested using the Siemens SC9000 monitor. Flow rates between 0.7 and 7.0 L/min were studied. The CV (random error) for Arrow was 5.4% and for Edwards was 4.8%. The random precision error was ± 10.0% (95% confidence limits). CV (systematic error) was 5.8% and 6.0%, respectively. The systematic precision error was ± 11.6%. The total precision error of a single thermodilution reading was ± 15.3% and ± 13.0% for triplicate readings. Precision error increased by 45% when using the Sirecust monitor and 100% when using the Philips monitor. In vitro testing of pulmonary artery catheters enabled us to measure both the random and systematic error components of thermodilution cardiac output measurement, and thus calculate the precision error. Using the Siemens monitor, we established a precision error of ± 15.3% for single and ± 13.0% for triplicate reading, which was similar to the previous estimate of ± 20%. However, this precision error was significantly worsened by using the Sirecust and Philips monitors. Clinicians should recognize that the precision error of thermodilution cardiac output is dependent on the selection of catheter and monitor model.

The Effect of the Integration of Corpora in Reading Comprehension Classrooms on English as a Foreign Language Learners' Vocabulary Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordani, Yahya

2013-01-01

This study used a randomized pretest-posttest control group design to examine the effect of the integration of corpora in general English courses on the students' vocabulary development. To enhance the learners' lexical repertoire and thereby improve their reading comprehension, an online corpus-based approach was integrated into 42 hours of…

Improving Reading Comprehension Skills with Children's Books through Metacognitive Strategy: The Turkish Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çer, Erkan; Sahin, Ertugrul

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of metacognitive strategy in improving reading comprehension skills through children's literature of literary quality. A quasi-experimental study was carried out in a private secondary school in a city located Middle Black Sea region of Turkey. Two classes were randomly chosen as the study group, and…

Efficacy of a Reading and Language Intervention for Children with Down Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgoyne, Kelly; Duff, Fiona J.; Clarke, Paula J.; Buckley, Sue; Snowling, Margaret J.; Hulme, Charles

2012-01-01

Background: This study evaluates the effects of a language and literacy intervention for children with Down syndrome. Methods: Teaching assistants (TAs) were trained to deliver a reading and language intervention to children in individual daily 40-min sessions. We used a waiting list control design, in which half the sample received the…

The Effects of Handwriting Instruction on Reading for Students in Grades 1 and 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stroik, Linda R.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental group comparison study using a repeated measures comparison group design with random assignment of subjects to groups was to investigate the effects of handwriting instruction on reading progress for learners in grade 1 and grade 2. At three points in time, the number of words each student read…

Literacy Learning of At-Risk First-Grade Students in the Reading Recovery Early Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwartz, Robert M.

2005-01-01

This study investigated the effectiveness and efficiency of the Reading Recovery early intervention. At-risk 1st-grade students were randomly assigned to receive the intervention during the 1st or 2nd half of the school year. High-average and low-average students from the same classrooms provided additional comparisons. Thirty-seven teachers from…

The Effects of CBI Lesson Sequence Type and Field Dependence on Learning from Computer-Based Cooperative Instruction in Web

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ipek, Ismail

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of CBI lesson sequence type and cognitive style of field dependence on learning from Computer-Based Cooperative Instruction (CBCI) in WEB on the dependent measures, achievement, reading comprehension and reading rate. Eighty-seven college undergraduate students were randomly assigned to…

Do Students Using Electronic Books Display Different Reading Comprehension and Motivation Levels than Students Using Traditional Print Books?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells, Casey L.

2012-01-01

The effect of electronic books on the reading comprehension of middle and high school students was examined using an experimental posttest-only control-group design. A convenience sample of 140 randomly assigned middle and high school English students at an independent school in eastern North Carolina participated. Half of the students used…

Improving Reading Comprehension for High School Students with Disabilities: Effects for Comprehension and School Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaughn, Sharon; Roberts, Greg; Schnakenberg, Jennifer B.; Fall, Anna-Mária; Vaughn, Michael G.; Wexler, Jade

2015-01-01

The authors examine the results for students with disabilities from a 2-year randomized controlled trial with students identified in ninth grade and followed through 10th grade in their allotted condition group. Prior to ninth grade, students with disabilities who met criteria for low reading comprehension (i.e., through failure on the state…

A Comparison Study of the Effectiveness of the Lexia Reading Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ness, Mike; Couperus, Josh; Willey, Matthew

2013-01-01

This study evaluates the efficacy of the Lexia Reading (LR) programme with a cohort of 37 students in a Decile 1 primary school. The students were randomly assigned to experimental (who used LR) and control groups (who did not use LR). The WIAT-II was used to provide pre and post measures of literacy skills. Results indicated that students who…

The Impact of a Strategy-Based Intervention on the Comprehension and Strategy Use of Struggling Adolescent Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cantrell, Susan Chambers; Almasi, Janice F.; Carter, Janis C.; Rintamaa, Margaret; Madden, Angela

2010-01-01

This study examines the impact of the Learning Strategies Curriculum (LSC), an adolescent reading intervention program, on 6th- and 9th-grade students' reading comprehension and strategy use. Using a randomized treatment-control group design, the study compared student outcomes for these constructs for 365 students who received daily instruction…

Assessment of the Implementation of the Reading Component of the English Language Curriculum for Basic Education in Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yusuf, Hanna Onyi

2014-01-01

This study assessed the implementation of the reading component of the Junior Secondary School English Language Curriculum for Basic Education in Nigeria. Ten (10) randomly selected public and private secondary schools from Kaduna metropolis in Kaduna State of Nigeria were used for the study. Among the factors assessed in relation to the…

Multisyllabic Word-Reading Instruction with and without Motivational Beliefs Training for Struggling Readers in the Upper Elementary Grades: A Pilot Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toste, Jessica R.; Capin, Philip; Vaughn, Sharon

2017-01-01

This randomized controlled trial focused on 59 struggling readers in the third and fourth grades (30 female, 29 male) and examined the efficacy of an intervention aimed at increasing students' multisyllabic word reading (MWR). The study also explored the relative effects of an embedded motivational beliefs (MB) training component. Struggling…

What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review of the Report "Evaluation of Experience Corps: Student Reading Outcomes"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2010

2010-01-01

This study examined whether the "Experience Corps" program improved the reading skills of elementary school students who were at risk of academic failure. Nearly 900 first through third grade students in 23 schools in Boston, New York City, and Port Arthur, TX participated in the study. These students were randomly assigned to either a…

Examining the Efficacy of a Multitiered Intervention for At-Risk Readers in Grade 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Jean Louise M.; Nelson, Nancy J.; Fien, Hank; Smolkowski, Keith; Kosty, Derek; Baker, Scott K.

2016-01-01

This study reports the results of a cluster RCT evaluating the impact of Enhanced Core Reading Instruction on reading achievement of grade 1 at-risk readers. Forty-four elementary schools, blocked by district, were randomly assigned to condition. In both conditions, at-risk readers received 90 minutes of whole-group instruction (Tier 1) plus an…

An Investigation into the Relationships Between Cloze Test Scores and Informal Reading Inventory Scores of Fifth Grade Pupils.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walter, Richard Barry

This study investigated the relationship between instructional level scores as determined by a cloze test and instructional level scores as determined by an informal reading inventory (IRI). Fifty male and 50 female subjects were randomly selected from the total fifth grade population of five schools chosen from a total of 22 midwestern elementary…

Prenatal Influences: The Mothers Who Read to Their Children Prenatally.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plowcha, Melanie

A study was conducted to determine if pregnant women read to their unborn child. A randomly selected sample of 47 pregnant women in the Toms River, New Jersey area between the ages of 20 and 35, visiting their obstetricians' offices for monthly checkups were chosen for the study. A questionnaire was administered to mothers in the waiting room…

The Effects of Explicit Instruction on the Reading Performance of Adolescent English Language Learners with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Deborah K.

2013-01-01

This study sought to determine the effects of explicit phonics instruction and sight word instruction on the letter-sound identification and word reading of 13- to 15-year-old English language learners in the eighth grade who were identified as having intellectual disabilities (ID). Using a randomized single-subject design, four Hispanic students…

Efficient Word Reading: Automaticity of Print-Related Skills Indexed by Rapid Automatized Naming through Cusp-Catastrophe Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sideridis, Georgios D.; Simos, Panagiotis; Mouzaki, Angeliki; Stamovlasis, Dimitrios

2016-01-01

The study explored the moderating role of rapid automatized naming (RAN) in reading achievement through a cusp-catastrophe model grounded on nonlinear dynamic systems theory. Data were obtained from a community sample of 496 second through fourth graders who were followed longitudinally over 2 years and split into 2 random subsamples (validation…

What Works Clearinghouse Quick Review of the Report "Reading and Language Outcomes of a Five-Year Randomized Evaluation of Transitional Bilingual Education"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2010

2010-01-01

The study examined how the English reading performance of predominantly Spanish-speaking students in transitional bilingual education compared with the performance of predominantly Spanish-speaking students in structured English immersion. The study analyzed data on three cohorts of students in six schools in Los Angeles; Denver; Albuquerque; St.…

Relative Effectiveness of Reading Intervention Programs for Adults with Low Literacy.

PubMed

Sabatini, John P; Shore, Jane; Holtzman, Steven; Scarborough, Hollis S

2011-01-01

To compare the efficacy of instructional programs for adult learners with basic reading skills below the seventh grade level, 300 adults were randomly assigned to one of three supplementary tutoring programs designed to strengthen decoding and fluency skills, and gains were examined for the 148 adult students who completed the program. The three intervention programs were based on or adapted from instructional programs that have been shown to benefit children with reading levels similar to those of the adult sample. Each program varied in its relative emphasis on basic decoding versus reading fluency instruction. A repeated measures MANOVA confirmed small to moderate reading gains from pre- to post-testing across a battery of targeted reading measures, but no significant relative differences across interventions. An additional 152 participants who failed to complete the intervention differed initially from those who persisted. Implications for future research and adult literacy instruction are discussed.

Ant-inspired density estimation via random walks.

PubMed

Musco, Cameron; Su, Hsin-Hao; Lynch, Nancy A

2017-10-03

Many ant species use distributed population density estimation in applications ranging from quorum sensing, to task allocation, to appraisal of enemy colony strength. It has been shown that ants estimate local population density by tracking encounter rates: The higher the density, the more often the ants bump into each other. We study distributed density estimation from a theoretical perspective. We prove that a group of anonymous agents randomly walking on a grid are able to estimate their density within a small multiplicative error in few steps by measuring their rates of encounter with other agents. Despite dependencies inherent in the fact that nearby agents may collide repeatedly (and, worse, cannot recognize when this happens), our bound nearly matches what would be required to estimate density by independently sampling grid locations. From a biological perspective, our work helps shed light on how ants and other social insects can obtain relatively accurate density estimates via encounter rates. From a technical perspective, our analysis provides tools for understanding complex dependencies in the collision probabilities of multiple random walks. We bound the strength of these dependencies using local mixing properties of the underlying graph. Our results extend beyond the grid to more general graphs, and we discuss applications to size estimation for social networks, density estimation for robot swarms, and random walk-based sampling for sensor networks.

Comparison of exercise blood pressure measured by technician and an automated system.

PubMed

Garcia-Gregory, J A; Jackson, A S; Studeville, J; Squires, W G; Owen, C A

1984-05-01

We evaluated the automated system Blood Pressure Measuring System (BPMS) developed by NASA on 277 adult males who elected to have a treadmill test as part of their annual physical. The BPMS uses acoustic transduction with a computer-assisted ECG gating to detect nonsynchronous noise. The BPMS readings were compared to pressures simultaneously measured by trained technicians. For all stages of work, BPMS readings were higher for systolic and lower for diastolic than technician readings. At peak stages of work, BPMS systolic pressures were about 20 mmHg higher than technician readings. Within each 3-min workstage, BPMS readings were found to be more inconsistent than technician readings. The standard errors of measurement for BPMS were from two to three times higher than technician values. These data showed automated blood pressure readings were significantly different than technician values and subject to more random fluctuations. These findings demonstrate the need to view exercise blood pressure measured by automated systems with caution.

Pervasive randomness in physics: an introduction to its modelling and spectral characterisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howard, Roy

2017-10-01

An introduction to the modelling and spectral characterisation of random phenomena is detailed at a level consistent with a first exposure to the subject at an undergraduate level. A signal framework for defining a random process is provided and this underpins an introduction to common random processes including the Poisson point process, the random walk, the random telegraph signal, shot noise, information signalling random processes, jittered pulse trains, birth-death random processes and Markov chains. An introduction to the spectral characterisation of signals and random processes, via either an energy spectral density or a power spectral density, is detailed. The important case of defining a white noise random process concludes the paper.

Rcorrector: efficient and accurate error correction for Illumina RNA-seq reads.

PubMed

Song, Li; Florea, Liliana

2015-01-01

Next-generation sequencing of cellular RNA (RNA-seq) is rapidly becoming the cornerstone of transcriptomic analysis. However, sequencing errors in the already short RNA-seq reads complicate bioinformatics analyses, in particular alignment and assembly. Error correction methods have been highly effective for whole-genome sequencing (WGS) reads, but are unsuitable for RNA-seq reads, owing to the variation in gene expression levels and alternative splicing. We developed a k-mer based method, Rcorrector, to correct random sequencing errors in Illumina RNA-seq reads. Rcorrector uses a De Bruijn graph to compactly represent all trusted k-mers in the input reads. Unlike WGS read correctors, which use a global threshold to determine trusted k-mers, Rcorrector computes a local threshold at every position in a read. Rcorrector has an accuracy higher than or comparable to existing methods, including the only other method (SEECER) designed for RNA-seq reads, and is more time and memory efficient. With a 5 GB memory footprint for 100 million reads, it can be run on virtually any desktop or server. The software is available free of charge under the GNU General Public License from https://github.com/mourisl/Rcorrector/.

The relationship of global form and motion detection to reading fluency.

PubMed

Englund, Julia A; Palomares, Melanie

2012-08-15

Visual motion processing in typical and atypical readers has suggested aspects of reading and motion processing share a common cortical network rooted in dorsal visual areas. Few studies have examined the relationship between reading performance and visual form processing, which is mediated by ventral cortical areas. We investigated whether reading fluency correlates with coherent motion detection thresholds in typically developing children using random dot kinematograms. As a comparison, we also evaluated the correlation between reading fluency and static form detection thresholds. Results show that both dorsal and ventral visual functions correlated with components of reading fluency, but that they have different developmental characteristics. Motion coherence thresholds correlated with reading rate and accuracy, which both improved with chronological age. Interestingly, when controlling for non-verbal abilities and age, reading accuracy significantly correlated with thresholds for coherent form detection but not coherent motion detection in typically developing children. Dorsal visual functions that mediate motion coherence seem to be related maturation of broad cognitive functions including non-verbal abilities and reading fluency. However, ventral visual functions that mediate form coherence seem to be specifically related to accurate reading in typically developing children. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of attention therapy on reading comprehension.

PubMed

Solan, Harold A; Shelley-Tremblay, John; Ficarra, Anthony; Silverman, Michael; Larson, Steven

2003-01-01

This study quantified the influence of visual attention therapy on the reading comprehension of Grade 6 children with moderate reading disabilities (RD) in the absence of specific reading remediation. Thirty students with below-average reading scores were identified using standardized reading comprehension tests. Fifteen children were placed randomly in the experimental group and 15 in the control group. The Attention Battery of the Cognitive Assessment System was administered to all participants. The experimental group received 12 one-hour sessions of individually monitored, computer-based attention therapy programs; the control group received no therapy during their 12-week period. Each group was retested on attention and reading comprehension measures. In order to stimulate selective and sustained visual attention, the vision therapy stressed various aspects of arousal, activation, and vigilance. At the completion of attention therapy, the mean standard attention and reading comprehension scores of the experimental group had improved significantly. The control group, however, showed no significant improvement in reading comprehension scores after 12 weeks. Although uncertainties still exist, this investigation supports the notion that visual attention is malleable and that attention therapy has a significant effect on reading comprehension in this often neglected population.

Testing of Candidate Rigid Heatshield Materials at LHMEL for the Entry, Descent, and Landing Technology Development Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sepka, Steven; Gasch, Matthew; Beck, Robin A.; White, Susan

2012-01-01

The material testing results described in this paper were part of a material development program of vendor-supplied, proposed heat shield materials. The goal of this program was to develop low density, rigid material systems with an appreciable weight savings over phenolic-impregnated carbon ablator (PICA) while improving material response performance. New technologies, such as PICA-like materials in honeycomb or materials with variable density through-the-thickness were tested. The material testing took place at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Laser Hardened Materials Laboratory (LHMEL) using a 10.6 micron CO2 laser operating with the test articles immersed in a nitrogen-gas environment at 1 atmosphere pressure. Test measurements included thermocouple readings of in-depth temperatures, pyrometer readings of surface temperatures, weight scale readings of mass loss, and sectioned-sample readings of char depth. Two laser exposures were applied. The first exposure was at an irradiance of 450 W/cm2 for 50 or 60 seconds to simulate an aerocapture maneuver. The second laser exposure was at an irradiance of 115 W/cm2 for 100 seconds to simulate a planetary entry. Results from Rounds 1 and 2 of these screening tests are summarized.

Early elementary school intervention to reduce conduct problems: a randomized trial with Hispanic and non-Hispanic children.

PubMed

Barrera, Manuel; Biglan, Anthony; Taylor, Ted K; Gunn, Barbara K; Smolkowski, Keith; Black, Carol; Ary, Dennis V; Fowler, Rollen C

2002-06-01

Children's aggressive behavior and reading difficulties during early elementary school years are risk factors for adolescent problem behaviors such as delinquency, academic failure, and substance use. This study determined if a comprehensive intervention that was designed to address both of these risk factors could affect teacher, parent, and observer measures of internalizing and externalizing problems. European American (n = 116) and Hispanic (n = 168) children from 3 communities who were selected for aggressiveness or reading difficulties were randomly assigned to an intervention or no-intervention control condition. Intervention families received parent training, and their children received social behavior interventions and supplementary reading instruction over a 2-year period. At the end of intervention, playground observations showed that treated children displayed less negative social behavior than controls. At the end of a 1-year follow-up, treated children showed less teacher-rated internalizing and less parent-rated coercive and antisocial behavior than controls. The study's limitations and implications for prevention are discussed.

Relationship between chlorophyll density and SPAD chlorophyll meter reading for Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Chlorophyll is an indicator of crop health and productivity. Measuring chlorophyll is usually done directly and requires significant time and resources. Indirect measurement of chlorophyll density using a handheld portable chlorophyll meter can reduce time. However, this information is very limit...

Nonstationary envelope process and first excursion probability.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, J.-N.

1972-01-01

The definition of stationary random envelope proposed by Cramer and Leadbetter, is extended to the envelope of nonstationary random process possessing evolutionary power spectral densities. The density function, the joint density function, the moment function, and the crossing rate of a level of the nonstationary envelope process are derived. Based on the envelope statistics, approximate solutions to the first excursion probability of nonstationary random processes are obtained. In particular, applications of the first excursion probability to the earthquake engineering problems are demonstrated in detail.

Reading data stored in the state of metastable defects in silicon using band-band photoluminescence: Proof of concept and physical limits to the data storage density

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rougieux, F. E.; Macdonald, D.

2014-03-24

The state of bistable defects in crystalline silicon such as iron-boron pairs or the boron-oxygen defect can be changed at room temperature. In this letter, we experimentally demonstrate that the chemical state of a group of defects can be changed to represent a bit of information. The state can then be read without direct contact via the intensity of the emitted band-band photoluminescence signal of the group of defects, via their impact on the carrier lifetime. The theoretical limit of the information density is then computed. The information density is shown to be low for two-dimensional storage but significant formore » three-dimensional data storage. Finally, we compute the maximum storage capacity as a function of the lower limit of the photoluminescence detector sensitivity.« less

Knowledge, its Application, and Attitudes Associated with the Reading of Diverse Genres of Science Texts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonçalves Nigro, Rogerio; Frateschi Trivelato, Silvia

2012-11-01

The purpose of this article is to assess the knowledge, application of knowledge, and attitudes associated with the reading of different genres of expository science texts. We assigned approximately half of a sample consisting of 220 students 14-15 years of age, chosen at random, to read an excerpt from a popular scientific text, and the other half to read an excerpt from a textbook addressing the same topic. Readers took knowledge and application tests immediately after the reading and again 15 days later. Students also took knowledge and reading proficiency pre-tests, and attitude tests related to the selected texts. Overall, girls scored higher than boys and readers of the popular scientific text scored higher than their colleagues who read the textbook excerpt. We noted interaction between 'reader gender' and 'genre of the text read' in terms of long-term learning based on the reading. Attitude regarding the text read appears as an important factor in explaining behavior of boys who read the popular scientific text. Surprisingly, knowledge and application test scores were not statistically different among girls with different degrees of reading proficiency who read the textbook excerpt. In addition, on the application tests, among the boys who read the popular scientific text, good readers scored lower than their colleagues who read the textbook excerpt. In our opinion, this study can serve to show that 'reading in science education' is not a trivial matter and we feel that the subject merits more in-depth investigation.

The role of working memory and fluency practice on the reading comprehension of students who are dysfluent readers.

PubMed

Swanson, H Lee; O'Connor, Rollanda

2009-01-01

The authors investigated whether practice in reading fluency had a causal influence on the relationship between working memory (WM) and text comprehension for 155 students in Grades 2 and 4 who were poor or average readers. Dysfluent readers were randomly assigned to repeated reading or continuous reading practice conditions and compared with untreated dysfluent and fluent readers on posttest measures of fluency, word identification, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Three main findings emerged: (a) The influence of WM on text comprehension was not related to fluency training, (b) dysfluent readers in the continuous-reading condition had higher posttest scores than dysfluent readers in the other conditions on measures of text comprehension but not on vocabulary, and (c) individual differences in WM better predicted posttest comprehension performance than word-attack skills. In general, the results suggested that although continuous reading increased comprehension, fluency practice did not compensate for WM demands. The results were interpreted within a model that viewed reading comprehension processes as competing for a limited supply of WM resources that operate independent of fluency.

Room-temperature antiferromagnetic memory resistor.

PubMed

Marti, X; Fina, I; Frontera, C; Liu, Jian; Wadley, P; He, Q; Paull, R J; Clarkson, J D; Kudrnovský, J; Turek, I; Kuneš, J; Yi, D; Chu, J-H; Nelson, C T; You, L; Arenholz, E; Salahuddin, S; Fontcuberta, J; Jungwirth, T; Ramesh, R

2014-04-01

The bistability of ordered spin states in ferromagnets provides the basis for magnetic memory functionality. The latest generation of magnetic random access memories rely on an efficient approach in which magnetic fields are replaced by electrical means for writing and reading the information in ferromagnets. This concept may eventually reduce the sensitivity of ferromagnets to magnetic field perturbations to being a weakness for data retention and the ferromagnetic stray fields to an obstacle for high-density memory integration. Here we report a room-temperature bistable antiferromagnetic (AFM) memory that produces negligible stray fields and is insensitive to strong magnetic fields. We use a resistor made of a FeRh AFM, which orders ferromagnetically roughly 100 K above room temperature, and therefore allows us to set different collective directions for the Fe moments by applied magnetic field. On cooling to room temperature, AFM order sets in with the direction of the AFM moments predetermined by the field and moment direction in the high-temperature ferromagnetic state. For electrical reading, we use an AFM analogue of the anisotropic magnetoresistance. Our microscopic theory modelling confirms that this archetypical spintronic effect, discovered more than 150 years ago in ferromagnets, is also present in AFMs. Our work demonstrates the feasibility of fabricating room-temperature spintronic memories with AFMs, which in turn expands the base of available magnetic materials for devices with properties that cannot be achieved with ferromagnets.

Adding access to a video magnifier to standard vision rehabilitation: initial results on reading performance and well-being from a prospective, randomized study

PubMed Central

Jackson, Mary Lou; Schoessow, Kimberly A.; Selivanova, Alexandra; Wallis, Jennifer

2017-01-01

Purpose Both optical and electronic magnification are available to patients with low vision. Electronic video magnifiers are more expensive than optical magnifiers, but they offer additional benefits, including variable magnification and contrast. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of access to a video magnifier (VM) added to standard comprehensive vision rehabilitation (VR). Methods In this prospective study, 37 subjects with central field loss were randomized to receive standard VR (VR group, 18 subjects) or standard VR plus VM (VM group, 19 subjects). Subjects read the International Reading Speed Texts (IReST), a bank check, and a phone number at enrollment, at 1 month, and after occupational therapy (OT) as indicated to address patient goals. The Impact of Vision Impairment (IVI) questionnaire, a version of the Activity Inventory (AI), and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) were administered at enrollment, 1 month, after OT, 1 month later, and 1 year after enrollment. Assessments at enrollment and 1 month later were evaluated. Results At 1 month, the VM group displayed significant improvement in reading continuous print as measured by the IReST (P = 0.01) but did not differ on IVI, AI, or DASS. From enrollment to 1 month all subjects improved in their ability to spot read (phone number and check; P < 0.01 for both). The VM group improved in their ability to find and read a number in a phone book more than the VR group at 1 month after initial consultation (P = 0.02). All reported better well-being (P = 0.02). Conclusions All subjects reported better well-being on the IVI. The VM group read faster and was better at two spot reading tasks but did not differ from the VR group in other outcome measures. PMID:28924412

Effects of Cross-Age Tutoring on Self-Esteem and Reading Achievement of Low Self-Esteem Fifth-Grade Males.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diamond, Barbara

This study investigated the effects of a cross-age tutorial experience on the self-esteem of the tutors and the reading achievement of the pupils. Ninety-two fifth-grade males selected from four parochial schools in Nassau County, New York, were tested on a self-esteem inventory. Those scoring lowest were randomly assigned to tutoring groups and…

A Mixed Method Study of the Effectiveness of the Accelerated Reader Program on Middle School Students' Reading Achievement and Motivation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, SuHua

2012-01-01

The mixed-method explanatory research design was employed to investigate the effectiveness of the Accelerated Reader (AR) program on middle school students' reading achievement and motivation. A total of 211 sixth to eighth-grade students provided quantitative data by completing an AR Survey. Thirty of the 211 students were randomly selected to…

Using Video Interaction Guidance to Develop Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Skills in Professional Training for Educational Psychologists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayes, Ben; Dewey, Jessica; Sancho, Michelle

2014-01-01

In this study we assessed the effects of paragraph length on the reading speed and comprehension of students. Students were randomly assigned to one of three groups: short paragraph length (SPL), medium paragraph length (MPL), or long paragraph length (LPL). Students read a 1423 word text on a computer screen formatted to align with their group…

Teaching Children with Dyslexia to Spell in a Reading-Writers' Workshop

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berninger, Virginia W.; Lee, Yen-Ling; Abbott, Robert D.; Breznitz, Zvia

2013-01-01

To identify effective treatment for both the spelling and word decoding problems in dyslexia, 24 students with dyslexia in grades 4 to 9 were randomly assigned to treatments A (n = 12) or B (n = 12) in an after-school reading-writers' workshop at the university (thirty 1-h sessions twice a week over 5 months). First, both groups received step 1…

An Examination of a Small-Group Decoding Intervention for Struggling Readers: Comparing Accuracy and Automaticity Criteria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudson, Roxanne F.; Isakson, Carole; Richman, Taylor; Lane, Holly B.; Arriaza-Allen, Stephanie

2011-01-01

In this study, we compared methods to improve the decoding and reading fluency of struggling readers. Second-grade poor readers were randomly assigned to one of the two practice conditions within a repeated reading intervention. Both interventions were in small groups, were 20-28 min long, took place 2-4 days per week, and consisted of phonemic…

The Effects of Combining Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies and Incremental Rehearsal on Non-Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners' Reading Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leinen, Amy Bethel

2017-01-01

This study examined the effects of a phonics-based intervention on the reading outcomes of non-Spanish-speaking English Learners (ELs). Thirty-six K-3, primarily Karen- and Hmong-speaking ELs were randomly assigned to receive a modified version of Kindergarten Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (K-PALS; Fuchs et al., 2001b) combined with…

Research report: variations on the theme of avoidance as compensations during unsuccessful reading performance.

PubMed

Damico, Jack S; Abendroth, Kathleen J; Nelson, Ryan L; Lynch, Karen E; Damico, Holly L

2011-08-01

This research report provides additional data, manifestations and discussion about avoidance strategies employed by a language-learning disabled student during reading activities. Rather than seeing avoidance as due to random distractions or oppositional behaviours, these data provide a rationale for viewing many types of avoidance as systematic and compensatory efforts to sustain interactional success in the emergence of linguistic difficulty.

Reading Partners: The Implementation and Effectiveness of a One-on-One Tutoring Program Delivered by Community Volunteers. Policy Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacob, Robin Tepper; Smith, Thomas J.; Willard, Jacklyn A.; Rifkin, Rachel E.

2014-01-01

This policy brief summarizes the positive results of a rigorous evaluation of Reading Partners, a widely used program that offers one-on-one tutoring provided by community volunteers to struggling readers in low-income elementary schools. A total of 1,265 students in 19 schools in three states were randomly assigned to receive Reading…

The Effects of a Flipped English Classroom Intervention on Students' Information and Communication Technology and English Reading Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Yu-Ning; Hong, Zuway-R.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of a flipped English classroom intervention on high school students' information and communication technology (ICT) and English reading comprehension in Taiwan. Forty 10th graders were randomly selected from a representative senior high school as an experimental group (EG) to attend a 12-h…

Training Mispronunciation Correction and Word Meanings Improves Children's Ability to Learn to Read Words

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyson, Hannah; Best, Wendy; Solity, Jonathan; Hulme, Charles

2017-01-01

Previous research has suggested that learning to read irregular words depends upon knowledge of a word's meaning and the ability to correct imperfect decoding attempts by reference to the known pronunciations of a word. In an experimental training study, 84 children ages 5-7 years were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group.…

Effectiveness of Internet-Based Reading Apprenticeship Improving Science Education ("iRAISE"): A Report of a Randomized Experiment in Michigan and Pennsylvania. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaciw, Andrew P.; Schellinger, Adam M.; Lin, Li; Zacamy, Jenna; Toby, Megan

2016-01-01

In 2012, WestEd received a "Development" grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Investing in Innovation (i3) competition to develop and implement Internet-based Reading Apprenticeship Improving Science Education ("iRAISE"). "iRAISE" was implemented in Michigan and Pennsylvania and was provided to over 100…

Cross-Age Tutoring: A Strategy for Increasing Reading Achievement and Improving Self-Concept for Elementary School Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Edwin Leon

This study attempted to determine the effects of a twice-weekly, four-month-long, cross-age tutoring program on children's reading achievement levels and self-concepts. A total of 240 students, stratified by grade and sex, were randomly assigned to four experimental groups. Within each group, students were matched by grade: grade four with grade…

Improving Struggling Readers' Early Literacy Skills through a Tier 2 Professional Development Program for Rural Classroom Teachers: The Targeted Reading Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vernon-Feagans, Lynne; Bratsch-Hines, Mary; Varghese, Cheryl; Cutrer, Elizabeth A.; Garwood, Justin D.

2018-01-01

This article reports the results of a randomized controlled trial that replicated and extended research on the Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI), a professional development program for kindergarten and first-grade teachers in low-wealth rural schools that helps enhance literacy skills of struggling readers. In weekly webcam coaching sessions,…

Effects of Emergent Literacy Interventions for Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hudson, Roxanne F.; Sanders, Elizabeth A.; Greenway, Rosanne; Xie, Sharon; Smith, Maya; Gasamis, Colin; Martini, Jay; Schwartz, Ilene; Hackett, Jacob

2017-01-01

Combining data from a series of three planned consecutive randomized controlled trials, the present study investigates two literacy interventions for preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. For the first cohort, children were randomized to interactive book reading (IBR; treatment) or business as usual (BAU; control); in Cohort 2,…

A Randomized Controlled Trial Study of the ABRACADABRA Reading Intervention Program in Grade 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savage, Robert S.; Abrami, Philip; Hipps, Geoffrey; Deault, Louise

2009-01-01

This study reports a randomized controlled trial evaluation of a computer-based balanced literacy intervention, ABRACADABRA (http://grover.concordia.ca/abra/version1/abracadabra.html). Children (N = 144) in Grade 1 were exposed either to computer activities for word analysis, text comprehension, and fluency, alongside shared stories (experimental…

The effect of density gradients on hydrometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinonen, Martti; Sillanpää, Sampo

2003-05-01

Hydrometers are simple but effective instruments for measuring the density of liquids. In this work, we studied the effect of non-uniform density of liquid on a hydrometer reading. The effect induced by vertical temperature gradients was investigated theoretically and experimentally. A method for compensating for the effect mathematically was developed and tested with experimental data obtained with the MIKES hydrometer calibration system. In the tests, the method was found reliable. However, the reliability depends on the available information on the hydrometer dimensions and density gradients.

Optimization of a PCRAM Chip for high-speed read and highly reliable reset operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiaoyun; Chen, Houpeng; Li, Xi; Wang, Qian; Fan, Xi; Hu, Jiajun; Lei, Yu; Zhang, Qi; Tian, Zhen; Song, Zhitang

2016-10-01

The widely used traditional Flash memory suffers from its performance limits such as its serious crosstalk problems, and increasing complexity of floating gate scaling. Phase change random access memory (PCRAM) becomes one of the most potential nonvolatile memories among the new memory techniques. In this paper, a 1M-bit PCRAM chip is designed based on the SMIC 40nm CMOS technology. Focusing on the read and write performance, two new circuits with high-speed read operation and highly reliable reset operation are proposed. The high-speed read circuit effectively reduces the reading time from 74ns to 40ns. The double-mode reset circuit improves the chip yield. This 1M-bit PCRAM chip has been simulated on cadence. After layout design is completed, the chip will be taped out for post-test.

Method for compression of binary data

DOEpatents

Berlin, G.J.

1996-03-26

The disclosed method for compression of a series of data bytes, based on LZSS-based compression methods, provides faster decompression of the stored data. The method involves the creation of a flag bit buffer in a random access memory device for temporary storage of flag bits generated during normal LZSS-based compression. The flag bit buffer stores the flag bits separately from their corresponding pointers and uncompressed data bytes until all input data has been read. Then, the flag bits are appended to the compressed output stream of data. Decompression can be performed much faster because bit manipulation is only required when reading the flag bits and not when reading uncompressed data bytes and pointers. Uncompressed data is read using byte length instructions and pointers are read using word instructions, thus reducing the time required for decompression. 5 figs.

The auditory P50 component to onset and offset of sound

PubMed Central

Pratt, Hillel; Starr, Arnold; Michalewski, Henry J.; Bleich, Naomi; Mittelman, Nomi

2008-01-01

Objective: The auditory Event-Related Potentials (ERP) component P50 to sound onset and offset have been reported to be similar, but their magnetic homologue has been reported absent to sound offset. We compared the spatio-temporal distribution of cortical activity during P50 to sound onset and offset, without confounds of spectral change. Methods: ERPs were recorded in response to onsets and offsets of silent intervals of 0.5 s (gaps) appearing randomly in otherwise continuous white noise and compared to ERPs to randomly distributed click pairs with half second separation presented in silence. Subjects were awake and distracted from the stimuli by reading a complicated text. Measures of P50 included peak latency and amplitude, as well as source current density estimates to the clicks and sound onsets and offsets. Results P50 occurred in response to noise onsets and to clicks, while to noise offset it was absent. Latency of P50 was similar to noise onset (56 msec) and to clicks (53 msec). Sources of P50 to noise onsets and clicks included bilateral superior parietal areas. In contrast, noise offsets activated left inferior temporal and occipital areas at the time of P50. Source current density was significantly higher to noise onset than offset in the vicinity of the temporo-parietal junction. Conclusions: P50 to sound offset is absent compared to the distinct P50 to sound onset and to clicks, at different intracranial sources. P50 to stimulus onset and to clicks appears to reflect preattentive arousal by a new sound in the scene. Sound offset does not involve a new sound and hence the absent P50. Significance: Stimulus onset activates distinct early cortical processes that are absent to offset. PMID:18055255

Durable High-Density Data Storage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lamartine, Bruce C.; Stutz, Roger A.

1996-01-01

The focus ion beam (FIB) micromilling process for data storage provides a new non-magnetic storage method for archiving large amounts of data. The process stores data on robust materials such as steel, silicon, and gold coated silicon. The storage process was developed to provide a method to insure the long term storage life of data. We estimate that the useful life of data written on silicon or gold-coated silicon to be on the order of a few thousand years without the need to rewrite the data every few years. The process uses an ion beam to carve material from the surface, much like stone cutters in ancient civilizations removed material from stone. The deeper the information is carved into the media, the longer the expected life of the information. The process can record information in three formats: (1) binary at densities of 23 Gbits/square inch, (2) alphanumeric at optical or non-optical density, and (3) graphical at optical and non-optical density. The formats can be mixed on the same media; and thus, it is possible to record, in a human-viewable format, instructions that can be read using an optical microscope. These instructions provide guidance on reading the remaining higher density information.

Ant-inspired density estimation via random walks

PubMed Central

Musco, Cameron; Su, Hsin-Hao

2017-01-01

Many ant species use distributed population density estimation in applications ranging from quorum sensing, to task allocation, to appraisal of enemy colony strength. It has been shown that ants estimate local population density by tracking encounter rates: The higher the density, the more often the ants bump into each other. We study distributed density estimation from a theoretical perspective. We prove that a group of anonymous agents randomly walking on a grid are able to estimate their density within a small multiplicative error in few steps by measuring their rates of encounter with other agents. Despite dependencies inherent in the fact that nearby agents may collide repeatedly (and, worse, cannot recognize when this happens), our bound nearly matches what would be required to estimate density by independently sampling grid locations. From a biological perspective, our work helps shed light on how ants and other social insects can obtain relatively accurate density estimates via encounter rates. From a technical perspective, our analysis provides tools for understanding complex dependencies in the collision probabilities of multiple random walks. We bound the strength of these dependencies using local mixing properties of the underlying graph. Our results extend beyond the grid to more general graphs, and we discuss applications to size estimation for social networks, density estimation for robot swarms, and random walk-based sampling for sensor networks. PMID:28928146

The topology of large-scale structure. I - Topology and the random phase hypothesis. [galactic formation models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weinberg, David H.; Gott, J. Richard, III; Melott, Adrian L.

1987-01-01

Many models for the formation of galaxies and large-scale structure assume a spectrum of random phase (Gaussian), small-amplitude density fluctuations as initial conditions. In such scenarios, the topology of the galaxy distribution on large scales relates directly to the topology of the initial density fluctuations. Here a quantitative measure of topology - the genus of contours in a smoothed density distribution - is described and applied to numerical simulations of galaxy clustering, to a variety of three-dimensional toy models, and to a volume-limited sample of the CfA redshift survey. For random phase distributions the genus of density contours exhibits a universal dependence on threshold density. The clustering simulations show that a smoothing length of 2-3 times the mass correlation length is sufficient to recover the topology of the initial fluctuations from the evolved galaxy distribution. Cold dark matter and white noise models retain a random phase topology at shorter smoothing lengths, but massive neutrino models develop a cellular topology.

A comparison of image interpretation times in full field digital mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Astley, Susan; Connor, Sophie; Lim, Yit; Tate, Catriona; Entwistle, Helen; Morris, Julie; Whiteside, Sigrid; Sergeant, Jamie; Wilson, Mary; Beetles, Ursula; Boggis, Caroline; Gilbert, Fiona

2013-03-01

Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) provides three-dimensional images of the breast that enable radiologists to discern whether densities are due to overlapping structures or lesions. To aid assessment of the cost-effectiveness of DBT for screening, we have compared the time taken to interpret DBT images and the corresponding two-dimensional Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) images. Four Consultant Radiologists experienced in reading FFDM images (4 years 8 months to 8 years) with training in DBT interpretation but more limited experience (137-407 cases in the past 6 months) were timed reading between 24 and 32 two view FFDM and DBT cases. The images were of women recalled from screening for further assessment and women under surveillance because of a family history of breast cancer. FFDM images were read before DBT, according to local practice. The median time for readers to interpret FFDM images was 17.0 seconds, with an interquartile range of 12.3-23.6 seconds. For DBT, the median time was 66.0 seconds, and the interquartile range was 51.1-80.5 seconds. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). Reading times were significantly longer in family history clinics (p<0.01). Although it took approximately four times as long to interpret DBT than FFDM images, the cases were more complex than would be expected for routine screening, and with higher mammographic density. The readers were relatively inexperienced in DBT interpretation and may increase their speed over time. The difference in times between clinics may be due to increased throughput at assessment, or decreased density.

Altered visual sensory fusion in children with reading difficulties.

PubMed

González-Castro, P; Rodríguez, C; Núñez, J C; Vallejo, G; González-Pienda, J A

2014-12-01

Reading is a multi-sensory and multi-cognitive task, and its difficulties (e.g., dyslexia) are not a unitary disorder. There are probably a variety of manifestations that relate to the actual site of impairment. A randomized, pre-test/post-test nonequivalent-groups design was conducted over 4 months with three groups aged between 6 and 8 years. One group comprised 76 participants (34 boys, 42 girls) with reading difficulties and altered sensory fusion (RD+ASF), a second group was made up of 123 students (59 boys, 64 girls) with reading difficulties but without altered sensory fusion (RD), and a third group comprised 81 participants (39 boys, 42 girls) who were young readers (RL) without reading delay, paired with the RD group on reading level. The experimental groups received intervention in the skills of control, stimulus recognition, and phonological awareness during a 4-month period. Both pre-test and post-test measures of errors in reading mechanics and reading routes (word and pseudo-word) were obtained. Poorer results in mechanics and reading routes of the RD+ASF group suggest that the effectiveness of the intervention depended on the characteristics of the groups and on the presence of sensory fusion deficits in the RD students.

Effective Classroom Instruction: Implications of Child Characteristics by Reading Instruction Interactions on First Graders’ Word Reading Achievement

PubMed Central

Morrison, Frederick J.; Schatschneider, Christopher; Toste, Jessica; Lundblom, Erin; Crowe, Elizabeth C; Fishman, Barry

2011-01-01

Too many children fail to learn how to read proficiently with serious consequences for their overall well-being and long term success in school. This may be because providing effective instruction is more complex than many of the current models of reading instruction portray; there are child characteristic by instruction (CXI) interactions. Here we present efficacy results for a randomized control field trial of the Individualizing Student Instruction (ISI) intervention, which relies on dynamic system forecasting intervention models to recommend amounts of reading instruction for each student, taking into account CXI interactions that consider his or her vocabulary and reading skills. The study, conducted in seven schools with 25 teachers and 396 first graders, revealed that students in the ISI intervention classrooms demonstrated significantly greater reading skill gains by spring than did students in control classrooms. Plus, they were more likely to receive differentiated reading instruction based on CXI interaction guided recommended amounts than were students in control classrooms. The precision with which students received the recommended amounts of each type of literacy instruction, the distance from recommendation, also predicted reading outcomes. PMID:22229058

The Effectiveness of the Barton’s Intervention Program on Reading Comprehension and Reading Attitude of Students with Dyslexia

PubMed Central

Mihandoost, Zeinab; Elias, Habibah

2011-01-01

Objective: The current research tested the differences in reading attitude and reading comprehension in the dyslexic students between the control group and the experimental group following the Barton intervention program. Methods: Dyslexia screening instrument and reading text were employed in order to identify dyslexic students. The population of the study included 138 dyslexic students studying in schools in Ilam, Iran. From this population, 64 students were randomly selected and assigned to an experimental group as well as a control group. The experimental group was taught for 36 sessions, using the Barton’s method at two levels, and ten lessons were provided to improve the reading skill. The reading comprehension and reading attitude instruments were employed for the measurement of the attitude and comprehension before and after the intervention program. Results: The analysis of covariance showed a significant difference between the control group and the experimental group following the Barton intervention program. Conclusion: This study showed that dyslexic students learned to read, and a more direct instruction related to decoding could influence their progress more than the general exposure to education. PMID:24644446

Gardening promotes neuroendocrine and affective restoration from stress.

PubMed

Van Den Berg, Agnes E; Custers, Mariëtte H G

2011-01-01

Stress-relieving effects of gardening were hypothesized and tested in a field experiment. Thirty allotment gardeners performed a stressful Stroop task and were then randomly assigned to 30 minutes of outdoor gardening or indoor reading on their own allotment plot. Salivary cortisol levels and self-reported mood were repeatedly measured. Gardening and reading each led to decreases in cortisol during the recovery period, but decreases were significantly stronger in the gardening group. Positive mood was fully restored after gardening, but further deteriorated during reading. These findings provide the first experimental evidence that gardening can promote relief from acute stress.

Artifacts Of Spectral Analysis Of Instrument Readings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wise, James H.

1995-01-01

Report presents experimental and theoretical study of some of artifacts introduced by processing outputs of two nominally identical low-frequency-reading instruments; high-sensitivity servo-accelerometers mounted together and operating, in conjunction with signal-conditioning circuits, as seismometers. Processing involved analog-to-digital conversion with anti-aliasing filtering, followed by digital processing including frequency weighting and computation of different measures of power spectral density (PSD).

Online Learners’ Reading Ability Detection Based on Eye-Tracking Sensors

PubMed Central

Zhan, Zehui; Zhang, Lei; Mei, Hu; Fong, Patrick S. W.

2016-01-01

The detection of university online learners’ reading ability is generally problematic and time-consuming. Thus the eye-tracking sensors have been employed in this study, to record temporal and spatial human eye movements. Learners’ pupils, blinks, fixation, saccade, and regression are recognized as primary indicators for detecting reading abilities. A computational model is established according to the empirical eye-tracking data, and applying the multi-feature regularization machine learning mechanism based on a Low-rank Constraint. The model presents good generalization ability with an error of only 4.9% when randomly running 100 times. It has obvious advantages in saving time and improving precision, with only 20 min of testing required for prediction of an individual learner’s reading ability. PMID:27626418

Random density matrices versus random evolution of open system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pineda, Carlos; Seligman, Thomas H.

2015-10-01

We present and compare two families of ensembles of random density matrices. The first, static ensemble, is obtained foliating an unbiased ensemble of density matrices. As criterion we use fixed purity as the simplest example of a useful convex function. The second, dynamic ensemble, is inspired in random matrix models for decoherence where one evolves a separable pure state with a random Hamiltonian until a given value of purity in the central system is achieved. Several families of Hamiltonians, adequate for different physical situations, are studied. We focus on a two qubit central system, and obtain exact expressions for the static case. The ensemble displays a peak around Werner-like states, modulated by nodes on the degeneracies of the density matrices. For moderate and strong interactions good agreement between the static and the dynamic ensembles is found. Even in a model where one qubit does not interact with the environment excellent agreement is found, but only if there is maximal entanglement with the interacting one. The discussion is started recalling similar considerations for scattering theory. At the end, we comment on the reach of the results for other convex functions of the density matrix, and exemplify the situation with the von Neumann entropy.

Monte Carlo simulation of hard spheres near random closest packing using spherical boundary conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tobochnik, Jan; Chapin, Phillip M.

1988-05-01

Monte Carlo simulations were performed for hard disks on the surface of an ordinary sphere and hard spheres on the surface of a four-dimensional hypersphere. Starting from the low density fluid the density was increased to obtain metastable amorphous states at densities higher than previously achieved. Above the freezing density the inverse pressure decreases linearly with density, reaching zero at packing fractions equal to 68% for hard spheres and 84% for hard disks. Using these new estimates for random closest packing and coefficients from the virial series we obtain an equation of state which fits all the data up to random closest packing. Usually, the radial distribution function showed the typical split second peak characteristic of amorphous solids and glasses. High density systems which lacked this split second peak and showed other sharp peaks were interpreted as signaling the onset of crystal nucleation.

Spin-Valve and Spin-Tunneling Devices: Read Heads, MRAMs, Field Sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freitas, P. P.

Hard disk magnetic data storage is increasing at a steady state in terms of units sold, with 144 million drives sold in 1998 (107 million for desktops, 18 million for portables, and 19 million for enterprise drives), corresponding to a total business of 34 billion US [1]. The growing need for storage coming from new PC operating systems, INTERNET applications, and a foreseen explosion of applications connected to consumer electronics (digital TV, video, digital cameras, GPS systems, etc.), keep the magnetics community actively looking for new solutions, concerning media, heads, tribology, and system electronics. Current state of the art disk drives (January 2000), using dual inductive-write, magnetoresistive-read (MR) integrated heads reach areal densities of 15 to 23 bit/μm2, capable of putting a full 20 GB in one platter (a 2 hour film occupies 10 GB). Densities beyond 80 bit/μm2 have already been demonstrated in the laboratory (Fujitsu 87 bit/μm2-Intermag 2000, Hitachi 81 bit/μm2, Read-Rite 78 bit/μ m2, Seagate 70 bit/μ m2 - all the last three demos done in the first 6 months of 2000, with IBM having demonstrated 56 bit/μ m2 already at the end of 1999). At densities near 60 bit/μm2, the linear bit size is sim 43 nm, and the width of the written tracks is sim 0.23 μm. Areal density in commercial drives is increasing steadily at a rate of nearly 100% per year [1], and consumer products above 60 bit/μm2 are expected by 2002. These remarkable achievements are only possible by a stream of technological innovations, in media [2], write heads [3], read heads [4], and system electronics [5]. In this chapter, recent advances on spin valve materials and spin valve sensor architectures, low resistance tunnel junctions and tunnel junction head architectures will be addressed.

Optical mass memories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, G. A.

1976-01-01

Optical and magnetic variants in the design of trillion-bit read/write memories are compared and tabulated. Components and materials suitable for a random access read/write nonmoving memory system are examined, with preference given to holography and photoplastic materials. Advantages and deficiencies of photoplastics are reviewed. Holographic page composer design, essential features of an optical memory with no moving parts, fiche-oriented random access memory design, and materials suitable for an efficient photoplastic fiche are considered. The optical variants offer advantages in lower volume and weight at data transfer rates near 1 Mbit/sec, but power drain is of the same order as for the magnetic variants (tape memory, disk memory). The mechanical properties of photoplastic film materials still leave much to be desired.

Reducing obesity prejudice in medical education.

PubMed

Matharu, Kabir; Shapiro, Johanna F; Hammer, Rachel R; Kravitz, R L; Wilson, Machelle D; Fitzgerald, Faith T

2014-01-01

Healthcare worker attitudes toward obese individuals facilitate discrimination and contribute to poor health outcomes. Previous studies have demonstrated medical student bias toward obese individuals, but few have examined effects of the educational environment on these prejudicial beliefs. We sought to determine whether an innovative educational intervention (reading a play about obesity) could diminish obesity prejudice relative to a standard medical lecture. We conducted a randomized, controlled trial enrolling medical students (n = 129) from three universities. Students were assigned to play-reading or a standard lecture. Explicit attitudes and implicit bias toward obese individuals were assessed prior to intervention and after four months. At baseline, students demonstrated moderate explicit and implicit bias toward obese people despite high scores on empathy. Students randomized to the play-reading group had significantly decreased explicit fat bias (P = 0.01) at follow-up, while students in the lecture group showed increased endorsement of a prescriptive model of care at the expense of a patient-centered approach (P = 0.03). There was a significant increase in empathy for those in both the theater (P = 0.007) and lecture group (P = 0.02). The intervention had no significant effect on implicit bias or regard for obesity as a civil rights issue. Dramatic reading may be superior to traditional medical lectures for showcasing patient rights and preferences. The present study demonstrates for the first time that play-reading diminishes conscious obesity bias. Further research should determine whether nontraditional methods of instruction promote improved understanding of and care for obese patients.

Residual Defect Density in Random Disks Deposits.

PubMed

Topic, Nikola; Pöschel, Thorsten; Gallas, Jason A C

2015-08-03

We investigate the residual distribution of structural defects in very tall packings of disks deposited randomly in large channels. By performing simulations involving the sedimentation of up to 50 × 10(9) particles we find all deposits to consistently show a non-zero residual density of defects obeying a characteristic power-law as a function of the channel width. This remarkable finding corrects the widespread belief that the density of defects should vanish algebraically with growing height. A non-zero residual density of defects implies a type of long-range spatial order in the packing, as opposed to only local ordering. In addition, we find deposits of particles to involve considerably less randomness than generally presumed.

Reading Skill Transfer across Languages: Outcomes from Longitudinal Bilingual Randomized Control Trials in Kenya and Haiti

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piper, Benjamin; Bulat, Jennae; Johnston, Andrew

2015-01-01

If children do not learn how to read in the first few years of primary school, they will struggle to complete the cycle, and are at greater risk of dropping out. It is therefore crucial to identify and test interventions that have the potential of making a large impact, can be implemented quickly, and are affordable to be taken to scale. This is…

A Further Examination of the Effects of Administering the Metropolitan Reading Tests in Spanish and English to Spanish-Speaking School Entrants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cruz, Sylvia; And Others

In a study designed to assess effects of administering the Metropolitan Reading Test (MRT) in Spanish versus English, 100 Puerto Rican kindergarten pupils were randomly split into two groups. The MRT was administered in English to one group and in a Spanish translation to the other group. The group who took the Spanish version significantly…

Measuring Academic Progress of Students with Learning Difficulties: A Comparison of the Semi-Logarithmic Chart and Equal Interval Graph Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marston, Doug; Deno, Stanley L.

The accuracy of predictions of future student performance on the basis of graphing data on semi-logarithmic charts and equal interval graphs was examined. All 83 low-achieving students in grades 3 to 6 read randomly-selected lists of words from the Harris-Jacobson Word List for 1 minute. The number of words read correctly and words read…

Teachers' Perceptions of the Use of Computer Assisted Language Learning to Develop Children's Reading Skills in English as a Second Language in the United Arab Emirates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Awidi, Hamed Mubarak; Ismail, Sadiq Abdulwahed

2014-01-01

This study investigated ESL teachers' perceptions regarding the use of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in teaching reading to children. A random sample of 145 teachers participated in the study by completing a survey developed by the researchers. To explore the situation in depth, 16 teachers were later interviewed. Results indicated…

The Effects of Computer Technology in Assisting the Development of Literacy in Young Struggling Readers and Spellers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fasting, Rolf B.; Lyster, Solveig-Alma Halaas

2005-01-01

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of MultiFunk, a computer program designed to assist reading, on the reading and spelling proficiency of struggling readers. Fifty-two below-average readers and spellers, in grades 5, 6 and 7, were randomly assigned as experimental and control groups (N = 26 + 26). In addition, 114 classmates,…

venice: Mask utility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coupon, Jean

2018-02-01

venice reads a mask file (DS9 or fits type) and a catalogue of objects (ascii or fits type) to create a pixelized mask, find objects inside/outside a mask, or generate a random catalogue of objects inside/outside a mask. The program reads the mask file and checks if a point, giving its coordinates, is inside or outside the mask, i.e. inside or outside at least one polygon of the mask.

Procedures for Scaling the 1990 Edition of the Nevada Proficiency Examinations in Reading and Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Thomas W.

Steps involved in the item analysis and scaling of the 1990 edition of Forms A and B of the Nevada High School Proficiency Examinations (NHSPEs) are described. Pilot tests of Forms A and B of the 47-item reading and 45-item mathematics tests were each administered to random samples of more than 600 eleventh-grade students. A computer program was…

Improving Congolese Children's Early Math and Reading Ability: Preliminary Results from a Cluster Randomized Trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Starkey, Leighann; Aber, J. Lawrence; Johnston, Brian M.

2014-01-01

Mastering basic numeracy and literacy skills is one of the most fundamental goals of education. However, it is estimated that 250 million primary-school-age children lack basic reading, writing and math skills (UN, 2013). Children living in war and poverty stricken countries are among the least likely to attain those basic goals. The United States…

The effect of the position of atypical character-to-sound correspondences on reading kanji words aloud: Evidence for a sublexical serially operating kanji reading process.

PubMed

Sambai, Ami; Coltheart, Max; Uno, Akira

2018-04-01

In English, the size of the regularity effect on word reading-aloud latency decreases across position of irregularity. This has been explained by a sublexical serially operating reading mechanism. It is unclear whether sublexical serial processing occurs in reading two-character kanji words aloud. To investigate this issue, we studied how the position of atypical character-to-sound correspondences influenced reading performance. When participants read inconsistent-atypical words aloud mixed randomly with nonwords, reading latencies of words with an inconsistent-atypical correspondence in the initial position were significantly longer than words with an inconsistent-atypical correspondence in the second position. The significant difference of reading latencies for inconsistent-atypical words disappeared when inconsistent-atypical words were presented without nonwords. Moreover, reading latencies for words with an inconsistent-atypical correspondence in the first position were shorter than for words with a typical correspondence in the first position. This typicality effect was absent when the atypicality was in the second position. These position-of-atypicality effects suggest that sublexical processing of kanji occurs serially and that the phonology of two-character kanji words is generated from both a lexical parallel process and a sublexical serial process.

Examining the Relationships of Component Reading Skills to Reading Comprehension in Struggling Adult Readers: A Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Tighe, Elizabeth L; Schatschneider, Christopher

2016-07-01

The current study employed a meta-analytic approach to investigate the relative importance of component reading skills to reading comprehension in struggling adult readers. A total of 10 component skills were consistently identified across 16 independent studies and 2,707 participants. Random effects models generated 76 predictor-reading comprehension effect sizes among the 10 constructs. The results indicated that six of the component skills exhibited strong relationships with reading comprehension (average rs ≥ .50): morphological awareness, language comprehension, fluency, oral vocabulary knowledge, real word decoding, and working memory. Three of the component skills yielded moderate relationships with reading comprehension (average rs ≥ .30 and < .50): pseudoword decoding, orthographic knowledge, and phonological awareness. Rapid automatized naming (RAN) was the only component skill that was weakly related to reading comprehension (r = .15). Morphological awareness was a significantly stronger correlate of reading comprehension than phonological awareness and RAN. This study provides the first attempt at a systematic synthesis of the recent research investigating the reading skills of adults with low literacy skills, a historically understudied population. Directions for future research, the relation of our results to the children's literature, and the implications for researchers and adult basic education programs are discussed. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2014.

Examining the Relationships of Component Reading Skills to Reading Comprehension in Struggling Adult Readers: A Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Tighe, Elizabeth L.; Schatschneider, Christopher

2015-01-01

The current study employed a meta-analytic approach to investigate the relative importance of component reading skills to reading comprehension in struggling adult readers. A total of 10 component skills were consistently identified across 16 independent studies and 2,707 participants. Random effects models generated 76 predictor-reading comprehension effect sizes among the 10 constructs. The results indicated that six of the component skills exhibited strong relationships with reading comprehension (average rs ≥ .50): morphological awareness, language comprehension, fluency, oral vocabulary knowledge, real word decoding, and working memory. Three of the component skills yielded moderate relationships with reading comprehension (average rs ≥ .30 and < .50): pseudoword decoding, orthographic knowledge, and phonological awareness. Rapid automatized naming (RAN) was the only component skill that was weakly related to reading comprehension (r = .15). Morphological awareness was a significantly stronger correlate of reading comprehension than phonological awareness and RAN. This study provides the first attempt at a systematic synthesis of the recent research investigating the reading skills of adults with low literacy skills, a historically under-studied population. Directions for future research, the relation of our results to the children’s literature, and the implications for researchers and Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs are discussed. PMID:25350926

More than pretty pictures? How illustrations affect parent-child story reading and children's story recall

PubMed Central

Greenhoot, Andrea Follmer; Beyer, Alisa M.; Curtis, Jennifer

2014-01-01

Previous research showed that story illustrations fail to enhance young preschoolers' memories when they accompany a pre-recorded story (e.g., Greenhoot and Semb, 2008). In this study we tested whether young children might benefit from illustrations in a more interactive story-reading context. For instance, illustrations might influence parent-child reading interactions, and thus children's story comprehension and recall. Twenty-six 3.5- to 4.5-year-olds and their primary caregivers were randomly assigned to an Illustrated or Non-Illustrated story-reading condition, and parents were instructed to “read or tell the story” as they normally would read with their child. Children recalled the story after a distracter and again after 1 week. Analyses of the story-reading interactions showed that the illustrations prompted more interactive story reading and more parent and child behaviors known to predict improved literacy outcomes. Furthermore, in the first memory interview, children in the Illustrated condition recalled more story events than those in the Non-Illustrated condition. Story reading measures predicted recall, but did not completely account for picture effects. These results suggest that illustrations enhance young preschoolers' story recall in an interactive story reading context, perhaps because the joint attention established in this context supports children's processing of the illustrations. PMID:25101018

Repeats of base oligomers as the primordial coding sequences of the primeval earth and their vestiges in modern genes.

PubMed

Ohno, S

1984-01-01

Three outstanding properties uniquely qualify repeats of base oligomers as the primordial coding sequences of all polypeptide chains. First, when compared with randomly generated base sequences in general, they are more likely to have long open reading frames. Second, periodical polypeptide chains specified by such repeats are more likely to assume either alpha-helical or beta-sheet secondary structures than are polypeptide chains of random sequence. Third, provided that the number of bases in the oligomeric unit is not a multiple of 3, these internally repetitious coding sequences are impervious to randomly sustained base substitutions, deletions, and insertions. This is because the recurring periodicity of their polypeptide chains is given by three consecutive copies of the oligomeric unit translated in three different reading frames. Accordingly, when one reading frame is open, the other two are automatically open as well, all three being capable of coding for polypeptide chains of identical periodicity. Under this circumstance, a frame shift due to the deletion or insertion of a number of bases that is not a multiple of 3 fails to alter the down-stream amino acid sequence, and even a base change causing premature chain-termination can silence only one of the three potential coding units. Newly arisen coding sequences in modern organisms are oligomeric repeats, and most of the older genes retain various vestiges of their original internal repetitions. Some of the genes (e.g., oncogenes) have even inherited the property of being impervious to randomly sustained base changes.

Preparing Beginning Reading Teachers: An Experimental Comparison of Initial Early Literacy Field Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Lake, Vickie E.; Greulich, Luana; Folsom, Jessica S.; Guidry, Lisa

2012-01-01

This randomized-control trial examined the learning of preservice teachers taking an initial Early Literacy course in an early childhood education program and of the kindergarten or first grade students they tutored in their field experience. Preservice teachers were randomly assigned to one of two tutoring programs: Book Buddies and Tutor…

Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial Examining Intelligent Tutoring of Structure Strategy for Fifth-Grade Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wijekumar, Kausalai; Meyer, Bonnie J. F.; Lei, Pui-Wa; Lin, Yu-Chu; Johnson, Lori A.; Spielvogel, James A.; Shurmatz, Kathryn M.; Ray, Melissa; Cook, Michael

2014-01-01

This article reports on a large scale randomized controlled trial to study the efficacy of a web-based intelligent tutoring system for the structure strategy designed to improve content area reading comprehension. The research was conducted with 128 fifth-grade classrooms within 12 school districts in rural and suburban settings. Classrooms within…

Random Variation in Student Performance by Class Size: Implications of NCLB in Rural Pennsylvania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goetz, Stephan J.

2005-01-01

Schools that fail to make "adequate yearly progress" under NCLB face sanctions and may lose students to other schools. In smaller schools, random yearly variation in innate student ability and behavior can cause changes in scores that are beyond the influence of teachers. This study examines changes in reading and math scores across…

Recording and reading temperature tolerance in holographic data storage, in relation to the anisotropic thermal expansion of a photopolymer medium.

PubMed

Tanaka, Tomiji

2009-08-03

In holographic data storage, it is difficult to retrieve data if the temperature difference between recording and reading exceeds 2 K. To widen this tolerance, a compensation method--adjusting the wavelengths and incident directions of the recording and reading beams--has been proposed. In this paper, for the first time, a method for calculating the recording and reading temperature tolerance using this compensation is introduced. To widen the narrow tolerance, typically +/- 10 K, it is effective to increase the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the substrate or decrease the CTE of the photopolymer. Although reducing the Numerical aperture of the objective lens is also effective, it degrades the recording density.

Magnetic field influences on the lateral dose response functions of photon-beam detectors: MC study of wall-less water-filled detectors with various densities.

PubMed

Looe, Hui Khee; Delfs, Björn; Poppinga, Daniela; Harder, Dietrich; Poppe, Björn

2017-06-21

The distortion of detector reading profiles across photon beams in the presence of magnetic fields is a developing subject of clinical photon-beam dosimetry. The underlying modification by the Lorentz force of a detector's lateral dose response function-the convolution kernel transforming the true cross-beam dose profile in water into the detector reading profile-is here studied for the first time. The three basic convolution kernels, the photon fluence response function, the dose deposition kernel, and the lateral dose response function, of wall-less cylindrical detectors filled with water of low, normal and enhanced density are shown by Monte Carlo simulation to be distorted in the prevailing direction of the Lorentz force. The asymmetric shape changes of these convolution kernels in a water medium and in magnetic fields of up to 1.5 T are confined to the lower millimetre range, and they depend on the photon beam quality, the magnetic flux density and the detector's density. The impact of this distortion on detector reading profiles is demonstrated using a narrow photon beam profile. For clinical applications it appears as favourable that the magnetic flux density dependent distortion of the lateral dose response function, as far as secondary electron transport is concerned, vanishes in the case of water-equivalent detectors of normal water density. By means of secondary electron history backtracing, the spatial distribution of the photon interactions giving rise either directly to secondary electrons or to scattered photons further downstream producing secondary electrons which contribute to the detector's signal, and their lateral shift due to the Lorentz force is elucidated. Electron history backtracing also serves to illustrate the correct treatment of the influences of the Lorentz force in the EGSnrc Monte Carlo code applied in this study.

Conveying campus sexual misconduct policy information to college and university students: Results from a 7-campus study.

PubMed

Potter, S J; Edwards, K M; Banyard, V L; Stapleton, J G; Demers, J M; Moynihan, M M

2016-01-01

To examine the efficacy of different methods (ie, in-class policy reading; in-class policy reading and discussion; no reading or discussion) to deliver campus sexual misconduct policy information to students on 7 campuses. A total of 1,195 participants at 7 colleges and universities participated in the study from August to October 2014. Participants were randomly assigned at the class level and completed pretest and posttest surveys assessing knowledge of campus policy and resources and confidence to seek help for sexual assault. Students exposed to a larger dosage of material (in-class policy reading plus discussion) showed greater positive changes in attitudes and knowledge than students who did not receive information or were only read the policy. However, on some indices, students who were only read the policy showed positive outcomes compared with students receiving no intervention. Colleges and universities must use engaging methods to disseminate campus sexual misconduct policies to students.

Low power test architecture for dynamic read destructive fault detection in SRAM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takher, Vikram Singh; Choudhary, Rahul Raj

2018-06-01

Dynamic Read Destructive Fault (dRDF) is the outcome of resistive open defects in the core cells of static random-access memories (SRAMs). The sensitisation of dRDF involves either performing multiple read operations or creation of number of read equivalent stress (RES), on the core cell under test. Though the creation of RES is preferred over the performing multiple read operation on the core cell, cell dissipates more power during RES than during the read or write operation. This paper focuses on the reduction in power dissipation by optimisation of number of RESs, which are required to sensitise the dRDF during test mode of operation of SRAM. The novel pre-charge architecture has been proposed in order to reduce the power dissipation by limiting the number of RESs to an optimised number of two. The proposed low power architecture is simulated and analysed which shows reduction in power dissipation by reducing the number of RESs up to 18.18%.

Understanding Clinical Mammographic Breast Density Assessment: a Deep Learning Perspective.

PubMed

Mohamed, Aly A; Luo, Yahong; Peng, Hong; Jankowitz, Rachel C; Wu, Shandong

2017-09-20

Mammographic breast density has been established as an independent risk marker for developing breast cancer. Breast density assessment is a routine clinical need in breast cancer screening and current standard is using the Breast Imaging and Reporting Data System (BI-RADS) criteria including four qualitative categories (i.e., fatty, scattered density, heterogeneously dense, or extremely dense). In each mammogram examination, a breast is typically imaged with two different views, i.e., the mediolateral oblique (MLO) view and cranial caudal (CC) view. The BI-RADS-based breast density assessment is a qualitative process made by visual observation of both the MLO and CC views by radiologists, where there is a notable inter- and intra-reader variability. In order to maintain consistency and accuracy in BI-RADS-based breast density assessment, gaining understanding on radiologists' reading behaviors will be educational. In this study, we proposed to leverage the newly emerged deep learning approach to investigate how the MLO and CC view images of a mammogram examination may have been clinically used by radiologists in coming up with a BI-RADS density category. We implemented a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based deep learning model, aimed at distinguishing the breast density categories using a large (15,415 images) set of real-world clinical mammogram images. Our results showed that the classification of density categories (in terms of area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) using MLO view images is significantly higher than that using the CC view. This indicates that most likely it is the MLO view that the radiologists have predominately used to determine the breast density BI-RADS categories. Our study holds a potential to further interpret radiologists' reading characteristics, enhance personalized clinical training to radiologists, and ultimately reduce reader variations in breast density assessment.

QRAC-the-Code: a comprehension monitoring strategy for middle school social studies textbooks.

PubMed

Berkeley, Sheri; Riccomini, Paul J

2013-01-01

Requirements for reading and ascertaining information from text increase as students advance through the educational system, especially in content-rich classes; hence, monitoring comprehension is especially important. However, this is a particularly challenging skill for many students who struggle with reading comprehension, including students with learning disabilities. A randomized pre-post experimental design was employed to investigate the effectiveness of a comprehension monitoring strategy (QRAC-the-Code) for improving the reading comprehension of 323 students in grades 6 and 7 in inclusive social studies classes. Findings indicated that both general education students and students with learning disabilities who were taught a simple comprehension monitoring strategy improved their comprehension of textbook content compared to students who read independently and noted important points. In addition, students in the comprehension monitoring condition reported using more reading strategies after the intervention. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Reading intervention with a growth mindset approach improves children's skills.

PubMed

Andersen, Simon Calmar; Nielsen, Helena Skyt

2016-10-25

Laboratory experiments have shown that parents who believe their child's abilities are fixed engage with their child in unconstructive, performance-oriented ways. We show that children of parents with such "fixed mindsets" have lower reading skills, even after controlling for the child's previous abilities and the parents' socioeconomic status. In a large-scale randomized field trial (N classrooms = 72; N children = 1,587) conducted by public authorities, parents receiving a reading intervention were told about the malleability of their child's reading abilities and how to support their child by praising his/her effort rather than his/her performance. This low-cost intervention increased the reading and writing achievements of all participating children-not least immigrant children with non-Western backgrounds and children with low-educated mothers. As expected, effects were even bigger for parents who before the intervention had a fixed mindset.

Stress echocardiography with smartphone: real-time remote reading for regional wall motion.

PubMed

Scali, Maria Chiara; de Azevedo Bellagamba, Clarissa Carmona; Ciampi, Quirino; Simova, Iana; de Castro E Silva Pretto, José Luis; Djordjevic-Dikic, Ana; Dodi, Claudio; Cortigiani, Lauro; Zagatina, Angela; Trambaiolo, Paolo; Torres, Marco R; Citro, Rodolfo; Colonna, Paolo; Paterni, Marco; Picano, Eugenio

2017-11-01

The diffusion of smart-phones offers access to the best remote expertise in stress echo (SE). To evaluate the reliability of SE based on smart-phone filming and reading. A set of 20 SE video-clips were read in random sequence with a multiple choice six-answer test by ten readers from five different countries (Italy, Brazil, Serbia, Bulgaria, Russia) of the "SE2020" study network. The gold standard to assess accuracy was a core-lab expert reader in agreement with angiographic verification (0 = wrong, 1 = right). The same set of 20 SE studies were read, in random order and >2 months apart, on desktop Workstation and via smartphones by ten remote readers. Image quality was graded from 1 = poor but readable, to 3 = excellent. Kappa (k) statistics was used to assess intra- and inter-observer agreement. The image quality was comparable in desktop workstation vs. smartphone (2.0 ± 0.5 vs. 2.4 ± 0.7, p = NS). The average reading time per case was similar for desktop versus smartphone (90 ± 39 vs. 82 ± 54 s, p = NS). The overall diagnostic accuracy of the ten readers was similar for desktop workstation vs. smartphone (84 vs. 91%, p = NS). Intra-observer agreement (desktop vs. smartphone) was good (k = 0.81 ± 0.14). Inter-observer agreement was good and similar via desktop or smartphone (k = 0.69 vs. k = 0.72, p = NS). The diagnostic accuracy and consistency of SE reading among certified readers was high and similar via desktop workstation or via smartphone.

Method of high-precision microsampled blood and plasma mass densitometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hinghofer-Szalkay, H.

1986-01-01

The reliability of the mechanical oscillator technique for blood and plasma density measurements on samples of volumes less than 0.1 ml is examined, and a precision of 0.001 g/l is found if plasma-isodensic heparin solution and siliconized densitometers are employed. Sources of measurement errors in the density determinations include storage of plasma samples, inhomogeneity of blood samples, and density reading before adequate temperature equilibration. In tests of plasma sample storage, the best reproducibility was obtained with samples kept at 4 C. Linear correlations were found between plasma density and plasma protein concentration, blood density and blood hemoglobin concentration, and erythrocyte density and MCHC.

Podcasts on Mobile Devices as a Read-Aloud Testing Accommodation in Middle School Science Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMahon, Don; Wright, Rachel; Cihak, David F.; Moore, Tara C.; Lamb, Richard

2016-04-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a digitized podcast to deliver read-aloud testing accommodations on mobile devices to students with disabilities and reading difficulties. The total sample for this study included 47 middle school students with reading difficulties. Of the 47 students, 16 were identified as students with disabilities who received special education services. Participants were randomly assigned to three experimental testing conditions, standard administration, teacher-controlled read-aloud in traditional group delivery format, and student-controlled read-aloud delivered as a podcast and accessed on a mobile device, and given sample end-of-year science assessments. Based on a factorial analysis of variances, with test conditions and student status as the fixed factors, both student groups demonstrated statistically significant gains based on their testing conditions. Results support the use of podcast delivery as a viable alternative to the traditional teacher-delivered read-aloud test accommodation. Conclusions are discussed in the context of universal design for learning testing accommodations for future research and practice.

Randomized Trial of Prize-Based Reinforcement Density for Simultaneous Abstinence from Cocaine and Heroin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghitza, Udi E.; Epstein, David H.; Schmittner, John; Vahabzadeh, Massoud; Lin, Jia-Ling; Preston, Kenzie L.

2007-01-01

To examine the effect of reinforcer density in prize-based abstinence reinforcement, heroin/cocaine users (N = 116) in methadone maintenance (100 mg/day) were randomly assigned to a noncontingent control group (NonC) or to 1 of 3 groups that earned prize draws for abstinence: manual drawing with standard prize density (MS) or computerized drawing…

Spring wheat-leaf phytomass and yield estimates from airborne scanner and hand-held radiometer measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aase, J. K.; Siddoway, F. H.; Millard, J. P.

1984-01-01

An attempt has been made to relate hand-held radiometer measurements, and airborne multispectral scanner readings, with both different wheat stand densities and grain yield. Aircraft overflights were conducted during the tillering, stem extension and heading period stages of growth, while hand-held radiometer readings were taken throughout the growing season. The near-IR/red ratio was used in the analysis, which indicated that both the aircraft and the ground measurements made possible a differentiation and evaluation of wheat stand densities at an early enough growth stage to serve as the basis of management decisions. The aircraft data also corroborated the hand-held radiometer measurements with respect to yield prediction. Winterkill was readily evaluated.

Discourse level reading comprehension interventions following acquired brain injury: a systematic review.

PubMed

Watter, Kerrin; Copley, Anna; Finch, Emma

2017-02-01

Purpose Reading comprehension can change following acquired brain injury (ABI), impacting independence and participation. This review aims to identify and evaluate the interventions used for rehabilitation of discourse level reading in adults with ABI. Methods A systematic review was conducted of published journal articles. Methodological quality of studies was reviewed using formal and informal rating scales. Inclusion criteria involved adults with non-progressive ABI who experienced discourse level reading deficits related to aphasia or cognitive-communication disorders. Results A total of 23 studies were identified; these included randomized controlled trials, cohort and case studies. Six different types of reading interventions were found, overall results of these interventions were mixed. Reading deficits were reportedly related to language (aphasia) and/or cognitive deficits, with assessment processes varying. Questions arose regarding comparability of assessment methods and diagnostic issues across the studies. Conclusions Interventions for discourse level reading comprehension can make positive changes to reading function. However, no intervention was identified as a gold standard. A trend toward strategy-based reading was found, with these offering a potential for (comparatively) cost-effective lower-dosage reading treatments with positive-trend results. Cognitive and language features should be considered for assessment and intervention planning for discourse reading in ABI. Implications for Rehabilitation Six different types of discourse reading comprehension interventions for people with ABI were identified, with mixed evidence for each intervention. Clinicians need to consider both the linguistic and cognitive features of reading for assessment and intervention planning for discourse level reading. There is a research trend toward strategy-based reading interventions, which use a lower treatment dosage.

Quick-low-density parity check and dynamic threshold voltage optimization in 1X nm triple-level cell NAND flash memory with comprehensive analysis of endurance, retention-time, and temperature variation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doi, Masafumi; Tokutomi, Tsukasa; Hachiya, Shogo; Kobayashi, Atsuro; Tanakamaru, Shuhei; Ning, Sheyang; Ogura Iwasaki, Tomoko; Takeuchi, Ken

2016-08-01

NAND flash memory’s reliability degrades with increasing endurance, retention-time and/or temperature. After a comprehensive evaluation of 1X nm triple-level cell (TLC) NAND flash, two highly reliable techniques are proposed. The first proposal, quick low-density parity check (Quick-LDPC), requires only one cell read in order to accurately estimate a bit-error rate (BER) that includes the effects of temperature, write and erase (W/E) cycles and retention-time. As a result, 83% read latency reduction is achieved compared to conventional AEP-LDPC. Also, W/E cycling is extended by 100% compared with conventional Bose-Chaudhuri-Hocquenghem (BCH) error-correcting code (ECC). The second proposal, dynamic threshold voltage optimization (DVO) has two parts, adaptive V Ref shift (AVS) and V TH space control (VSC). AVS reduces read error and latency by adaptively optimizing the reference voltage (V Ref) based on temperature, W/E cycles and retention-time. AVS stores the optimal V Ref’s in a table in order to enable one cell read. VSC further improves AVS by optimizing the voltage margins between V TH states. DVO reduces BER by 80%.

Reading Profiles in Multi-Site Data With Missingness.

PubMed

Eckert, Mark A; Vaden, Kenneth I; Gebregziabher, Mulugeta

2018-01-01

Children with reading disability exhibit varied deficits in reading and cognitive abilities that contribute to their reading comprehension problems. Some children exhibit primary deficits in phonological processing, while others can exhibit deficits in oral language and executive functions that affect comprehension. This behavioral heterogeneity is problematic when missing data prevent the characterization of different reading profiles, which often occurs in retrospective data sharing initiatives without coordinated data collection. Here we show that reading profiles can be reliably identified based on Random Forest classification of incomplete behavioral datasets, after the missForest method is used to multiply impute missing values. Results from simulation analyses showed that reading profiles could be accurately classified across degrees of missingness (e.g., ∼5% classification error for 30% missingness across the sample). The application of missForest to a real multi-site dataset with missingness ( n = 924) showed that reading disability profiles significantly and consistently differed in reading and cognitive abilities for cases with and without missing data. The results of validation analyses indicated that the reading profiles (cases with and without missing data) exhibited significant differences for an independent set of behavioral variables that were not used to classify reading profiles. Together, the results show how multiple imputation can be applied to the classification of cases with missing data and can increase the integrity of results from multi-site open access datasets.

Assessment of replicate bias in 454 pyrosequencing and a multi-purpose read-filtering tool.

PubMed

Jérôme, Mariette; Noirot, Céline; Klopp, Christophe

2011-05-26

Roche 454 pyrosequencing platform is often considered the most versatile of the Next Generation Sequencing technology platforms, permitting the sequencing of large genomes, the analysis of variations or the study of transcriptomes. A recent reported bias leads to the production of multiple reads for a unique DNA fragment in a random manner within a run. This bias has a direct impact on the quality of the measurement of the representation of the fragments using the reads. Other cleaning steps are usually performed on the reads before assembly or alignment. PyroCleaner is a software module intended to clean 454 pyrosequencing reads in order to ease the assembly process. This program is a free software and is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation. It implements several filters using criteria such as read duplication, length, complexity, base-pair quality and number of undetermined bases. It also permits to clean flowgram files (.sff) of paired-end sequences generating on one hand validated paired-ends file and the other hand single read file. Read cleaning has always been an important step in sequence analysis. The pyrocleaner python module is a Swiss knife dedicated to 454 reads cleaning. It includes commonly used filters as well as specialised ones such as duplicated read removal and paired-end read verification.

High Density Data Storage, the SONY Data DiscMan Electronic Book, and the Unfolding Multi-Media Revolution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kountz, John

1991-01-01

Description of high density data storage (HDDS) devices focuses on CD-ROMs and explores their impact on libraries, publishing, education, and library communications. Highlights include costs; technical standards; reading devices; authoring systems; robotics; the influence of new technology on the role of libraries; and royalty and copyright issues…

A new approach for the calculation of response spectral density of a linear stationary random multidegree of freedom system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharan, A. M.; Sankar, S.; Sankar, T. S.

1982-08-01

A new approach for the calculation of response spectral density for a linear stationary random multidegree of freedom system is presented. The method is based on modifying the stochastic dynamic equations of the system by using a set of auxiliary variables. The response spectral density matrix obtained by using this new approach contains the spectral densities and the cross-spectral densities of the system generalized displacements and velocities. The new method requires significantly less computation time as compared to the conventional method for calculating response spectral densities. Two numerical examples are presented to compare quantitatively the computation time.

Docosahexaenoic acid for reading, cognition and behavior in children aged 7-9 years: a randomized, controlled trial (the DOLAB Study).

PubMed

Richardson, Alexandra J; Burton, Jennifer R; Sewell, Richard P; Spreckelsen, Thees F; Montgomery, Paul

2012-01-01

Omega-3 fatty acids are dietary essentials, and the current low intakes in most modern developed countries are believed to contribute to a wide variety of physical and mental health problems. Evidence from clinical trials indicates that dietary supplementation with long-chain omega-3 may improve child behavior and learning, although most previous trials have involved children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Here we investigated whether such benefits might extend to the general child population. To determine the effects of dietary supplementation with the long-chain omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on the reading, working memory, and behavior of healthy schoolchildren. Parallel group, fixed-dose, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (RCT). Mainstream primary schools in Oxfordshire, UK (n = 74). Healthy children aged 7-9 years initially underperforming in reading (≤ 33(rd) centile). 1376 invited, 362 met study criteria. 600 mg/day DHA (from algal oil), or taste/color matched corn/soybean oil placebo. Age-standardized measures of reading, working memory, and parent- and teacher-rated behavior. ITT analyses showed no effect of DHA on reading in the full sample, but significant effects in the pre-planned subgroup of 224 children whose initial reading performance was ≤ 20(th) centile (the target population in our original study design). Parent-rated behavior problems (ADHD-type symptoms) were significantly reduced by active treatment, but little or no effects were seen for either teacher-rated behaviour or working memory. DHA supplementation appears to offer a safe and effective way to improve reading and behavior in healthy but underperforming children from mainstream schools. Replication studies are clearly warranted, as such children are known to be at risk of low educational and occupational outcomes in later life. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01066182 and Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN99771026.

Emotional and persuasive perception of fonts.

PubMed

Juni, Samuel; Gross, Julie S

2008-02-01

The aim of this study was to explore the latent affective and persuasive meaning attributed to text when appearing in two commonly used fonts. Two satirical readings were selected from the New York Times. These readings (one addressing government issues, the other education policy) were each printed in Times New Roman and Arial fonts of the same size and presented in randomized order to 102 university students, who ranked the readings on a number of adjective descriptors. Analysis showed that satirical readings in Times New Roman were perceived as more funny and angry than those in Arial, the combination of emotional perception which is congruent with the definition of satire. This apparent interaction of font type with emotional qualities of text has implications for marketing, advertising, and the persuasive literature.

Evaluation of Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading: Effective Tools for Developing Literacy through Science in the Early Grades-Light Energy Unit. CRESST Report 781

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldschmidt, Pete; Jung, Hyekyung

2011-01-01

This evaluation focuses on the Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading: Effective Tools for Developing Literacy through Science in the Early Grades ("Seeds/Roots") model of science-literacy integration. The evaluation is based on a cluster randomized design of 100 teachers, half of which were in the treatment group. Multi-level models are employed to…

Tailored Behavioral Intervention for Insomnia in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Physical Therapy Science, 24, 1-6. 15 9. Quietly Reading a Book Reading is a common...Journal of Occupational Therapy . 63(4):423-432. Silva, L., Schalock, M., Gabrielsen, K. (20 II). Early intervention for autism with a parent- delivered...Qigong massage program: A randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Occupational Therapy , 65(5):550-559. doi: 10.5014/ajoty.2011.000661. 9 4

Smooth invariant densities for random switching on the torus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakhtin, Yuri; Hurth, Tobias; Lawley, Sean D.; Mattingly, Jonathan C.

2018-04-01

We consider a random dynamical system obtained by switching between the flows generated by two smooth vector fields on the 2d-torus, with the random switchings happening according to a Poisson process. Assuming that the driving vector fields are transversal to each other at all points of the torus and that each of them allows for a smooth invariant density and no periodic orbits, we prove that the switched system also has a smooth invariant density, for every switching rate. Our approach is based on an integration by parts formula inspired by techniques from Malliavin calculus.

Estimation and classification by sigmoids based on mutual information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baram, Yoram

1994-01-01

An estimate of the probability density function of a random vector is obtained by maximizing the mutual information between the input and the output of a feedforward network of sigmoidal units with respect to the input weights. Classification problems can be solved by selecting the class associated with the maximal estimated density. Newton's s method, applied to an estimated density, yields a recursive maximum likelihood estimator, consisting of a single internal layer of sigmoids, for a random variable or a random sequence. Applications to the diamond classification and to the prediction of a sun-spot process are demonstrated.

The Effects of Student and Text Characteristics on the Oral Reading Fluency of Middle-Grade Students

PubMed Central

Barth, Amy E.; Tolar, Tammy D.; Fletcher, Jack M.; Francis, David

2014-01-01

We evaluated the effects of student characteristics (sight word reading efficiency, phonological decoding, verbal knowledge, level of reading ability, grade, gender) and text features (passage difficulty, length, genre, and language and discourse attributes) on the oral reading fluency of a sample of middle-school students in Grades 6–8 (N = 1,794). Students who were struggling (n = 704) and typically developing readers (n = 1,028) were randomly assigned to read five 1-min passages from each of 5 Lexile bands (within student range of 550 Lexiles). A series of multilevel analyses showed that student and text characteristics contributed uniquely to oral reading fluency rates. Student characteristics involving sight word reading efficiency and level of decoding ability accounted for more variability than reader type and verbal knowledge, with small, but statistically significant effects of grade and gender. The most significant text feature was passage difficulty level. Interactions involving student text characteristics, especially attributes involving overall ability level and difficulty of the text, were also apparent. These results support views of the development of oral reading fluency that involve interactions of student and text characteristics and highlight the importance of scaling for passage difficulty level in assessing individual differences in oral reading fluency. PMID:24567659

Promoting toddlers' vegetable consumption through interactive reading and puppetry.

PubMed

de Droog, Simone M; van Nee, Roselinde; Govers, Mieke; Buijzen, Moniek

2017-09-01

Picture books with characters that promote healthy eating are increasingly being used to make this behavior more attractive. The first aim of this study was to investigate whether the effect of vegetable-promoting picture books on toddlers' vegetable consumption differed according to the reading style and the use of a hand puppet during reading. The second aim was to investigate whether these effects were mediated by toddlers' narrative involvement and character imitation. In a 2 (reading style: interactive vs. passive) x 2 (puppet use: with vs. without puppet) between-subjects design, 163 toddlers (2-3 years) were randomly assigned to one of the four reading conditions. The story was about a rabbit that loves to eat carrots. After the fourth reading day, the eating task was conducted in which children could eat freely from four different snacks, including carrots. The main finding was that interactive reading produced the greatest carrot consumption. The explanation for this effect was that interactive reading stimulated toddlers to imitate poses of the book characters, even more when interactive reading was supported by the use of a hand puppet. The findings underline that young children should be actively involved with health interventions in order for them to be effective. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative visualization of digital mammograms on clinical 2K monitor workstations and hardcopy: a contrast detail analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torbica, Pavle; Buchberger, Wolfgang; Bernathova, M.; Mallouhi, Ammar; Peer, Siegfried; Bosmans, Hilde; Faulkner, Keith

2003-05-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the radiologist`s performance in detecting small low-contrast objects with hardcopy and softcopy reading of digital mammograms. 12 images of a contrast-detail (CD) phantom without and with 25.4 mm, 50.8 mm, and 76.2 mm additional polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA) attenuation were acquired with a caesium iodid/amorphous silicon flat panel detector under standard exposure conditions. The phantom images were read by three independent observers, by conducting a four-alternative forced-choice experiment. Reading of the hardcopy was done on a mammography viewbox under standardized reading conditions. For soft copy reading, a dedicated workstation with two 2K monitors was used. CD-curves and image quality figure (IQF) values were calculated from the correct detection rates of randomly located gold disks in the phantom. The figures were compared for both reading conditions and for different PMMA layers. For all types of exposures, soft copy reading resulted in significantly better contrast-detail characteristics and IQF values, as compared to hard copy reading of laser printouts. (p< 0.01). The authors conclude that the threshold contrast characteristics of digital mammograms displayed on high-resolution monitors are sufficient to make soft copy reading of digital mammograms feasible.

A Randomized Trial of a Computer-Assisted Tutoring Program Targeting Letter-Sound Expression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DuBois, Matthew R.; Volpe, Robert J.; Hemphill, Elizabeth M.

2014-01-01

Given that many schools have limited resources and a high proportion of students who present with deficits in early literacy skills, supports aimed at preventing reading failure must be simple and efficient and generate meaningful changes in student learning. We used a randomized group design with a wait-list control to extend the work of Volpe,…

WWC Review of the Report "Transfer Incentives for High-Performing Teachers: Final Results from a Multisite Randomized Experiment." What Works Clearinghouse Single Study Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2015

2015-01-01

For the 2013 study, "Transfer Incentives for High-Performing Teachers: Final Results from a Multisite Randomized Experiment," researchers examined the impact of the Talent Transfer Initiative (TTI) on students' reading and mathematics achievement in 10 school districts. The TTI enabled principals of low-performing schools to provide…

Effectiveness of Supplemental Kindergarten Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners: A Randomized Study of Immediate and Longer-Term Effects of Two Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vadasy, Patricia F.; Sanders, Elizabeth A.; Nelson, J. Ron

2015-01-01

A two-cohort cluster randomized trial was conducted to estimate effects of small-group supplemental vocabulary instruction for at-risk kindergarten English learners (ELs). "Connections" students received explicit instruction in high-frequency decodable root words, and interactive book reading (IBR) students were taught the same words in…

To Wait in Tier 1 or Intervene Immediately: A Randomized Experiment Examining First-Grade Response to Intervention in Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Connor, Carol M.; Folsom, Jessica S.; Wanzek, Jeanne; Greulich, Luana; Schatschneider, Christopher; Wagner, Richard K.

2014-01-01

This randomized controlled experiment compared the efficacy of two response-to-intervention (RTI) models--typical RTI and dynamic RTI--and included 34 first-grade classrooms (n = 522 students) across 10 socioeconomically and culturally diverse schools. Typical RTI was designed to follow the two-stage RTI decision rules that wait to assess response…

Teaching children with dyslexia to spell in a reading-writers' workshop.

PubMed

Berninger, Virginia W; Lee, Yen-Ling; Abbott, Robert D; Breznitz, Zvia

2013-04-01

To identify effective treatment for both the spelling and word decoding problems in dyslexia, 24 students with dyslexia in grades 4 to 9 were randomly assigned to treatments A (n=12) or B (n=12) in an after-school reading-writers' workshop at the university (thirty 1-h sessions twice a week over 5 months). First, both groups received step 1 treatment of grapheme-phoneme correspondences (gpc) for oral reading. At step 2, treatment A received gpc training for both oral reading and spelling, and treatment B received gpc training for oral reading and phonological awareness. At step 3, treatment A received orthographic spelling strategy and rapid accelerated reading program (RAP) training, and treatment B continued step 2 training. At step 4, treatment A received morphological strategies and RAP training, and treatment B received orthographic spelling strategy training. Each treatment also had the same integrated reading-writing activities, which many school assignments require. Both groups improved significantly in automatic letter writing, spelling real words, compositional fluency, and oral reading (decoding) rate. Treatment A significantly outperformed treatment B in decoding rate after step 3 orthographic training, which in turn uniquely predicted spelling real words. Letter processing rate increased during step 3 RAP training and correlated significantly with two silent reading fluency measures. Adding orthographic strategies with "working memory in mind" to phonics helps students with dyslexia spell and read English words.

Efficacy of a reading and language intervention for children with Down syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

Burgoyne, Kelly; Duff, Fiona J; Clarke, Paula J; Buckley, Sue; Snowling, Margaret J; Hulme, Charles

2012-01-01

Background This study evaluates the effects of a language and literacy intervention for children with Down syndrome. Methods Teaching assistants (TAs) were trained to deliver a reading and language intervention to children in individual daily 40-min sessions. We used a waiting list control design, in which half the sample received the intervention immediately, whereas the remaining children received the treatment after a 20-week delay. Fifty-seven children with Down syndrome in mainstream primary schools in two UK locations (Yorkshire and Hampshire) were randomly allocated to intervention (40 weeks of intervention) and waiting control (20 weeks of intervention) groups. Assessments were conducted at three time points: pre-intervention, after 20 weeks of intervention, and after 40 weeks of intervention. Results After 20 weeks of intervention, the intervention group showed significantly greater progress than the waiting control group on measures of single word reading, letter-sound knowledge, phoneme blending and taught expressive vocabulary. Effects did not transfer to other skills (nonword reading, spelling, standardised expressive and receptive vocabulary, expressive information and grammar). After 40 weeks of intervention, the intervention group remained numerically ahead of the control group on most key outcome measures; but these differences were not significant. Children who were younger, attended more intervention sessions, and had better initial receptive language skills made greater progress during the course of the intervention. Conclusions A TA-delivered intervention produced improvements in the reading and language skills of children with Down syndrome. Gains were largest in skills directly taught with little evidence of generalization to skills not directly taught in the intervention. PMID:22533801

Computed tomographic (CT) neuroradiological evaluation of intra-axial and extra-axial lesions: a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) study of film and 1K workstation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Saden, Suzie; Hademenos, George J.; Zhu, Wei; Sayre, James W.; Glenn, Brad; Steidler, Jim; Kode, L.; King, Brian; Quinones, Diana; Valentino, Daniel J.; Bentsen, John R.

1995-04-01

Digital display workstations are now commonly used for cross-sectional image viewing; however, few receiver operating characteristic (ROC) studies have been performed to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of hard copy versus a workstation display for neuroradiology applications. We have performed an ROC study of film and 1K workstation based on the diagnostic performance of neuroradiology fellows to detect subtle intra- axial (high density (HD) and low density (LD)) and extra-axial (fluid, blood) lesions presented on computed tomographic (CT) images. An ROC analysis of the interpretation of approximately 200 CT images (1/2 normals and 1/2 abnormals) was performed by five experienced observers. The total number of abnormal images were equally divided among the three represented types of lesions (HD, LD, and extra-axial lesions). The images comprising the extra-axial lesion group were further subdivided into the following three distinct types: subdural hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and epidural hemorrhage. A fraction of the abnormal images were represented by more than one type of lesion, e.g., one abnormal image could contain both a HD and LD lesion. The digitized CT images were separated into four groups and read on the standard light box and a 1K workstation monitor equipped with simple image processing functions. Confidence ratings were scaled on a range from 0 (least confident) to 4 (most confident). Reader order sequences were randomized for each reader and for each modality. Each observer read from a total of eight different groups with a four-week intermission following the fourth group. The randomly assigned image number, lesion type and approximate location, incidental findings and comments, and confidence ratings were reported in individual worksheets for each image. ROC curves that were generated and analyzed for the various subgroups are presented in addition to the overall generalized jackknifed estimates of the grouped data. Also, 95% confidence intervals are presented for the differences in the area under the ROC curves. Although there were no statistically significant differences in the diagnostic accuracy between the original CT slice with HD and LD lesions viewed on the light box and on the 1K display workstation, the observers tended to record extra- axial lesions more frequently and with more confidence on the 1K display in comparison to the light box primarily due to the added advantage of adjusting the display window levels.

The effect of phonics-enhanced Big Book reading on the language and literacy skills of 6-year-old pupils of different reading ability attending lower SES schools.

PubMed

Tse, Laura; Nicholson, Tom

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to improve the literacy achievement of lower socioeconomic status (SES) children by combining explicit phonics with Big Book reading. Big Book reading is a component of the text-centered (or book reading) approach used in New Zealand schools. It involves the teacher in reading an enlarged book to children and demonstrating how to use semantic, syntactic, and grapho-phonic cues to learn to read. There has been little research, however, to find out whether the effectiveness of Big Book reading is enhanced by adding explicit phonics. In this study, a group of 96 second graders from three lower SES primary schools in New Zealand were taught in 24 small groups of four, tracked into three different reading ability levels. All pupils were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions: a control group who received math instruction, Big Book reading enhanced with phonics (BB/EP), Big Book reading on its own, and Phonics on its own. The results showed that the BB/EP group made significantly better progress than the Big Book and Phonics groups in word reading, reading comprehension, spelling, and phonemic awareness. In reading accuracy, the BB/EP and Big Book groups scored similarly. In basic decoding skills the BB/EP and Phonics groups scored similarly. The combined instruction, compared with Big Book reading and phonics, appeared to have no comparative disadvantages and considerable advantages. The present findings could be a model for New Zealand and other countries in their efforts to increase the literacy achievement of disadvantaged pupils.

The effect of phonics-enhanced Big Book reading on the language and literacy skills of 6-year-old pupils of different reading ability attending lower SES schools

PubMed Central

Tse, Laura; Nicholson, Tom

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to improve the literacy achievement of lower socioeconomic status (SES) children by combining explicit phonics with Big Book reading. Big Book reading is a component of the text-centered (or book reading) approach used in New Zealand schools. It involves the teacher in reading an enlarged book to children and demonstrating how to use semantic, syntactic, and grapho-phonic cues to learn to read. There has been little research, however, to find out whether the effectiveness of Big Book reading is enhanced by adding explicit phonics. In this study, a group of 96 second graders from three lower SES primary schools in New Zealand were taught in 24 small groups of four, tracked into three different reading ability levels. All pupils were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions: a control group who received math instruction, Big Book reading enhanced with phonics (BB/EP), Big Book reading on its own, and Phonics on its own. The results showed that the BB/EP group made significantly better progress than the Big Book and Phonics groups in word reading, reading comprehension, spelling, and phonemic awareness. In reading accuracy, the BB/EP and Big Book groups scored similarly. In basic decoding skills the BB/EP and Phonics groups scored similarly. The combined instruction, compared with Big Book reading and phonics, appeared to have no comparative disadvantages and considerable advantages. The present findings could be a model for New Zealand and other countries in their efforts to increase the literacy achievement of disadvantaged pupils. PMID:25431560

Large-scale structure of randomly jammed spheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikeda, Atsushi; Berthier, Ludovic; Parisi, Giorgio

2017-05-01

We numerically analyze the density field of three-dimensional randomly jammed packings of monodisperse soft frictionless spherical particles, paying special attention to fluctuations occurring at large length scales. We study in detail the two-point static structure factor at low wave vectors in Fourier space. We also analyze the nature of the density field in real space by studying the large-distance behavior of the two-point pair correlation function, of density fluctuations in subsystems of increasing sizes, and of the direct correlation function. We show that such real space analysis can be greatly improved by introducing a coarse-grained density field to disentangle genuine large-scale correlations from purely local effects. Our results confirm that both Fourier and real space signatures of vanishing density fluctuations at large scale are absent, indicating that randomly jammed packings are not hyperuniform. In addition, we establish that the pair correlation function displays a surprisingly complex structure at large distances, which is however not compatible with the long-range negative correlation of hyperuniform systems but fully compatible with an analytic form for the structure factor. This implies that the direct correlation function is short ranged, as we also demonstrate directly. Our results reveal that density fluctuations in jammed packings do not follow the behavior expected for random hyperuniform materials, but display instead a more complex behavior.

Remote measurement of turbidity and chlorophyll through aerial photography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwebel, M. D.; James, W. P.; Clark, W. J.

1973-01-01

Studies were conducted utilizing six different film and filter combinations to quantitatively detect chlorophyll and turbidity in six farm ponds. The low range of turbidity from 0-35 JTU correlated well with the density readings from the green band of normal color film and the high range above 35 JTU was found to correlate with density readings in the red band of color infrared film. The effect of many of the significant variables can be reduced by using standardized procedures in taking the photography. Attempts to detect chlorophyll were masked by the turbidity. The ponds which were highly turbid also had high chlorophyll concentrations; whereas, the ponds with low turbidity also had low chlorophyll concentrations. This prevented a direct correlation for this parameter. Several suggested approaches are cited for possible future investigations.

Learning surface molecular structures via machine vision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziatdinov, Maxim; Maksov, Artem; Kalinin, Sergei V.

2017-08-01

Recent advances in high resolution scanning transmission electron and scanning probe microscopies have allowed researchers to perform measurements of materials structural parameters and functional properties in real space with a picometre precision. In many technologically relevant atomic and/or molecular systems, however, the information of interest is distributed spatially in a non-uniform manner and may have a complex multi-dimensional nature. One of the critical issues, therefore, lies in being able to accurately identify (`read out') all the individual building blocks in different atomic/molecular architectures, as well as more complex patterns that these blocks may form, on a scale of hundreds and thousands of individual atomic/molecular units. Here we employ machine vision to read and recognize complex molecular assemblies on surfaces. Specifically, we combine Markov random field model and convolutional neural networks to classify structural and rotational states of all individual building blocks in molecular assembly on the metallic surface visualized in high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy measurements. We show how the obtained full decoding of the system allows us to directly construct a pair density function—a centerpiece in analysis of disorder-property relationship paradigm—as well as to analyze spatial correlations between multiple order parameters at the nanoscale, and elucidate reaction pathway involving molecular conformation changes. The method represents a significant shift in our way of analyzing atomic and/or molecular resolved microscopic images and can be applied to variety of other microscopic measurements of structural, electronic, and magnetic orders in different condensed matter systems.

Design and Implementation of an MC68020-Based Educational Computer Board

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-01

device and the other for a Macintosh personal computer. A stored program can be installed in 8K bytes Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM) to initialize...MHz. It includes four * Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) chips which provide a storage of 32K bytes. Two Programmable Array Logic (PAL) chips...device and the other for a Macintosh personal computer. A stored program can be installed in 8K bytes Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM) to

The Impact of the Reading Apprenticeship Improving Secondary Education (RAISE) Project on Academic Literacy in High School: A Report of a Randomized Experiment in Pennsylvania and California Schools. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fancsali, Cheri; Abe, Yasuyo; Pyatigorsky, Mikhail; Ortiz, Lorena; Chan, Vincent; Saltares, Eliana; Toby, Megan; Schellinger, Adam; Jaciw, Andrew

2015-01-01

The Reading Apprenticeship instructional framework was developed by WestEd's Strategic Literacy Initiative (SLI) two decades ago to help teachers provide the literacy support students need to be successful readers in the content areas. It has since reached over 100,000 teachers in schools across the country, at the middle school, high school, and…

An Empirical Investigation of Variance Design Parameters for Planning Cluster-Randomized Trials of Science Achievement.

PubMed

Westine, Carl D; Spybrook, Jessaca; Taylor, Joseph A

2013-12-01

Prior research has focused primarily on empirically estimating design parameters for cluster-randomized trials (CRTs) of mathematics and reading achievement. Little is known about how design parameters compare across other educational outcomes. This article presents empirical estimates of design parameters that can be used to appropriately power CRTs in science education and compares them to estimates using mathematics and reading. Estimates of intraclass correlations (ICCs) are computed for unconditional two-level (students in schools) and three-level (students in schools in districts) hierarchical linear models of science achievement. Relevant student- and school-level pretest and demographic covariates are then considered, and estimates of variance explained are computed. Subjects: Five consecutive years of Texas student-level data for Grades 5, 8, 10, and 11. Science, mathematics, and reading achievement raw scores as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. Results: Findings show that ICCs in science range from .172 to .196 across grades and are generally higher than comparable statistics in mathematics, .163-.172, and reading, .099-.156. When available, a 1-year lagged student-level science pretest explains the most variability in the outcome. The 1-year lagged school-level science pretest is the best alternative in the absence of a 1-year lagged student-level science pretest. Science educational researchers should utilize design parameters derived from science achievement outcomes. © The Author(s) 2014.

First-passage problems: A probabilistic dynamic analysis for degraded structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shiao, Michael C.; Chamis, Christos C.

1990-01-01

Structures subjected to random excitations with uncertain system parameters degraded by surrounding environments (a random time history) are studied. Methods are developed to determine the statistics of dynamic responses, such as the time-varying mean, the standard deviation, the autocorrelation functions, and the joint probability density function of any response and its derivative. Moreover, the first-passage problems with deterministic and stationary/evolutionary random barriers are evaluated. The time-varying (joint) mean crossing rate and the probability density function of the first-passage time for various random barriers are derived.

Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Transepithelial Corneal Cross-linking Using Iontophoresis with the Dresden Protocol in Progressive Keratoconus.

PubMed

Lombardo, Marco; Giannini, Daniela; Lombardo, Giuseppe; Serrao, Sebastiano

2017-06-01

To compare clinical outcomes of transepithelial corneal cross-linking using iontophoresis (T-ionto CL) and standard corneal cross-linking (standard CL) for the treatment of progressive keratoconus 12 months after the operation. Prospective randomized controlled clinical trial. Thirty-four eyes of 25 participants with progressive keratoconus were randomized into T-ionto CL (22 eyes) or standard CL (12 eyes). T-ionto CL was performed using an iontophoresis device with dextran-free 0.1% riboflavin-5-phosphate solution with enhancers and by irradiating the cornea with a 10 mW/cm 2 ultraviolet A device for 9 minutes. Standard CL was performed according to the Dresden protocol. The primary outcome measure was stabilization of keratoconus after 12 months through analysis of maximum simulated keratometry readings (K max , diopters). Other outcome measures were corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA, logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR]), manifest spherical equivalent refraction (D), central corneal thickness (CCT, micrometers) and endothelial cell density (ECD). Follow-up examinations were arranged at 3 and 7 days and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Twelve months after T-ionto CL and standard CL, K max on average flattened by -0.52±1.30 D (P = 0.06) and -0.82±1.20 D (P = 0.04), respectively. The mean change in CDVA was -0.10±0.12 logMAR (P = 0.003) and -0.03±0.06 logMAR (P = 0.10) after T-ionto CL and standard CL, respectively. The manifest spherical equivalent refraction changed on average by +0.71±1.44 D (P = 0.03) and +0.21±0.76 D (P = 0.38), respectively. The CCT and ECD measures did not change significantly in any group at 12 months. Significant differences in the outcome measures between treatments were found in the first week postoperatively. No complications occurred in the T-ionto CL group; 1 eye (8%) had sterile corneal infiltrates, which did not affect the final visual acuity, in the standard CL group. Significant visual and refractive improvements were found 12 months after T-ionto CL, though the average improvement in corneal topography readings was slightly lower than the Dresden protocol in the same period. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Toward a research-based assessment of dyslexia: using cognitive measures to identify reading disabilities.

PubMed

Bell, Sherry Mee; McCallum, R Steve; Cox, Elizabeth A

2003-01-01

One hundred five participants from a random sample of elementary and middle school children completed measures of reading achievement and cognitive abilities presumed, based on a synthesis of current dyslexia research, to underlie reading. Factor analyses of these cognitive variables (including auditory processing, phonological awareness, short-term auditory memory, visual memory, rapid automatized naming, and visual processing speed) produced three empirically and theoretically derived factors (auditory processing, visual processing/speed, and memory), each of which contributed to the prediction of reading and spelling skills. Factor scores from the three factors combined predicted 85% of the variance associated with letter/sight word naming, 70% of the variance associated with reading comprehension, 73% for spelling, and 61% for phonetic decoding. The auditory processing factor was the strongest predictor, accounting for 27% to 43% of the variance across the different achievement areas. The results provide practitioner and researcher with theoretical and empirical support for the inclusion of measures of the three factors, in addition to specific measures of reading achievement, in a standardized assessment of dyslexia. Guidelines for a thorough, research-based assessment are provided.

Urine specific gravity measurement: reagent strip versus refractometer.

PubMed

Brandon, C A

1994-01-01

To compare the results of urinalysis screenings for specific gravity (SG) using the reagent strip and the refractometer. United Hospital, Grand Forks, North Dakota. United Hospital is a 384-bed teaching hospital. PRODUCT COMPARISON: The Ames Multistix 10 SG reagent strip (Miles, Inc., Elkhart, IN 46515) was compared with the TS Meter (Leica, Inc., Deerfield, IL 60015). The degree of correlation between the results produced by each method. The percentage of difference between the means of the direct strip readings and the refractometer readings was 9.68%. The percentage of difference between the means of the adjusted strip readings and the refractometer readings was 22.58%, which was significantly different. When the direct strip readings and the refractometer readings were plotted together on a graph, the points were widely scattered; this fact, and a correlation coefficient of 0.725, suggest that random error occurred in both methods. Analysis of the slope and intercept of the correlation indicated systematic error. The reagent strip method of measuring SG is accurate only in a narrow range of "average" values, and should not be used as the basis for medical diagnoses.

Documenting laryngeal change following prolonged loud reading. A videostroboscopic study.

PubMed

Gelfer, M P; Andrews, M L; Schmidt, C P

1996-12-01

This study investigated the effects of prolonged loud reading on trained and untrained subjects. Subjects were eight young women singers, and eight young women with limited musical experience. Each subject underwent videostroboscopic examination prior to and following 1 h of prolonged loud reading. The pretest and posttest videotaped samples were randomized and presented to three experienced judges, who evaluated various aspects of laryngeal appearance and vibratory characteristics. Analyses of group data revealed that untrained subjects showed a small but significant increase in amplitude of vocal fold excursion following the experimental task. No significant differences were noted in the trained singer group. When individual variation was analyzed, it was found that most subjects did not show many changes from pretest to posttest. It was concluded that a l-h loud-reading task was not sufficient to induce notable laryngeal alterations.

Cloaks for suppression or enhancement of scattering of diffuse photon density waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renthlei, Lalruatfela; Ramakrishna, S. Anantha; Wanare, Harshawardhan

2018-07-01

Enhancement of wave-like characteristics of heavily damped diffuse photon density waves in a random medium by amplification can induce strongly localised resonances. These resonances can be used to either suppress or enhance scattering from an inhomogeneity in the random medium by cloaking the inhomogeneous region by a shell of random medium with the correct levels of absorption or amplification. A spherical core-shell structure consisting of a shell of a random amplifying medium is shown to enhance or suppress specific resonant modes. A shell with an absorbing random medium is also shown to suppress scattering which can also be used for cloaking the core region.

Implementing Mother Tongue Instruction in the Real World: Results from a Medium-Scale Randomized Controlled Trial in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piper, Benjamin; Zuilkowski, Stephanie S.; Ong'ele, Salome

2016-01-01

Research in sub-Saharan Africa investigating the effect of mother tongue (MT) literacy instruction at medium scale is limited. A randomized controlled trial of MT literacy instruction was implemented in 2013 and 2014 as part of the Primary Math and Reading (PRIMR) Initiative in Kenya. We compare the effect of two treatment groups--the base PRIMR…

The Impacts of a Scalable Intervention on the Language and Literacy Development of Rural Pre-Kindergartners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mashburn, Andrew; Justice, Laura M.; McGinty, Anita; Slocum, Laura

2016-01-01

Read It Again (RIA) is a curriculum for pre-kindergarten (pre-K) classrooms that targets children's development of language and literacy skills. A cluster randomized trial was conducted in which 104 pre-K classrooms in the Appalachian region of the United States were randomly assigned to one of three study conditions: Control (n = 30), RIA only…

An Examination of the Efficacy of a Multitiered Intervention on Early Reading Outcomes for First Grade Students at Risk for Reading Difficulties.

PubMed

Fien, Hank; Smith, Jean Louise M; Smolkowski, Keith; Baker, Scott K; Nelson, Nancy J; Chaparro, Erin

2015-01-01

This article presents findings of an efficacy trial examining the effect of a multitiered instruction and intervention model on first grade at-risk students' reading outcomes. Schools (N = 16) were randomly assigned to the treatment or control condition. In the fall of Grade 1, students were assigned to an instructional tier on the basis of Stanford Achievement Test-10th Edition scores (31st percentile and above = Tier 1; from the 10th to the 30th percentile = Tier 2). In both conditions, students identified as at risk (i.e., Tier 2; n = 267) received 90 min of whole group instruction (Tier 1) and an additional 30 min of daily small group intervention (Tier 2). In the treatment condition, teachers were trained to enhance core reading instruction by making instruction more explicit and increasing practice opportunities for students in Tier 1. In addition, at-risk readers were provided an additional 30-min daily small group intervention with content that was highly aligned with the Tier 1 core reading program. Results indicate significant, positive effects of the intervention on students' decoding and first semester fluent reading and potentially positive effects on reading comprehension and total reading achievement. © Hammill Institute on Disabilities 2014.

Pulse oximetry in the evaluation of peripheral vascular disease.

PubMed

Jawahar, D; Rachamalla, H R; Rafalowski, A; Ilkhani, R; Bharathan, T; Anandarao, N

1997-08-01

The role of pulse oximetry in the evaluation of peripheral vascular disease (PVD) was investigated. In addition, the value of elevating the limb to improve the sensitivity of detection of PVD by the pulse oximeter was also determined. Pulse oximetry reading in the toes were obtained in 40 young, healthy volunteers and in 40 randomly selected patients referred to the vascular investigation laboratory over a period of two months. All 40 healthy volunteers had normal pulse oximetry readings. Normal pulse oximetry reading in the toes was defined as > 95% O2 Sat and +/-2 of finger pulse oximetry reading. In all 40 patients, pulse oximetry readings were either normal or not detected at all. Since there was no gradation in decrease in the pulse oximetry reading with severity of disease or with elevation of the patient's lower extremity, an absent or no reading was considered as an abnormal result from the test. The frequency of abnormal pulse oximetry readings increased significantly in groups with abnormal ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI) and also varied significantly with elevation of the patients' lower limbs. In patients with no PVD detected by Doppler (ABPI > 0.9), pulse oximetry readings were normal in all. However, in patients with moderate PVD (ABPI, 0.5-0.9), 84% of the patients' lower limbs had normal pulse oximetry readings and 16% had an abnormal reading at baseline level (flat). An additional 12% of the lower limbs in this group had an abnormal reading on elevation of the limb to 12 inches. In patients with severe PVD (ABPI < 0.5), 54% of the patients' lower limbs had an abnormal reading at baseline and an additional 23% had an abnormal reading at elevation of the limb to 12 inches. In conclusion, pulse oximetry was not a sensitive test for detecting early PVD.

Task relevance induces momentary changes in the functional visual field during reading.

PubMed

Kaakinen, Johanna K; Hyönä, Jukka

2014-02-01

In the research reported here, we examined whether task demands can induce momentary tunnel vision during reading. More specifically, we examined whether the size of the functional visual field depends on task relevance. Forty participants read an expository text with a specific task in mind while their eye movements were recorded. A display-change paradigm with random-letter strings as preview masks was used to study the size of the functional visual field within sentences that contained task-relevant and task-irrelevant information. The results showed that orthographic parafoveal-on-foveal effects and preview benefits were observed for words within task-irrelevant but not task-relevant sentences. The results indicate that the size of the functional visual field is flexible and depends on the momentary processing demands of a reading task. The higher cognitive processing requirements experienced when reading task-relevant text rather than task-irrelevant text induce momentary tunnel vision, which narrows the functional visual field.

Particle and Photon Detection: Counting and Energy Measurement

PubMed Central

Janesick, James; Tower, John

2016-01-01

Fundamental limits for photon counting and photon energy measurement are reviewed for CCD and CMOS imagers. The challenges to extend photon counting into the visible/nIR wavelengths and achieve energy measurement in the UV with specific read noise requirements are discussed. Pixel flicker and random telegraph noise sources are highlighted along with various methods used in reducing their contribution on the sensor’s read noise floor. Practical requirements for quantum efficiency, charge collection efficiency, and charge transfer efficiency that interfere with photon counting performance are discussed. Lastly we will review current efforts in reducing flicker noise head-on, in hopes to drive read noise substantially below 1 carrier rms. PMID:27187398

Two-dimensional ultrahigh-density X-ray optical memory.

PubMed

Bezirganyan, Hakob P; Bezirganyan, Siranush E; Bezirganyan, Hayk H; Bezirganyan, Petros H

2007-01-01

Most important aspect of nanotechnology applications in the information ultrahigh storage is the miniaturization of data carrier elements of the storage media with emphasis on the long-term stability. Proposed two-dimensional ultrahigh-density X-ray optical memory, named X-ROM, with long-term stability is an information carrier basically destined for digital data archiving. X-ROM is a semiconductor wafer, in which the high-reflectivity nanosized X-ray mirrors are embedded. Data are encoded due to certain positions of the mirrors. Ultrahigh-density data recording procedure can e.g., be performed via mask-less zone-plate-array lithography (ZPAL), spatial-phase-locked electron-beam lithography (SPLEBL), or focused ion-beam lithography (FIB). X-ROM manufactured by nanolithography technique is a write-once memory useful for terabit-scale memory applications, if the surface area of the smallest recording pits is less than 100 nm2. In this case the X-ROM surface-storage capacity of a square centimetre becomes by two orders of magnitude higher than the volumetric data density really achieved for three-dimensional optical data storage medium. Digital data read-out procedure from proposed X-ROM can e.g., be performed via glancing-angle incident X-ray micro beam (GIX) using the well-developed X-ray reflectometry technique. In presented theoretical paper the crystal-analyser operating like an image magnifier is added to the set-up of X-ROM data handling system for the purpose analogous to case of application the higher numerical aperture objective in optical data read-out system. We also propose the set-up of the X-ROM readout system based on more the one incident X-ray micro beam. Presented scheme of two-beam data handling system, which operates on two mutually perpendicular well-collimated monochromatic incident X-ray micro beams, essentially increases the reliability of the digital information read-out procedure. According the graphs of characteristic functions presented in paper, one may choose optimally the incident radiation wavelength, as well as the angle of incidence of X-ray micro beams, appropriate for proposed digital data read-out procedure.

Effects of Individual Differences and Situational Features on Age Differences in Mindless Reading.

PubMed

Shake, Matthew C; Shulley, Leah J; Soto-Freita, Angelica M

2016-09-01

Mindless reading occurs when an individual shifts their attention away from the text and toward other off-task thoughts. This study examined whether previously reported age-related declines in mindless reading episodes are due primarily to (a) situational features related to the text itself (e.g., text genre or interest in the text) and/or (b) individual differences in cognitive ability. Participants read 2 texts written in different genres but about the same topic. During reading, they were randomly probed to indicate whether they were on-task or mind-wandering. They also indicated their perceptions regarding the interest and difficulty of the text, and completed a battery of cognitive ability measures. The results showed that (a) text genre may engender some age differences in mindless reading and (b) greater age and perceived interest in the text were each uniquely predictive of reduced mindless reading for both text genres. Individual differences in cognitive abilities (e.g., working memory, vocabulary) did not account for additional significant variance in mindless reading after interest and age were taken into account. Our findings are discussed in terms of implications for age differences in lapses of attention during reading and predictors of mind-wandering generally. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Multidimensional density shaping by sigmoids.

PubMed

Roth, Z; Baram, Y

1996-01-01

An estimate of the probability density function of a random vector is obtained by maximizing the output entropy of a feedforward network of sigmoidal units with respect to the input weights. Classification problems can be solved by selecting the class associated with the maximal estimated density. Newton's optimization method, applied to the estimated density, yields a recursive estimator for a random variable or a random sequence. A constrained connectivity structure yields a linear estimator, which is particularly suitable for "real time" prediction. A Gaussian nonlinearity yields a closed-form solution for the network's parameters, which may also be used for initializing the optimization algorithm when other nonlinearities are employed. A triangular connectivity between the neurons and the input, which is naturally suggested by the statistical setting, reduces the number of parameters. Applications to classification and forecasting problems are demonstrated.

Dimension Yields from Yellow-Poplar Lumber.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-06-01

the poor SP Split (includes end checks longer face and then on the good face. than 4 in.) - - The boards and each of their SW Sapwood + + defects were...Cutting Size Random SA = surface area of cutting width Adjustment Adjusted Y-ekd in square inches Length Width reading reading Using the previous...cutting sizes from 4 4 surface area of a 57- by 4-inch FAS yellow-poplar lumber cutting is 1.583 square feet: 3551.58 = 224 cuttings per 1.000 Cutting

[Effect of Reading a Book on a Tablet Computer on Cerebral Blood Flow in the Prefrontal Cortex].

PubMed

Sugiura, Akihiro; Eto, Takuya; Kinoshita, Fumiya; Takada, Hiroki

2018-01-01

By measuring cerebral blood flow in the prefrontal cortex, we aimed to determine how reading a book on a tablet computer affects sleep. Seven students (7 men age range, 21-32 years) participated in this study. In a controlled illuminance environment, the subjects read a novel in printed form or on a tablet computer from any distance. As the subjects were reading, the cerebral blood flow in their prefrontal cortex was measured by near-infrared spectroscopy. The study protocol was as follows. 1) Subjects mentally counted a sequence of numbers for 30 s as a pretest to standardized thinking and then 2) read the novel for 10 min, using the printed book or tablet computer. In step 2), the use of the book or tablet computer was in a random sequence. Subjects rested between the two tasks. Significantly increased brain activity (increase in regional cerebral blood flow) was observed following reading a novel on a tablet computer compared with that after reading a printed book. Furthermore, the region around Broca's area was more active when reading on a tablet computer than when reading a printed book. Considering the results of this study and previous studies on physiological characteristics during nonrapid eye movement sleep, we concluded that reading a book on a tablet computer before the onset of sleep leads to the potential inhibition of sound sleep through mechanisms other than the suppression of melatonin secretion.

Long-lasting improvement following tDCS treatment combined with a training for reading in children and adolescents with dyslexia.

PubMed

Costanzo, Floriana; Rossi, Serena; Varuzza, Cristiana; Varvara, Pamela; Vicari, Stefano; Menghini, Deny

2018-03-14

Noninvasive brain stimulation transiently modulates reading ability in individuals with dyslexia by facilitating the underactive neural pathways in them. However, its long-term effects have not been determined. This study confirmed the ameliorative effects of multiple sessions of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with a training for reading on the reading abilities of children and adolescents with dyslexia and examined whether they are long-lasting. Twenty-six children and adolescents with dyslexia received 3 20-min sessions per week for 6 weeks (18 sessions) of left anodal/right cathodal tDCS, set to 1 mA, over the parieto-temporal regions, combined with training for reading. The participants were randomly assigned to receive active or sham treatment. Reading measures (text, high- and low-frequency words, non-words) were recorded before and immediately after the treatment and 1 and 6 months later. The long-term tolerability to tDCS was also evaluated. The active group received long-lasting benefits in reading. Specifically, the non-word reading efficiency index improved at every time point, as did the low-frequency word reading efficiency index at 1 and 6 months after the end of the treatment. No differences emerged in the sham group. No long-term adverse effects were documented. This study provides evidence of persistent improvements in reading in children and adolescents with dyslexia, constituting a new rehabilitative approach for the remediation of dyslexia. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Associated with Reading Ability Show Connection to Socio-Economic Outcomes.

PubMed

Luciano, Michelle; Hagenaars, Saskia P; Cox, Simon R; Hill, William David; Davies, Gail; Harris, Sarah E; Deary, Ian J; Evans, David M; Martin, Nicholas G; Wright, Margaret J; Bates, Timothy C

2017-09-01

Impairments in reading and in language have negative consequences on life outcomes, but it is not known to what extent genetic effects influence this association. We constructed polygenic scores for difficulties with language and learning to read from genome-wide data in ~6,600 children, adolescents and young adults, and tested their association with health, socioeconomic outcomes and brain structure measures collected in adults (maximal N = 111,749). Polygenic risk of reading difficulties was associated with reduced income, educational attainment, self-rated health and verbal-numerical reasoning (p < 0.00055). Polygenic risk of language difficulties predicted income (p = 0.0005). The small effect sizes ranged 0.01-0.03 of a standard deviation, but these will increase as genetic studies for reading ability get larger. Polygenic scores for childhood cognitive ability and educational attainment were correlated with polygenic scores of reading and language (up to 0.09 and 0.05, respectively). But when they were included in the prediction models, the observed associations between polygenic reading and adult outcomes mostly remained. This suggests that the pathway from reading ability to social outcomes is not only via associated polygenic loads for general cognitive function and educational attainment. The presence of non-overlapping genetic effect is indicated by the genetic correlations of around 0.40 (childhood intelligence) and 0.70 (educational attainment) with reading ability. Mendelian randomization approaches will be important to dissociate any causal and moderating effects of reading and related traits on social outcomes.

The effects of the one-step replica symmetry breaking on the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick spin glass model in the presence of random field with a joint Gaussian probability density function for the exchange interactions and random fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hadjiagapiou, Ioannis A.; Velonakis, Ioannis N.

2018-07-01

The Sherrington-Kirkpatrick Ising spin glass model, in the presence of a random magnetic field, is investigated within the framework of the one-step replica symmetry breaking. The two random variables (exchange integral interaction Jij and random magnetic field hi) are drawn from a joint Gaussian probability density function characterized by a correlation coefficient ρ, assuming positive and negative values. The thermodynamic properties, the three different phase diagrams and system's parameters are computed with respect to the natural parameters of the joint Gaussian probability density function at non-zero and zero temperatures. The low temperature negative entropy controversy, a result of the replica symmetry approach, has been partly remedied in the current study, leading to a less negative result. In addition, the present system possesses two successive spin glass phase transitions with characteristic temperatures.

Random function representation of stationary stochastic vector processes for probability density evolution analysis of wind-induced structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhangjun; Liu, Zenghui

2018-06-01

This paper develops a hybrid approach of spectral representation and random function for simulating stationary stochastic vector processes. In the proposed approach, the high-dimensional random variables, included in the original spectral representation (OSR) formula, could be effectively reduced to only two elementary random variables by introducing the random functions that serve as random constraints. Based on this, a satisfactory simulation accuracy can be guaranteed by selecting a small representative point set of the elementary random variables. The probability information of the stochastic excitations can be fully emerged through just several hundred of sample functions generated by the proposed approach. Therefore, combined with the probability density evolution method (PDEM), it could be able to implement dynamic response analysis and reliability assessment of engineering structures. For illustrative purposes, a stochastic turbulence wind velocity field acting on a frame-shear-wall structure is simulated by constructing three types of random functions to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed approach. Careful and in-depth studies concerning the probability density evolution analysis of the wind-induced structure have been conducted so as to better illustrate the application prospects of the proposed approach. Numerical examples also show that the proposed approach possesses a good robustness.

Nonstationary envelope process and first excursion probability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, J.

1972-01-01

A definition of the envelope of nonstationary random processes is proposed. The establishment of the envelope definition makes it possible to simulate the nonstationary random envelope directly. Envelope statistics, such as the density function, joint density function, moment function, and level crossing rate, which are relevent to analyses of catastrophic failure, fatigue, and crack propagation in structures, are derived. Applications of the envelope statistics to the prediction of structural reliability under random loadings are discussed in detail.

Continuous-time random-walk model for financial distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masoliver, Jaume; Montero, Miquel; Weiss, George H.

2003-02-01

We apply the formalism of the continuous-time random walk to the study of financial data. The entire distribution of prices can be obtained once two auxiliary densities are known. These are the probability densities for the pausing time between successive jumps and the corresponding probability density for the magnitude of a jump. We have applied the formalism to data on the U.S. dollar deutsche mark future exchange, finding good agreement between theory and the observed data.

Effect of the Sonas Programme on Communication in People with Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Strøm, Benedicte Sørensen; Engedal, Knut; Benth, Jurate Saltyte; Grov, Ellen-Karine

2017-01-01

Background Strategies to improve communication in people with dementia are warranted. We examined the effect of the Sonas programme on communication ability in persons with moderate to severe dementia. Methods A 24-week 3-armed (Sonas, reading, and control group) randomized controlled trial including 120 nursing home residents with dementia was conducted; 105 completed the follow-up assessments. The main outcome was change in communication abilities measured by the Holden Communication Scale (HCS). Results We found no overall significant effect of the Sonas programme with regard to communication ability as measured by the HCS. However, an effect between the Sonas group and the reading group and between the Sonas group and the control group from T0 to T1 and T2 was found, as well as a significant improvement in communication in the Sonas group. Among people with severe dementia, the Sonas group scored significantly better on the HCS compared to the reading group after 12 weeks, but not after 24 weeks. Conclusion This study failed to document an overall effect of the Sonas programme on communication; however, the findings indicate that the Sonas programme has a significant effect on communication among those with severe dementia. PMID:28553314

Contexts for Teacher Practice: (Re)Considering the Role of Context in Interventions in Early Childhood Teacher Engagement with New Approaches to Shared Book Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delaney, Katherine K.; Neuman, Susan B.

2016-01-01

Although the randomized controlled trial has been regarded as the "sine qua non" in recent years, we argue that understanding contexts for teacher practice is a critical factor in the implementation of intervention, but has often been overlooked in educational research design. In this paper, we argue that randomized trials may not be…

Using Randomized Clinical Trials to Determine the Impact of Reading Intervention on Struggling Adolescent Readers: Reports of Research from Five Nationally Funded Striving Readers Grants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loadman, William; Sprague, Kim; Hamilton, Jennifer; Coffey, Deb; Faddis, Bonnie

2010-01-01

In 2005, the U.S. Department of Education awarded eight Striving Readers grants to projects around the country. The goal of Striving Readers is to improve literacy skills and achievement for struggling readers in middle and high school and to increase the research base using randomized clinical research to address improvement in adolescent…

To Wait in Tier 1 or Intervene Immediately: A Randomized Experiment Examining First Grade Response to Intervention (RTI) in Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Connor, Carol M.; Folsom, Jessica S.; Wanzek, Jeanne; Greulich, Luana; Schatschneider, Christopher; Wagner, Richard K.

2015-01-01

This randomized control study compares the efficacy of two response-to-intervention (RTI) models: (1) Dynamic RTI, which immediately refers grade 1 students with the weakest skills to the most intensive intervention supports (Tier 2 or Tier 3); and (2) Typical RTI, which starts all students in Tier 1 and after 8 weeks, decides whether students who…

Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial of Mindfulness Training for Stress Reduction during Pregnancy

PubMed Central

Guardino, Christine M.; Dunkel Schetter, Christine; Bower, Julienne E.; Lu, Michael C.; Smalley, Susan L.

2014-01-01

This randomized controlled pilot trial tested a 6-week mindfulness-based intervention in a sample of pregnant women experiencing high levels of perceived stress and pregnancy anxiety. Forty-seven women enrolled between 10 and 25 weeks gestation were randomly assigned to either a series of weekly Mindful Awareness Practices (MAPS) classes (n = 24) with home practice or to a reading control condition (n = 23). Hierarchical linear models of between-group differences in change over time demonstrated that participants in the mindfulness intervention experienced larger decreases from pre-to post-intervention in pregnancy-specific anxiety and pregnancy-related anxiety than participants in the reading control condition. However, these effects were not sustained through follow-up at six weeks post-intervention. Participants in both groups experienced increased mindfulness, as well as decreased perceived stress and state anxiety over the course of the intervention and follow-up periods. This study is one of the first randomized controlled pilot trials of a mindfulness meditation intervention during pregnancy and provides some evidence that mindfulness training during pregnancy may effectively reduce pregnancy-related anxiety and worry. We discuss some of the dilemmas in pursuing this translational strategy and offer suggestions for researchers interested in conducting mind-body interventions during pregnancy. PMID:24180264

Publisher Correction: Hierarchical self-entangled carbon nanotube tube networks.

PubMed

Schütt, Fabian; Signetti, Stefano; Krüger, Helge; Röder, Sarah; Smazna, Daria; Kaps, Sören; Gorb, Stanislav N; Mishra, Yogendra Kumar; Pugno, Nicola M; Adelung, Rainer

2018-01-09

The original version of this Article was missing the ORCID ID of Professor Nicola Pugno.Also in the original version of this Article, the third to last sentence of the fourth paragraph of the Results incorrectly read 'However, the stepwise addition of CNTs increases the self-entanglement and thereby the compressive strength value as well as the Young's modulus (up to 2.5 MPa (normalized by density 6.4) and 24.5 MPa (normalized by density 62 MPa cm 3 g -1 ).' The correct version adds the units 'MPa cm 3 g -1 ' to '6.4'.Finally, in the original version of this Article, the y-axis label of Figure 3f incorrectly read 'Comp. strengthy'. The new version corrects that to 'Comp. Strength'.These errors have now been corrected in both the PDF and the HTML versions of the Article.

Time Well Spent? Relating Television Use to Children’s Free-Time Activities

PubMed Central

Vandewater, Elizabeth A.; Bickham, David S.; Lee, June H.

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVES This study assessed the claim that children’s television use interferes with time spent in more developmentally appropriate activities. METHODS Data came from the first wave of the Child Development Supplement, a nationally representative sample of children aged 0 to 12 in 1997 (N = 1712). Twenty-four-hour time-use diaries from 1 randomly chosen weekday and 1 randomly chosen weekend day were used to assess children’s time spent watching television, time spent with parents, time spent with siblings, time spent reading (or being read to), time spent doing homework, time spent in creative play, and time spent in active play. Ordinary least squares multiple regression was used to assess the relationship between children’s television use and time spent pursuing other activities. RESULTS Results indicated that time spent watching television both with and without parents or siblings was negatively related to time spent with parents or siblings, respectively, in other activities. Television viewing also was negatively related to time spent doing homework for 7- to 12-year-olds and negatively related to creative play, especially among very young children (younger than 5 years). There was no relationship between time spent watching television and time spent reading (or being read to) or to time spent in active play. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study are among the first to provide empirical support for the assumptions made by the American Academy of Pediatrics in their screen time recommendations. Time spent viewing television both with and without parents and siblings present was strongly negatively related to time spent interacting with parents or siblings. Television viewing was associated with decreased homework time and decreased time in creative play. Conversely, there was no support for the widespread belief that television interferes with time spent reading or in active play. PMID:16452327

Effect of stripe height on the critical current density of spin-torque noise in a tunneling magnetoresistive read head with a low resistance area product below 1.0 Ω μm{sup 2}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Endo, Yasushi, E-mail: endo@ecei.tohoku.ac.jp; Fan, Peng; Yamaguchi, Masahiro

To understand the spin-torque effect on the noise in tunneling magnetoresistive (TMR) read heads, the GHz range noise spectra of TMR read heads with a narrow track width (w = 36 nm), and various stripe heights (h) are investigated as a function of the external magnetic field (H{sub ex}) and dc bias current density (j). The strong noise peak intensity depends on both H{sub ex} and j, indicating that the spin-torque affects the thermal mag-noise under a positive (negative) j for a positive (negative) H{sub ex}, regardless of h in the TMR heads. Due to the increased shape anisotropy, the critical current densitymore » (j{sub c}), where the non-thermal fluctuation noise originates from the spin-torque, increases markedly as the head dimension is reduced, and the maximum value of j{sub c} is approximately +1.5 × 10{sup 12} A/m{sup 2} for a head with w = 36 nm and h = 15 nm. These results demonstrate that the non-thermal fluctuation noise originating from the spin-torque in the TMR head can be suppressed in the current density range below 10{sup 12} A/m{sup 2}, as the head dimension is reduced and the shape anisotropy is increased.« less

Parent–Toddler Behavior and Language Differ When Reading Electronic and Print Picture Books

PubMed Central

Strouse, Gabrielle A.; Ganea, Patricia A.

2017-01-01

Little is known about the language and behaviors that typically occur when adults read electronic books with infants and toddlers, and which are supportive of learning. In this study, we report differences in parent and child behavior and language when reading print versus electronic versions of the same books, and investigate links between behavior and vocabulary learning. Parents of 102 toddlers aged 17–26 months were randomly assigned to read two commercially available electronic books or two print format books with identical content with their toddler. After reading, children were asked to identify an animal labeled in one of the books in both two-dimensional (pictures) and three-dimensional (replica objects) formats. Toddlers who were read the electronic books paid more attention, made themselves more available for reading, displayed more positive affect, participated in more page turns, and produced more content-related comments during reading than those who were read the print versions of the books. Toddlers also correctly identified a novel animal labeled in the book more often when they had read the electronic than the traditional print books. Availability for reading and attention to the book acted as mediators in predicting children’s animal choice at test, suggesting that electronic books supported children’s learning by way of increasing their engagement and attention. In contrast to prior studies conducted with older children, there was no difference between conditions in behavioral or off-topic talk for either parents or children. More research is needed to determine the potential hazards and benefits of new media formats for very young children. PMID:28559858

Parent-Toddler Behavior and Language Differ When Reading Electronic and Print Picture Books.

PubMed

Strouse, Gabrielle A; Ganea, Patricia A

2017-01-01

Little is known about the language and behaviors that typically occur when adults read electronic books with infants and toddlers, and which are supportive of learning. In this study, we report differences in parent and child behavior and language when reading print versus electronic versions of the same books, and investigate links between behavior and vocabulary learning. Parents of 102 toddlers aged 17-26 months were randomly assigned to read two commercially available electronic books or two print format books with identical content with their toddler. After reading, children were asked to identify an animal labeled in one of the books in both two-dimensional (pictures) and three-dimensional (replica objects) formats. Toddlers who were read the electronic books paid more attention, made themselves more available for reading, displayed more positive affect, participated in more page turns, and produced more content-related comments during reading than those who were read the print versions of the books. Toddlers also correctly identified a novel animal labeled in the book more often when they had read the electronic than the traditional print books. Availability for reading and attention to the book acted as mediators in predicting children's animal choice at test, suggesting that electronic books supported children's learning by way of increasing their engagement and attention. In contrast to prior studies conducted with older children, there was no difference between conditions in behavioral or off-topic talk for either parents or children. More research is needed to determine the potential hazards and benefits of new media formats for very young children.

Colloids exposed to random potential energy landscapes: From particle number density to particle-potential and particle-particle interactions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bewerunge, Jörg; Capellmann, Ronja F.; Platten, Florian

2016-07-28

Colloidal particles were exposed to a random potential energy landscape that has been created optically via a speckle pattern. The mean particle density as well as the potential roughness, i.e., the disorder strength, were varied. The local probability density of the particles as well as its main characteristics were determined. For the first time, the disorder-averaged pair density correlation function g{sup (1)}(r) and an analogue of the Edwards-Anderson order parameter g{sup (2)}(r), which quantifies the correlation of the mean local density among disorder realisations, were measured experimentally and shown to be consistent with replica liquid state theory results.

Emergent literacy intervention for prekindergarteners at risk for reading failure.

PubMed

Bailet, Laura L; Repper, Karla K; Piasta, Shayne B; Murphy, Suzanne P

2009-01-01

This study examined the effectiveness of an assessment and intervention study targeting prekindergarten children at risk for reading failure. Across 38 child care sites, 220 children were identified as "at risk" for reading failure due to their performance on a screening measure of early literacy skills and randomly assigned to receive immediate or delayed intervention. The intervention consisted of eighteen 30-minute lessons delivered twice weekly for 9 weeks and focused on teaching critical emergent literacy skills within small groups. Hierarchical linear models were used to nest children within center and measure treatment and dosage effects for students' residualized gains in rhyming, alliteration, picture naming, and print and letter knowledge skills. Results indicated significant treatment effects on two of four outcome variables (rhyming and alliteration) and significant dosage effects on all four variables. The study demonstrated a significant positive impact of this intervention for prekindergartners at risk for reading failure.

Perceptual expertise and top-down expectation of musical notation engages the primary visual cortex.

PubMed

Wong, Yetta Kwailing; Peng, Cynthia; Fratus, Kristyn N; Woodman, Geoffrey F; Gauthier, Isabel

2014-08-01

Most theories of visual processing propose that object recognition is achieved in higher visual cortex. However, we show that category selectivity for musical notation can be observed in the first ERP component called the C1 (measured 40-60 msec after stimulus onset) with music-reading expertise. Moreover, the C1 note selectivity was observed only when the stimulus category was blocked but not when the stimulus category was randomized. Under blocking, the C1 activity for notes predicted individual music-reading ability, and behavioral judgments of musical stimuli reflected music-reading skill. Our results challenge current theories of object recognition, indicating that the primary visual cortex can be selective for musical notation within the initial feedforward sweep of activity with perceptual expertise and with a testing context that is consistent with the expertise training, such as blocking the stimulus category for music reading.

A Group Contingency Plus Self-Management Intervention Targeting At-Risk Secondary Students’ Class-Work and Active Engagement

PubMed Central

Trevino-Maack, Sylvia I.; Kamps, Debra; Wills, Howard

2015-01-01

The purpose of the present study is to show that an independent group contingency (GC) combined with self-management strategies and randomized-reinforcer components can increase the amount of written work and active classroom responding in high school students. Three remedial reading classes and a total of 15 students participated in this study. Students used self-management strategies during independent reading time to increase the amount of writing in their reading logs. They used self-monitoring strategies to record whether or not they performed expected behaviors in class. A token economy using points and tickets was included in the GC to provide positive reinforcement for target responses. The results were analyzed through visual inspection of graphs and effect size computations and showed that the intervention increased the total amount of written words in the students’ reading logs and overall classroom and individual student academic engagement. PMID:26617432

Disk Density Tuning of a Maximal Random Packing

PubMed Central

Ebeida, Mohamed S.; Rushdi, Ahmad A.; Awad, Muhammad A.; Mahmoud, Ahmed H.; Yan, Dong-Ming; English, Shawn A.; Owens, John D.; Bajaj, Chandrajit L.; Mitchell, Scott A.

2016-01-01

We introduce an algorithmic framework for tuning the spatial density of disks in a maximal random packing, without changing the sizing function or radii of disks. Starting from any maximal random packing such as a Maximal Poisson-disk Sampling (MPS), we iteratively relocate, inject (add), or eject (remove) disks, using a set of three successively more-aggressive local operations. We may achieve a user-defined density, either more dense or more sparse, almost up to the theoretical structured limits. The tuned samples are conflict-free, retain coverage maximality, and, except in the extremes, retain the blue noise randomness properties of the input. We change the density of the packing one disk at a time, maintaining the minimum disk separation distance and the maximum domain coverage distance required of any maximal packing. These properties are local, and we can handle spatially-varying sizing functions. Using fewer points to satisfy a sizing function improves the efficiency of some applications. We apply the framework to improve the quality of meshes, removing non-obtuse angles; and to more accurately model fiber reinforced polymers for elastic and failure simulations. PMID:27563162

Disk Density Tuning of a Maximal Random Packing.

PubMed

Ebeida, Mohamed S; Rushdi, Ahmad A; Awad, Muhammad A; Mahmoud, Ahmed H; Yan, Dong-Ming; English, Shawn A; Owens, John D; Bajaj, Chandrajit L; Mitchell, Scott A

2016-08-01

We introduce an algorithmic framework for tuning the spatial density of disks in a maximal random packing, without changing the sizing function or radii of disks. Starting from any maximal random packing such as a Maximal Poisson-disk Sampling (MPS), we iteratively relocate, inject (add), or eject (remove) disks, using a set of three successively more-aggressive local operations. We may achieve a user-defined density, either more dense or more sparse, almost up to the theoretical structured limits. The tuned samples are conflict-free, retain coverage maximality, and, except in the extremes, retain the blue noise randomness properties of the input. We change the density of the packing one disk at a time, maintaining the minimum disk separation distance and the maximum domain coverage distance required of any maximal packing. These properties are local, and we can handle spatially-varying sizing functions. Using fewer points to satisfy a sizing function improves the efficiency of some applications. We apply the framework to improve the quality of meshes, removing non-obtuse angles; and to more accurately model fiber reinforced polymers for elastic and failure simulations.

Patient-appropriate health literacy educational materials in ophthalmology.

PubMed

Mikhail, David; Visscher, Kari L; Chen, Nancy; Wang, Joy; Emara, Barry Y; Hutnik, Cindy M

2015-02-01

To evaluate the literacy level of patients with glaucoma in a tertiary care teaching centre compared with a rural community centre and to assess comprehension of and preference for educational material written at different reading levels. Prospective, randomized, double-blinded study. Patients with glaucoma presenting for routine examination or referral at a tertiary care academic centre in southwestern Ontario and a single general ophthalmology clinic located in a moderately sized suburban community in Ontario, Canada, were invited to participate in this study. Patients aged 19 to 90 with sufficient visual acuity to read the pamphlets were recruited. Eligible and consenting participants underwent a validated literacy study, and their literacy levels were classified as adequate, barely adequate, marginal, or inadequate. They were then randomized to receive educational pamphlets written at either a grade 5 (intervention group) or grade 10 (control group) reading level. Comprehension of and preference for the material were determined by analysis of cloze testing and a feedback questionnaire. Of 199 participants, 179 were included in the analysis. The literacy testing found that 35% of patients in the community practice and 30% in the tertiary care academic centre had "marginal" or "inadequate" literacy skills, but there was no significant difference between sites (p = 0.77). Comprehension of the educational material was higher in the intervention group versus the control group (p = 0.0057), with a mean cloze score of 57.9% in the intervention group and 48.3% in the control group. The intervention group spent significantly less time reading the pamphlets (p < 0.0001), with an average of 2.52 minutes compared with 4.51 minutes. The feedback survey indicated that patients found the pamphlet with the lower reading level easier to read (p = 0.02), which was reflected in their comments as well. In both academic and community practice settings, about 30% of patients with glaucoma have marginal or inadequate literacy skills. However, regardless of practice, all patients better comprehend, and were more receptive to, educational material written at grade 5 reading level with illustrations, regardless of initial literacy level. Copyright © 2015 Canadian Ophthalmological Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of temperature dependent recombination rates on performance of InGaN/GaN blue superluminescent light emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moslehi Milani, N.; Mohadesi, V.; Asgari, A.

2015-07-01

The effects of temperature dependent radiative and nonradiative recombination (Shockley-Read-Hall, spontaneous radiative, and Auger coefficients) on the spectral and power characteristics of a blue multiple quantum well (MQW) superluminescent light emitting diode (SLD or SLED) have been studied. The study is based on the rate equations model, where three rate equations corresponding to MQW active region, separate confinement heterostructure (SCH) layer, and spectral density of optical power are solved self-consistently with no k-selection energy dependent gain and quasi-Fermi level functions at steady state. We have taken into account the temperature effects on Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH), spontaneous radiative, and Auger recombination in the rate equations and have investigated the effects of temperature rising from 300 K to 375 K at a fixed current density. We examine this procedure for a moderate current density and interpret the spectral radiation power and light output power diagrams. The investigation reveals that the main loss due to temperature is related to Auger coefficient.

Children With Medical Complexity: A Web-Based Multimedia Curriculum Assessing Pediatric Residents Across North America.

PubMed

Shah, Neha H; Bhansali, Priti; Barber, Aisha; Toner, Keri; Kahn, Michael; MacLean, Meaghan; Kadden, Micah; Sestokas, Jeffrey; Agrawal, Dewesh

No standardized curricula exist for training residents in the special needs of children with medical complexity. We assessed resident satisfaction, knowledge, and behavior after implementing a novel online curriculum composed of multimedia modules on care of children with medical complexity utilizing virtual simulation. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of residents across North America. A Web-based curriculum of 6 self-paced, interactive, multimedia modules was developed. Readings for each topic served as the control curriculum. Residents were randomized to 1 of 2 groups, each completing 3 modules and 3 sets of readings that were mutually exclusive. Outcomes included resident scores on satisfaction, knowledge-based assessments, and virtual simulation activities. Four hundred forty-two residents from 56 training programs enrolled in the curriculum, 229 of whom completed it and were included in the analysis. Subjects were more likely to report comfort with all topics if they reviewed modules compared to readings (P ≤ .01 for all 6 topics). Posttest knowledge scores were significantly higher than pretest scores overall (mean increase in score 17.7%; 95% confidence interval 16.0, 19.4), and the mean pre-post score increase for modules was significantly higher than readings (20.9% vs 15.4%, P < .001). Mean scores on the verbal handoff virtual simulation increased by 1.1 points (95% confidence interval 0.2, 2.0, P = .02). There were no significant differences found in pre-post performance for the device-related emergency virtual simulation. There was high satisfaction, significant knowledge acquisition, and specific behavior change after participating in this innovative online curriculum. This is the first multisite, randomized trial assessing satisfaction, knowledge impact, and behavior change in a virtually simulated environment with pediatric trainees. Copyright © 2017 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reading Aloud, Play, and Social-Emotional Development.

PubMed

Mendelsohn, Alan L; Cates, Carolyn Brockmeyer; Weisleder, Adriana; Berkule Johnson, Samantha; Seery, Anne M; Canfield, Caitlin F; Huberman, Harris S; Dreyer, Benard P

2018-05-01

To determine impacts on social-emotional development at school entry of a pediatric primary care intervention (Video Interaction Project [VIP]) promoting positive parenting through reading aloud and play, delivered in 2 phases: infant through toddler (VIP birth to 3 years [VIP 0-3]) and preschool-age (VIP 3 to 5 years [VIP 3-5]). Factorial randomized controlled trial with postpartum enrollment and random assignment to VIP 0-3, control 0 to 3 years, and a third group without school entry follow-up (Building Blocks) and 3-year second random assignment of VIP 0-3 and control 0 to 3 years to VIP 3-5 or control 3 to 5 years. In the VIP, a bilingual facilitator video recorded the parent and child reading and/or playing using provided learning materials and reviewed videos to reinforce positive interactions. Social-emotional development at 4.5 years was assessed by parent-report Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition (Social Skills, Attention Problems, Hyperactivity, Aggression, Externalizing Problems). VIP 0-3 and VIP 3-5 were independently associated with improved 4.5-year Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition T-scores, with effect sizes (Cohen's d) ∼-0.25 to -0.30. Receipt of combined VIP 0-3 and VIP 3-5 was associated with d = -0.63 reduction in Hyperactivity ( P = .001). VIP 0-3 resulted in reduced "Clinically Significant" Hyperactivity (relative risk reduction for overall sample: 69.2%; P = .03; relative risk reduction for increased psychosocial risk: 100%; P = .006). Multilevel models revealed significant VIP 0-3 linear effects and age × VIP 3-5 interactions. Phase VIP 0-3 resulted in sustained impacts on behavior problems 1.5 years after program completion. VIP 3-5 had additional, independent impacts. With our findings, we support the use of pediatric primary care to promote reading aloud and play from birth to 5 years, and the potential for such programs to enhance social-emotional development. Copyright © 2018 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The difference between two random mixed quantum states: exact and asymptotic spectral analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mejía, José; Zapata, Camilo; Botero, Alonso

2017-01-01

We investigate the spectral statistics of the difference of two density matrices, each of which is independently obtained by partially tracing a random bipartite pure quantum state. We first show how a closed-form expression for the exact joint eigenvalue probability density function for arbitrary dimensions can be obtained from the joint probability density function of the diagonal elements of the difference matrix, which is straightforward to compute. Subsequently, we use standard results from free probability theory to derive a relatively simple analytic expression for the asymptotic eigenvalue density (AED) of the difference matrix ensemble, and using Carlson’s theorem, we obtain an expression for its absolute moments. These results allow us to quantify the typical asymptotic distance between the two random mixed states using various distance measures; in particular, we obtain the almost sure asymptotic behavior of the operator norm distance and the trace distance.

Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) Linear Systems Extreme Inputs/Outputs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smallwood, David O.

2007-01-01

A linear structure is excited at multiple points with a stationary normal random process. The response of the structure is measured at multiple outputs. If the autospectral densities of the inputs are specified, the phase relationships between the inputs are derived that will minimize or maximize the trace of the autospectral density matrix of the outputs. If the autospectral densities of the outputs are specified, the phase relationships between the outputs that will minimize or maximize the trace of the input autospectral density matrix are derived. It is shown that other phase relationships and ordinary coherence less than one willmore » result in a trace intermediate between these extremes. Least favorable response and some classes of critical response are special cases of the development. It is shown that the derivation for stationary random waveforms can also be applied to nonstationary random, transients, and deterministic waveforms.« less

Reading abilities in school-aged preterm children: a review and meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Kovachy, Vanessa N; Adams, Jenna N; Tamaresis, John S; Feldman, Heidi M

2014-01-01

AIM Children born preterm (at ≤32wk) are at risk of developing deficits in reading ability. This meta-analysis aims to determine whether or not school-aged preterm children perform worse than those born at term in single-word reading (decoding) and reading comprehension. METHOD Electronic databases were searched for studies published between 2000 and 2013, which assessed decoding or reading comprehension performance in English-speaking preterm and term-born children aged between 6 years and 13 years, and born after 1990. Standardized mean differences in decoding and reading comprehension scores were calculated. RESULTS Nine studies were suitable for analysis of decoding, and five for analysis of reading comprehension. Random-effects meta-analyses showed that children born preterm had significantly lower scores (reported as Cohen’s d values [d] with 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) than those born at term for decoding (d=−0.42, 95% CI −0.57 to −0.27, p<0.001) and reading comprehension (d=−0.57, 95% CI −0.68 to −0.46, p<0.001). Meta-regressions showed that lower gestational age was associated with larger differences in decoding (Q[1]=5.92, p=0.02) and reading comprehension (Q[1]=4.69, p=0.03) between preterm and term groups. Differences between groups increased with age for reading comprehension (Q[1]=5.10, p=0.02) and, although not significant, there was also a trend for increased group differences for decoding (Q[1]=3.44, p=0.06). INTERPRETATION Preterm children perform worse than peers born at term on decoding and reading comprehension. These findings suggest that preterm children should receive more ongoing monitoring for reading difficulties throughout their education. PMID:25516105

Spectra of random operators with absolutely continuous integrated density of states

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rio, Rafael del, E-mail: delrio@iimas.unam.mx, E-mail: delriomagia@gmail.com

2014-04-15

The structure of the spectrum of random operators is studied. It is shown that if the density of states measure of some subsets of the spectrum is zero, then these subsets are empty. In particular follows that absolute continuity of the integrated density of states implies singular spectra of ergodic operators is either empty or of positive measure. Our results apply to Anderson and alloy type models, perturbed Landau Hamiltonians, almost periodic potentials, and models which are not ergodic.

Uncertainty analysis of gas flow measurements using clearance-sealed piston provers in the range from 0.0012 g min-1 to 60 g min-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bobovnik, G.; Kutin, J.; Bajsić, I.

2016-08-01

This paper deals with an uncertainty analysis of gas flow measurements using a compact, high-speed, clearance-sealed realization of a piston prover. A detailed methodology for the uncertainty analysis, covering the components due to the gas density, dimensional and time measurements, the leakage flow, the density correction factor and the repeatability, is presented. The paper also deals with the selection of the isothermal and adiabatic measurement models, the treatment of the leakage flow and discusses the need for averaging multiple consecutive readings of the piston prover. The analysis is prepared for the flow range (50 000:1) covered by the three interchangeable flow cells. The results show that using the adiabatic measurement model and averaging the multiple readings, the estimated expanded measurement uncertainty of the gas mass flow rate is less than 0.15% in the flow range above 0.012 g min-1, whereas it increases for lower mass flow rates due to the leakage flow related effects. At the upper end of the measuring range, using the adiabatic instead of the isothermal measurement model, as well as averaging multiple readings, proves important.

Random Plasma Glucose Values Measured in Community Dental Practices: Findings from The Dental Practice-Based Research Network

PubMed Central

Barasch, Andrei; Gilbert, Gregg H; Spurlock, Noel; Funkhouser, Ellen; Persson, Lise-Lotte; Safford, Monika M

2012-01-01

Objectives To examine feasibility of testing and frequency of abnormal plasma glucose among dental patients in The Dental Practice-Based Research Network. Methods Eligible dental patients were >19 years old and had at least one American Diabetes Association-defined risk factor for diabetes mellitus, or an existing diagnosis of diabetes or pre-diabetes. Random (fasting not required) plasma glucose was measured in standardized fashion using a commercial glucometer. Readings <70 mg/dl or >300 mg/dl triggered re-testing. Patients with glucose >126 mg/dl were referred for medical follow up. Results Of 498 subjects in 28 dental practices, 491 (98%) consented and 418 (85.1%) qualified for testing. Fifty-one patients (12.2%) had diabetes; 24 (5.7%) had pre-diabetes. Glucose ranged from 50 – 465 mg/dl. 129 subjects (31%) had readings outside the normal range; of these, 28 (6.7%) had readings <80 mg/dl and 101 (24.2%) had readings >126 mg/dl; in 9 patients (7 with diabetes), glucose was >200 mg/dl. Conclusions A significant proportion of patients tested had abnormal blood glucose. Routine glucose testing in dental practice of populations at risk or diagnosed with diabetes may be beneficial and community dental practices hold promise as settings for diabetes and pre-diabetes screening and monitoring. Clinical Relevance Results suggest that implementation of glucose measurement in dental practice may provide important clinical and health information for both patients and practitioners. PMID:22903529

Motivating people to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation and use of automated external defibrillators.

PubMed

McDonald, Deborah Dillon; Martin, Deborah; Foley, Diane; Baker, Lee; Hintz, Deborah; Faure, Lauren; Erman, Nancy; Palozie, Jessica; Lundquist, Kathleen; O'Brien, Kara; Prior, Laura; Songco, Narra; Muscillo, Gwyn; Graziani, Denise; Tomczyk, Michael; Price, Sheryl

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to test the effect of a motivational message on the intention of laypersons to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) use. A pretest-posttest, double-blind, randomized design was used with 220 community-dwelling adults. Participants were randomly assigned to the treatment group reading the CPR and AED pamphlet emphasizing learning CPR and AED use to save someone they love and the 3-minute window for response time; or to the comparison group reading the identical pamphlet without the 2 motivational statements. Intention to learn CPR and AED use and to look for AEDs in public areas was measured before and after reading the respective pamphlet. No significant difference emerged between the groups for the number of participants planning to learn CPR and AED use. A significant number of participants in both groups increased intention to learn CPR and AED use. Significantly more treatment participants than comparison participants planned to routinely look for AEDs in public areas after reading the pamphlet, however. Teaching critical facts such as the low survival rate for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest might encourage laypersons to learn CPR and AED use. Routinely teaching family members of people at risk for a cardiac arrest about the short window of time in which CPR and AED use must begin and encouraging them to learn about CPR and AEDs to save someone they love may encourage family members to identify the location of AEDs in public places.

Accuracy of digital arm and wrist manometers: clinical implications for the dental hygienist.

PubMed

Furgeson, Danielle; Mickels-Foster, Nancy

2013-10-01

Utilization of digital manometers chairside is fast becoming a standard of care in dental hygiene education. It is imperative to ensure accurate blood pressure measurements regardless of modality to avoid medical emergencies in the dental chair. This study sought to determine the accuracy of the automated digital arm and wrist cuffs utilized by students in the University of Maine at Augusta, Bangor Campus Dental Health Programs' dental hygiene clinic. After institutional review board approval, 121 subjects were recruited, with 21 excluded for a total of 100 subjects. Subjects were randomly assigned to different test modalities upon check-in. Initial blood pressure measurements were taken with a calibrated aneroid control device by a principal investigator. A second measurement was taken with the randomized arm or wrist manometer 5 minutes later. Investigators were blinded to the modality of test manometer and measurements obtained from the second reading. All readings were taken according to manufacturers' instructions to ensure technique consistency. Data indicated lower readings for each modality from the control for both systolic and diastolic measurements. The differences in the systolic and diastolic readings for the wrist modality were significantly lower than the control with (p= 0.000) and (p=0.000), respectively. Automated digital manometers should be used with caution as a screening tool in the dental setting, particularly when administration of pharmacological agents such as local anesthesia may be used during the course of treatment. These automated modalities should not be used for patients with cardiac or hypertensive conditions.

Skeletal Health After Continuation, Withdrawal, or Delay of Alendronate in Men With Prostate Cancer Undergoing Androgen-Deprivation Therapy

PubMed Central

Greenspan, Susan L.; Nelson, Joel B.; Trump, Donald L.; Wagner, Julie M.; Miller, Megan E.; Perera, Subashan; Resnick, Neil M.

2008-01-01

Purpose Androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer is associated with bone loss and osteoporotic fractures. Our objective was to examine changes in bone density and turnover with sustained, discontinued, or delayed oral bisphosphonate therapy in men receiving ADT. Patients and Methods A total of 112 men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer receiving ADT were randomly assigned to alendronate 70 mg once weekly or placebo in a double-blind, partial-crossover trial with a second random assignment at year 2 for those who initially received active therapy. Outcomes included bone mineral density and bone turnover markers. Results Men initially randomly assigned to alendronate and randomly reassigned at year 2 to continue had additional bone density gains at the spine (mean, 2.3% ± 0.7) and hip (mean, 1.3% ± 0.5%; both P < .01); those randomly assigned to placebo in year 2 maintained density at the spine and hip but lost (mean, −1.9% ± 0.6%; P < .01) at the forearm. Patients randomly assigned to begin alendronate in year 2 experienced improvements in bone mass at the spine and hip, but experienced less of an increase compared with those who initiated alendronate at baseline. Men receiving alendronate for 2 years experienced a mean 6.7% (± 1.2%) increase at the spine and a 3.2% (± 1.5%) at the hip (both P < .05). Bone turnover remained suppressed. Conclusion Among men with nonmetastatic prostate cancer receiving ADT, once-weekly alendronate improves bone density and decreases turnover. A second year of alendronate provides additional skeletal benefit, whereas discontinuation results in bone loss and increased bone turnover. Delay in bisphosphonate therapy appears detrimental to bone health. PMID:18802155

Vitamin D and calcium supplementation and one-year change in mammographic density in the Women’s Health Initiative Calcium and Vitamin D Trial

PubMed Central

Bertone-Johnson, Elizabeth R.; McTiernan, Anne; Thomson, Cynthia A.; Wactawski-Wende, Jean; Aragaki, Aaron K.; Rohan, Thomas E.; Vitolins, Mara Z.; Tamimi, Rulla M.; Johnson, Karen C.; Lane, Dorothy; Rexrode, Kathryn M.; Peck, Jennifer D.; Chlebowski, Rowan T.; Sarto, Gloria; Manson, JoAnn E.

2012-01-01

Background Calcium and vitamin D may be inversely related to breast cancer risk, in part by affecting mammographic density. However, results from previous, mostly cross-sectional studies have been mixed, and there have been few randomized clinical trials of the effect of calcium and vitamin D supplementation on change in mammographic density. Methods We assessed the effect of one year of supplementation on mammographic density in 330 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative Hormone Therapy (HT) and Calcium and Vitamin D (CaD) trials. Women were randomized to receive 1000 mg/day of elemental calcium carbonate plus 400 IU/day of vitamin D3 or placebo. Results After approximately one year, mammographic density decreased 2% in the CaD supplementation group and increased 1% in the placebo group (ratio of means = 0.97; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.81–1.17). Results suggested potential interaction by HT use (P = 0.08). Among women randomized to HT placebo, the ratio of mean density comparing CaD supplementation and placebo groups was 0.82 (95%CI = 0.61–1.11) vs. 1.16 (95%CI = 0.92–1.45) in women randomized to active HT. In sensitivity analyses limited to women taking ≥80% of study supplements, ratios were 0.67 (95%CI = 0.41–1.07) in women not assigned to HT and 1.07 (95%CI = 0.79–1.47) women assigned to HT. Conclusions We observed no overall effect of vitamin D and calcium supplementation on mammographic density after one year. Impact Potential interaction between these nutrients and estrogen as related to mammographic density warrants further study. PMID:22253296

Reading skills among students with intellectual disabilities.

PubMed

Ratz, Christoph; Lenhard, Wolfgang

2013-05-01

Students with intellectual disabilities (ID) display an extremely wide variety of skills in the field of literacy, and the ability to read and write are central learning aims in the education of students with ID. It is vital to gain detailed knowledge on the literacy skills of students with ID in order to plan instruction, create learning environments, implement educational policies or funding models and specify future fields of research. However, there has been little research into the prevalence and variation of their reading skills. The present study assessed the reading stages of 1629 school-aged students with ID regardless of aetiology (age 6-21) in Bavaria, one of the largest regions in Germany within a randomly chosen and representative sample. Teachers described the reading and writing stages of their students in a questionnaire following the developmental model of Frith. Results indicate that 29.3% do not read at all, 6.8% read at a logographic stage, 31.9% at an alphabetic and 32% at an orthographic level. Writing achievements are lower on average. We analyze and discuss the determinants of literacy in this sample with regard to the sociocultural background of students with ID and draw conclusions for teaching and school policies. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evidence for reading improvement following tDCS treatment in children and adolescents with Dyslexia.

PubMed

Costanzo, Floriana; Varuzza, Cristiana; Rossi, Serena; Sdoia, Stefano; Varvara, Pamela; Oliveri, Massimiliano; Giacomo, Koch; Vicari, Stefano; Menghini, Deny

2016-01-01

There is evidence that non-invasive brain stimulation transitorily modulates reading by facilitating the neural pathways underactive in individuals with dyslexia. The study aimed at investigating whether multiple sessions of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) would enhance reading abilities of children and adolescents with dyslexia and whether the effect is long-lasting. Eighteen children and adolescents with dyslexia received three 20-minute sessions a week for 6 weeks (18 sessions) of left anodal/right cathodal tDCS set at 1 mA over parieto-temporal regions combined with a cognitive training. The participants were randomly assigned to the active or the sham treatment; reading tasks (text, high and low frequency words, non-words) were used as outcome measures and collected before treatment, after treatment and one month after the end of treatment. The tolerability of tDCS was evaluated. The active group showed reduced low frequency word reading errors and non-word reading times. These positive effects were stable even one month after the end of treatment. None reported adverse effects. The study shows preliminary evidence of tDCS feasibility and efficacy in improving non-words and low frequency words reading of children and adolescents with dyslexia and it opens new rehabilitative perspectives for the remediation of dyslexia.

Effectiveness of Spanish intervention for first-grade English language learners at risk for reading difficulties.

PubMed

Vaughn, Sharon; Linan-Thompson, Sylvia; Mathes, Patricia G; Cirino, Paul T; Carlson, Coleen D; Pollard-Durodola, Sharolyn D; Cardenas-Hagan, Elsa; Francis, David J

2006-01-01

The effectiveness of an explicit, systematic reading intervention for first-grade students whose home language was Spanish and who were at risk for reading difficulties was examined. Participants were 69 students in 20 classrooms in 7 schools from 3 districts who initially did not pass the screening in Spanish and were randomly assigned within schools to a treatment or comparison group; after 7 months, 64 students remained in the study. The intervention matched the language of instruction of their core reading program (Spanish). Treatment groups of 3 to 5 students met daily for 50 min and were provided systematic and explicit instruction in oral language and reading by trained bilingual intervention teachers. Comparison students received the school's standard intervention for struggling readers. Observations during core reading instruction provided information about the reading instruction and language use of the teachers. There were no differences between the treatment and comparison groups in either Spanish or English on any measures at pretest, but there were significant posttest differences in favor of the treatment group for the following outcomes in Spanish: Letter-Sound Identification (d = 0.72), Phonological Awareness composite (d = 0.73), Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery-Revised Oral Language composite (d = 0.35), Word Attack (d = 0.85), Passage Comprehension (d = 0.55), and two measures of reading fluency (d = 0.58-0.75).

Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act of 2014

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA

2014-07-17

Senate - 07/17/2014 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Design and evaluation of a hybrid storage system in HEP environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Qi; Cheng, Yaodong; Chen, Gang

2017-10-01

Nowadays, the High Energy Physics experiments produce a large amount of data. These data are stored in mass storage systems which need to balance the cost, performance and manageability. In this paper, a hybrid storage system including SSDs (Solid-state Drive) and HDDs (Hard Disk Drive) is designed to accelerate data analysis and maintain a low cost. The performance of accessing files is a decisive factor for the HEP computing system. A new deployment model of Hybrid Storage System in High Energy Physics is proposed which is proved to have higher I/O performance. The detailed evaluation methods and the evaluations about SSD/HDD ratio, and the size of the logic block are also given. In all evaluations, sequential-read, sequential-write, random-read and random-write are all tested to get the comprehensive results. The results show the Hybrid Storage System has good performance in some fields such as accessing big files in HEP.

Intensive Reading Remediation in Grade 2 or 3: Are There Effects a Decade Later?

PubMed Central

Blachman, Benita A.; Schatschneider, Christopher; Fletcher, Jack M.; Murray, Maria S.; Munger, Kristen A.; Vaughn, Michael G.

2014-01-01

Despite data supporting the benefits of early reading interventions, there has been little evaluation of the long-term educational impact of these interventions, with most follow-up studies lasting less than two years (Suggate, 2010). This study evaluated reading outcomes more than a decade after the completion of an 8-month reading intervention using a randomized design with second and third graders selected on the basis of poor word-level skills (Blachman et al., 2004). Fifty-eight (84%) of the original 69 participants took part in the study. The treatment group demonstrated a moderate to small effect size advantage on reading and spelling measures over the comparison group. There were statistically significant differences with moderate effect sizes between treatment and comparison groups on standardized measures of word recognition (i.e., Woodcock Basic Skills Cluster, d = 0.53; Woodcock Word Identification, d = 0.62), the primary, but not exclusive, focus of the intervention. Statistical tests on other reading and spelling measures did not reach thresholds for statistical significance. Patterns in the data related to other educational outcomes, such as high school completion, favored the treatment participants, although differences were not significant. PMID:24578581

How Many U.S. High School Students Have a Foreign Language Reading "Disability"? Reading Without Meaning and the Simple View.

PubMed

Sparks, Richard L; Luebbers, Julie

Conventional wisdom suggests that students classified as learning disabled will exhibit difficulties with foreign language (FL) learning, but evidence has not supported a relationship between FL learning problems and learning disabilities. The simple view of reading model posits that reading comprehension is the product of word decoding and language comprehension and that there are good readers and 3 types of poor readers-dyslexic, hyperlexic, and garden variety-who exhibit different profiles of strengths and/or deficits in word decoding and language comprehension. In this study, a random sample of U.S. high school students completing first-, second-, and third-year Spanish courses were administered standardized measures of Spanish word decoding and reading comprehension, compared with monolingual Spanish readers from first to eleventh grades, and classified into reader types according to the simple view of reading. The majority of students fit the hyperlexic profile, and no participants fit the good reader profile until they were compared with first- and second-grade monolingual Spanish readers. Findings call into question the practice of diagnosing an FL "disability" before a student engages in FL study.

Effects of text cohesion on comprehension and retention of colorectal cancer screening information: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Liu, Chiung-Ju; Rawl, Susan M

2012-01-01

Increasing readability of written cancer prevention information is a fundamental step to increasing awareness and knowledge of cancer screening. Instead of readability formulas, the present study focused on text cohesion, which is the degree to which the text content ties together. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of text cohesion on reading times, comprehension, and retention of colorectal cancer prevention information. English-speaking adults (50 years of age or older) were recruited from local communities. Participants were randomly assigned to read colorectal cancer prevention subtopics presented at 2 levels of text cohesion: from higher cohesion to lower cohesion, or vice versa. Reading times, word recognition, text comprehension, and recall were assessed after reading. Two weeks later, text comprehension and recall were reassessed. Forty-two adults completed the study, but five were lost to follow up. Higher text cohesion showed a significant effect on reading times and text comprehension but not on word recognition and recall. The effect of text cohesion was not found on text comprehension and recall after 2 weeks. Increasing text cohesion facilitates reading speed and comprehension of colorectal cancer prevention information. Further research on the effect of text cohesion is warranted.

The Effect of Screen Size on Mobile Phone User Comprehension of Health Information and Application Structure: An Experimental Approach.

PubMed

Al Ghamdi, Ebtisam; Yunus, Faisal; Da'ar, Omar; El-Metwally, Ashraf; Khalifa, Mohamed; Aldossari, Bakheet; Househ, Mowafa

2016-01-01

This research analyzes the impact of mobile phone screen size on user comprehension of health information and application structure. Applying experimental approach, we asked randomly selected users to read content and conduct tasks on a commonly used diabetes mobile application using three different mobile phone screen sizes. We timed and tracked a number of parameters, including correctness, effectiveness of completing tasks, content ease of reading, clarity of information organization, and comprehension. The impact of screen size on user comprehension/retention, clarity of information organization, and reading time were mixed. It is assumed on first glance that mobile screen size would affect all qualities of information reading and comprehension, including clarity of displayed information organization, reading time and user comprehension/retention of displayed information, but actually the screen size, in this experimental research, did not have significant impact on user comprehension/retention of the content or on understanding the application structure. However, it did have significant impact on clarity of information organization and reading time. Participants with larger screen size took shorter time reading the content with a significant difference in the ease of reading. While there was no significant difference in the comprehension of information or the application structures, there were a higher task completion rate and a lower number of errors with the bigger screen size. Screen size does not directly affect user comprehension of health information. However, it does affect clarity of information organization, reading time and user's ability to recall information.

Omega 3/6 fatty acids for reading in children: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 9-year-old mainstream schoolchildren in Sweden.

PubMed

Johnson, Mats; Fransson, Gunnar; Östlund, Sven; Areskoug, Björn; Gillberg, Christopher

2017-01-01

Previous research has shown positive effects of Omega 3/6 fatty acids in children with inattention and reading difficulties. We aimed to investigate if Omega 3/6 improved reading ability in mainstream schoolchildren. We performed a 3-month parallel, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial followed by 3-month active treatment for all subjects. Mainstream schoolchildren aged 9-10 years were randomized 1:1 to receive three Omega 3/6 capsules twice daily or identical placebo. Assessments were made at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. The primary outcome measure was the Logos test battery for evaluating reading abilities. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02557477. The study enrolled 154 children (active n = 78; placebo n = 76), of whom 122 completed the first 3 months (active n = 64; placebo n = 58) and 105 completed the whole study (active/active n = 55; placebo/active n = 50). Outcomes were assessed by per protocol (PP) and intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses. Active treatment was superior to placebo at 3 months for improvement in phonologic decoding time (PP active/placebo difference -0.16; 95% CI -0.03, -0.29; effect size (ES) .44; p = .005; and ITT ES .37; p = .036), in visual analysis time (PP active/placebo difference -0.19; 95% CI -0.05, -0.33; ES .49; p = .013; and ITT ES .40; p = .01), and for boys in phonologic decoding time (PP -0.22; 95% CI -0.03, -0.41; ES .62; p = .004). Children with ADHD-RS scores above the median showed treatment benefits in visual analysis time (PP ES .8, p = .009), reading speed per word (PP ES .61, p = .008), and phonologic decoding time per word (PP ES .85, p = .006). Adverse events were rare and mild, mainly stomach pain/diarrhea (active n = 9, placebo n = 2). Compared with placebo, 3 months of Omega 3/6 treatment improved reading ability - specifically the clinically relevant 'phonologic decoding time' and 'visual analysis time' - in mainstream schoolchildren. In particular, children with attention problems showed treatment benefits. © 2016 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Cornea Preservation Time Study: Methods and Potential Impact on the Cornea Donor Pool in the United States

PubMed Central

Szczotka-Flynn, Loretta B.; Ayala, Allison R.; Benetz, Beth A.; Gal, Robin L.; Aldave, Anthony J.; Corrigan, Michelle M.; Dunn, Steven P.; McCall, Ty L.; Pramanik, Sudeep; Rosenwasser, George O.; Ross, Kevin W.; Terry, Mark A.; Verdier, David D.

2015-01-01

Purpose: The aim of this study was to describe the aims, methods, donor and recipient cohort characteristics, and potential impact of the Cornea Preservation Time Study (CPTS). Methods: The CPTS is a randomized clinical trial conducted at 40 clinical sites (70 surgeons) designed to assess the effect of donor cornea preservation time (PT) on graft survival 3 years after Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK). Eyes undergoing surgery for Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy or pseudophakic/aphakic corneal edema were randomized to receive donor corneas stored ≤7 days or 8 to 14 days. Donor and patient characteristics, tissue preparation and surgical parameters, recipient and donor corneal stroma clarity, central corneal thickness, intraocular pressure, complications, and a reading center-determined central endothelial cell density were collected. Surveys were conducted to evaluate pre-CPTS PT practices. Results: The 1330 CPTS donors were: 49% >60 years old, 27% diabetic, had a median eye bank–determined screening endothelial cell density of 2688 cells/mm2, and 74% eye bank prepared for DSAEK. A total of 1090 recipients (1330 eyes including 240 bilateral cases) had: median age of 70 years, were 60% female, 90% white, 18% diabetic, 52% phakic, and 94% had Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy. Before the CPTS, 19 eye banks provided PT data on 20,852 corneas domestically placed for DSAEK in 2010 to 2011; 96% were preserved ≤7 days. Of 305 American Academy of Ophthalmology members responding to a pre-CPTS survey, 233 (76%) set their maximum PT preference at 8 days or less. Conclusions: The CPTS will increase understanding of factors related to DSAEK success and, if noninferiority of longer PT is shown, will have great potential to extend the available pool of endothelial keratoplasty donors. Clinical Trial Registration—URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01537393. PMID:25850706

Uncertainty quantification of voice signal production mechanical model and experimental updating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cataldo, E.; Soize, C.; Sampaio, R.

2013-11-01

The aim of this paper is to analyze the uncertainty quantification in a voice production mechanical model and update the probability density function corresponding to the tension parameter using the Bayes method and experimental data. Three parameters are considered uncertain in the voice production mechanical model used: the tension parameter, the neutral glottal area and the subglottal pressure. The tension parameter of the vocal folds is mainly responsible for the changing of the fundamental frequency of a voice signal, generated by a mechanical/mathematical model for producing voiced sounds. The three uncertain parameters are modeled by random variables. The probability density function related to the tension parameter is considered uniform and the probability density functions related to the neutral glottal area and the subglottal pressure are constructed using the Maximum Entropy Principle. The output of the stochastic computational model is the random voice signal and the Monte Carlo method is used to solve the stochastic equations allowing realizations of the random voice signals to be generated. For each realization of the random voice signal, the corresponding realization of the random fundamental frequency is calculated and the prior pdf of this random fundamental frequency is then estimated. Experimental data are available for the fundamental frequency and the posterior probability density function of the random tension parameter is then estimated using the Bayes method. In addition, an application is performed considering a case with a pathology in the vocal folds. The strategy developed here is important mainly due to two things. The first one is related to the possibility of updating the probability density function of a parameter, the tension parameter of the vocal folds, which cannot be measured direct and the second one is related to the construction of the likelihood function. In general, it is predefined using the known pdf. Here, it is constructed in a new and different manner, using the own system considered.

The Impact of Achieve3000 on Elementary Literacy Outcomes: Randomized Control Trial Evidence, 2013-14 to 2014-15. Eye on Evaluation. DRA Report No. 16.02

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Darryl V.; Lenard, Matthew A.

2016-01-01

In 2013-14, the Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) launched Achieve3000 as a randomized controlled trial in 16 elementary schools. Achieve3000 is an early literacy program that differentiates non-fiction reading passages based on individual students' Lexile scores. Twoyear results show that Achieve3000 did not have a significant impact on…

Effect of acarbose to delay progression of carotid intima-media thickness in early diabetes.

PubMed

Patel, Y R; Kirkman, M S; Considine, R V; Hannon, T S; Mather, K J

2013-10-01

The anti-diabetic agent acarbose reduces postprandial glucose excursions. We have evaluated the effect of randomized treatment with acarbose on the progression of carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in early diabetes. The Early Diabetes Intervention Program was a randomized trial of acarbose versus placebo in 219 participants with early diabetes characterized by glucose values over 11.1 mmol/L 2 h after a 75 g oral glucose load and a mean HbA1c of 6.3%. IMT was measured at baseline and yearly. Follow-up was discontinued if participants progressed to the study glucose endpoints; IMT readings were available for a median of 2 years, with 72 subjects followed for 5 years. Progressive increases in IMT were seen in both treatment groups, but progression was reduced in participants randomized to acarbose (p = 0.047). In age, sex and smoking-adjusted analyses, IMT progression was associated with greater fasting and oral glucose tolerance test-excursion glucose, fasting insulin, cholesterol and glycated low-density lipoprotein concentrations. IMT progression was reduced with study-related changes in weight, insulin and non-esterified fatty acids; these features were more strongly associated with reduced IMT progression than acarbose treatment. Despite strong associations of baseline glycemia with IMT progression, study-related changes in glucose were not important determinants of IMT progression. Acarbose can delay progression of carotid intima-media thickness in early diabetes defined by an oral glucose tolerance test. Glucose, weight, insulin and lipids contributed to risk of progression but reductions in glycemia were not major determinants of reduced rate of IMT progression. Vascular benefits of acarbose may be independent of its glycemic effects. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Selection of nesting habitat by sharp-tailed grouse in the Nebraska sandhills

USGS Publications Warehouse

Prose, Bart L.; Cade, Brian S.; Hein, Dale

2002-01-01

We evaluated nesting habitat selection (disproportionate use compared to availability) by plains sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus jamesi) on rangelands grazed by cattle (Bos taurus) relative to height, density, and heterogeneity of residual herbaceous vegetation remaining from previous growing seasons. Residual cover is critical for nesting sharp-tailed grouse and can be lacking on grazed rangelands. Aerial photography and a geographic information system were used to analyze residual cover height classes and several measures of residual cover heterogeneity in nest (n = 38) and random (n = 38) plots. Height classes corresponded to visual obstruction readings (VORs), the height to which total visual obstruction by vegetation occurs. Analyses were conducted for five spatial scales ranging from 1 to 16 ha to test for scale effects on nesting habitat selection. Sharp-tailed grouse selected nesting habitat with more area in tall (greater than or equal to 4 cm VOR) residual cover than at random sites at all scales, less area in short residual cover (less than 2 cm VOR) at the I-ha scale, and less area in short and medium (2 to 3.9 cm YOR) residual cover at the 2- through 16-ha scales. Selection of shrub habitat containing patches of shrubs was evident only at the 16-ha scale. Patches of tall residual cover were larger in nest plots than in random plots at the 8- and 16-ha scales, and patches of short cover were smaller in nest plots at the I-ha scale. Two scales of pattern defined by mean patch size were detected for overall residual cover, but did not relate to nesting habitat selection.

Improving word reading speed: individual differences interact with a training focus on successes or failures.

PubMed

Steenbeek-Planting, Esther G; van Bon, Wim H J; Schreuder, Robert

2012-10-01

The effect of two training procedures on the development of reading speed in poor readers is examined. One training concentrates on the words the children read correctly (successes), the other on the words they read incorrectly (failures). Children were either informed or not informed about the training focus. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 79 poor readers. They repeatedly read regularly spelled Dutch consonant-vowel-consonant words, some children their successes, others their failures. The training used a computerized flashcards format. The exposure duration of the words was varied to maintain an accuracy rate at a constant level. Reading speed improved and transferred to untrained, orthographically more complex words. These transfer effects were characterized by an Aptitude-Treatment Interaction. Poor readers with a low initial reading level improved most in the training focused on successes. For poor readers with a high initial reading level, however, it appeared to be more profitable to practice with their failures. Informing students about the focus of the training positively affected training: The exposure duration needed for children informed about the focus of the training decreased more than for children who were not informed. This study suggests that neither of the two interventions is superior to the other in general. Rather, the improvement of general reading speed in a transparent orthography is closely related to both the children's initial reading level and the type of words they practice with: common and familiar words when training their successes and uncommon and less familiar words with training their failures.

Nonparametric estimation of plant density by the distance method

USGS Publications Warehouse

Patil, S.A.; Burnham, K.P.; Kovner, J.L.

1979-01-01

A relation between the plant density and the probability density function of the nearest neighbor distance (squared) from a random point is established under fairly broad conditions. Based upon this relationship, a nonparametric estimator for the plant density is developed and presented in terms of order statistics. Consistency and asymptotic normality of the estimator are discussed. An interval estimator for the density is obtained. The modifications of this estimator and its variance are given when the distribution is truncated. Simulation results are presented for regular, random and aggregated populations to illustrate the nonparametric estimator and its variance. A numerical example from field data is given. Merits and deficiencies of the estimator are discussed with regard to its robustness and variance.