Comprehension of familiar and unfamiliar native accents under adverse listening conditions

This study aimed to determine the relative processing cost associated with comprehension of an unfamiliar native accent under adverse listening conditions. Two sentence verification experiments were conducted in which listeners heard sentences at various signal-to-noise ratios. In Experiment 1, these sentences were spoken in a familiar or an unfamiliar native accent or in two familiar native accents. In Experiment 2, they were spoken in a familiar or unfamiliar native accent or in a nonnative accent. The results indicated that the differences between the native accents influenced the speed of language processing under adverse listening conditions and that this processing speed was modulated by the relative familiarity of the listener with the native accent. Furthermore, the results showed that the processing cost associated with the nonnative accent was larger than for the unfamiliar native accent

News from the front: Estimation of excess mortality and life expectancy in the major epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy

Existing studies commonly rely on national official reports to estimate the impact of COVID-19 on human life. This is problematic because classification, estimation and reporting of COVID-19 mortality are not consistent across countries. To overcome these problems, this study exploits all cause daily death registrations data provided by the Italian Statistical Office (ISTAT) from January 1 to April 15, 2020. This allows us to: 1) calculate excess mortality in 2020 compared to the average of the years 2015 to 2019; and 2) estimate life expectancy on a seasonal and annual basis. Focusing on the five most severely hit provinces in Italy (Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona, Lodi and Piacenza) and Lombardy region, this analysis captures the impact of COVID-19 on mortality and life expectancy, which are likely to be underestimated when only national level data are considered. We find that seasonal life expectancy in 2020 in the five provinces reduced by 5.1 to 7.8 and 3.2 to 5.8 years for men and women, respectively. For annual life expectancy for the year 2020, in a scenario with no harvesting effect i.e. mortality rates resume to an average level of the years 2015-2019 after the end of the first epidemic wave, the years of life lost is equivalent to 2 to 3.5 years for men and 1.1. to 2.5 years for women in the five provinces. This represents the largest decline in life expectancy after the 1918 influenza pandemic and the Second World War

Virus-like particles associated with marine mussel mortalities in New Zealand

Green-lip mussel Pema canaliculus spat (15 to 30 mm length) in the outer Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand, suffered 50 to 100% mortality during January to April 1994 (summer/autumn) following thinning and reseeding of the mussel lines by farmers. Adult mussel mortalities of 2 to 5 % continued from February to early May 1994. Histological examination showed extensive haemocytosis and multifocal liquefaction necrosis of interstitial cells, basal cells and digestive tubule epithelial cells. Sloughed pyknotic or karyolytic digestive tubule epithelial cells formed characteristic rounded granular bodies 10 to 15 μm diameter both in digestive tubules and free in lesions . No viral inclusion bodies were observed. Ultrastructural examination showed highly modified rough endoplasmic reticulum associated with small, 25 to 45 nm diameter, electron- dense uncoated virus-like particles Identical cell damage and virus-like particles were subsequently found in monbund adult (75 to 110 mm length) P canaliculus and stunted (25 to 4 7 mm length) subt1dal Mvtilus galloprovincialis from the same area. Following purfication of extracts of the moribund spat by isopycnic centrifugation in CsCJ, large numbers of 25 nm diameter, unenveloped, virus particles were seen by electron microscopy. These particles had a density of 1.364 g cm- 3 A broad band at a density expected for enveloped particles (1.21to1.24 g cm 1 ) was also observed but contained few virus-like particles. Cell damage and mussel mortalities are thus likely due to a small unenveloped virus

La contratación electrónica en el Código civil argentino : una mirada desde el derecho internacional privado

140 years after the enforcement of our Civil Code, this paper deals with a\nmatter that Vélez Sarsfield couldn?t even think of at the time he drafted it ? and yet,\nwith some adaptations, new conceptions and interpretations, it can be comprised under\nits regulations. We refer to a very relevant topic in the current legal field: international\nelectronic contracting, particularly via Internet. Thus, we will approach this delicate\nmatter from the perspective of the domestic Argentinean Private International LawFil: Scotti, Luciana B. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Derecho; ArgentinaA 140 años de la entrada en vigor de nuestro Código Civil, el presente\ntrabajo procura abordar un tema que Vélez Sarsfield no pudo siquiera imaginar por\naquellos años cuando lo elaboró, y que sin embargo, con algunas adaptaciones, nuevas\ncalificaciones, retoques, re interpretaciones, puede ser amparado bajo sus normas.\nNos referimos a una cuestión de plena actualidad para el mundo jurídico, como es la\ncontratación internacional celebrada por medios electrónicos, en particular, a través de\nInternet. En consecuencia, nos aproximaremos a esta delicada temática desde la perspectiva\ndel Derecho Internacional Privado argentino de fuente intern

La interrelación entre los derechos humanos y la restitución internacional de niños en la república argentina

The security and protection of human rights oriented, nowadays, to find any solution for a case of private law with foreign elements, either at the level of legislation, national or international, or at the level of jurisprudence. In cases where there is a wrongful removal of a child from the place of his habitual residence or is wrongfully retained in another state by one of their parents abusing their parental authority, in violation of legitimate rights of custody of another progenitor, the preservation of the rights of the child and the respect for the interests of the child play a central role. This has been reflected in major conventions and has understood by the national and international jurisprudenceLa garantía y protección de los derechos humanos orientan, en nuestros días, a toda solución que se busque para un caso de derecho privado con elementos extranjeros, ya sea a nivel legislativo, nacional o internacional, o bien a nivel jurisprudencial. En los casos en los que existe un traslado ilícito de un niño desde el lugar de su residencia habitual o es retenido ilícitamente en otro Estado por parte de uno de su progenitores, abusando de su autoridad parental, en violación de legítimos derechos de custodia del otro progenitor, la preservación de los derechos de niño, y el respeto del interés superior del niño juegan un rol central. Así ha quedado plasmado en los principales convenios en la materia y así lo ha entendido la jurisprudencia nacional e internacional

El Movimiento “13 de diciembre”: el antecedente olvidado de la Reforma Universitaria de 1918

Sumario: I. Introducción.– II. Origen y causas del movimiento estudiantil.– III. Los principales actores. El protagonismo de Estanislao S. Zeballos.– IV. Objetivos y bases del movimiento.– V. Las principales consecuencias del movimiento.– VI. Conclusiones.– VI. Bibliografía.Número extraordinario: Centenario de la Reforma Universitaria: 1918-2018.Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociale

El Movimiento “13 de diciembre”: el antecedente olvidado de la Reforma Universitaria de 1918

Sumario: I. Introducción.– II. Origen y causas del movimiento estudiantil.– III. Los principales actores. El protagonismo de Estanislao S. Zeballos.– IV. Objetivos y bases del movimiento.– V. Las principales consecuencias del movimiento.– VI. Conclusiones.– VI. Bibliografía.Número extraordinario: Centenario de la Reforma Universitaria: 1918-2018.Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociale

El Movimiento “13 de diciembre”: el antecedente olvidado de la Reforma Universitaria de 1918

Sumario: I. Introducción.– II. Origen y causas del movimiento estudiantil.– III. Los principales actores. El protagonismo de Estanislao S. Zeballos.– IV. Objetivos y bases del movimiento.– V. Las principales consecuencias del movimiento.– VI. Conclusiones.– VI. Bibliografía.Número extraordinario: Centenario de la Reforma Universitaria: 1918-2018.Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociale

Incidencias de las nuevas tecnologías en el Derecho Internacional Privado

Varias de las características de Internet, y principalmente su internacionalidad, nos llevan, como corolario, a definirla como un espacio esencialmente extraterritorial. Nos encontramos ante la misma extraterritorialidad que es inherente a la existencia y necesidad del Derecho Internacional Privado, que lo caracteriza y le concede su razón de ser. Sin embargo, la ubicuidad de Internet conlleva numerosos problemas jurídicos, en particular en materia de conflicto de leyes y de jurisdicciones, propios de nuestra disciplina. De allí, la íntima relación entre Derecho Internacional Privado e Internet y las nuevas tecnologías en general. En este sentido, estas irrumpen en los tres sectores de nuestra disciplina: la jurisdicción competente, el derecho aplicable y la cooperación jurídicainternacional, ya sea para complejizar o para facilitar sus soluciones, según el caso. Precisamente, en este trabajo procuramos compartir algunos aportes a la comprensión de las incidencias de las nuevas tecnologías, y en especial de Internet, en tales ámbitos.Plusieurs des caractéristiques de l’Internet, et principalement son caractère international, nous conduisent, en corollaire, à définir Internet comme un espace essentiellement extraterritorial. Nous sommes confrontés à la même extraterritorialité inhérente à l’existence et à la nécessité du droit international privé, qui le caractérise et lui donne sa raison d’être. Cependant, l’omniprésence d’Internet entraîne de nombreux problèmes juridiques, notamment en matière de conflits de lois et de juridictions, typiques de notre discipline. De là , la relation intime entre le droit international privé et Internet et les nouvelles technologies en général. En ce sens, elles pénètrent dans les trois secteurs de notre discipline: juridiction compétente, droit applicable et coopération juridique internationale, soit pour complexifier soit pour faciliter leurs solutions, selon le cas. Précisément, dans ce travail, nous essayons de partager quelques contributions à la compréhension de l’incidence des nouvelles technologies, et en particulier Internet, dans ces domaines.Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Sociale

Identification of SNPs in the promoter of \u3b2-lactoglobulin gene in three Sicilian goat breeds

The aim of this work was to sequence the full-length promoter region of the caprine \u3b2-lactoglobulin (\u3b2-lg) gene in three Sicilian goat breeds (Girgentana, Maltese, and Derivata di Siria), in order to identify polymorphisms, to search for transcription factors (TFs) sites, and to check if polymorphisms found lay within TFs binding sites. The promoter region of \u3b2-lg gene in Sicilian goat breeds showed high level of polymorphism due to the presence of 31 SNPs. Binding sites for several TFs were found within the goat \u3b2-lg promoter and within regions conserved between ovine and caprine species. Two SNPs were detected within TFs binding sites, such as MPBF and NF-I. Further studies are in progress to confirm polymorphic sites, to evaluate the possible effect of these mutations on binding affinity of TFs, their relationship with \u3b2-lg gene expression, and the functional role of SNPs within the TFs sites of the promoter region on milk trait