"El nen s'ha menjat una aranya": The development of narratives in Catalan speaking children

The production of a well-constructed narrative is the culmination of several years of language acquisition and is an important milestone in children's development. There is no current description of narrative development for Catalan speaking children. This study collected elicited narratives in Catalan from 118 children aged 4;0-10;11. Narratives were scored for macrostructure and microstructure. Narrative scores improved with age with maximum performance for macrostructure by 9 years. Children's ability to use micro-structural components of Catalan is variable with some developments continuing beyond 9 years. The results are discussed in relation to theoretical arguments about universal and specific features of narrative development. We conclude by highlighting the usefulness of the new test for future language assessment of children acquiring Catalan

ATTENTIONAL TRADEOFFS IN THE PIGEON

We deployed the Multiple Necessary Cues (MNC) discrimination task to see if pigeons can simultaneously attend to four different dimensions of complex visual stimuli. Specifically, we trained nine pigeons (Columba livia) on a go/no go discrimination to peck only 1 of 16 compound stimuli created from all possible combinations of two stimulus values from four separable visual dimensions: shape (circle/square), size (large/small), line orientation (horizontal/vertical), and brightness (dark/light). Some of the pigeons had CLHD (circle, large, horizontal, dark) as the positive stimulus (Sþ), whereas others had SSVL (square, small, vertical, light) as the Sþ. We recorded touchscreen pecking during the first 15 s that each stimulus was presented on each training trial. Discrimination training continued until pigeons’ rates of responding to all 15 negative stimuli (S-s) fell to less than 15% of their response rates to the Sþ. All pigeons acquired the MNC discrimination, suggesting that they attended to all four dimensions of the multidimensional stimuli. Learning rate was similar for all four dimensions, indicating equivalent salience of the discriminative stimuli. The more dimensions along which the S-s differed from the Sþ, the faster was discrimination learning, suggesting an added benefit from increasing perceptual disparities of the S-s from the Sþ. Finally, evidence of attentional tradeoffs among the four dimensions was seen during discrimination learning, raising interesting questions concerning the possible control of behavior by elemental and configural stimuli

Clinical and microbiological assessment of patients with a long-term diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus infection and Candida oral colonization

The objective of this study was to evaluate Candida oral colonization in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients undergoing long-term highly active antiretroviral therapy (ARV). the cross-sectional study included 331 HIV patients, diagnosed from 1983 to 2003. Oral swabs were performed, and Candida species were determined using ID 32C. Isolates were tested for antifungal susceptibility. Clinical and laboratory data were collected to identify the association with Candida colonization. in total, 161 Candida isolates were detected among 147 of the 331 patients (44%), independently of the time when HIV infection was diagnosed. Candida albicans strains represented 137 (85%) of the isolates, and were susceptible to all of the tested antifungal drugs. Among the non-C. albicans strains, six isolates were dose-dependently susceptible to fluconazole, nine to itraconazole, and seven to ketoconazole. the isolation of Candida was significantly higher in patients with virological failure (83/147; p 0.0002) and CD4(+) T-lymphocyte counts < 200 cells/mm(3) (30/83; p 0.0003). Recovery of Candida in the oral cavity was independent of protease inhibitor (PI) usage (p 0.60). Colonized patients typically underwent salvage therapy (p 0.003), and had more episodes of opportunistic fungal infections (p 0.046) and malignancies (p 0.004). Oral Candida colonization in patients under ARV therapy was associated with the immunosupressed status of HIV-infected patients, i.e. low number of CD4(+) T-cells per cubic millimetre, failure of ARV therapy (salvage therapy), and higher number of opportunistic infections and malignancies. Despite the fact that PIs have in vitro antifungal activity, the use of this class of antiretroviral agent did not influence the presence of Candida in the oral cavity of AIDS patients.Univ Estadual Campinas, Dept Internal Med, Fac Med Sci, Div Infect Dis, BR-13081070 Campinas, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Infect Dis, São Paulo, BrazilChiba Univ, Med Mycol Res Ctr, Chiba, JapanUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Infect Dis, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

How active perception and attractor dynamics shape perceptual categorization: A computational model

We propose a computational model of perceptual categorization that fuses elements of grounded and sensorimotor theories of cognition with dynamic models of decision-making. We assume that category information consists in anticipated patterns of agent–environment interactions that can be elicited through overt or covert (simulated) eye movements, object manipulation, etc. This information is firstly encoded when category information is acquired, and then re-enacted during perceptual categorization. The perceptual categorization consists in a dynamic competition between attractors that encode the sensorimotor patterns typical of each category; action prediction success counts as ‘‘evidence’’ for a given category and contributes to falling into the corresponding attractor. The evidence accumulation process is guided by an active perception loop, and the active exploration of objects (e.g., visual exploration) aims at eliciting expected sensorimotor patterns that count as evidence for the object category. We present a computational model incorporating these elements and describing action prediction, active perception, and attractor dynamics as key elements of perceptual categorizations. We test the model in three simulated perceptual categorization tasks, and we discuss its relevance for grounded and sensorimotor theories of cognition.Peer reviewe

Surgical Site Infections In Women And Their Association With Clinical Conditions.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) can affect body tissues, cavities, or organs manipulated in surgery and constitute 14% to 16% of all infections. This study aimed to determine the incidence of SSIs in women following their discharge from a gynecology outpatient clinic, to survey different types of SSIs among women, and to verify the association of SSIs with comorbidities and clinical conditions. Data were collected via analytical observation with a cross-sectional design, and the study was conducted in 1,026 women who underwent gynecological surgery in a teaching hospital in the municipality of Teresina, in the northeast Brazilian State of Piauí, from June 2011 to March 2013. The incidence of SSIs after discharge was 5.8% among the women in the outpatient clinic. The most prevalent surgery among the patients was hysterectomy, while the most prevalent type of SSI was superficial incisional. Comorbidities in women with SSIs included cancer, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. Surveillance of SSIs during the post-discharge period is critical for infection prevention and control. It is worth reflecting on the planning of surgical procedures for patients who have risk factors for the development of SSIs.47457-6

Surgical site infections in women and their association with clinical conditions

Introduction: Surgical site infections (SSIs) can affect body tissues, cavities, or organs manipulated in surgery and constitute 14% to 16% of all infections. This study aimed to determine the incidence of SSIs in women following their discharge from a gynecology outpatient clinic, to survey different types of SSIs among women, and to verify the association of SSIs with comorbidities and clinical conditions. Methods: Data were collected via analytical observation with a cross-sectional design, and the study was conducted in 1,026 women who underwent gynecological surgery in a teaching hospital in the municipality of Teresina, in the northeast Brazilian State of Piauí, from June 2011 to March 2013. Results: The incidence of SSIs after discharge was 5.8% among the women in the outpatient clinic. The most prevalent surgery among the patients was hysterectomy, while the most prevalent type of SSI was superficial incisional. Comorbidities in women with SSIs included cancer, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension. Conclusions: Surveillance of SSIs during the post-discharge period is critical for infection prevention and control. It is worth refl ecting on the planning of surgical procedures for patients who have risk factors for the development of SSIs474457461sem informaçã

Deficits in narrative abilities in child British Sign Language users with specific language impairment

This study details the first ever investigation of narrative skills in a group of 17 deaf signing children who have been diagnosed with disorders in their British Sign Language development compared with a control group of 17 deaf child signers matched for age, gender, education, quantity, and quality of language exposure and non-verbal intelligence. Children were asked to generate a narrative based on events in a language free video. Narratives were analysed for global structure, information content and local level grammatical devices, especially verb morphology. The language-impaired group produced shorter, less structured and grammatically simpler narratives than controls, with verb morphology particularly impaired. Despite major differences in how sign and spoken languages are articulated, narrative is shown to be a reliable marker of language impairment across the modality boundaries

Use Of Molecular Epidemiology To Monitor The Nosocomial Dissemination Of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Un A University Hospital From 1991 To 2001

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been the cause of major outbreaks and epidemics among hospitalized patients, with high mortality and morbidity rates. We studied the genomic diversity of MRSA strains isolated from patients with nosocomial infection in a University Hospital from 1991 to 2001. The study consisted of two periods: period I, from 1991 to 1993 and period II from 1995 to 2001. DNA was typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and the similarity among the MRSA strains was determined by cluster analysis. During period 1, 73 strains presented five distinctive DNA profiles: A, B, C, D, and E. Profile A was the most frequent DNA pattern and was identified in 55 (75.3%) strains; three closely related and four possibly related profiles were also identified. During period II, 80 (68.8%) of 117 strains showed the same endemic profile A identified during period I, 18 (13.7%) closely related profiles and 18 (13.7%) possibly related profiles and, only one strain presented an unrelated profile. Cluster analysis showed a 96% coefficient of similarity between profile A from period I and profile A from period II, which were considered to be from the same clone. The molecular monitoring of MRSA strains permitted the determination of the clonal dissemination and the maintenance of a dominant endemic strain during a 10-year period and the presence of closely and possibly related patterns for endemic profile A. However, further studies are necessary to improve the understanding of the dissemination of the endemic profile in this hospital.37913451351Fluckiger, U., Widmer, A.F., Epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (1999) Chemotherapy, 45, pp. 121-134Deplano, A., Schuermans, A., Van Eldere, J., Multicenter evaluation of epidemiological typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains by repetitive-element PCR analysis (2000) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 38, pp. 3527-3533Stranden, A., Frei, R., Widmer, A.F., Molecular typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: Can PCR replace pulsed-field gel electrophoresis? (2003) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 41, pp. 3181-3186Wang, J.T., Chen-Chun, Y., Yang, T.L., Chang, C.S., Molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibility of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus, aureus in Taiwan (2002) Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease, 42, pp. 199-203Tambic, A., Power, E.G.M., Talsania, H., Anthony, R.M., French, G.L., Analysis of an outbreak of non phage-typeable methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by using a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA assay (1997) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 35, pp. 3092-3097Conterno, L.O., Wey, S.B., Castello, A., Risk factors for mortality in Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (1998) Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 19, pp. 32-37Pujol, M., Penã, C., Pallares, R., Ayats, J., Arisa, J., Gudiol, F., Risk factors for nosocomial bacteremia due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (1996) European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 13, pp. 96-102Archer, G.L., Niemeyer, D.M., Origin and evolution of DNA associated with resistance to methicillin in Staphylococci (1998) Trends in Microbiology, 2, pp. 343-347Witte, W., Kresken, M., Braulke, C., Cuny, C., Increasing incidence and widespread dissemination of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in hospitals in central Europe, with special reference to German hospitals (1997) Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 3, pp. 414-422Corso, A., Santos, S.I., Aires de Souza, M., Rossi, A., Lencastre, H., Spread of a methicillin-resistant and multiresistant epidemic clone of Staphylococcus aureus (1998) Journal of Medical Microbiology, 4, pp. 179-184Alfizah, H., Norazah, A., Nordiah, A.J., Lim, V.K., DNA fingerprinting of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) in a teaching hospital in Malaysia (2002) Medical Journal of Malaysia, 57, pp. 319-328Sola, C., Gribaudo, G., Vindel, A., Patrito, L., Bocco, J.L., Identification of a novel methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus epidemic clone in Cordoba, Argentina, involved in nosocomial infections (2002) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 40, pp. 1427-1435Melter, O., Aires de Sousa, M., Urbaskova, P., Jakubu, V., Zemlickova, H., Lencastre, H., Update on the major clonal types of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the Czech Republic (2003) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 41, pp. 4998-5005Sader, H.S., Pignatari, A.C., Hollis, R.J., Jones, R.N., Evaluation of inter-hospital spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in São Paulo using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of chromosomal DNA (1994) Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 15, pp. 320-323Santos, F.L., Sader, H., Bortolotto, V.I., Gontijo, F.P.P., Pignatari, A.C., Analysis of the clonal diversity of Staphylococcus aureus methicillin-resistant strains isolated at João Pessoa, State of Paraíba, Brazil (1996) Memórias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 91, pp. 101-105Moretti-Branchini, M.L., Aplicação de métodos de tipagem molecular na investigação de surtos intra-hospitalares (1998), Livre-docência thesis, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, BrazilPottinger, J.M., Herwaldt, L.A., Peri, T.M., Basics of surveillance: An overview (1999) Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 18, pp. 513-527Loureiro, B.A., De Moraes, B.A., Quadra, M.R.R., Pinheiro, G.S., Suffys, P.N., Asensi, M.D., Molecular epidemiology of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from newborns in a hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2000) Memórias Do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 95, pp. 777-782Blanc, D.S., Struelens, M.J., Deplano, A., Hauser, P.M., Petgnat, C., Franioli, P., Epidemiological validation of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (2001) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 39, pp. 3442-3445Tenover, F.C., Gaynes, R.P., The epidemiology of Staphylococcus infection (2000) Gram-Positive Pathogens, , Fischetti VA, Novick RP, Ferretti JJ, Portnoy DA & Rood JL (Editors), American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC, USASchmitz, F.J.M., Steiert, H.V., Tichy, B., Hofmann, J., Verhoef, H.P., Heinz, K., Köhrer, T., Jones, M.E., Typing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from Düsseldorf by six genotypic methods (1998) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 47, pp. 341-351Montesianos, I., Salido, E., Delgado, T., Cuervo, M., Sierra, A., Epidemiologic genotyping of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis at a university hospital and comparison with antibiotyping and protein A and coagulase gene polymorphisms (2002) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 40, pp. 921-925Tenover, F.C., Arbeit, R.D., Goering, R.V., Mickelsen, P.A., Murray, B.E., Persing, D.H., Swaminathan, B., Interpreting chromosomal DNA restriction patterns produced by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis: Criteria for bacterial strain typing (1995) Journal of 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definitions for nosocomial infections (1988) American Journal of Infection Control, 16, pp. 128-140Bauer, A.W., Kirby, W.M.M., Sherris, J.C., Turck, M., Antibiotic susceptibility testing by a standardized single disk method (1996) American Journal of Clinical Pathology, 45, pp. 493-496(1999) Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing, , National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS) Ninth Informational Supplement M100-S9Aires De Sousa, M., Crisostomo, M.I., Santos Sanches, I., Wu, J.S., Fuzhong, J., Tomasz, A., De Lencastre, H., Frequent recovery of a single clonal type of multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from patients in two hospitals in Taiwan and China (2003) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 41, pp. 159-163Teixeira, L., Resende, C.A., Ormonde, L.R., Rosenbaum, R., Figueiredo, A.M.S., Lencastre, H., Tomasz, A., Geographic spread of epidemic multiresistant Staphylococcus aureus clone in Brazil (1995) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 33, pp. 2400-2404Tambic, A., Power, E.G.M., Tambic, T., Snur, I., French, G.L., Epidemiological analysis of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a Zagreb trauma hospital using a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-typing method (1999) European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 18, pp. 335-340Miragaia, M., Couto, I., Pereira Sandro, F.F., Molecular characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis: Evidence of geographic dissemination (2002) (2003) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 40, pp. 430-438Boyce, J.M., Treatment and control of colonization in the prevention of nosocomial infections (1996) Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 17, pp. 256-261Salmenlinna, S., Vuopio-Varkila, J., Recognition of two groups of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains based on epidemiology, antimicrobial susceptibility, hypervariable-region type, and ribotype in Finland (2001) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 39, pp. 2243-2247El-Din, 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Risk communication films: Process, product and potential for improving preparedness and behaviour change

The medium of film is well established for education and communication about hazardous phenomena as it provides engaging ways to directly view hazards and their impacts. Empirical analysis can help to understand films' effectiveness in informing populations at risk and catalysing action to reduce risk. Using volcanic eruptions as a focus, an evidence-based methodology was devised to create, use, and track the outcomes of digital film tools designed to raise hazard and risk awareness, and develop preparedness efforts. Experiences from two contrasting eruptions were documented, with the secondary purpose of fostering social and cultural memories of eruptions, developed in response to demand from at-risk communities during field-based research. The films were created as a partnership with local volcano monitoring scientists and at-risk populations who, consequently, became the leading focus of the films, thus offering a substantial contrast to other types of hazard communication. The films were analysed by sharing them with at-risk communities and evaluating the immediate influence on learning and affect. Results indicated that the use of local content and actors to share experiences and teach valuable lessons were inspirational. Recognizable faces and spaces helped to convey disaster risk reduction messages. They also motivated audiences to consider ownership of risk and potential actions to reduce risk and strengthen resilience. This study demonstrated the effectiveness of co-production in the design and execution of intervention strategies for volcanic risk reduction. Co-production of films with local agencies resulted in products that were contextually appropriate, meaningful for audiences, and useful risk communication tools