Embedding ICT to teach and assess the pragmatic targets of refusals and disagreements in spoken English

This study employs innovative ICT tools to enhance an explicit instructional period to help international learners develop their pragmatic competence, defined as ‘the ability to communicate and interpret meaning in social interactions’ (Taguchi, 2011: 289). Specifically, the study focuses on developing Mexican learners’ ability to produce pragmatically-appropriate refusals and disagreements in spoken English, which are relatively under-explored interlanguage features and have been reported to differ amongst Spanish and English first language speakers (e.g. Félix-Brasdefer, 2006; 2008). Virtual role plays and online learning activities designed for the study are incorporated into the instruction with an experimental group (n = 16), and used as assessment tools during the testing stages which include a control group for comparison purposes (n = 16). A pretest-posttest design is employed to measure the extent of instructional gains within and between the two groups. In addition, participants reflect on their experience of using technology-enhanced materials. The results are viewed from the perspectives of how appropriate the responses are, acknowledging that differences in the status of the interlocutor and contextual situation will trigger different ways to refuse or disagree, and from a linguistic perspective with regards to the content and organisation of the responses. The aim is to examine to what extent technology-enhanced teaching and learning can benefit the development of these specific pragmatic targets

Un estudio comparativo de las respuestas a cumplidos producidas por hablantes del español de México y del Inglés de Irlanda

The purpose of the present study is to compare the compliment responses (CRs) provided by 60 native Mexican Spanish speakers and 60 Irish English native speakers. Using a discourse completion task, 1080 responses were analyzed based on Herbert’s (1989) and Nelson, El Bakary and Al-Batal’s (1993) taxonomy. Findings suggest the existence of cross-cultural similarities in Irish and Mexican CRs in the frequency of deflecting comments and the mechanisms that are used to redirect the praise force. Second, the two languages differ in important ways. In responding to compliments, Irish recipients are much more likely than Mexican speakers to use a single strategy when formulating CRs. The findings further show that social factors (social distance, social power, gender, and the topic of the compliment) in both Mexican and Irish society seem to be crucial parameters in the formulation and acceptance or rejection of a compliment.El propósito del presente estudio fue comparar las respuestas a cumplidos (RC) producidas por 60 hablantes nativos de español de México y 60 hablantes nativos de inglés de Irlanda. La base de datos se recabó mediante un instrumento llamado discourse completion task, el cual permitió obtener 1080 respuestas, las cuales se analizaron usando la taxonomía propuesta por Herbert (1989) y Nelson, El Bakary y Al-Batal (1993). Los resultados muestran tres aspectos importantes. El primer resultado sugiere la existencia de similitudes entre las RCs irlandesas y mexicanas con respecto al empleo de estrategias de mitigación con el propósito de desviar los comentarios y redirigir el cumplido. En segundo lugar, los dos grupos difieren en aspectos importantes. Al responder a los cumplidos, los destinatarios irlandeses son mucho más propensos que los hablantes mexicanos a usar una sola estrategia, mientras que los mexicanos utilizan dos o más para formular las RCs. Los resultados muestran además que los factores sociales (distancia social, poder social, género y el tema del cumplido) en la sociedad mexicana y en la irlandesa parecen ser parámetros cruciales en la formulación y aceptación o rechazo de un cumplido

Assessment physical-chemical, microbiological and sensory of fresh cheese using ficin as a biocatalyst

En la presente investigación se propuso efectuar un análisis comparativo realizado al queso elaborado con la enzima proteolítica ficina la cual es proveniente del látex de Ficus carica conocida como (higuera). ya que su actividad proteolítica se manifiesta al desnaturalizar sus proteínas sustrato mediante la ruptura de los enlaces disulfuro generados por aminoácidos sulfurados identificada como cisteína ya que pertenece al grupo de las tiol proteasas y es muy similar a la papaína que se extrae del látex de papaya, y al queso comercial, para lo cual se utilizó la prueba T-student, con tamaño de unidad de 4 litros con 5 repeticiones donde en el análisis físico-químico se obtuvo valores similares en % de humedad, Aw, pH a excepción de la proteína ya que existe una diferencia de 8,86%; Mientras que  la actividad enzimática presenta valores de 14,87 U/mg de proteína con un tiempo de 58 segundos correspondientes a una eficaz velocidad enzimática y tiempo de coagulación.  No se reportó presencia de microorganismos patógenos en el análisis microbiológico. En el análisis sensorial se utilizó la prueba de preferencia pareada donde el 100% de catadores prefirió el queso fresco comercial. Se recomienda realizar una purificación enzimática para mejorar el contenido de proteína.In the present investigation, it was proposed to carry out a comparative analysis of cheese made with the proteolytic enzyme ficin, which is derived from the latex of Ficus carica known as (fig). since its proteolytic activity is manifested by denaturing its substrate proteins by breaking the disulfide bonds generated by sulforated amino acids identified as cysteine ​​since it belongs to the group of thiol proteases and is very similar to papain that is extracted from papaya latex, and commercial cheese, for which the T-student test was used, with a unit size of 4 liters with 5 repetitions where in the physical-chemical analysis similar values ​​were obtained in% of humidity, Aw, pH except for protein since there is a difference of 8.86%; While the enzymatic activity presents values ​​of 14.87 U / mg of protein with a time of 58 seconds corresponding to an effective enzymatic speed and clotting time. No presence of pathogenic microorganisms was reported in the microbiological analysis. In the sensory analysis, the paired preference test was used where 100% of tasters preferred commercial fresh cheese. Enzymatic purification is recommended to improve protein content

Activity Evaluation of three proteolytic enzymes as dairy biocatalysts

El estudio de las enzimas proteolíticas a nivel industrial tiene una gran importancia ya que su utilidad catalítica podrá ser utilizada especialmente en la industria láctea, por lo que el objetivo del estudio fue la obtención de tres enzimas proteolíticas a partir de la piña (Annanas-cosmosus L), papaya (Carica-papaya) y el higo (Ficus-carica L), para lo cual se utilizaron técnicas diferentes de extracción del látex, aplicando un diseño completamente al azar y Tukey como prueba estadística, contando con 5 repeticiones y un tamaño de unidad experimental de 5kg, dando como resultado diferencias altamente significativas entre las tres enzimas estudiadas, en tanto que, para la obtención del látex se utilizaron los métodos de la ruptura mecánica para la piña, cortes longitudinales para la papaya e higo. Se obtiene valoraciones físico-químicas de 7,62 Brix y 5,48 de pH para la papaya, 12,12 Brix y 2,20 de pH de para la piña y 7,24 Brix con 6,48 pH para el higo, mientras que, en lo que corresponde al rendimiento se puede mencionar que con 18 g/Kg la ficina es la enzima con mejor resultado. Para la actividad enzimática se empleó un diseño completamente al azar con un tamaño de unidad de 0,0375mg de enzima utilizando leche como sustrato para el proceso de catálisis reportándose valores de, 15,74 U/mg proteína con un tiempo de 73,92seg para la bromelina, 15,09 U/mg proteína con un tiempo de coagulación de 61,44seg para la papaína y 14,87 U/mg proteína con un tiempo de 58 segundos para la ficina indicando que los resultados presentan diferencias altamente significativas y demostrando que la ficina es la enzima que presenta una velocidad enzimática y tiempo de coagulación eficaces y eficientes.The study of proteolytic enzymes at an industrial level is of great importance since their catalytic utility may be used especially in the dairy industry, so the objective of the study was to obtain three proteolytic enzymes from pineapple (Annanas-cosmosus L), papaya (Carica-papaya) and fig (Ficus-carica L), for which different latex extraction techniques were used, applying a completely random design and Tukey as a statistical test, with 5 repetitions and one size of an experimental unit of 5kg, resulting in highly significant differences between the three enzymes studied, while the methods of mechanical breakdown for pineapple, longitudinal cuts for papaya and fig were used to obtain the latex. Physicochemical evaluations of 7.62 Brix and 5.48 pH are obtained for papaya, 12.12 Brix and 2.20 pH for pineapple and 7.24 Brix with 6.48 pH for fig, while that, in what corresponds to the yield, it can be mentioned that with 18 g / Kg ficin is the enzyme with the best result. For the enzymatic activity, a completely randomized design with a unit size of 0.0375mg of enzyme was used, using milk as a substrate for the catalysis process, reporting values ​​of .15.74 U / mg protein with a time of 73.92sec for bromelain, 15.09 U / mg protein with a clotting time of 61.44sec for papain and 14.87 U / mg protein with a time of 58 seconds for ficin, indicating that the results show highly significant differences and demonstrating that Ficin is the enzyme that has an effective and efficient enzyme speed and clotting time

Lower IgG somatic hypermutation rates during acute dengue virus infection is compatible with a germinal center-independent B cell response

Reads, clonal groups, and lineages numbers per individual and condition. The table shows the number of raw and used sequences as well as the number of clonotypes and lineages per individual. (XLS 30 kb

Genotype-phenotype features of germline variants of the TMEM127 pheochromocytoma susceptibility gene: A 10-year update

Purpose: This work aimed to evaluate genotype-phenotype associations in individuals carrying germline variants of transmembrane protein 127 gene (TMEM127), a poorly known gene that confers susceptibility to pheochromocytoma (PHEO) and paraganglioma (PGL). Design: Data were collected from a registry of probands with TMEM127 variants, published reports, and public databases. Main Outcome Analysis: Clinical, genetic, and functional associations were determined. Results: The cohort comprised 110 index patients (111 variants) with a mean age of 45 years (range, 21-84 years). Females were predominant (76 vs 34, P <. 001). Most patients had PHEO (n = 94; 85.5%), although PGL (n = 10; 9%) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC, n = 6; 5.4%) were also detected, either alone or in combination with PHEO. One-third of the cases had multiple tumors, and known family history was reported in 15.4%. Metastatic PHEO/PGL was rare (2.8%). Epinephrine alone, or combined with norepinephrine, accounted for 82% of the catecholamine profiles of PHEO/PGLs. Most variants (n = 63) occurred only once and 13 were recurrent (2-12 times). Although nontruncating variants were less frequent than truncating changes overall, they were predominant in non-PHEO clinical presentations (36% PHEO-only vs 69% other, P <. 001) and clustered disproportionately within transmembrane regions (P <. 01), underscoring the relevance of these domains for TMEM127 function. Integration of clinical and previous experimental data supported classification of variants into 4 groups based on mutation type, localization, and predicted disruption. Conclusions: Patients with TMEM127 variants often resemble sporadic nonmetastatic PHEOs. PGL and RCC may also co-occur, although their causal link requires further evaluation. We propose a new classification to predict variant pathogenicity and assist with carrier surveillance.Fil: Armaiz Pena, Gustavo. University Of Texas Health Science Center At San Antonio;; Estados UnidosFil: Flores, Shahida K.. No especifíca;Fil: Cheng, Zi Ming. No especifíca;Fil: Zhang, Xhingyu. No especifíca;Fil: Esquivel, Emmanuel. No especifíca;Fil: Poullard, Natalie. No especifíca;Fil: Vaidyanathan, Anusha. No especifíca;Fil: Liu, Qianqian. No especifíca;Fil: Michalek, Joel. No especifíca;Fil: Santillan Gomez, Alfredo A.. No especifíca;Fil: Liss, Michael. No especifíca;Fil: Ahmadi, Sara. No especifíca;Fil: Katselnik, Daniel. No especifíca;Fil: Maldonado, Enrique. No especifíca;Fil: Salgado, Sarimar Agosto. No especifíca;Fil: Jimenez, Camilo. No especifíca;Fil: Fishbein, Lauren. No especifíca;Fil: Hamidi, Oksana. No especifíca;Fil: Else, Tobias. No especifíca;Fil: Lechan, Ron. Tufts Medical Center; Estados UnidosFil: Tischler, Art S.. Tufts Medical Center; Estados UnidosFil: Benn, Diana E.. No especifíca;Fil: Dwight, Trisha. University of Technology Sydney; AustraliaFil: Clifton Bligh, Rory. University of Technology Sydney; AustraliaFil: Sanso, Elsa Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Centro de Investigaciones Endocrinológicas "Dr. César Bergada". Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigaciones Endocrinológicas "Dr. César Bergada". Fundación de Endocrinología Infantil. Centro de Investigaciones Endocrinológicas "Dr. César Bergada"; Argentina. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Niños "Ricardo Gutiérrez"; ArgentinaFil: Barontini, Marta Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Centro de Investigaciones Endocrinológicas "Dr. César Bergada". Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigaciones Endocrinológicas "Dr. César Bergada". Fundación de Endocrinología Infantil. Centro de Investigaciones Endocrinológicas "Dr. César Bergada"; Argentina. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Niños "Ricardo Gutiérrez"; ArgentinaFil: Vincent, Deepa. Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Estados UnidosFil: Aronin, Neil. Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Estados UnidosFil: Biondi, Bernadette. University of Naples Federico II; ItaliaFil: Koops, Maureen. University of Texas Health San Antonio; Estados UnidosFil: Bowhay Carnes, Elizabeth. No especifíca;Fil: Gimenez Roqueplo, Anne Paule. No especifíca;Fil: Alvarez Eslava, Andrea. No especifíca;Fil: Bruder, Jan M.. No especifíca;Fil: Kitano, Mio. No especifíca;Fil: Burnichon, Nelly. No especifíca;Fil: Ding, Yanli. No especifíca;Fil: Dahia, Patricia L. M.. No especifíca

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Familial hypercholesterolaemia in children and adolescents from 48 countries: a cross-sectional study

Background: Approximately 450 000 children are born with familial hypercholesterolaemia worldwide every year, yet only 2·1% of adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia were diagnosed before age 18 years via current diagnostic approaches, which are derived from observations in adults. We aimed to characterise children and adolescents with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH) and understand current approaches to the identification and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia to inform future public health strategies. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we assessed children and adolescents younger than 18 years with a clinical or genetic diagnosis of HeFH at the time of entry into the Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC) registry between Oct 1, 2015, and Jan 31, 2021. Data in the registry were collected from 55 regional or national registries in 48 countries. Diagnoses relying on self-reported history of familial hypercholesterolaemia and suspected secondary hypercholesterolaemia were excluded from the registry; people with untreated LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) of at least 13·0 mmol/L were excluded from this study. Data were assessed overall and by WHO region, World Bank country income status, age, diagnostic criteria, and index-case status. The main outcome of this study was to assess current identification and management of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia. Findings: Of 63 093 individuals in the FHSC registry, 11 848 (18·8%) were children or adolescents younger than 18 years with HeFH and were included in this study; 5756 (50·2%) of 11 476 included individuals were female and 5720 (49·8%) were male. Sex data were missing for 372 (3·1%) of 11 848 individuals. Median age at registry entry was 9·6 years (IQR 5·8-13·2). 10 099 (89·9%) of 11 235 included individuals had a final genetically confirmed diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia and 1136 (10·1%) had a clinical diagnosis. Genetically confirmed diagnosis data or clinical diagnosis data were missing for 613 (5·2%) of 11 848 individuals. Genetic diagnosis was more common in children and adolescents from high-income countries (9427 [92·4%] of 10 202) than in children and adolescents from non-high-income countries (199 [48·0%] of 415). 3414 (31·6%) of 10 804 children or adolescents were index cases. Familial-hypercholesterolaemia-related physical signs, cardiovascular risk factors, and cardiovascular disease were uncommon, but were more common in non-high-income countries. 7557 (72·4%) of 10 428 included children or adolescents were not taking lipid-lowering medication (LLM) and had a median LDL-C of 5·00 mmol/L (IQR 4·05-6·08). Compared with genetic diagnosis, the use of unadapted clinical criteria intended for use in adults and reliant on more extreme phenotypes could result in 50-75% of children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia not being identified. Interpretation: Clinical characteristics observed in adults with familial hypercholesterolaemia are uncommon in children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolaemia, hence detection in this age group relies on measurement of LDL-C and genetic confirmation. Where genetic testing is unavailable, increased availability and use of LDL-C measurements in the first few years of life could help reduce the current gap between prevalence and detection, enabling increased use of combination LLM to reach recommended LDL-C targets early in life

Forward-central two-particle correlations in p-Pb collisions at root s(NN)=5.02 TeV

Two-particle angular correlations between trigger particles in the forward pseudorapidity range (2.5 2GeV/c. (C) 2015 CERN for the benefit of the ALICE Collaboration. Published by Elsevier B. V.Peer reviewe