Interference of Native Language in English Language Acquisition in Santa Cruz and Calheta Secondary schools

This study analyzes the interference of native language when students are learning a foreign language, in this case English. According to this study, interferences from the native language such as lexical-semantic and phonological are not infrequent. It is one of the main barriers that create difficulties when learning English. The outcome of this study is presented at the end of the Monografia: to provide English-language teachers and students the most significant linguistic interferences that occur during the learning process of English language. Furthermore, some teaching strategies are discussed to avoid the biases that appear due to the interferences of the native language. As a result of this study, I hope to contribute to the learning success among English-language students.

Once-daily dolutegravir is superior to once-daily darunavir/ritonavir in treatment-naïve HIV-1-positive individuals: 96 week results from FLAMINGO.

INTRODUCTION: Dolutegravir (DTG) 50 mg once daily was superior to darunavir/ritonavir (DRV/r) 800 mg/100 mg once daily through Week 48, with 90% vs. 83% of participants achieving HIV RNA 50 c/mL (p=0.025) [1]. We present data through Week 96. MATERIAL AND METHODS: FLAMINGO is a multicentre, randomized, open-label, Phase IIIb non-inferiority study, in which HIV-1-positive ART-naïve adults with HIV-1 RNA≥1000 c/mL and no evidence of viral resistance were randomized 1:1 to receive DTG or DRV/r, with investigator-selected backbone NRTIs (TDF/FTC or ABC/3TC). Participants were stratified by screening HIV-1 RNA (≤100K c/mL) and NRTI backbone. RESULTS: A total of 484 adults were randomized and treated; 25% had baseline HIV RNA 100K c/mL. At Week 96, the proportion of participants with HIV RNA 50 c/mL was 80% in the DTG arm vs. 68% in the DRV/r arm (adjusted difference 12.4%; 95% CI 4.7, 20.2%; p=0.002). Secondary analyses supported primary results: per-protocol [(DTG 83% vs. DRV/r 70%), 95% CI 12.9 (5.3, 20.6)] and treatment-related discontinuation = failure [(98% vs. 95%), 95% CI 3.2 (-0.3, 6.7)]. Overall virologic non-response (DTG 8%; DRV/r 12%) and non-response due to other reasons (DTG 12%; DRV/r 21%) occurred less frequently on DTG. As at Week 48, the difference between arms was most pronounced in participants with high baseline viral load (82% vs. 52% response through Week 96) and in the TDF/FTC stratum (79% vs. 64%); consistent responses were seen in the ABC/3TC stratum (82% vs. 75%). Six participants (DTG 2, none post-Week 48; DRV/r 4, two post-Week 48) experienced protocol-defined virologic failure (PDVF; confirmed viral load 200 c/mL on or after Week 24); none had treatment-emergent resistance to study drugs. Most frequent drug-related adverse events (AEs) were diarrhoea, nausea and headache, with diarrhoea significantly more common on DRV/r (24%) than DTG (10%). Significantly more participants had Grade 2 fasting LDL toxicities on DRV/r (22%) vs. DTG (7%), p<0.001; mean changes in creatinine for DTG (~0.18 mg/dL) observed at Week 2 were stable through Week 96. CONCLUSIONS: Once-daily DTG was superior to once-daily DRV/r in treatment-naïve HIV-1-positive individuals, with no evidence of emergent resistance to DTG in virologic failure and relatively similar safety profiles for DTG and DRV/r through 96 Weeks.

Study of the combined radial post-feeding dispersion of the blowflies Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) and C. albiceps (Wiedemann) (Diptera, Calliphoridae)

Blowflies use discrete and ephemeral substrates to feed their larvae. After they run out of food, the larvae begin to disperse in order to find adequate places for pupation or additional food sources, a process named post-feeding larval dispersion. Some important aspects of this process were studied in a circular arena allowing the combined radial post-feeding dispersion from the center of the arena of C. albiceps and C. megacephala larvae. To determine the location of each pupa, the arena was divided in 72 identical sections starting from the center. The distance from the center, the depth and weight of each pupa were evaluated. Statistical tests were done to verify the relation between weight, depth and distance for pupation. From the total an average of 976 larvae released (488 for each species) were collected considering both experiments 456 C. megacephala pupae and 488 of C. albiceps. This demonstrates that C. albiceps probably preyed on 32 C. megacephala larvae during post-feeding dispersion. The study of this dispersion process can be used to estimate the postmortem interval (PMI) of human cadavers in legal medicine.

Leptin and smoking cessation: secondary analyses of a randomized controlled trial assessing physical activity as an aid for smoking cessation.

BACKGROUND: Smokers have a lower body weight compared to non-smokers. Smoking cessation is associated with weight gain in most cases. A hormonal mechanism of action might be implicated in weight variations related to smoking, and leptin might be implicated. We made secondary analyses of an RCT, with a hypothesis-free exploratory approach to study the dynamic of leptin following smoking cessation. METHODS: We measured serum leptin levels among 271 sedentary smokers willing to quit who participated in a randomized controlled trial assessing a 9-week moderate-intensity physical activity intervention as an aid for smoking cessation. We adjusted leptin for body fat levels. We performed linear regressions to test for an association between leptin levels and the study group over time. RESULTS: One year after smoking cessation, the mean serum leptin change was +3.23 mg/l (SD 4.89) in the control group and +1.25 mg/l (SD 4.86) in the intervention group (p of the difference < 0.05). When adjusted for body fat levels, leptin was higher in the control group than in the intervention group (p of the difference < 0.01). The mean weight gain was +2.91 (SD 6.66) Kg in the intervention and +3.33 (SD 4.47) Kg in the control groups, respectively (p not significant). CONCLUSIONS: Serum leptin levels significantly increased after smoking cessation, in spite of substantial weight gain. The leptin dynamic might be different in chronic tobacco users who quit smoking, and physical activity might impact the dynamic of leptin in such a situation. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT00521391.

Genomics of secondary metabolite production by Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf-5

The complete sequence of the 7.07 Mb genome of the biological control agent Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf-5 is now available, providing a new opportunity to advance knowledge of biological control through genomics. P. fluorescens Pf-5 is a rhizosphere bacterium that suppresses seedling emergence diseases and produces a spectrum of antibiotics toxic to plant-pathogenic fungi and oomycetes. In addition to six known secondary metabolites produced by Pf-5, three novel secondary metabolite biosynthesis gene clusters identified in the genome could also contribute to biological control. The genomic sequence provides numerous clues as to mechanisms used by the bacterium to survive in the spermosphere and rhizosphere. These features include broad catabolic and transport capabilities for utilizing seed and root exudates, an expanded collection of efflux systems for defense against environmental stress and microbial competition, and the presence of 45 outer membrane receptors that should allow for the uptake of iron from a wide array of siderophores produced by soil microorganisms. As expected for a bacterium with a large genome that lives in a rapidly changing environment, Pf-5 has an extensive collection of regulatory genes, only some of which have been characterized for their roles in regulation of secondary metabolite production or biological control. Consistent with its commensal lifestyle, Pf-5 appears to lack a number of virulence and pathogenicity factors found in plant pathogen.

Enforcement problems and secondary markets

There is a large and growing literature that studies the effects of weak enforcement institutions on economic performance. This literature has focused almost exclusively on primary markets, in which assets are issued and traded to improve the allocation of investment and consumption. The general conclusion is that weak enforcement institutions impair the workings of these markets, giving rise to various inefficiencies.But weak enforcement institutions also create incentives to develop secondary markets, in which the assets issued in primary markets are retraded. This paper shows that trading in secondary markets counteracts the effects of weak enforcement institutions and, in the absence of further frictions, restores efficiency.

Formação profissional e empregabilidade: O caso dos diplomados da escola de formação profissional da Cabnave em São Vicente – Cabo Verde

Se houve um tempo em que eram as empresas as mais preocupadas em dotar os seus empregados com um determinado leque de competências técnicas, pela via da Formação Profissional, para se tornarem cada vez mais competitivas, hoje torna-se crucial para qualquer país poder determinar o grau de empregabilidade dos diversos cursos de formação profissional realizados pela sua população activa, de modo a optimizar a inserção dos seus cidadãos no mercado de trabalho. A presente investigação visa analisar a empregabilidade a partir de um caso nacional, em que uma escola de formação profissional, inserida numa empresa – a Cabnave – vem desenvolvendo um modelo de formação, que para além de estar directamente relacionado com a sua própria actividade, encontra-se ligado a vários sectores da actividade económica de Cabo Verde, particularmente ao da indústria Mecânica e Metalomecânica. O estudo contém dois principais momentos. Um primeiro, no qual se procedeu à contextualização e fundamentação do tema, com base em bibliografia nacional e internacional, e enfoque nos seguintes assuntos: o sistema de ensino em Cabo Verde, mais concretamente a via do ensino secundário técnico; a formação profissional; e o mercado de trabalho em Cabo Verde. Num segundo momento desenvolveu-se um Caso de Estudo, para se determinar o grau de empregabilidade dos diplomados da Escola de Formação Profissional da Cabnave, que seguiram uma carreira em áreas profissionais diferentes do curso realizado, recorrendo-se à aplicação de um questionário a uma amostra final de 80 inquiridos, e à interpretação dos resultados, através dos métodos de análise estatística Descritiva e Correlacional. Das conclusões resultantes da análise das respostas obtidas, chama-se a atenção para o facto de a maioria dos diplomados partilharem de uma opinião positiva relativamente à empregabilidade dos cursos que frequentaram, independentemente de os mesmos terem ou não conduzido a uma profissão directamente ligada ao sector da Mecânica e MetalomecânicaIf at one point companies used to be the ones that were the most concerned with providing specific technical skills to their employees, through professional education, as to become more competitive, it is today highly important for every country to determine the level of employability of the numerous professional education programs pursued by its active population, so as to increase citizens’ chances to enter the labor market. The present research aims to study the concept of employability, with focus on a national case, a school of professional education which integrates the company Cabnave, and has been developing an educational model that, in addition to responding to the company’s own needs, is also connected to Cape Verde’s various economic sectors, notably the Mechanics and Metalworking industry. The study consists of two main parts. A first one where, based on national and international bibliography, the theme is contextualized, with closest attention to the following subjects: the Cape Verdean education system, especially vocational education in secondary schools; professional education; and the labor market in Cape Verde. In the second part, a Case Study is conducted, in order to determine the level of employability of those who were trained by Cabnave’s School of Professional Education, but have pursued a career in a different professional field. Therefore, a questionnaire was submitted to a sample of 80 respondents, and the correspondent data was analyzed and interpreted, with the use of Descriptive Statistics and Correlation Analysis. One of the conclusions deriving from the survey results is that most of the School’s trained graduates have a positive view of the employability of the programs they have pursued, independently of whether they continued to work in the Mechanics and Metalworking industry

A 15-year post evaluation of the fire effects on ant community in an area of Amazonian forest

Fire represents an important disturbance to ant communities in areas of fire regime. Otherwise, little is known about the effects of fire on ant communities in areas of non-fire regimes, such as in the Amazonian region. We evaluated the long-term effect of fire on ant species richness in a rain forest (Bacaba Plateau) burned 15-years ago and compare our data with the data of primary unburned forest. A total of 85 ant species distributed in 21 genera and 14 tribes were collected; among them, 72 and 44 species were found on the litter and vegetation, respectively. The fire damaged forest studied supports an intermediate richness of ants when compared to a primary unburned rain forest in the same region. A comparative analysis of ant species richness showed that the Bacaba Plateau presented a different ant fauna when compared with the primary unburned forests, suggesting that fire can alter ant species composition. Although, our results cannot be conclusive on the effects of fire on ant community, they represent a pioneer data on human induced fire in tropical rain forests.

Tomosyn-1 is involved in a post-docking event required for pancreatic beta-cell exocytosis.

Although the assembly of a ternary complex between the SNARE proteins syntaxin-1, SNAP25 and VAMP2 is known to be crucial for insulin exocytosis, the mechanisms controlling this key event are poorly understood. We found that pancreatic beta-cells express different isoforms of tomosyn-1, a syntaxin-1-binding protein possessing a SNARE-like motif. Using atomic force microscopy we show that the SNARE-like domain of tomosyn-1 can form a complex with syntaxin-1 and SNAP25 but displays binding forces that are weaker than those observed for VAMP2 (237+/-13 versus 279+/-3 pN). In pancreatic beta-cells tomosyn-1 was found to be concentrated in cellular compartments enriched in insulin-containing secretory granules. Silencing of tomosyn-1 in the rat beta-cell line INS-1E by RNA interference did not affect the number of secretory granules docked at the plasma membrane but led to a reduction in stimulus-induced exocytosis. Replacement of endogenous tomosyn-1 with mouse tomosyn-1, which differs in the nucleotide sequence from its rat homologue and escapes silencing, restored a normal secretory rate. Taken together, our data suggest that tomosyn-1 is involved in a post-docking event that prepares secretory granules for fusion and is necessary to sustain exocytosis of pancreatic beta-cells in response to insulin secretagogues.

Expression and function of interleukin-7 in secondary and tertiary lymphoid organs.

Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is known since many years as stromal-cell derived cytokine that plays a key role for the adaptive immune system. It promotes lymphocyte development in the bone marrow and thymus as well as naive and memory T cell homeostasis in the periphery. More recently, IL-7 reporter mice and other approaches have led to the further characterization of the various stromal cell sources of IL-7 in secondary lymphoid organs (SLO) and other tissues. We will review these advances along with a discussion of the regulation of IL-7 and its receptor, and compare the biological effects IL-7 has on adaptive as well as innate immune cells in SLO. Finally, we will review the role of IL-7 in development of SLO and tertiary lymphoid tissues that frequently are associated with sites of chronic inflammation.

Sovereign risk and secondary markets

Conventional wisdom views the problem of sovereign risk as one of insufficient penalties.Foreign creditors can only be repaid if the government enforces foreign debts. And this will onlyhappen if foreign creditors can effectively use the threat of imposing penalties to the country.Guided by this assessment of the problem, policy prescriptions to reduce sovereign risk havefocused on providing incentives for governments to enforce foreign debts. For instance, countriesmight want to favor increased trade ties and other forms of foreign dependence that make themvulnerable to foreign retaliation thereby increasing the costs of default penalties.

Ex post bargaining, labor coordination and wage formation at the firm level

We lay out a model of wage bargaining with two leading features:bargaining is ex post to relevant investments and there isindividual bargaining in firms without a Union. We compareindividual ex post bargaining to coordinated ex post bargainingand we analyze the effects on wage formation. As opposed to exante bargaining models, the costs of destroying the employmentrelationship play a crucial role in determining wages. Highfiring costs in particular yield a rent for employees. Ourtheory points to a employer size-wage effect that is independentof the production function and market power. We derive a simpleleast squares specification from the theoretical model thatallow us to estimate components of the wage premium fromcoordination. We reject the hypothesis that labor coordinationdoes not alter the extensive form of the bargaining game. Laborcoordination substantially increases bargaining power butdecreases labor's ability to pose costly threats to the firm.

Facteurs de risque des embolies pulmonaires post-hépatectomie: une étude rétrospective

Contexte: Parmi les complications de toute chirurgie, on retrouve l'embolie pulmonaire, dont l'issue est potentiellement fatale. Peu de travaux cependant ont été effectués pour étudier les facteurs de risques associés à une embolie pulmonaire après une chirurgie hépato-biliaire en particulier. Objectif: Le but de notre travail est d'étudier et comparer aux rares résultats existants les facteurs de risque ainsi que les conséquences d'une embolie pulmonaire post- hépatectomie. Les données pourront éventuellement être utilisées pour cibler les patients à risque et améliorer la prévention. Résultats: Le diagnostic d'embolie pulmonaire a été posé chez 24 patients (8%) au CT-scan dans la période post-opératoire. Le délai moyen entre l'opération et le diagnostic était de 5 jours (1-15j). La comparaison des patients du groupe EP (n = 24) au groupe Non-EP (n = 272) montre un BMI médian plus élevé (27 vs 24 kg/m2, p=0.006), un taux plus élevé de résections majeures (71 vs 43%, p=0.01) ainsi qu'une durée opératoire plus longue (310 vs 260 min, p=0.001). La durée totale d'hospitalisation était également supérieure dans le groupe EP (22 vs 11j, p<0.05), de même que la durée de séjour aux soins intensifs (3 vs 1j, p<0.05). La mortalité globale à 90j post-opératoires était de 3.3%, la mortalité du groupe EP étant nulle. Conclusion: Les résultats de cette étude rétrospective ont démontré l'association des embolies pulmonaires post-hépatectomie avec l'obésité, les hépatectomies majeures, ainsi qu'une longue durée d'opération. L'incidence non négligeable des embolies prouve la nécessité d'une prophylaxie thrombo-embolique.

English as a world language: its role as a lingua francaa sociolinguistic profile of students of secondary schools in Santiago Island, in the Archipelago of Cape Verde

Esta tese centra-se em aspectos relevantes do inglês como uma língua universal, no actual contexto globalizado e examina possíveis mudanças relacionadas com o seu uso, em especial no continente africano, particularmente no caso de Cabo Verde, no sentido de ponderar eventuais alternativas nas pedagogias linguísticas no ensino desta língua que impliquem uma adaptação à realidade contemporânea. Uma vez que, nos nossos tempos, o inglês é a língua de eleição para a comunicação intercultural entre povos com várias experiências culturais e linguísticas, o conhecimento deste idioma torna-se, a cada dia que passa, impreterível e indispensável, na interacção intercultural. Em África, as funções desempenhadas pelo inglês são complexas; além da língua inglesa ser usada para comunicação entre etnias, com o estatuto de língua franca, também tem o papel de preservar a identidade nacional e de estabelecer a unidade entre os povos da mesma nação. Por conseguinte, é de considerar talvez ainda com mais pertinência, a adopção de uma nova filosofia de pedagogia de ensino que permita dotar os seus cidadãos de capacidades que lhes possibilitem comunicar de forma inteligível com povos de outras culturas e línguas. O primeiro capítulo aborda aspectos teóricos relacionados com a expansão, comunicação e mudança associadas à língua inglesa e suas implicações no ensino em países onde esta não é língua nativa (L1). O segundo capítulo reflecte, em primeiro lugar, sobre a situação linguística em África e as línguas francas predominantes no continente, incluindo a língua inglesa. Considera também questões relacionadas com o multilinguismo e a identidade, bem como assuntos relacionados com as implicações da diversidade linguística para a educação dos povos africanos.