17 research outputs found
The distribution of DQ genes in the Saharawi population provides only a partial explanation for the high celiac disease prevalence
No full textGENETIC TESTING IMPROVES THE DIAGNOSIS OF ADULT TYPE HYPOLACTASIA IN THE MEDITERRANEAN POPULATION OF SARDINIA
No full textRecently, the C/T-13910 polymorphism on chromosome 2q21 in North-European populations has been found completely associated with lactase activity and its genetic typing proposed as first-stage screening test for adult hypolactasia. However, the C/T-13910 variant in some sub-Saharan African groups is not a predictor of lactase persistence. In this work, we wanted to verify if in the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, located in Southern Europe, the C/T-13910 polymorphism may be useful or not for the diagnosis of adult type hypolactasia.
DESIGN:
Validation study of a genetic testing for adult type hypolactasia in Sardinians.
SETTING:
Brotzu Hospital and Microcitemico Hospital, Cagliari, Italy.
SUBJECTS:
The sample consisted in 84 Sardinian individuals (63 women and 21 men; range 20-73 years) selected from a group of 832 patients.
METHODS:
Genetic testing was compared to an improved test obtained by a combination of different breath hydrogen tests and clinical assessment.
RESULTS:
We found that all 49 individuals with lactose malabsorption, demonstrated by a combination of different breath hydrogen tests and clinical assessment, carried the C/C-13910 genotype associated with lactase non-persistence, 23 individuals with lactose normal absorption carried the C/T-13910 genotype associated with lactase persistence and only one person with the above phenotype showed a discordant C/C-13910 genotype. The genetic testing showed very high sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of 100, 95.8, 98 and 100%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS:
Sardinians, unlike some ethnic groups in sub-Saharan Africa, show the same genetic association of hypolactasia with the C/T-13910 variant as other North-European populations. The genetic testing for the C/T-13910 variant may contribute to improving the diagnosis of adult type hypolactasia
Current Challenges in Developing Open Source Computer Algebra Systems
No full textThis note is based on the plenary talk given by the second author at MACIS 2015, the Sixth International Conference on Mathematical Aspects of Computer and Information Sciences. Motivated by some of the work done within the Priority Programme SPP 1489 of the German Research Council DFG, we discuss a number of current challenges in the development of Open Source computer algebra systems. The main focus is on algebraic geometry and the system SINGULAR
Incidental Learning of the Figurative Meanings of Duplex Collocations from Reading: Three Case Studies
No full textThere is little research available on incidental learning of figurative language from reading (Webb et al., 2013; Pellicer-Sánchez, 2017). This study looked at collocations that had both literal and figurative meanings, i.e. duplex collocations (Author Aa) and whether reading could enhance lexical knowledge of the figurative meanings of these collocations. In three case studies, relatively advanced L2 learners read a semi-authentic novel that contained 38 target items. Through one-to-one interviews, conducted one week and three weeks after the treatment, the study examined how much learning occurred at the meaning-recall level and how repetition affected this knowledge. Results showed that figurative language could be learned incidentally and that knowledge of more than half of the target collocations for each participant was enhanced either partially or fully. They also indicated that repetition was consistently positive, but that the correlations did not always reach the significance threshold
Not just ‘small potatoes’: Knowledge of the idiomatic meanings of collocations
No full text© 2016, © The Author(s) 2016. This study investigated learner knowledge of the figurative meanings of 30 collocations that can be both literal and figurative. One hundred and seven Chilean Spanish-speaking university students of English were asked to complete a meaning-recall collocation test in which the target items were embedded in non-defining sentences. Results showed limited collocation knowledge, with a mean score of 33% correct. The study also examined the effects of frequency, semantic transparency, year at university, and everyday engagement with the second language (L2) outside the classroom on this collocation knowledge. Mixed-effects modelling indicated that there was no relationship between frequency and semantic transparency and the knowledge of the figurative meanings. However, a positive relationship was found between this knowledge and year at university, time spent in an English-speaking country, and time spent reading
The distribution of DQ genes in the Saharawi population provides only a partial explanation for the high celiac disease prevalence
No full textThe figurative and polysemous nature of collocations and their place in ELT
No full text© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved. There is little guidance on how to teach different meaning senses of collocations as most pedagogical materials treat collocations as word partners which co-occur together. However, if we consider meaning, collocations fall into three categories. Literal collocations are combinations where the literal meanings of the words are simply added together. Figurative collocations have idiomatic meanings which are not derivable from the component words. Duplex collocations are polysemous, having both literal and figurative meanings. This exploratory study analysed 54 collocations and found that even though the majority of the collocations appeared to be literal, a substantial percentage had both literal and figurative meanings, and relatively few seemed to be solely figurative. We discuss the teaching implications of this, depending on whether the most important collocational characteristic is a pattern of co-occurrence or of meaning. Overall, we argue that considering meaning can bring useful insights to the nature of collocations and how to teach them
Indexing pensions
No full textPension indexation should anchor the parameters of the pension system to one or more economic and demographic variables to ensure that the system is implemented in a sustainable way, while minimizing distortions affecting important economic choices. Arguing that financial sustainability, incentive compatibility and consistency across multiple government programs are critical, the author examine the many linkages between the various parameters of pension schemes. Finally, the author turn to the cost of the insurance dimension of indexation, and suggest that option pricing techniques could be used to price indexation guarantees, and that this approach may suggest refinements to indexation practice not thus far implemented.Emerging Markets,Debt Markets,Pensions&Retirement Systems,Economic Theory&Research,Markets and Market Access
Rethinking survivor benefits
No full textThis paper provides a framework for analyzing the efficiency and equity of survivor benefit programs. These programs were originally designed to support families when the main wage-earner died, in an era where women rarely worked, fertility rates were high, and widows were unable to support themselves and their children. Yet, voluntary saving and insurance were often insufficient due to myopia. Mandatory survivor benefits helped to achieve lifetime consumption smoothing for the family and to prevent poverty among elderly widows the group where old age poverty is concentrated. The question is these programs still needed in an era when most women work and fertility rates have fallen and, if so, how should they be designed? The author argues that, even in a world of perfect gender equality, mandatory family co-insurance may still be justified because couples are unlikely to plan adequately for household economies of scale. This leads the cost of living of a widow(er) to be much more than half that of a couple. In addition, some disparity in work and wage patterns of men and women remains in every country. While such programs may benefit both spouses, women are the greatest recipients because they outlive their husbands. However, as currently designed, many survivor benefit programs entail work disincentives and perverse redistributions from women who work in the market to those who do not, from singles and dual career couples to single-earner couples and sometimes from low- to high-earning families. These cross-subsidies penalize women who work in the market and therefore may discourage such work, decrease their income and increase their old-age poverty rates. The insurance goal can be achieved without these negative incentives and redistributions by internalizing the cost within the family rather than passing it on to the common pool and by allowing widow(ers) to keep their own pensions in addition to the survivor benefits.Gender and Law,Economic Theory&Research,Access to Finance,Population Policies,Debt Markets
Bringing financial literacy and education to low and middle income countries : the need to review, adjust, and extend current wisdom
No full textThis paper presents a World Bank led and Russia trust fund financed work program to measure financial capability and the effectiveness of financial education in low and middle income countries. The two activities and their staging have been motivated by the lessons of high income countries with financial literacy programs and the deviating characteristics of low and middle income countries. While progress has been made in high-income countries to measure financial capability, there is little robust empirical evidence thatfinancial education can improve it. While applying the financial capability concept in low and middle-income countries looks promising it will need to be adjusted to their characteristic and supported by innovative interventions and rigorous impact evaluation to improve it.Financial Literacy,Access to Finance,Access&Equity in Basic Education,Education For All,Poverty Impact Evaluation
