Language use and preference in the multilingual context of Davao City, Philippines

This paper is a pioneering study on the language use and preference of the Davaoeños from generations X (born in the years 1965 to 1979) and Z (born in the years 1995 to 2015) towards the Cebuano, Filipino, and English languages. Being a linguistically diverse area, Davao is home to the emerging contact language Davao Filipino which is currently spoken by the various ethnolinguistic groups currently inhabiting the city. This study utilized mixed methods research, particularly a survey questionnaire and focus group discussions, to explore the perspectives of the respondents on the said languages. Two generations were investigated in this study, particularly those belonging to Generations X and Z. Data presented show that both generations consider themselves fluent in the languages of interest in this study. They primarily use Cebuano for everyday communication and both generations primarily use English in formal communication. However, a language shift was seen from the common use of Cebuano by the older generation to the use of Filipino by the younger generation. This shift was also reflected in the language preferences of the respondents on everyday communication. Lastly, both generations would like to maintain Filipino as the Philippine national language as it is the language that they usually use when talking to Filipinos from other provinces who also speak different Philippine languages

INTERGENERATIONAL LANGUAGE PREFERENCE SHIFT AMONG CEBUANOS ON THE CEBUANO, FILIPINO, AND ENGLISH LANGUAGES

The historical linguistic conflict of the Cebuano people against the Tagalog-based Philippine national language has been evident in the literature written by Cebuano academics. However, there is no published empirical evidence that presents the on-ground language attitudes of the Cebuanos on the Cebuano, Filipino, and English languages. Employing mixed methods research, the researchers found that both generations predominantly use the Cebuano language for everyday communication. A significant difference was observed in the use of Filipino and English languages as the younger generation spoke it more than the elder counterparts. A language shift was also seen from Cebuano to English on the language used formal communication between the generations. Attitudes on everyday communication revealed that Cebuanos prefer to maintain their mother tongue as the language to be used in speaking with family, friends, relatives, and close people seeing that the younger generation has limited vocabulary on the Cebuano language. Respondents mostly favored English to be the language used for formal communication due to its stature as an international language and its association to high socioeconomic standing. A collective majority from both generations would also like to maintain Tagalog-based Filipino to be the Philippine national language

The Phellinus pini complex : genetic and population studies within and between species

Three species comprising the Phellinus pini complex have been documented in the USA, including P. pini, P. chrysoloma, and P. cancriformans. However, overlap in morphological features and ecological characteristics make species identification difficult. In addition, some researchers have questioned the existence of P. pini in the USA, suggesting instead that several closely related species or subspecies may occur. The current research was undertaken to investigate genetic and population relationships within species (intraspecies) and between species (interspecies) of the P. pini complex. Specifically, our aim was to compare the three species, as currently understood, with known European species, and to examine degree of genetic variability occurring in the USA. In addition, we investigated genetic control of somatic incompatibility (SI) in P. pini, and evaluated the use of allozymes as mating compatibility markers in P. pini and P. weirii. Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequencing and DNA fingerprinting were used to explore both intraspecies and interspecies variability. P. cancriformans was easily discernible from P. chrysoloma and P. pini, reflecting its status as a unique species. DNA sequencing was not sufficient to clearly resolve differences between P. chrysoloma and North American P. pini; however, fingerprinting data grouped P. chrysoloma with P. pini from Finland. Within the P. pini isolates tested from North America, a high degree of DNA fingerprinting variability as well as dissimilarity of rDNA sequences with type material from Portugal suggests it is a species or subspecies distinct from P. pini in Europe. Common nucleus experiments revealed that somatic incompatibility (SI) response in P. pini is governed by one genetic locus. Experiments with P. cancriformans were inconclusive. Population structure of P. pini was determined using the SI response as a marker to differentiate naturally-occurring individuals from mature to old-growth Douglas-fir trees. A small number of individuals (1-3) was detected in each trunk, with genets occupying up to 15 longitudinal feet in living trunks. Allozyme markers provided a method for detection of heterokaryon formation in P. pini as well as P. weirii. Both species showed bipolar (one locus) mating patterns

Transverse-momentum-dependent Multiplicities of Charged Hadrons in Muon-Deuteron Deep Inelastic Scattering

A semi-inclusive measurement of charged hadron multiplicities in deep inelastic muon scattering off an isoscalar target was performed using data collected by the COMPASS Collaboration at CERN. The following kinematic domain is covered by the data: photon virtuality $Q^{2}>1$ (GeV/$c$)$^2$, invariant mass of the hadronic system $W > 5$ GeV/$c^2$, Bjorken scaling variable in the range $0.003 < x < 0.4$, fraction of the virtual photon energy carried by the hadron in the range $0.2 < z < 0.8$, square of the hadron transverse momentum with respect to the virtual photon direction in the range 0.02 (GeV/$c)^2 < P_{\rm{hT}}^{2} < 3$ (GeV/$c$)$^2$. The multiplicities are presented as a function of $P_{\rm{hT}}^{2}$ in three-dimensional bins of $x$, $Q^2$, $z$ and compared to previous semi-inclusive measurements. We explore the small-$P_{\rm{hT}}^{2}$ region, i.e. $P_{\rm{hT}}^{2} < 1$ (GeV/$c$)$^2$, where hadron transverse momenta are expected to arise from non-perturbative effects, and also the domain of larger $P_{\rm{hT}}^{2}$, where contributions from higher-order perturbative QCD are expected to dominate. The multiplicities are fitted using a single-exponential function at small $P_{\rm{hT}}^{2}$ to study the dependence of the average transverse momentum $\langle P_{\rm{hT}}^{2}\rangle$ on $x$, $Q^2$ and $z$. The power-law behaviour of the multiplicities at large $P_{\rm{hT}}^{2}$ is investigated using various functional forms. The fits describe the data reasonably well over the full measured range.Comment: 28 pages, 20 figure

Affective Influences without Approach-Avoidance Actions: On the Congruence Between Valence and Stimulus-Response Mappings

The valence of stimuli can influence performance in the spatial stimulus–response compatibility task, but this observation could arise from the process of selecting responses or selecting stimulus–response mappings. The response-selection account proposes that spatial compatible and incompatible keypress responses serve as approaching and avoiding actions to a valenced target. The mapping-selection account suggests that there is congruence between stimulus valence and stimulus–response mappings; positive-compatible/negative-incompatible is more congruent than negative-compatible/positive-incompatible. Whereas affective valence was part of the target stimuli to which participants responded in previous studies, the present study isolated affective valence from the target by presenting an additional mapping cue separately from the target, so that spatially compatible and incompatible keypress responses could no longer serve as approaching and avoiding actions to valenced target stimuli. The present results revealed that responses were still faster when positive and negative mapping cues were assigned to the spatially compatible and incompatible mappings than when the assignment was reversed. The finding supports the mapping-selection account, indicating that positive and negative cues influence performance without approach–avoidance actions to valenced stimuli. The experiment provides important implications as to how tasks are represented and are dependent on affective processing

Genetic Variants in Arhgef11 Are Associated With Kidney Injury in the Dahl Salt-Sensitive Rat

A previous genetic analysis comparing the Dahl salt-sensitive (S) rat to the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) identified a major locus on chromosome 2 that influences proteinuria in the S rat. In the present study, blood pressure, proteinuria, and renal hemodynamics were evaluated in congenic strains with small segments of the protective SHR genome on the S background. Proteinuria and renal function were significantly improved in the congenic strains compared to the S. The causative locus interval was narrowed to Arhgef11, Pear1, and Sh2d2 were identified as important candidate genes that may be linked to kidney injury in the S rat. In particular, Arhgef11 plays an important role in the activation of the Rho-ROCK signaling pathway. Inhibition of this pathway using fasudil resulted in a significant reduction of proteinuria in treated S rats (compared to untreated S). However, no difference was observed between treated or untreated SHR or congenic strains. The homologous region in humans was found to be associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in the Candidate Gene Association Resource (CARe) population. In summary, these findings demonstrate that allelic variants in Arhgef11, acting through the Rho-ROCK pathway, could influence kidney injury in the S as well as provide insight into human kidney disease

DNA methylation changes in African American women with a history of preterm birth from the InterGEN study

Background Preterm birth (< 37 weeks’ gestation) is a common outcome of pregnancy that has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease for women later in life. Little is known about the physiologic mechanisms underlying this risk. To date, no studies have evaluated if differences in DNA methylation (DNAm) among women who experience preterm birth are short-term or if they persist and are associated with subsequent cardiovascular sequelae or other health disorders. The purpose of this study was to examine long-term epigenetic effects of preterm birth in African American mothers (n = 182) from the InterGEN Study (2014–2019). In this study, we determine if differences in DNAm exist between women who reported a preterm birth in the last 3–5 years compared to those who had full-term births by using two different approaches: epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) and genome-wide co-methylation analyses. Results Though no significant CpG sites were identified using the EWAS approach, we did identify significant modules of co-methylation associated with preterm birth. Co-methylation analyses showed correlations with preterm birth in gene ontology and KEGG pathways. Functional annotation analysis revealed enrichment for pathways related to central nervous system and sensory perception. No association was observed between DNAm age and preterm birth, though larger samples are needed to confirm this further. Conclusions We identified differentially methylated gene networks associated with preterm birth in African American women 3–5 years after birth, including pathways related to neurogenesis and sensory processing. More research is needed to understand better these associations and replicate them in an independent cohort. Further study should be done in this area to elucidate mechanisms linking preterm birth and later epigenomic changes that may contribute to the development of health disorders and maternal mood and well-being