981 research outputs found

    Names, varieties and ideologies in revived Cornish

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    The attribution of names is a significant process that often highlights concerns over identity, ideology and ownership. Within the fields of minority languages and Celtic Studies, such concerns are especially pertinent given that the identities in question are frequently perceived as under threat from dominant cultures. The effect of concerns caused by this can be examined with reference to revived Cornish, which became divided into three major varieties in the later twentieth century; by examining the names of these varieties, we can draw conclusions about how they are perceived, or we are invited to perceive them. The motivations of those involved in the Cornish language revival are equally reflected in the names of the organisations and bodies they have formed, which equally contribute to the legitimation of revived Cornish. This paper examines both these categories of name, as well as the phenomenon of Kernowisation, a term coined by Harasta (2013) to refer to the adoption of Cornish personal names, and here extended to the use of Cornish names in otherwise English-language contexts. Examining the names that have been implemented during the Cornish language revival, and the ways in which they are used or indeed refused by those involved, gives us an insight into the various ideologies that steer the revival process. Within the context of the precarious nature of Cornish and Celtic identity, we can identify the concerns of those involved in the Cornish revival movement and highlight the role of naming as an activity of legitimation, showing how the diversity of names that occur reflects an equally diverse range of motivations and influences

    Surface Instabilities on Liquid Oxygen in an Inhomogeneous Magnetic Field

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    Liquid oxygen exhibits surface instabilities when subjected to a sufficiently strong magnetic field. A vertically oriented magnetic field gradient both increases the magnetic field value at which the pattern forms and shrinks the length scale of the surface patterning. We show that these effects of the field gradient may be described in terms of an ``effective gravity'', which in our experiments may be varied from 1g to 360g.Comment: 4 pages, 5 embedded figures in eps forma

    Relative distances of Omega Centauri and 47 Tucanae

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    We present precise optical and near-infrared ground-based photometry of two Globular Clusters (GCs): Omega Cen and 47 Tuc. These photometric catalogs are unbiased in the Red Giant Branch (RGB) region close to the tip. We provide new estimates of the RGB tip (TRGB) magnitudes--m_I(TRGB)=9.84+/-0.05, Omega Cen; m_I(TRGB)=9.46+/-0.06, 47 Tuc--and use these to determine the relative distances of the two GCs. We find that distance ratios based on different calibrations of the TRGB, the RR Lyrae stars and kinematic distances agree with each other within one sigma. Absolute TRGB and RR Lyrae distance moduli agree within 0.10--0.15 mag, while absolute kinematic distance moduli are 0.2--0.3 mag smaller. Absolute distances to 47 Tuc based on the Zero-Age-Horizontal-Branch and on the white dwarf fitting agree within 0.1 mag, but they are 0.1--0.3 mag smaller than TRGB and RR Lyrae distances.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication by ApJ

    Counselling for Alcohol Problems (CAP), a lay counsellor-delivered brief psychological treatment for harmful drinking in men, in primary care in India : a randomised controlled trial

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    Background Although structured psychological treatments are recommended as first-line interventions for harmful drinking, only a small fraction of people globally receive these treatments because of poor access in routine primary care. We assessed the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Counselling for Alcohol Problems (CAP), a brief psychological treatment delivered by lay counsellors to patients with harmful drinking attending routine primary health-care settings. Methods In this randomised controlled trial, we recruited male harmful drinkers defined by an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score of 12–19 who were aged 18–65 years from ten primary health centres in Goa, India. We excluded patients who needed emergency medical treatment or inpatient admission, who were unable to communicate clearly, and who were intoxicated at the time of screening. Participants were randomly allocated (1:1) by trained health assistants based at the primary health centres to enhanced usual care (EUC) alone or EUC combined with CAP, in randomly sized blocks of four to six, stratified by primary health centre, and allocation was concealed with use of sequential numbered opaque envelopes. Physicians providing EUC and those assessing outcomes were masked. Primary outcomes were remission (AUDIT score of <8) and mean daily alcohol consumed in the past 14 days, at 3 months. Secondary outcomes were the effect of drinking, disability score, days unable to work, suicide attempts, intimate partner violence, and resource use and costs of illness. Analyses were on an intention-to-treat basis. We used logistic regression analysis for remission and zero-inflated negative binomial regression analysis for alcohol consumption. We assessed serious adverse events in the per-protocol population. This trial is registered with the ISCRTN registry, number ISRCTN76465238. Findings Between Oct 28, 2013, and July 29, 2015, we enrolled and randomly allocated 377 participants (188 [50%] to the EUC plus CAP group and 190 [50%] to the EUC alone group [one of whom was subsequently excluded because of a protocol violation]), of whom 336 (89%) completed the 3 month primary outcome assessment (164 [87%] in the EUC plus CAP group and 172 [91%] in the EUC alone group). The proportion with remission (59 [36%] of 164 in the EUC plus CAP group vs 44 [26%] of 172 in the EUC alone group; adjusted prevalence ratio 1·50 [95% CI 1·09–2·07]; p=0·01) and the proportion abstinent in the past 14 days (68 [42%] vs 31 [18%]; adjusted odds ratio 3·00 [1·76–5·13]; p<0·0001) were significantly higher in the EUC plus CAP group than in the EUC alone group, but we noted no effect on mean daily alcohol consumed in the past 14 days among those who reported drinking in this period (37·0 g [SD 44·2] vs 31·0 g [27·8]; count ratio 1·08 [0·79–1·49]; p=0·62). We noted an effect on the percentage of days abstinent in the past 14 days (adjusted mean difference [AMD] 16·0% [8·1–24·1]; p<0·0001), but no effect on the percentage of days of heavy drinking (AMD −0·4% [–5·7 to 4·9]; p=0·88), the effect of drinking (Short Inventory of Problems score AMD–0·03 [–1·93 to 1·86]; p=0.97), disability score (WHO Disability Assessment Schedule score AMD 0·62 [–0·62 to 1·87]; p=0·32), days unable to work (no days unable to work adjusted odds ratio 1·02 [0·61–1·69]; p=0.95), suicide attempts (adjusted prevalence ratio 1·8 [–2·4 to 6·0]; p=0·25), and intimate partner violence (adjusted prevalence ratio 3·0 [–10·4 to 4·4]; p=0·57). The incremental cost per additional remission was $217 (95% CI 50–1073), with an 85% chance of being cost-effective in the study setting. We noted no significant difference in the number of serious adverse events between the two groups (six [4%] in the EUC plus CAP group vs 13 [8%] in the EUC alone group; p=0·11). Interpretation CAP delivered by lay counsellors plus EUC was better than EUC alone was for harmful drinkers in routine primary health-care settings, and might be cost-effective. CAP could be a key strategy to reduce the treatment gap for alcohol use disorders, one of the leading causes of the global burden among men worldwide. Funding Wellcome Trust

    Chromosome-specific KASP markers for detecting Amblyopyrum muticum segments in wheat introgression lines

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    Many wild-relative species are being used in prebreeding programs to increase the genetic diversity of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Genotyping tools such as single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based arrays and molecular markers have been widely used to characterize wheat–wild relative introgression lines. However, due to the polyploid nature of the recipient wheat genome, it is difficult to develop SNP-based Kompetitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (KASP) markers that are codominant to track the introgressions from the wild species. Previous attempts to develop KASP markers have involved both exome- and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplicon-based sequencing of the wild species. But chromosome-specific KASP assays have been hindered by homoeologous SNPs within the wheat genome. This study involved whole genome sequencing of the diploid wheat wild relative Amblyopyrum muticum (Boiss.) Eig and development of a de novo SNP discovery pipeline that generated ∼38,000 SNPs in unique wheat genome sequences. New assays were designed to increase the density of Am. muticum polymorphic KASP markers. With a goal of one marker per 60 Mbp, 335 new KASP assays were validated as diagnostic for Am. muticum in a wheat background. Together with assays validated in previous studies, 498 well distributed chromosome-specific markers were used to recharacterize previously genotyped wheat–Am. muticum doubled haploid (DH) introgression lines. The chromosome-specific nature of the KASP markers allowed clarification of which wheat chromosomes were involved with recombination events or substituted with Am. muticum chromosomes and the higher density of markers allowed detection of new small introgressions in these DH lines

    The Healthy Activity Program lay counsellor delivered treatment for severe depression in India: systematic development and randomised evaluation.

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    BACKGROUND: Reducing the global treatment gap for mental disorders requires treatments that are economical, effective and culturally appropriate. AIMS: To describe a systematic approach to the development of a brief psychological treatment for patients with severe depression delivered by lay counsellors in primary healthcare. METHOD: The treatment was developed in three stages using a variety of methods: (a) identifying potential strategies; (b) developing a theoretical framework; and (c) evaluating the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of the psychological treatment. RESULTS: The Healthy Activity Program (HAP) is delivered over 6-8 sessions and consists of behavioral activation as the core psychological framework with added emphasis on strategies such as problem-solving and activation of social networks. Key elements to improve acceptability and feasibility are also included. In an intention-to-treat analysis of a pilot randomised controlled trial (55 participants), the prevalence of depression (Beck Depression Inventory II ⩾19) after 2 months was lower in the HAP than the control arm (adjusted risk ratio = 0.55, 95% CI 0.32-0.94,P= 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our systematic approach to the development of psychological treatments could be extended to other mental disorders. HAP is an acceptable and effective brief psychological treatment for severe depression delivered by lay counsellors in primary care
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