Corpus-based measures discriminate inflection and derivation cross-linguistically

Japanese passives are traditionally considered to have two types: direct and indirect passives. However, more recent studies, such as Ishizuka (2012), suggest the two types can be unified un- der the same syntactic movement analysis. Uti- lizing the Balanced Corpus of Contemporary Written Japanese (BCCWJ; Maekawa, 2008; Maekawa et al., 2014), this study aims to in- vestigate how likely different types of passives appear in the naturally occurring texts, espe- cially in relation to markedness-based hierar- chy called Noun Phrase Accessibility Hierar- chy (NPAH; Keenan and Comrie, 1977), and to investigate if true indirect passives occur in contemporary written Japanese

Measuring the neutron star equation of state using X-ray timing

One of the primary science goals of the next generation of hard X-ray timing instruments is to determine the equation of state of the matter at supranuclear densities inside neutron stars, by measuring the radius of neutron stars with different masses to accuracies of a few percent. Three main techniques can be used to achieve this goal. The first involves waveform modelling. The flux we observe from a hotspot on the neutron star surface offset from the rotational pole will be modulated by the star's rotation, giving rise to a pulsation. Information about mass and radius is encoded into the pulse profile via relativistic effects, and tight constraints on mass and radius can be obtained. The second technique involves characterising the spin distribution of accreting neutron stars. The most rapidly rotating stars provide a very clean constraint, since the mass-shedding limit is a function of mass and radius. However the overall spin distribution also provides a guide to the torque mechanisms in operation and the moment of inertia, both of which can depend sensitively on dense matter physics. The third technique is to search for quasi-periodic oscillations in X-ray flux associated with global seismic vibrations of magnetars (the most highly magnetized neutron stars), triggered by magnetic explosions. The vibrational frequencies depend on stellar parameters including the dense matter equation of state. We illustrate how these complementary X-ray timing techniques can be used to constrain the dense matter equation of state, and discuss the results that might be expected from a 10m$^2$ instrument. We also discuss how the results from such a facility would compare to other astronomical investigations of neutron star properties. [Modified for arXiv]Comment: To appear in Reviews of Modern Physics as a Colloquium, 23 pages, 9 figure

Risk Factors for Late-Stage HIV Disease Presentation at Initial HIV Diagnosis in Durban, South Africa

Background: After observing persistently low CD4 counts at initial HIV diagnosis in South Africa, we sought to determine risk factors for late-stage HIV disease presentation among adults. Methods: We surveyed adults prior to HIV testing at four outpatient clinics in Durban from August 2010 to November 2011. All HIV-infected adults were offered CD4 testing, and late-stage HIV disease was defined as a CD4 count $<100 cells/mm^{3}$. We used multivariate regression models to determine the effects of sex, emotional health, social support, distance from clinic, employment, perceived barriers to receiving healthcare, and foregoing healthcare to use money for food, clothing, or housing (“competing needs to healthcare”) on presentation with late-stage HIV disease. Results: Among 3,669 adults screened, 830 were enrolled, newly-diagnosed with HIV and obtained a CD4 result. Among those, 279 (33.6%) presented with late-stage HIV disease. In multivariate analyses, participants who lived ≥5 kilometers from the test site [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.8, 95% CI 1.7–4.7], reported competing needs to healthcare (AOR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2–2.4), were male (AOR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2–2.3), worked outside the home (AOR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1–2.1), perceived health service delivery barriers (AOR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1–2.1), and/or had poor emotional health (AOR 1.4, 95% CI 1.0–1.9) had higher odds of late-stage HIV disease presentation. Conclusions: Independent risk factors for late-stage HIV disease presentation were from diverse domains, including geographic, economic, demographic, social, and psychosocial. These findings can inform various interventions, such as mobile testing or financial assistance, to reduce the risk of presentation with late-stage HIV disease

A randomized trial to optimize HIV/TB care in South Africa: design of the Sizanani trial

Background: Despite increases in HIV testing, only a fraction of people newly diagnosed with HIV infection enter the care system and initiate antiretroviral therapy (ART) in South Africa. We report on the design and initial enrollment of a randomized trial of a health system navigator intervention to improve linkage to HIV care and TB treatment completion in Durban, South Africa. Methods/Design We employed a multi-site randomized controlled trial design. Patients at 4 outpatient sites were enrolled prior to HIV testing. For all HIV-infected participants, routine TB screening with sputum for mycobacterial smear and culture were collected. HIV-infected participants were randomized to receive the health system navigator intervention or usual care. Participants in the navigator arm underwent a baseline interview using a strengths-based case management approach to assist in identifying barriers to entering care and devising solutions to best cope with perceived barriers. Over 4 months, participants in the navigator arm received scheduled phone and text messages. The primary outcome of the study is linkage and retention in care, assessed 9 months after enrollment. For ART-eligible participants without TB, the primary outcome is 3 months on ART as documented in the medical record; participants co-infected with TB are also eligible to meet the primary outcome of completion of 6 months of TB treatment, as documented by the TB clinic. Secondary outcomes include mortality, receipt of CD4 count and TB test results, and repeat CD4 counts for those not ART-eligible at baseline. We hypothesize that a health system navigator can help identify and positively affect modifiable patient factors, including self-efficacy and social support, that in turn can improve linkage to and retention in HIV and TB care. Discussion We are currently evaluating the clinical impact of a novel health system navigator intervention to promote entry to and retention in HIV and TB care for people newly diagnosed with HIV. The details of this study protocol will inform clinicians, investigators, and policy makers of strategies to best support HIV-infected patients in resource-limited settings. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov. unique identifier: NCT01188941

Co-enrollment for Child Health: How Receipt and Loss of Food and Housing Subsidies Relate to Housing Security and Statutes for Streamlined, Multi-Subsidy Application

In light of recent policy debates around funding food and housing subsidies, the combined influence of these programs on housing security (HS), defined as housing without crowding or frequent moves, remains unstudied. In a multi-city study of young children, federal nutrition and housing subsidies together increased the odds of HS, whereas loss of nutrition subsidies lowered the odds of HS even after controlling for housing subsidy receipt. Ensuring eligible families’ access to both nutrition and housing subsidies may sustain HS. The results of this study inform and support current efforts by states to streamline online applications for social services and remove statutory legal barriers to accessing these subsidies simultaneously

Trends in Household and Child Food Insecurity Among Families with Young Children from 2007 to 2013

Background: 2007-2013 spanned an economic downturn with rising food costs. While Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits increased during those years by 13.6% from the 2009 American Recovery Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the impact of these competing conditions on household food insecurity (HFI, household food insecure but child food secure) and child food insecurity (CFI, household and child food insecure) in households with infants and toddlers has not been investigated. Objective: To describe HFI and CFI in households participating in SNAP vs. households likely eligible but not participating (No SNAP). Design: Repeat cross-sectional Participants/Setting: 19,999 caregivers of childrenChildren’s HealthWatch survey in emergency and primary care departments in 5 US cities. Main Outcome Measures: The 18-item U.S. Household Food Security Survey (HFSS) measured HFI (≥3 affirmative responses on non-child-specific questions) and CFI (≥2 affirmative responses to eight child-specific questions). Statistical analyses performed: The sample was stratified by SNAP/ No SNAP. Multinomial logistic regression analyses examined the association between SNAP receipt and HFI and CFI. Results: Across the study period, controlling for confounders including year, households with SNAP were 17% less likely to experience HFI (AOR 0.83; 95% CI,0 .75, 0.91; p Conclusions: Receipt of SNAP vs. No SNAP was associated with decreased prevalence of HFI and CFI during much of the economic downturn; this impact waned as the buying power of the boost in benefit amounts during the ARRA period eroded

The Metaphor of Circle: Stanislavski, Phenomenology of Roundness and High Yoga

Stanislavski’s Eastern influence and his persistent fascination with Yoga is an established area of research. Stanislavski has two major yogic influences in the System: Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga. The first is about training the body through postures, movements, stances and breathing exercises to make it active, relaxed and energetic. The second includes a range of exclusive practices on concentration and visualization that are an integral part of the actor’s creativity. However, in the current research, there is a clear lack of a comprehensive practical method that informs Stanislavski’s use of yogic practice in the System: what specific yogic exercises were used and what synergies were developed in the training? Scholars have, so far, only explored Stanislavski’s literary legacy of his encounter with yoga, identifying the Sanskrit terms appeared in his writings such as prana for breathing and the Indian anecdotes he used when answering the questions of his students. Focusing on the metaphor of the circle, the phenomenology of roundness and the Deleuzian notions of ‘the invisible forces of sensations’ and ‘the body becomes an event itself’, the present study, for the first time, offers useful insights into the fundamental principles of yoga and their methods of practice as a way of developing a new training to understand the significance of Stanislavski in the 21st century

Clinic-Based Urinary Lipoarabinomannan as a Biomarker of Clinical Disease Severity and Mortality Among Antiretroviral Therapy-Naive Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Adults in South Africa

Abstract Background: Urinary lipoarabinomannan (LAM) has limited sensitivity for diagnosing active human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated tuberculosis (TB) disease, but LAM screening at HIV diagnosis might identify adults with more severe clinical disease or greater risk of mortality. Methods: We enrolled antiretroviral therapy-naive HIV-infected adults from 4 clinics in Durban. Nurses performed urine LAM testing using a rapid assay (Determine TB LAM) graded from low (1+) to high (≥3+) intensity. Urine LAM results were not used to guide anti-TB therapy. We assessed TB-related symptoms and obtained sputum for mycobacterial smear and culture. Participants were observed for 12 months, and we used multivariable Cox proportional hazard models to determine hazard ratios for all-cause mortality. Results: Among 726 HIV-infected adults with median CD4 of 205 cells/mm3 (interquartile range, 79–350 cells/mm3), 93 (13%) were LAM positive and 89 (12%) participants died during the follow-up period. In multivariable analyses, urine LAM-positive participants had a mortality hazard ratio (MHR) of 3.58 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.20–5.81) for all-cause mortality. Among participants with mycobacterial-confirmed TB, urine LAM-positivity had a 2.91 (95% CI, 1.26–6.73) MHR for all participants and a 4.55 (95% CI, 1.71–12.1) MHR for participants with CD4 ≤100 cell/mm3. Participants with LAM-positive TB had significantly more clinical signs and symptoms of disease, compared with participants with LAM-negative TB disease. Conclusions: Among HIV-infected adults, urinary LAM-positive patients had more clinical disease severity and a 3-fold increase in 12-month mortality compared with those who were LAM negative

A polymorphism at codon 31 of gene p21 is not associated with primary open angle glaucoma in Caucasians

BACKGROUND: Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is considered to be a neurodegenerative optic neuropathy, in which cell death occurs by apoptosis. p21, is an important protective component of the apoptotic pathway, regulating cellular arrest in the presence of DNA damage. An unstable or altered p21 protein could modify the cellular response to genomic injury and abolish the effect of p21. A previous study on a Chinese cohort suggested that the p21 codon 31 polymorphism may alter the state of apoptosis in glaucomatous optic neuropathy, failing to protect the ganglion cells. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that a p21 codon 31 polymorphism is associated with POAG on a Caucasian cohort. METHODS: 140 POAG patients and a control group of 73 healthy individuals were included in the study. All the subjects were of Caucasian origin. Genomic DNA was amplified by polymerase chain reaction, followed by enzymatic restriction fragment length polymorphism technique (PCR-RFLP). Patients and controls were genotyped for a single nucleotide polymorphism (C/A transversion) in the third base of codon 31 of p21, which leads to a serine (Ser)/arginine (Arg) substitution. RESULTS: The distribution of the genotypes in the POAG patients showed 128 (91.4%) Ser homozygotes, 10 (7.1%) Ser/Arg heterozygotes and 2 (1.5%) Arg homozygotes. In the control cohort, there were 61 (83.6%) Ser homozygotes and 12 (16.4%) Ser/Arg heterozygotes. No Arg homozygotes were present amongst the control group. Both the allelic and genotypic frequencies of the Ser or Arg residues at codon 31 were not significantly different between POAG patients and controls (Fisher's exact test, P = 0.20 for alleles and P = 0.0561 for genotypes). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the p21 codon 31 polymorphism does not contribute to the risk of POAG in the Caucasian population

Colloquium: Measuring the neutron star equation of state using x-ray timing

One of the primary science goals of the next generation of hard x-ray timing instruments is to determine the equation of state of matter at supranuclear densities inside neutron stars by measuring the radius of neutron stars with different masses to accuracies of a few percent. Three main techniques can be used to achieve this goal. The first involves waveform modeling. The flux observed from a hotspot on the neutron star surface offset from the rotational pole will be modulated by the star's rotation, and this periodic modulation at the spin frequency is called a pulsation. As the photons propagate through the curved spacetime of the star, information about mass and radius is encoded into the shape of the waveform (pulse profile) via special and general-relativistic effects. Using pulsations from known sources (which have hotspots that develop either during thermonuclear bursts or due to channeled accretion) it is possible to obtain tight constraints on mass and radius. The second technique involves characterizing the spin distribution of accreting neutron stars. A large collecting area enables highly sensitive searches for weak or intermittent pulsations (which yield spin) from the many accreting neutron stars whose spin rates are not yet known. The most rapidly rotating stars provide a clean constraint, since the limiting spin rate where the equatorial surface velocity is comparable to the local orbital velocity, at which mass shedding occurs, is a function of mass and radius. However, the overall spin distribution also provides a guide to the torque mechanisms in operation and the moment of inertia, both of which can depend sensitively on dense matter physics. The third technique is to search for quasiperiodic oscillations in x-ray flux associated with global seismic vibrations of magnetars (the most highly magnetized neutron stars), triggered by magnetic explosions. The vibrational frequencies depend on stellar parameters including the dense matter equation of state, and large-area x-ray timing instruments would provide much improved detection capability. An illustration is given of how these complementary x-ray timing techniques can be used to constrain the dense matter equation of state and the results that might be expected from a 10 m2 instrument are discussed. Also discussed are how the results from such a facility would compare to other astronomical investigations of neutron star properties