162 research outputs found
Application of LANDSAT-2 data to the implementation and enforcement of the Pennsylvania Surface Mining Conservation and Reclamation Act
There are no author-identified significant results in this report
Insolubility of Mg in Î-Si 3 N 4 in the System Al-Mg-Si-O-N
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65816/1/j.1151-2916.1978.tb09345.x.pd
Biosemiotics, politics and Th.A. Sebeokâs move from linguistics to semiotics
This paper will focus on the political implications for the language sciences of Sebeokâs move from linguistics to a global semiotic perspective, a move that ultimately resulted in biosemiotics. The paper will seek to make more explicit the political bearing of a biosemiotic perspective in the language sciences and the human sciences in general. In particular, it will discuss the definition of language inherent in Sebeokâs project and the fundamental re-drawing of the grounds of linguistic debate heralded by Sebeokâs embrace of the concept of modelling. Thus far, the political co-ordinates of the biosemiotic project have not really been made explicit. This paper will therefore seek to outline
1. how biosemiotics enables us to reconfigure our understanding of the role of language in culture;
2. how exaptation is central to the evolution of language and communication, rather than adaptation;
3. how communication is the key issue in biosphere, rather than language, not just because communication includes language but because the language sciences often refer to language as if it were mere âchatterâ, âtropesâ and âfigures of speechâ;
4. how biosemiotics, despite its seeming âneutralityâ arising from its transdisciplinarity, is thoroughly political;
5. how the failure to see the implications of the move from linguistics to semiotics arises from the fact that biosemiotics is devoid of old style politics, which is based on representation (devoid of experience) and âconstruction of [everything] in discourseâ (which is grounded in linguistics, not communication study).
In contrast to the post-âlinguistic turnâ idea that the world is âconstructed in discourseâ, we will argue that biosemiotics entails a reconfiguration of the polis and, in particular, offers the chance to completely reconceptualise ideology
Frailty of MÄori, Pasifika, and non-MÄori/non-Pasifika older people in New Zealand: a national population study of older people referred for home care services
Little is known about the prevalence of frailty in indigenous populations. We developed a frailty index for older New Zealand MÄori and Pasifika who require publicly funded support services.A frailty index (FI) was developed for New Zealand adults aged â„65 years who had an interRAI-Home Care assessment between 1 June 2012 and 30 October 2015. A frailty score for each participant was calculated by summing the number of deficits recorded and dividing by the total number of possible deficits. This created a FI with a potential range from 0 to 1. Linear regression models for FIs with ethnicity were adjusted for age and sex. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the association between the FI and mortality for MÄori, Pasifika, and non-MÄori/non-Pasifika.Of 54,345 participants, 3,096 (5.7%) identified as MÄori, 1,846 (3.4%) were Pasifika, and 49,415 (86.7%) identified as neither MÄori nor Pasifika. New Zealand Europeans (48,178, 97.5%) constituted most of the latter group. Within each sex, the mean FIs for MÄori and Pasifika were greater than the mean FIs for non-MÄori and non-Pasifika, with the difference being more pronounced in females. The FI was associated with mortality (MÄori SHR 2.53, 95% CI 1.63 to 3.95; Pasifika SHR 6.03, 95% CI 3.06 to 11.90; non-MÄori and non-Pasifika SHR 2.86, 95% 2.53 to 3.25).This study demonstrated differences in FI between the ethnicities in this select cohort. After adjustment for age and sex, increases in FI were associated with increased mortality. This suggests that FI is predictive of poor outcomes in these ethnic groups
Memories of childhood in post-war Grimsby
This paper details the vivid memories of the authorâs childhood in the fishing port of Grimsby, shortly after the Second World War. It was a time of shortages, overcrowding, improvisation and cannibalisation of anything that could be re-used. In time it became a period of reconstruction but not without its upheavals and difficulties. It begins in the âold townâ of workersâ small terrace houses, typically in a poor state of repair. Then it moves to the ânewâ council estates. Similarly, the narrative also begins with a âVictorianâ technology of steam, coal and horses with very few petrol-engined vehicles and moves to the very beginnings of early consumer society. The principal analytic content of the paper concerns the status of what is clearly a âpersonal historyâ â if that is not too great a contradiction â or as the author suggests: my story. The obvious âcriticalâ response â that it could have been otherwise â is contrasted against the suggestion that this story is a non-negotiable foundation of the authorâs identity and that this âcriticalâ response is not appropriate. Some of the interdisciplinary options thrown up by this problem are considered
Symbiotic modeling: Linguistic Anthropology and the promise of chiasmus
Reflexive observations and observations of reflexivity: such agendas are by now standard practice in anthropology. Dynamic feedback loops between self and other, cause and effect, represented and representamen may no longer seem surprising; but, in spite of our enhanced awareness, little deliberate attention is devoted to modeling or grounding such phenomena. Attending to both linguistic and extra-linguistic modalities of chiasmus (the X figure), a group of anthropologists has recently embraced this challenge. Applied to contemporary problems in linguistic anthropology, chiasmus functions to highlight and enhance relationships of interdependence or symbiosis between contraries, including anthropologyâs four fields, the nature of human being and facets of being human
Effectiveness of EDACS Versus ADAPT Accelerated Diagnostic Pathways for Chest Pain: A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial Embedded Within Practice
Study objective
A 2-hour accelerated diagnostic pathway based on the Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction score, ECG, and troponin measures (ADAPT-ADP) increased early discharge of patients with suspected acute myocardial infarction presenting to the emergency department compared with standard care (from 11% to 19.3%). Observational studies suggest that an accelerated diagnostic pathway using the Emergency Department Assessment of Chest Pain Score (EDACS-ADP) may further increase this proportion. This trial tests for the existence and size of any beneficial effect of using the EDACS-ADP in routine clinical care.
Methods
This was a pragmatic randomized controlled trial of adults with suspected acute myocardial infarction, comparing the ADAPT-ADP and the EDACS-ADP. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients discharged to outpatient care within 6 hours of attendance, without subsequent major adverse cardiac event within 30 days.
Results
Five hundred fifty-eight patients were recruited, 279 in each arm. Sixty-six patients (11.8%) had a major adverse cardiac event within 30 days (ADAPT-ADP 29; EDACS-ADP 37); 11.1% more patients (95% confidence interval 2.8% to 19.4%) were identified as low risk in EDACS-ADP (41.6%) than in ADAPT-ADP (30.5%). No low-risk patients had a major adverse cardiac event within 30 days (0.0% [0.0% to 1.9%]). There was no difference in the primary outcome of proportion discharged within 6 hours (EDACS-ADP 32.3%; ADAPT-ADP 34.4%; difference â2.1% [â10.3% to 6.0%], P=.65).
Conclusion
There was no difference in the proportion of patients discharged early despite more patients being classified as low risk by the EDACS-ADP than the ADAPT-ADP. Both accelerated diagnostic pathways are effective strategies for chest pain assessment and resulted in an increased rate of early discharges compared with previously reported rates
Drug burden index and its association with hip fracture among older adults:a national population-based study
Background: The Drug Burden Index (DBI) calculates the total sedative and anticholinergic load of prescribed medications and is associated with functional decline and hip fractures in older adults. However, it is unknown if confounding factors influence the relationship between the DBI and hip fractures. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between the DBI and hip fractures, after correcting for mortality and multiple potential confounding factors. Methods: A competing-risks regression analysis conducted on a prospectively recruited New Zealand community-dwelling older population who had a standardized (International Resident Assessment Instrument) assessment between September 1, 2012, and October 31, 2015, the study's end date. Outcome measures were survival status and hip fracture, with time-varying DBI exposure derived from 90-day time intervals. The multivariable competing-risks regression model was adjusted for a large number of medical comorbidities and activities of daily living. Results: Among 70,553 adults assessed, 2,249 (3.2%) experienced at least one hip fracture, 20,194 (28.6%) died without experiencing a fracture, and 48,110 (68.2%) survived without a fracture. The mean follow-up time was 14.9 months (range: 1 day, 37.9 months). The overall DBI distribution was highly skewed, with median time-varying DBI exposure ranging from 0.93 (Q = 0.0, Q = 1.84) to 0.96 (Q = 0.0, Q = 1.90). DBI was significantly related to fracture incidence in unadjusted (
Exploring barriers and enablers to the delivery of Making Every Contact Count brief behavioural interventions in Ireland: A cross-sectional survey study
Objectives
The public health impact of the Irish Making Every Contact Count (MECC) brief intervention programme is dependent on delivery by health care professionals. We aimed to identify enablers and modifiable barriers to MECC intervention delivery to optimize MECC implementation.
Design
Online cross-sectional survey design.
Methods
Health care professionals (n = 4050) who completed MECC eLearning were invited to complete an online survey based on the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Multiple regression analysis identified predictors of MECC delivery (logistic regression to predict delivery or not; linear regression to predict frequency of delivery). Data were visualized using Confidence Interval-Based Estimates of Relevance (CIBER).
Results
Seventy-nine per cent of participants (n = 283/357) had delivered a MECC intervention. In the multiple logistic regression (Nagelkerke's R2 = .34), the significant enablers of intervention delivery were âprofessional roleâ (OR = 1.86 [1.10, 3.15]) and âintentions/goalsâ (OR = 4.75 [1.97, 11.45]); significant barriers included âoptimistic beliefs about consequencesâ (OR = .41 [.18, .94]) and ânegative emotionsâ (OR = .50 [.32, .77]). In the multiple linear regression (R2 = .29), the significant enablers of frequency of MECC delivery were âintentions/goalsâ (b = 10.16, p = .02) and professional role (b = 6.72, p = .03); the significant barriers were ânegative emotionsâ (b = â4.74, p = .04) and âbarriers to prioritisationâ (b = â5.00, p = .01). CIBER analyses suggested six predictive domains with substantial room for improvement: âintentions and goalsâ, âbarriers to prioritisationâ, âenvironmental resourcesâ, âbeliefs about capabilitiesâ, ânegative emotionsâ and âskillsâ.
Conclusion
Implementation interventions to enhance MECC delivery should target intentions and goals, beliefs about capabilities, negative emotions, environmental resources, skills and barriers to prioritization
The relationship between early neural responses to emotional faces at age 3 and later autism and anxiety symptoms in adolescents with autism
Both autism spectrum (ASD) and anxiety disorders are associated with atypical neural and attentional responses to emotional faces, differing in affective face processing from typically developing peers. Within a longitudinal study of children with ASD (23 male, 3 female), we hypothesized that early ERPs to emotional faces would predict concurrent and later ASD and anxiety symptoms. Greater response amplitude to fearful faces corresponded to greater social communication difficulties at age 3, and less improvement by age 14. Faster ERPs to neutral faces predicted greater ASD symptom improvement over time, lower ASD severity in adolescence, and lower anxiety in adolescence. Early individual differences in processing of emotional stimuli likely reflect a unique predictive contribution from social brain circuitry early in life
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