Comparing variation in Glaswegian scripted and spontaneous speech: a sociolinguistic study

Previous research on the Glasgow dialect identifies two salient variables of Glaswegian speech: T-glottalling and non-standard negation. Research has shown that these are stratified by age, class and gender. In this thesis I contribute to the research on these variables through the comparison of spontaneous and scripted speech data: specifically, I aim to determine whether the patterns found in the spontaneous speech of elderly working-class Glaswegian males are replicated in scripted dialogue. To answer this question I analyse the speech of four characters from the popular comedy series Still Game and sociolinguistic interview data from the socially-stratified real-time corpus, Sounds of the City. I employ methods from variationist sociolinguistics to uncover the quantitative patterns of variant use. The findings show a high rate of T-glottalling in both the spontaneous and scripted speech, with spontaneous speech featuring slightly more T-glottalling than scripted. However, non-standard negative variants are shown to appear considerably more frequently in the scripted data than the spontaneous. In terms of patterns of use in both the scripted and spontaneous speech datasets and for both of the linguistic variables examined, the use of standard or non-standard variants is found to be clearly influenced by linguistic constraints such as phonetic context, sentence type and verb, although to different extents between the two sets of speakers. Based on the levels of use of T-glottalling and non-standard negation in scripted and spontaneous speech, I argue that the scripted dialect spoken by characters in fictional television shows set in Glasgow, although similar to spontaneous speech in some regards, is not an entirely accurate representation of working-class Glaswegian speech

Puget Sound shoreline inventory and assessment using boat-based lidar

Boat-based lidar of Puget Sound shorelines collected by the Washington State Department of Ecology are developed to provide a comprehensive inventory, classification, and analyses of site conditions and variability. For example, quantitative metrics of shoreline characteristics are derived from DEMs such as bluff crest height, bluff slope, bluff toe elevation, beach slope, and shoreline armoring elevations. These metrics can then be compiled and compared within and among drift cells to determine regional variability such as differences between updrift and downdrift beaches and the effect of fetch, orientation, and other exposure variables. Certain features can also be correlated to characterize how the shoreline landscape may be affecting nearshore ecosystem services. For example, variability and gradients in beach slope and width may be correlated to proximity to feeder bluff activity and the position, length, and elevation of armoring relative to the shoreline and backshore. Upland development and shoreline modification may be correlated to the amount of overhanging vegetation, large woody debris, or beach wrack, and these findings can be compared to conditions at undeveloped shorelines. Details in the lidar point clouds, such as intensity values, can help identify groundwater seepage and potential bluff failure and erosion mechanisms. The complementary photos to the lidar point clouds provide additional documentation of bluff geology, stratigraphy, groundwater flow, and other characteristics to help assess relative bluff stability

Mode of prostate cancer detection is associated with the psychological wellbeing of survivors: results from the PiCTure study

Purpose: Many men with prostate cancer are asymptomatic, diagnosed following prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing. We investigate whether mode of detection, i.e. ‘PSA detected’ or ‘clinically detected’, was associated with psychological wellbeing among prostate cancer survivors. Methods: A cross-sectional postal questionnaire was administered in 2012 to 6559 prostate cancer (ICD10 C61) survivors up to 18 years post-diagnosis, identified through population-based cancer registries in Ireland. Psychological wellbeing was assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21. Logistic regression was used to investigate associations between mode of detection and depression, anxiety and stress, adjusting for socio-demographic and clinical confounders. Results: The response rate was 54 % (3348/6262). Fifty-nine percent of survivors were diagnosed with asymptomatic PSA-tested disease. Prevalence of depression (13.8 vs 20.7 %; p < 0.001), anxiety (13.6 vs 20.9 %; p < 0.001) and stress (8.7 vs 13.8 %; p < 0.001) were significantly lower among survivors diagnosed with PSA-detected, than clinically detected disease. After adjusting for clinical and socio-demographic factors, survivors with clinically detected disease had significantly higher risk of depression (odds ratio (OR) = 1.46 95 % CI 1.18, 1.80; p = 0.001), anxiety (OR = 1.36 95 % CI 1.09, 1.68; p = 0.006) and stress (OR = 1.43 95 % CI 1.11, 1.85; p = 0.006) than survivors with PSA-detected disease. Conclusions: These findings contribute to the ongoing debate on benefits and risks of PSA testing and may be considered by policy makers formulating population-based prostate cancer screening policies. The relatively high prevalence of negative psychological states among survivors means that a ‘risk-adapted approach’ should be implemented to screen survivors most at risk of psychological morbidity for psychological health, and mode of detection could be considered as a risk stratum

A revised edition of the readiness to change questionnaire (treatment version)

The UK Alcohol Treatment Trial provided an opportunity to examine the factor structure of the Readiness to Change Questionnaire-Treatment Version (RCQ[TV]) in a large sample (N = 742) of individuals in treatment for alcohol problems who were given the RCQ[TV] at baseline, 3-months and 12-months follow-up. Confirmatory factor analysis of the previously reported factor structure (5 items for each of Precontemplation, Contemplation and Action scales) resulted in a relatively poor fit to the data. Removal of one item from each of the scales resulted in a 12-item instrument for which goodness-of-fit indices were improved, without loss of internal consistency of the three scales, on all three measurement occasions. Inspection of relationships between stage allocation by the new instrument and negative alcohol outcome expectancies provided evidence of improved construct validity for the revised edition of the RCQ[TV]. There was also a strong relationship between stage allocation at 3-months follow-up and outcome of treatment at 12 months. The revised edition of the RCQ[TV] offers researchers and clinicians a shorter and improved measurement of stage of change in the alcohol treatment population

Screening and brief interventions for hazardous and harmful alcohol use in primary care: a cluster randomised controlled trial protocol

A large number of randomised controlled trials in health settings have consistently reported positive effects of brief intervention in terms of reductions in alcohol use. However,although alcohol misuse is common amongst offenders, there is limited evidence of alcohol brief interventions in the criminal justice field. This factorial pragmatic cluster randomised controlledtrial with Offender Managers (OMs) as the unit of randomisation will evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different models of screening to identify hazardous and harmful drinkers in probation and different intensities of brief intervention to reduce excessive drinking in probation clients. Ninety-six OMs from 9 probation areas across 3 English regions (the NorthEast Region (n = 4) and London and the South East Regions (n = 5)) will be recruited. OMs will berandomly allocated to one of three intervention conditions: a client information leaflet control condition (n = 32 OMs); 5-minute simple structured advice (n = 32 OMs) and 20-minute brieflifestyle counselling delivered by an Alcohol Health Worker (n = 32 OMs). Randomisation will be stratified by probation area. To test the relative effectiveness of different screening methods all OMs will be randomised to either the Modified Single Item Screening Questionnaire (M-SASQ) orthe Fast Alcohol Screening Test (FAST). There will be a minimum of 480 clients recruited into the trial. There will be an intention to treat analysis of study outcomes at 6 and 12 months postintervention. Analysis will include client measures (screening result, weekly alcohol consumption,alcohol-related problems, re-offending, public service use and quality of life) and implementation measures from OMs (the extent of screening and brief intervention beyond the minimum recruitment threshold will provide data on acceptability and feasibility of different models of brief intervention). We will also examine the practitioner and organisational factors associated with successful implementation.The trial will evaluate the impact of screening and brief alcohol intervention in routine probation work and therefore its findings will be highly relevant to probation teams and thus the criminal justice system in the UK

Delineating and monitoring bluff toe positions from boat-based lidar to quantify morphology change at Edgewater Beach, WA

The Washington State Department of Ecology Coastal Monitoring & Analysis Program (CMAP) has performed a total of four boat-based lidar surveys of a shoreline restoration project at Edgewater Beach in South Puget Sound where approximately 800 feet of shoreline armor was removed in 2016 from the base of a historic feeder bluff. Surveys were conducted in 2015 approximately one year before the restoration, 2017 approximately one year after the restoration, and additional surveys in 2019 and 2021. Boat-based lidar data were collected along the entire length of the drift cell to generate digital elevation models to determine beach morphology change throughout the entire drift cell. Boat-based lidar is an optimal tool for collecting upper beach features at Edgewater Beach because the horizontal look angle of the vessel-mounted laser scanner has an unobstructed view of shoreline armor and the bluff under the overhanging vegetation, unlike traditional airborne lidar. Detailed topographic cross-shore profiles at the project site were compared between surveys and beach width and slope was extracted to quantify the changes to the beach and bluff as a result of the restoration project. Bluff toe elevations and horizontal positions for each profile were selected based on a quantitative set of parameters. Along the location of the previously armored shoreline, the bluff toe translated landward and upward relative to the armor toe and Mean Higher High Water (MHHW), which has enabled the development of a backshore area following armor removal. The backshore zone provides important ecological services—refuge, foraging, spawning, roosting, and nesting, thus measurement of the armor toe and bluff toe elevations relative to MHHW are key to assessing ecological impact of shoreline armor and ecological lift following shoreline armor removal

Pregnancy Protects Hyperandrogenemic Female Rats from Postmenopausal Hypertension

Polycystic ovary syndrome, the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age, is characterized by hyperandrogenemia, obesity, insulin resistance, and elevated blood pressure. However, few studies have focused on the consequences of pregnancy on postmenopausal cardiovascular disease and hypertension in polycystic ovary syndrome women. In hyperandrogenemic female (HAF) rats, the hypothesis was tested that previous pregnancy protects against age-related hypertension. Rats were implanted with dihydrotestosterone (7.5 mg/90 days, beginning at 4 weeks and continued throughout life) or placebo pellets (controls), became pregnant at 10 to 15 weeks, and pups were weaned at postnatal day 21. Dams and virgins were then aged to 10 months (still estrous cycling) or 16 months (postcycling). Although numbers of offspring per litter were similar for HAF and control dams, birth weights were lower in HAF offspring. At 10 months of age, there were no differences in blood pressure, proteinuria, nitrate/nitrite excretion, or body composition in previously pregnant HAF versus virgin HAF. However, by 16 months of age, despite no differences in dihydrotestosterone, fat mass/or lean mass/body weight, previously pregnant HAF had significantly lower blood pressure and proteinuria, higher nitrate/nitrite excretion, with increased intrarenal mRNA expression of endothelin B receptor and eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase), and decreased ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme), AT1aR (angiotensin 1a receptor), and endothelin A receptor than virgin HAF. Thus, pregnancy protects HAF rats against age-related hypertension, and the mechanism(s) may be due to differential regulation of the nitric oxide, endothelin, and renin-angiotensin systems. These data suggest that polycystic ovary syndrome women who have experienced uncomplicated pregnancy may be protected from postmenopausal hypertension.Fil: Shawky, Noha M.. University Of Mississippi Medical Center; Estados UnidosFil: Patil, Chetan N.. Medical College Of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Dalmasso, Carolina. University of Kentucky; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Grupo Vinculado Centro de Investigación en Medicina Traslacional Severo R. Amuchástegui - Cimetsa | Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Grupo Vinculado Centro de Investigación en Medicina Traslacional Severo R. Amuchástegui - Cimetsa | Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra. Grupo Vinculado Centro de Investigación en Medicina Traslacional Severo R. Amuchástegui - Cimetsa; ArgentinaFil: Marañón, Rodrigo Oscar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Romero, Damián Gastón. University Of Mississippi Medical Center; Estados UnidosFil: Drummond, Heather. University Of Mississippi Medical Center; Estados UnidosFil: Reckelhoff, Jane F.. University Of Mississippi Medical Center; Estados Unido

Role of PTP1B in POMC neurons during chronic high fat diet: Sex differences in regulation of liver lipids and glucose tolerance

Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a negative regulator of leptin receptor signalling and may contribute to leptin resistance in diet-induced obesity. Although PTP1B inhibition has been suggested as a potential weight loss therapy, the role of specific neuronal PTP1B signalling in cardiovascular and metabolic regulation and the importance of sex differences in this regulation are still unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neuronal PTP1B deficiency in cardiometabolic regulation in male and female mice fed a high fat diet (HFD). Compared to control mice (PTP1Bflox/flox), male and female mice deficient in POMC neuronal PTP1B (PTP1Bflox/flox/POMC-Cre) had attenuated body weight gain (Male: -18%; Female: -16%) and fat mass (Male: -33%; Female: -29%) in response to HFD. Glucose tolerance was improved by 40% and liver lipid accumulation was reduced by 40% in PTP1Bflox/flox/POMC-Cre males but not in females. Compared to control mice, deficiency of POMC neuronal PTP1B did not alter mean arterial pressure (MAP) in male or female mice (Male: 112±1 vs. 112±1 mmHg in controls; Female: 106±3 vs. 109±3 mmHg in controls). Deficiency of POMC neuronal PTP1B also did not alter MAP response to acute stress in male or female compared to control mice (Male: Δ32±0 vs. Δ29±4 mmHg; Female: Δ22±2 vs. Δ27±4 mmHg). These data demonstrate that POMC-specific PTP1B deficiency improved glucose tolerance and attenuated diet-induced fatty liver only in male mice, attenuated weight gain in males and females, but did not enhance the MAP and HR responses to a HFD or to acute stress