What Does It Mean for an Implicit Object to be Recoverable?

Traditionally, researchers have claimed (e.g., Fillmore 198, Gillon 2006) that some verbs (such as eat and bake) lexically allow Implicit Objects (IOs) whereas other verbs (devour, kill) do not. This lexical idiosyncrasy is thought to explain why I at __ and I baked __ sound more natural than I devoured __ and I killed __. Other authors (e.g., Resnik 1993, Goldberg 2001, Scott 2006) have tried to explain such contrasts in a more principled way by exploring how IOs interact with discourse and information structure. In particular, they have observed that a verb’s object must be “recoverable” in the discourse in order to be omitted. In this paper, I explore two prongs of this “recoverability” criterion. As the first prong, I argue that “recoverability” is a matter of degree; some objects can be recovered with more precision than others. I show that a given context’s standard of “recoverability” is pegged to the speakers’ goals and interests, so that an IO can be only loosely recoverable when it does not bear on speakers’ goals, but must be more precisely recoverable when it is important. Turning to the second prong, I argue that an IO’s “recoverability” depends on the common ground of a particular community. For example, since athletes routinely lift weights, it’s part of their common ground that I lifted __ tends to mean I lifted weights. I report a simply corpus study showing that in communities where the action denoted by a given verb is associated with a routine action with a predictable object, as with lifting weights for athletes, the verb is more likely to appear with an IO. In both of these ways, I show that speakers’ interests and shared knowledge can help to explain the apparent idiosyncrasy surrounding English IOs

Why does epistemic must need indirect evidence, and is it logically strong or weak?

Why does epistemic must need indirect evidence, and is it logically strong or weak

Stigma-directed services (Stig2Health) to improve 'linkage to care' for people living with HIV in rural Tanzania: study protocol for a nested pre-post implementation study within the Kilombero and Ulanga Antiretroviral Cohort.

Background: HIV-related stigma is a major barrier to the timely linkage and retention of patients in HIV care in sub-Saharan Africa, where most people living with HIV/AIDS reside. In this implementation study we aim to evaluate the effect of stigma-directed services on linkage to care and other health outcomes in newly diagnosed HIV-positive patients. Methods: In a nested project of the Kilombero and Ulanga Antiretroviral Cohort in rural Tanzania, we conduct a prospective observational pre-post study to assess the impact of a bundle of stigma-directed services for newly diagnosed HIV positive patients. Stigma-directed services, delivered by a lay person living with HIV, are i) post-test counseling, ii) post-test video-assisted teaching, iii) group support therapy and group health education, and iv) mobile health. Patients receiving stigma services (enrolled from 1 st February 2020 to 31 st August 2021) are compared to a historical control receiving the standard of care (enrolled from 1 st July 2017 to 1 st February 2019). The primary outcome is 'linkage to care'. Secondary endpoints are retention in care, viral suppression, death and clinical failure at 6-12 months (up to 31 st August 2022). Self-reported stigma and depression are assessed using the Berger Stigma scale and the PHQ-9 questionnaire, respectively. The sample size calculation was based on cohort data from 2018. Assuming a pre-intervention cohort of 511 newly diagnosed adults of whom 346 (68%) were in care and on antiretroviral treatment (ART) at 2 months, a 10% increase in linkage (from 70 to 80%), a two-sided type I error rate of 5%, and 90% power, 321 adults are required for the post-implementation group. Discussion: We expect that integration of stigma-directed services leads to an increase of proportions of patients in care and on ART. The findings will provide guidance on how to integrate stigma-directed services into routine care in rural sub-Saharan Africa

The Clinical Utility and Specificity of Parent Report of Executive Function among Children with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

Prenatal alcohol exposure and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) result in behavioral issues related to poor executive function (EF). This overlap may hinder clinical identification of alcohol-exposed children. This study examined the relation between parent and neuropsychological measures of EF and whether parent ratings aid in differential diagnosis. Neuropsychological measures of EF, including the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS), were administered to four groups of children (8–16 years): alcohol-exposed with ADHD (AE+, n = 80), alcohol-exposed without ADHD (AE−, n = 36), non-exposed with ADHD (ADHD, n = 93), and controls (CON, n = 167). Primary caregivers completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). For parent ratings, multivariate analyses of variance revealed main effects of Exposure and ADHD and an interaction between these factors, with significant differences between all groups on nearly all BRIEF scales. For neuropsychological measures, results indicated main effects of Exposure and ADHD, but no interaction. Discriminant function analysis indicated the BRIEF accurately classifies groups. These findings confirm compounded behavioral, but not neuropsychological, effects in the AE+ group over the other clinical groups. Parent-report was not correlated with neuropsychological performance in the clinical groups and may provide unique information about neurobehavior. Parent-report measures are clinically useful in predicting alcohol exposure regardless of ADHD. Results contribute to a neurobehavioral profile of prenatal alcohol exposure

Neuropsychological deficits associated with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure are not exacerbated by ADHD.

Neuropsychological functioning of individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or heavy prenatal alcohol exposure has been well documented independently. This study examined the interaction between both factors on cognitive performance in children

Adjunctive rifampicin for Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (ARREST): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia is a common cause of severe community-acquired and hospital-acquired infection worldwide. We tested the hypothesis that adjunctive rifampicin would reduce bacteriologically confirmed treatment failure or disease recurrence, or death, by enhancing early S aureus killing, sterilising infected foci and blood faster, and reducing risks of dissemination and metastatic infection. METHODS: In this multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, adults (≥18 years) with S aureus bacteraemia who had received ≤96 h of active antibiotic therapy were recruited from 29 UK hospitals. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) via a computer-generated sequential randomisation list to receive 2 weeks of adjunctive rifampicin (600 mg or 900 mg per day according to weight, oral or intravenous) versus identical placebo, together with standard antibiotic therapy. Randomisation was stratified by centre. Patients, investigators, and those caring for the patients were masked to group allocation. The primary outcome was time to bacteriologically confirmed treatment failure or disease recurrence, or death (all-cause), from randomisation to 12 weeks, adjudicated by an independent review committee masked to the treatment. Analysis was intention to treat. This trial was registered, number ISRCTN37666216, and is closed to new participants. FINDINGS: Between Dec 10, 2012, and Oct 25, 2016, 758 eligible participants were randomly assigned: 370 to rifampicin and 388 to placebo. 485 (64%) participants had community-acquired S aureus infections, and 132 (17%) had nosocomial S aureus infections. 47 (6%) had meticillin-resistant infections. 301 (40%) participants had an initial deep infection focus. Standard antibiotics were given for 29 (IQR 18-45) days; 619 (82%) participants received flucloxacillin. By week 12, 62 (17%) of participants who received rifampicin versus 71 (18%) who received placebo experienced treatment failure or disease recurrence, or died (absolute risk difference -1·4%, 95% CI -7·0 to 4·3; hazard ratio 0·96, 0·68-1·35, p=0·81). From randomisation to 12 weeks, no evidence of differences in serious (p=0·17) or grade 3-4 (p=0·36) adverse events were observed; however, 63 (17%) participants in the rifampicin group versus 39 (10%) in the placebo group had antibiotic or trial drug-modifying adverse events (p=0·004), and 24 (6%) versus six (2%) had drug interactions (p=0·0005). INTERPRETATION: Adjunctive rifampicin provided no overall benefit over standard antibiotic therapy in adults with S aureus bacteraemia. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment

Characterizing Reading Ability in Children with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

Despite widespread public health campaigns and increased knowledge of the harmful effects of drinking during pregnancy, greater than 1% of children are estimated to have prenatal alcohol exposure. Reading-related difficulties are of particular concern in the school-age population. The current study aimed to characterize reading performance in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure.Children (6–12y) with histories of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure (n=32) and without (n=40) were administered a two-hour neuropsychological battery, which included multiple measures of reading domains (decoding, fluency, comprehension) and phonological processing (phonological awareness, phonological memory, rapid naming). Caregivers completed assessments of home literacy environment and behavior. Correlation, MANOVA, and regression techniques were conducted to evaluate differences between groups and identify contributing factors for reading performance. Discriminant function and latent class analyses were run to determine whether performance on these measures could aid in differential diagnosis and establish whether distinct subtypes of reading impairment exist.There were no significant differences on demographic characteristics between groups. Alcohol-exposed children performed significantly worse than their peers on all measures, with the exception of rapid naming. In particular, alcohol-exposed children had relative weaknesses in phonological awareness, decoding, and comprehension. They also had significantly higher rates of reading difficulties in all domains. Aspects of phonological processing accounted for significant variance in reading variables across groups. Exposure history accounted for additional variance in decoding and comprehension. No interaction effects were significant. After other factors were added to the models, vocabulary, behavioral concerns, and attitude towards reading were additional significant contributors. Also, exposure history continued to account for significant variance. Outcome variables distinguished between alcohol-exposed children and controls. Distinct subgroups emerged based on severity of impairment. There were no significant differences between performances on academic domains (reading, spelling, math) for either group.Alcohol-exposed children had significant difficulties in all aspects of reading, comparable with their performance in math and spelling. They demonstrated specific weaknesses that suggest potential targets for intervention. Cognitive mechanisms that contribute to reading in both typical and neurodevelopmental disorder populations were also found in this population. Therefore, effective interventions in other populations may be utilized to improve outcomes for alcohol-exposed children