Nuclear tones in Hong Kong and British English

This paper contributes data towards a phonological description of intonation in Hong Kong English (HKE), an emergent, ‘nativising’ but under-described variety of English spoken primarily as the second language of L1 Cantonese speakers. We demonstrate choice and realisation of nuclear tones for ten HKE-speaking and ten British English (BrE)-speaking university students. All speakers were recorded undertaking a storytelling task in which different nuclear tones are canonically associated with different types of utterance, e.g., yes/no question and sarcastic statement. New BrE data not only provide a point of comparison, but also demonstrate ways in which form and function of contemporary BrE prosody have changed since the textbook descriptions of the last century. Greatest disparity between the groups is found for ‘tag’ phrases such as in checking, and in the paralinguistic use of rise-fall. Production of target contours ranged from 64 to 86% for the BrE cohort, 43-71% for HKE

Suicide-Related Internet Use Among Suicidal Young People in the UK: Characteristics of Users, Effects of Use, and Barriers to Offline Help-Seeking

The study replicates earlier research using a UK sample to examine differences between suicidal people who go online for suicide-related reasons and suicidal people who do not, perceived effects of suicide-related Internet use, and perceived barriers to offline help-seeking. A total of 72 UK citizens (18–24 years old) who had contemplated killing themselves or deliberately harmed themselves with the intention of dying within the past 12 months participated in an anonymous online survey. Results indicate that suicidal young people who use the Internet for suicide-related purposes are a high-risk group characterized by higher levels of social anxiety. The main purposes of suicide-related Internet use were to connect with others and seek information. Both positive and negative effects were found

The perception-production link in intonation: evidence from German learners of English

Investigations of the link between the perception and production of prosody by language learners can inform theories of prosody perception and production, especially with regard to Second Language Acquisition (SLA), and for the implementation of prosody in Foreign Language Teaching (FLT). The perception and production of prosody in L2 speech are often analyzed separately, but the link between the two is rarely the focus of investigation [e.g. 1, 2]. In a previous study [3], we analyzed the perception of prosody in read speech by German learners of English (n=20), who performed similarly to the British English (BrE) control group (n=25) for some sentence types (e.g. statements, yes/no-questions) and worse for others (e.g. open and closed tag questions, sarcasm). The present study extends this analysis by comparing the same learners' perception and production of prosody in read speech with the same sentence types. Overall, the learners (n=20) performed better in production and were more similar to the native speakers' (n=10) performance than in the perception task. However, the learners significantly differed from the native controls in production, i.e. closed tag questions and checking questions. Interestingly, the learners also performed significantly better in yes/no and statement questions than the native speakers

English intonation in storytelling: a comparison of the recognition and production of nuclear tones by British and Hong Kong English speakers

This paper presents data for a tightly controlled perception and production study of English language intonation in reading by native speakers of British English and second language learners of English in Hong Kong. We demonstrate a relatively high correlation between the scores for the two studies when data are separated by utterance type (statement, echo, wh-question, etc.). Our finding that this cohort of English learners performs better at production of nuclear tones than in the corresponding perception study adds support to the claim that the perception-production link, a theory that production is contingent on perception, is not borne out by the empirical study of learners of World Englishes. Data collected for the British English speakers give insight into a changing intonational phonology, while Hong Kong data indicate differences in intonational categories, a different distribution of tones, and possibly tonal innovation

Beyond the medals: a cross-sectional study exploring retired elite female athletes\u27 health.

OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the impact of elite sport participation on long-term athlete health. We aimed to: (1) describe musculoskeletal, mental health, reproductive/endocrine and cardiovascular characteristics in retired elite female athletes and compare to the general population and (2) explore athletes\u27 perceptions of their elite sport participation and its impact on health. METHODS: A 136-item online questionnaire was disseminated to Canadian elite female rowing and rugby athletes \u3e18 years old, \u3e2 years retired from elite competition. Matched general population data were obtained from Statistics Canada when available. RESULTS: Seventy-four (24% response rate) athletes (average age 45 (±9) years; retired 15 (±9) years) completed the questionnaire (30 rowing, 44 rugby athletes). During their career, 63 athletes (85%) experienced a hip/groin, knee, foot/ankle injury, or low back pain, with 42 (67%) reporting ongoing symptoms. Athletes 35-54 years reported worse knee symptoms and quality of life compared with the general population (symptom: p=0.197; d=1.15 [0.66, 1.63]; quality of life: p=0.312 d=1.03 [0.54, 1.51]) while other hip, knee and foot/ankle outcome scores were similar. Retired athletes had lower odds of anxiety (OR=0.155 [95% CI0.062 to 0.384]), greater lifetime/ever odds of amenorrhea (OR=6.10 [95%CI 2.67 to 13.96]) and gave birth when older (p CONCLUSION: These novel insights can inform future preventative efforts to promote positive elite sport-related outcomes for current, former and future female athletes

Vitamin D Status of Anabaptist Children in Southwestern Ontario, Canada

The objective was to determine vitamin D status of Old Order Anabaptist children in rural Southwestern, Ontario, Canada, given concerns of community healthcare professionals. Fifty-two children (2.5 months - 6.5 years) (56% female) were recruited. Finger prick blood spot (BSp) samples were analyzed for 25-hydroxy (OH) vitamins D2 & D3 (BSp25(OH)D). Three-day food records were evaluated using Dietary Reference Intakes and Canada’s Food Guide (CFG) (Bush, et al. 2007). Compared to national Canadian data: mean BSp25(OH)D concentrations (78±31 nmol/L) were similar; a slightly smaller proportion (0% vs 2%) were at risk of deficiency (\u3c30 nmol/L) or had inadequate status (4% vs 7%) (\u3c40 nmol/L); and 10% vs 1% had BSp25(OH)D higher than 125 nmol/L. BSp25(OH)D was significantly associated (r2=0.358; p=0.001) with total vitamin D intake. From food alone, vitamin D intake was 68±39 IU/day, lower than the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of 600 IU/day, and intakes were all below the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) of 400 IU. Even including supplemental vitamin D, 87% were below the EAR (total intake=213±194 IU/day). No children had vitamin D intakes greater than the Upper Limit. Servings of milk and alternates were 1.6±0.8/day (CFG=2/day). Unfortified farm milk was consumed by 88% of children and 89% received a vitamin D supplement. Results were comparable to recent Canadian data suggesting that most children have adequate vitamin D status. Nevertheless, these findings support the need to encourage appropriate vitamin D intake (from food and supplements) to achieve the RDA for Old Order Anabaptist children in these communities. [Abstract by authors.

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London