Rhyming Phenomena in English Words

Investigations of English words and phrases have led scholars to the discovery of several rhyming phenomena as in such words as CRISSCROSS, POWWOW and BONBON. These types of rhyming were noted by Jespersen in his Modern English Grammar as well as Marchand in Categories and Types of Present-Day English Word-Formation. The words fall in three groupings. consonantal rhymes, vowel rhymes, and repetition of the same syllable (or tautonyms). It is a real challenge to see how many of each you can discover

Paediatric chronic suppurative otitis media in the Free State Province: Clinical and audiological features

Background. Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is a chronic infection of the middle ear cleft. In sub-Saharan Africa >50% of cases occur in children <10 years of age.Objectives. To describe the otological, audiological and bacteriological findings in children with CSOM.Methods. We conducted a prospective study at the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Clinic at Universitas Academic Hospital between August 2009 and December 2010. We included all children with CSOM over this period. Patients underwent ENT and paediatric examination, and were tested for HIV. Pus swabs were taken after an ear toilet for routine microbiology, fungal and Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture. We performed audiological testing after the otorrhoea had resolved.Results. Eighty-six children (113 ears) were included, with a median age of 4.6 years (range 1 - 12 years). The mean duration of otorrhoea was 161.7 weeks (range 4 - 572 weeks). Nine patients (10.5%) presented with coalescent mastoiditis and/or intracranial complications of CSOM. Of the 153 organisms identified, Gram-negative bacteria were present in 93 (82.3%) ears, with 94.8% of these being sensitive to quinolones. Only 1 case of tuberculous otitis media was identified. HIV infection was present in 54.6% of patients tested. There was a hearing loss in 44 (66.7%) of the tested affected ears.Conclusions. There was a long delay between the onset of symptoms and accessing ENT services. Most cases of CSOM were due to quinolone-sensitive Gram-negative aerobes. There was a high prevalence of cholesteatoma, hearing loss and other complications in children in this study

The genus Helicotylenchus in the grassland biome of South Africa

The genus Helicotylenchus is widespread in South Africa with 25 of the 33 Helicotylenchus species in the grassland biome. With 23 species reported from uncultivated areas, 14 species from crop plants and 10 species from the grasses grown on sports fields, Helicotylenchus is ideally suited for a study on the impact of cultivation on nematode diversity.This paper was initially delivered at the Annual Congress of the Biological Sciences Division of the South African Academy for Science and Art, ARC-Plant Protection Research Institute, Roodeplaat, Pretoria, South Africa on 01 October 2010.http://www.satnt.ac.zaam2014ab201

Movement Interventions for Children with Autism and Developmental Disabilities: An Evidence-Based Practice Project

This review explored the following question: Are the comprehensive treatment models Makoto Therapy, Brain Gym, and Interactive Metronome effective interventions for improving occupational performance including improving executive function, academic performance, and physical coordination in children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? Because current research on Interactive Metronome, Brain Gym®, and Makoto Therapy fails to address children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, presents multiple flaws in research design, and does not measure occupational outcomes such as occupational performance, we recommend that these interventions should not be used as comprehensive treatment models in occupational therapy. We recommend that more occupational-based, methodologically-sound research involving youth with ASD be conducted before implementing these interventions in occupational therapy practice

Incremental Value of Computed Tomography Perfusion for Final Infarct Prediction in Acute Ischemic Cerebellar Stroke

Background The diagnosis of ischemic cerebellar stroke is challenging because of nonspecific symptoms and very limited accuracy of commonly applied computed tomography (CT) imaging. Advances in CT perfusion imaging provide increasing value in the detection of posterior circulation stroke, but the prognostic value remains unclear. We aimed to identify imaging parameters that predict morphologic outcome in cerebellar stroke patients using advanced CT including whole‐brain CT perfusion (WB‐CTP). Methods and Results We selected all subjects with cerebellar WB‐CTP perfusion deficits and follow‐up‐confirmed cerebellar infarction from a consecutive cohort with suspected stroke who underwent WB‐CTP. Posterior‐circulation‐Acute‐Stroke‐Prognosis‐Early‐CT‐Score (pc‐ASPECTS) was determined on noncontrast CT, CT angiography source images, and on parametric WB‐CTP maps. Cerebellar perfusion deficit volumes on all maps and the final infarction volume on follow‐up imaging were quantified. Uni‐ and multivariate regression analyses were performed. Sixty patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. pc‐ASPECTS on CT angiography source images (ß, −9.239; 95% CI, −14.220 to −4.259; P0.05). Conclusions In contrast to noncontrast CT and CT angiography, WB‐CTP imaging contains prognostic information for morphologic outcome in patients with acute cerebellar stroke

Radiogenic and Muon-Induced Backgrounds in the LUX Dark Matter Detector

The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) dark matter experiment aims to detect rare low-energy interactions from Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). The radiogenic backgrounds in the LUX detector have been measured and compared with Monte Carlo simulation. Measurements of LUX high-energy data have provided direct constraints on all background sources contributing to the background model. The expected background rate from the background model for the 85.3 day WIMP search run is $(2.6\pm0.2_{\textrm{stat}}\pm0.4_{\textrm{sys}})\times10^{-3}$~events~keV$_{ee}^{-1}$~kg$^{-1}$~day$^{-1}$ in a 118~kg fiducial volume. The observed background rate is $(3.6\pm0.4_{\textrm{stat}})\times10^{-3}$~events~keV$_{ee}^{-1}$~kg$^{-1}$~day$^{-1}$, consistent with model projections. The expectation for the radiogenic background in a subsequent one-year run is presented.Comment: 18 pages, 12 figures / 17 images, submitted to Astropart. Phy

Talin is required for integrin-mediated platelet function in hemostasis and thrombosis

Integrins are critical for hemostasis and thrombosis because they mediate both platelet adhesion and aggregation. Talin is an integrin-binding cytoplasmic adaptor that is a central organizer of focal adhesions, and loss of talin phenocopies integrin deletion in Drosophila. Here, we have examined the role of talin in mammalian integrin function in vivo by selectively disrupting the talin1 gene in mouse platelet precursor megakaryocytes. Talin null megakaryocytes produced circulating platelets that exhibited normal morphology yet manifested profoundly impaired hemostatic function. Specifically, platelet-specific deletion of talin1 led to spontaneous hemorrhage and pathological bleeding. Ex vivo and in vitro studies revealed that loss of talin1 resulted in dramatically impaired integrin αIIbβ3-mediated platelet aggregation and β1 integrin–mediated platelet adhesion. Furthermore, loss of talin1 strongly inhibited the activation of platelet β1 and β3 integrins in response to platelet agonists. These data establish that platelet talin plays a crucial role in hemostasis and provide the first proof that talin is required for the activation and function of mammalian α2β1 and αIIbβ3 integrins in vivo