Animacy affects the processing of subject–object ambiguities in the second language: Evidence from self-paced reading with German second language learners of Dutch

The results of a self-paced reading study with German second language (L2) learners of Dutch showed that noun animacy affected the learners' on-line commitments when comprehending relative clauses in their L2. Earlier research has found that German L2 learners of Dutch do not show an on-line preference for subject–object word order in temporarily ambiguous relative clauses when no disambiguating material is available prior to the auxiliary verb. We investigated whether manipulating the animacy of the ambiguous noun phrases would push the learners to make an on-line commitment to either a subject- or object-first analysis. Results showed they performed like Dutch native speakers in that their reading times reflected an interaction between topichood and animacy in the on-line assignment of grammatical role

Examining the link between the antecedents of relationship commitment and loyalty within the road transport industry of South Africa

Abstract: The study investigates the extent to which the relationship commitment by customers of road transport service providers is influenced by trust, communication, shared values and the attractiveness of alternatives. In turn, the influence of the extent of their commitment towards future loyalty is determined. Design/methodology/approach – An explanatory research design was followed and data was collected from road transport service provider customers using self-administered questionnaires. A total of 120 responses were suitable for analysis. Multiple regression analysis as well as the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique was used to analyse the results and to uncover the interrelationships between constructs..

Chapter 11: Teaching mathematics to students with disabilities from diverse backgrounds

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the literacy and numeracy skills that are distributed across a population will have significant impact on economic and social outcomes. In particular, the “higher the levels of inequality in literacy and numeracy skills … the greater the inequality of distribution of income” (OECD, 2013, p. 26). However, although literacy skills are important, it has been suggested that poor mathematical skills may be more of a handicap than poor literacy skills, especially in the workplace (Butterworth, 2005; McCloskey, 2007). As McCloskey (2007) notes, “… quantitative concepts and information are involved in many facets of home, work and community life …” (p. 421). Poor quantitative skills are likely to pose significant problems in everyday life, even into adulthood (Dougherty, 2003; McCloskey, 2007)

Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Mitochondria abnormalities in skeletal muscle may contribute to frailty and sarcopenia, commonly present in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Dysfunctional mitochondria are also a major source of oxidative stress and may contribute to cardiovascular disease in CKD We tested the hypothesis that mitochondrial structure and function worsens with the severity of CKD Mitochondrial volume density, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number, BNIP3, and PGC1α protein expression were evaluated in skeletal muscle biopsies obtained from 27 subjects (17 controls and 10 with CKD stage 5 on hemodialysis). We also measured mtDNA copy number in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), plasma isofurans, and plasma F2-isoprostanes in 208 subjects divided into three groups: non-CKD (eGFR>60 mL/min), CKD stage 3-4 (eGFR 60-15 mL/min), and CKD stage 5 (on hemodialysis). Muscle biopsies from patients with CKD stage 5 revealed lower mitochondrial volume density, lower mtDNA copy number, and higher BNIP3 content than controls. mtDNA copy number in PBMCs was decreased with increasing severity of CKD: non-CKD (6.48, 95% CI 4.49-8.46), CKD stage 3-4 (3.30, 95% CI 0.85-5.75, P = 0.048 vs. non-CKD), and CKD stage 5 (1.93, 95% CI 0.27-3.59, P = 0.001 vs. non-CKD). Isofurans were higher in patients with CKD stage 5 (median 59.21 pg/mL, IQR 41.76-95.36) compared to patients with non-CKD (median 49.95 pg/mL, IQR 27.88-83.46, P = 0.001), whereas F2-isoprostanes did not differ among groups. Severity of CKD is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and markers of oxidative stress. Mitochondrial abnormalities, which are common in skeletal muscle from patients with CKD stage 5, may explain the muscle dysfunction associated with frailty and sarcopenia in CKD Further studies are required to evaluate mitochondrial function in vivo in patients with different CKD stages

Ocean Winds and Turbulent Air-Sea Fluxes Inferred From Remote Sensing

Air-sea turbulent fluxes determine the exchange of momentum, heat, freshwater, and gas between the atmosphere and ocean. These exchange processes are critical to a broad range of research questions spanning length scales from meters to thousands of kilometers and time scales from hours to decades. Examples are discussed (section 2). The estimation of surface turbulent fluxes from satellite is challenging and fraught with considerable errors (section 3); however, recent developments in retrievals (section 3) will greatly reduce these errors. Goals for the future observing system are summarized in section 4. Surface fluxes are defined as the rate per unit area at which something (e.g., momentum, energy, moisture, or CO Z ) is transferred across the air/sea interface. Wind- and buoyancy-driven surface fluxes are called surface turbulent fluxes because the mixing and transport are due to turbulence. Examples of nonturbulent processes are radiative fluxes (e.g., solar radiation) and precipitation (Schmitt et al., 2010). Turbulent fluxes are strongly dependent on wind speed; therefore, observations of wind speed are critical for the calculation of all turbulent surface fluxes. Wind stress, the vertical transport of horizontal momentum, also depends on wind direction. Stress is very important for many ocean processes, including upper ocean currents (Dohan and Maximenko, 2010) and deep ocean currents (Lee et al., 2010). On short time scales, this horizontal transport is usually small compared to surface fluxes. For long-term processes, transport can be very important but again is usually small compared to surface fluxes

Faking like a woman? Towards an interpretative theorization of sexual pleasure.

This article explores the possibility of developing a feminist approach to gendered and sexual embodiment which is rooted in the pragmatist/interactionist tradition derived from G.H. Mead, but which in turn develops this perspective by inflecting it through more recent feminist thinking. In so doing we seek to rebalance some of the rather abstract work on gender and embodiment by focusing on an instance of 'heterosexual' everyday/night life - the production of the female orgasm. Through engaging with feminist and interactionist work, we develop an approach to embodied sexual pleasure that emphasizes the sociality of sexual practices and of reflexive sexual selves. We argue that sexual practices and experiences must be understood in social context, taking account of the situatedness of sex as well as wider socio-cultural processes the production of sexual desire and sexual pleasure (or their non-production) always entails interpretive, interactional processes

Determination of the pharmacokinetics and oral bioavailability of salicylamine, a potent γ-ketoaldehyde scavenger, by LC/MS/MS

Levels of reactive γ-ketoaldehydes derived from arachidonate increase in diseases associated with inflammation and oxidative injury. To assess the biological importance of these γ-ketoaldehydes, we previously identified salicylamine as an effective γ-ketoaldehyde scavenger in vitro and in cells. To determine if salicylamine could be administered in vivo, we developed an LC/MS/MS assay to measure salicylamine in plasma and tissues. In mice, half-life (t1/2) was 62 minutes. Drinking water supplementation (1-10 g/L) generated tissue concentrations (10-500 μM) within the range previously shown to inhibit γ-ketoaldehydes in cells. Therefore, oral administration of salicylamine can be used to assess the contribution of γ-ketoaldehydes in animal models of disease. © 2010 by the authors licensee Molecular Diversity Preservation International, Basel, Switzerland

Deep mixed ocean volume in the Labrador Sea in HighResMIP models

Simulations from seven global coupled climate models performed at high and standard resolution as part of the high resolution model intercomparison project (HighResMIP) are analyzed to study deep ocean mixing in the Labrador Sea and the impact of increased horizontal resolution. The representation of convection varies strongly among models. Compared to observations from ARGO-floats and the EN4 data set, most models substantially overestimate deep convection in the Labrador Sea. In four out of five models, all four using the NEMO-ocean model, increasing the ocean resolution from 1° to 1/4° leads to increased deep mixing in the Labrador Sea. Increasing the atmospheric resolution has a smaller effect than increasing the ocean resolution. Simulated convection in the Labrador Sea is mainly governed by the release of heat from the ocean to the atmosphere and by the vertical stratification of the water masses in the Labrador Sea in late autumn. Models with stronger sub-polar gyre circulation have generally higher surface salinity in the Labrador Sea and a deeper convection. While the high-resolution models show more realistic ocean stratification in the Labrador Sea than the standard resolution models, they generally overestimate the convection. The results indicate that the representation of sub-grid scale mixing processes might be imperfect in the models and contribute to the biases in deep convection. Since in more than half of the models, the Labrador Sea convection is important for the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), this raises questions about the future behavior of the AMOC in the models

Protein Adducts of Iso[4]levuglandin E2, a Product of the Isoprostane Pathway, in Oxidized Low Density Lipoprotein

Levuglandin (LG) E2, a cytotoxic seco prostanoic acid co-generated with prostaglandins by nonenzymatic rearrangements of the cyclooxygenase-derived endoperoxide, prostaglandin H2, avidly binds to proteins. That LGE2-protein adducts can also be generated nonenzymatically is demonstrated by their production during free radical-induced oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL). Like oxidized LDL, LGE2-LDL, but not native LDL, undergoes receptor-mediated uptake and impaired processing by macrophage cells. Since radical-induced lipid oxidation produces isomers of prostaglandins, isoprostanes (isoPs), via endoperoxide intermediates, we postulated previously that a similar family of LG isomers, isoLGs, is cogenerated with isoPs. Now iso[4]LGE2-protein epitopes produced by radical-induced oxidation of arachidonic acid in the presence of protein were detected with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Iso[4]LGE2-protein epitopes are also generated during free radical-induced oxidation of LDL. All of the LGE2isomers generated upon oxidation of LDL are efficiently sequestered by covalent adduction with LDL-based amino groups. The potent electrophilic reactivity of iso-LGs can be anticipated to have biological consequences beyond their obvious potential as markers for specific arachidonate-derived protein modifications that may be of value for the quantitative assessment of oxidative injury

The success-index: an alternative approach to the h-index for evaluating an individual's research output

Among the most recent bibliometric indicators for normalizing the differences among fields of science in terms of citation behaviour, Kosmulski (J Informetr 5(3):481-485, 2011) proposed the NSP (number of successful paper) index. According to the authors, NSP deserves much attention for its great simplicity and immediate meaning— equivalent to those of the h-index—while it has the disadvantage of being prone to manipulation and not very efficient in terms of statistical significance. In the first part of the paper, we introduce the success-index, aimed at reducing the NSP-index's limitations, although requiring more computing effort. Next, we present a detailed analysis of the success-index from the point of view of its operational properties and a comparison with the h-index's ones. Particularly interesting is the examination of the success-index scale of measurement, which is much richer than the h-index's. This makes success-index much more versatile for different types of analysis—e.g., (cross-field) comparisons of the scientific output of (1) individual researchers, (2) researchers with different seniority, (3) research institutions of different size, (4) scientific journals, etc