Salience effects in the north-west of England

The question of how we can define salience, what properties it includes and how we can quantify it have been discussed widely over the past thirty years but we still have more questions than answers about this phenomenon, e. g. not only how salience arises, but also how we can define it. However, despite the lack of a clear definition, salience is often taken into account as an explanatory factor in language change. The scientific discourse on salience has in most cases revolved around phonetic features, while hardly any variables on other linguistic levels have been investigated in terms of their salience. Hence, one goal of this paper is to argue for an expanded view of salience in the sociolinguistic context. This article investigates the variation and change of two groups of variables in Carlisle, an urban speech community in the north west of England. I analyse the variable (th) and in particular the replacement of /θ/ with [f] which is widely known as th-fronting. The use of three discourse markers is also examined. Both groups of features will then be discussed in the light of sociolinguistic salience

Exploring Employer Perspectives on Their Supportive Role in Accommodating Workers with Disabilities to Promote Sustainable RTW: A Qualitative Study

Purpose: Employers play an important role in facilitating sustainable return to work (RTW) by workers with disabilities. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how employers who were successful in retaining workers with disabilities at work fulfilled their supportive role, and which facilitators were essential to support these workers throughout the RTW process. Methods: We conducted a semi-structured interview study among 27 employers who had experience in retaining workers with disabilities within their organization. We explored the different phases of RTW, from the onset of sick leave until the period, after 2-years of sick-leave, and when they can apply for disability benefit. We analyzed data by means of thematic analysis. Results: We identified three types of employer support: (1) instrumental (offering work accommodations), (2) emotional (encouragement, empathy, understanding) and (3) informational (providing information, setting boundaries). We identified three facilitators of employer support (at organizational and supervisor levels): (1) good collaboration, including (in)formal contact and (in)formal networks; (2) employer characteristics, including supportive organizational culture and leadership skills; and (3) worker characteristics, including flexibility and self-control. Conclusions: Employers described three different possible types of support for the worker with disabilities: instrumental, emotional, and informational. The type and intensity of employer support varies during the different phases, which is a finding that should be further investigated. Good collaboration and flexibility of both employer and worker were reported as facilitators of optimal supervisor/worker interaction during the RTW process, which may show that sick-listed workers and their supervisors have a joint responsibility for the RTW process. More insight is needed on how this supervisor/worker interaction develops during the RTW process

The diet of retroculus lapidifer (perciformes: cichlidae), a rheophilic cichlid fish from araguaia river, Tocantins State, Brazil

Retroculus lapidifer is a cichlid fish foraging at the bottom of Araguaia and Tocantins Rivers rapid stretches. Although being relatively abundant, little is known about its biology and ecology. This study was aimed to describe the diet of R. lapidifer and to analyze the degree of similarity (Index of Morisita) among the diets of specimens from Araguaia and Tocantins Rivers, and between specimens of R. lapidifer and R. xinguensis. Specimens of R. lapidifer were collected in the Araguaia River in four occasions from February to November 2000. INPA Fish Collection specimens were used for the diet similarity studies. One hundred stomachs of R. lapidifer (90 from Araguaia River and 10 from Tocantins River) and 11 stomachs of R. xinguensis from Xingu River were analyzed. Occurrence frequency and relative volume methods were used together as an Alimentary Index. The diet of R. lapidifer was predominantly comprised of chironomid, trichopteran and ephemeropteran immature forms. Feeding on main preys varied along the hydrologic cycle, with a decrease on the consumption of chironomids during the receding and low water level periods, balanced by an increase on the consumption of trichopterans and ephemeropterans. The similarity between the diets of Araguaia and Tocantins Rivers R. lapidifer was 0.81, and between R. lapidifer and R. xinguensis was 0.92, probably reflecting the dominance of chironomids in the diets. Retroculus lapidifer can be characterized as a predator of immature aquatics insects exploiting the variable abundance of prey types along the hydrologic cycle.Retroculus lapidifer é um ciclídeo que forrageia junto ao fundo de trechos de corredeiras dos rios Araguaia e Tocantins. Embora seja relativamente abundante, pouco se sabe sobre a biologia e ecologia dessa espécie. Este trabalho teve como objetivo conhecer a dieta de R. lapidifer, bem como analisar o grau de similaridade (Índice de Morisita) entre as dietas de exemplares dos rios Araguaia e Tocantins, e entre espécimes de R. lapidifer e R. xinguensis. Exemplares de R. lapidifer foram coletados no rio Araguaia, na cheia, vazante, seca e enchente de 2000. Nas comparações das dietas utilizou-se exemplares da Coleção de Peixes do INPA. Analisou-se 90 estômagos de R. lapidifer do rio Araguaia, 10 do Tocantins e 11 de R. xinguensis do Xingu. Utilizou-se métodos de frequência de ocorrência e volume relativo, combinados como Índice Alimentar. Houve uma predominância de formas imaturas de Chironomidae, Trichoptera e Ephemeroptera na dieta de R. lapidifer. O consumo das principais presas variou com o ciclo hidrológico, havendo um decréscimo na participação de Chironomidae na vazante e seca, compensado por um aumento no consumo de Trichoptera e Ephemeroptera. A similaridade entre as dietas de R. lapidifer dos rios Araguaia e Tocantins foi de 0,81 e entre R. lapidifer e R. xinguensis foi de 0,92, o que provavelmente reflete a predominância de Chironomidae nas dietas. Os resultados permitem caracterizar R. lapidifer como predador de formas imaturas de insetos aquáticos, que explora a abundância variável das presas ao longo do ciclo hidrológico

Competenties voor relatiemanagement: tussen ministerie en uitvoeringsorganisaties in

Na de scheiding van beleid en uitvoering moeten ministeries hun relatie met (verzelfstandigde) uitvoeringsorganisaties opnieuw inrichten. Aan de hand van diverse voorbeelden en de uitkomsten van een kleine enquête blijkt dat ze dat op dit moment nog zeer verschillend doen. Er kan een aantal modellen worden onderscheiden, waarbij contracten, contactpersonen of speciale afdelingen worden ingezet, om de opdrachtgever-en/of eigenaarrol van het departement te vervullen. Met behulp van theorie over accountmanagement worden in dit artikel de vereiste competenties voor relatiemanagement afgeleid evenals enkele aandachtspunten voor de organisatorische in-bedding van deze functie. Op basis daarvan wordt een profiel geschetst van de ideale relatiemanager

Two Immigrants with Tuberculosis of the Ear, Nose, and Throat Region with Skull Base and Cranial Nerve Involvement

We report two immigrants with tuberculosis of the skull base and a review of the literature. A Somalian man presented with bilateral otitis media, hearing loss, and facial and abducens palsy. Imaging showed involvement of both mastoid and petrous bones, extending via the skull base to the nasopharynx, suggesting tuberculosis which was confirmed by characteristic histology and positive auramine staining, while Ziehl-Neelsen staining and PCR were negative. A Sudanese man presented with torticollis and deviation of the uvula due to paresis of N. IX and XI. Imaging showed a retropharyngeal abscess and lysis of the clivus. Histology, acid-fast staining, and PCR were negative. Both patients had a positive Quantiferon TB Gold in-tube result and improved rapidly after empiric treatment for tuberculosis. Cultures eventually yielded M. tuberculosis. These unusual cases exemplify the many faces of tuberculosis and the importance to include tuberculosis in the differential diagnosis of unexplained problems

Sussex by the sea: a descriptive analysis of dialect variation in the South East of England based on English Dialect App data

Dialects in the South East of England are very often perceived as one homogenous mass, without much regional variation. Rosewarne introduced the notion of Estuary English and defined it as ‘variety of modified regional speech [ . . . ] a mixture of non-regional and local south-eastern English pronunciation and intonation’ (Rosewarne, 1984). However, studies such as Przedlacka (2001) and Torgersen & Kerswill (2004) have shown that, at least on the phonetic level, distinct varieties exist. Nevertheless, very few studies have investigated language use in the South East and even fewer in the county of Sussex. It is often claimed that there is no distinct Sussex dialect (Coates, 2010: 29). Even in the earliest works describing the dialect of the area (Wright, 1903) there are suggestions that it cannot be distinguished from Hampshire in the west and Kent in the east

The tumor suppressor Scrib interacts with the zyxin-related protein LPP, which shuttles between cell adhesion sites and the nucleus

BACKGROUND: At sites of cell adhesion, proteins exist that not only perform structural tasks but also have a signaling function. Previously, we found that the Lipoma Preferred Partner (LPP) protein is localized at sites of cell adhesion such as focal adhesions and cell-cell contacts, and shuttles to the nucleus where it has transcriptional activation capacity. LPP is a member of the zyxin family of proteins, which contains five members: ajuba, LIMD1, LPP, TRIP6 and zyxin. LPP has three LIM domains (zinc-finger protein interaction domains) at its carboxy-terminus, which are preceded by a proline-rich pre-LIM region containing a number of protein interaction domains. RESULTS: To catch the role of LPP at sites of cell adhesion, we made an effort to identify binding partners of LPP. We found the tumor suppressor protein Scrib, which is a component of cell-cell contacts, as interaction partner of LPP. Human Scrib, which is a functional homologue of Drosophila scribble, is a member of the leucine-rich repeat and PDZ (LAP) family of proteins that is involved in the regulation of cell adhesion, cell shape and polarity. In addition, Scrib displays tumor suppressor activity. The binding between Scrib and LPP is mediated by the PDZ domains of Scrib and the carboxy-terminus of LPP. Both proteins localize in cell-cell contacts. Whereas LPP is also localized in focal adhesions and in the nucleus, Scrib could not be detected at these locations in MDCKII and CV-1 cells. Furthermore, our investigations indicate that Scrib is dispensable for targeting LPP to focal adhesions and to cell-cell contacts, and that LPP is not necessary for localizing Scrib in cell-cell contacts. We show that all four PDZ domains of Scrib are dispensable for localizing this protein in cell-cell contacts. CONCLUSIONS: Here, we identified an interaction between one of zyxin's family members, LPP, and the tumor suppressor protein Scrib. Both proteins localize in cell-cell contacts. This interaction links Scrib to a communication pathway between cell-cell contacts and the nucleus, and implicates LPP in Scrib-associated functions

A multilevel evolutionary framework for sustainability analysis

Sustainability theory can help achieve desirable social-ecological states by generalizing lessons across contexts and improving the design of sustainability interventions. To accomplish these goals, we argue that theory in sustainability science must (1) explain the emergence and persistence of social-ecological states, (2) account for endogenous cultural change, (3) incorporate cooperation dynamics, and (4) address the complexities of multilevel social-ecological interactions. We suggest that cultural evolutionary theory broadly, and cultural multilevel selection in particular, can improve on these fronts. We outline a multilevel evolutionary framework for describing social-ecological change and detail how multilevel cooperative dynamics can determine outcomes in environmental dilemmas. We show how this framework complements existing sustainability frameworks with a description of the emergence and persistence of sustainable institutions and behavior, a means to generalize causal patterns across social-ecological contexts, and a heuristic for designing and evaluating effective sustainability interventions. We support these assertions with case examples from developed and developing countries in which we track cooperative change at multiple levels of social organization as they impact social-ecological outcomes. Finally, we make suggestions for further theoretical development, empirical testing, and application