Intonation and Syntax in Spoken Language Systems

Phrasal intonation is notorious for a tendency to perceptually segment the word-string of a spoken utterance into groups which may violate orthodox syntactic notions of constituency. For example, the normal prosody for the answer (b) to the following question (a) imposes the intonational constituency indicated by the brackets (stress, marked in this case by raised pitch, is indicated by capit als) : (1) a. I know that brassicas are a good source of minerals, but what are LEGumes a good source of? b. (LEGumes are a good source of) VITamins . Such a grouping cuts across the traditional syntactic structure of the sentence. The presence of two apparently uncoupled levels of structure in natural language grammar appears to complicate the path from speech to interpretation unreasonably, and to thereby threaten a number of computational applications in speech recognition and and speech synthesis

Gapping as Constituent Coordination

A number of coordinate constructions in natural languages conjoin sequences which do not appear to correspond to syntactic constituents in the traditional sense. One striking instance of the phenomenon is afforded by the gapping construction of English, of which the following sentence is a simple example: (1) Harry eats beans, and Fred, potatoes Since all theories agree that coordination must in fact be an operation upon constituents, most of them have dealt with the apparent paradox presented by such constructions by supposing that such sequences as the right conjunct in the above example, Fred, potatoes, should be treated in the grammar as traditional constituents, of type S, but with pieces missing or deleted

Dobutamine stress MRI in pulmonary hypertension: relationships between stress pulmonary artery relative area change, RV performance, and 10-year survival

In pulmonary hypertension (PH), right ventricular (RV) performance determines survival. Pulmonary artery (PA) stiffening is an important biomechanical event in PH and also predicts survival based on the PA relative area change (RAC) measured at rest using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In this exploratory study, we sought to generate novel hypotheses regarding the influence of stress RAC on PH prognosis and the interaction between PA stiffening, RV performance and survival. Fifteen PH patients underwent dobutamine stress-MRI (ds-MRI) and right heart catheterization. RACREST, RACSTRESS, and ΔRAC (RAC STRESS – RAC REST) were correlated against resting invasive hemodynamics and ds-MRI data regarding RV performance and RV-PA coupling efficiency (n’vv [RV stroke volume/RV end-systolic volume]). The impact of RAC, RV data, and n’vv on ten-year survival were determined using Kaplan–Meier analysis. PH patients with a low ΔRAC (<−2.6%) had a worse long-term survival (log-rank P = 0.045, HR for death = 4.46 [95% CI = 1.08–24.5]) than those with ΔRAC ≥ −2.6%. Given the small sample, these data should be interpreted with caution; however, low ΔRAC was associated with an increase in stress diastolic PA area indicating proximal PA stiffening. Associations of borderline significance were observed between low RACSTRESS and low n’vvSTRESS, Δη’VV, and ΔRVEF. Further studies are required to validate the potential prognostic impact of ΔRAC and the biomechanics potentially connecting low ΔRAC to shorter survival. Such studies may facilitate development of novel PH therapies targeted to the proximal PA

Deep chlorophyll maxima in small boreal forest lakes after experimental catchment and shoreline logging

In situ profiles of chlorophyll fluorescence combined with depth-specific water chemistry and biotic analysis were used to assess deep chlorophyll maxima (DCM) in four boreal shield lakes that were subjected to different levels of watershed disturbance by clear-cut logging. Phytoplankton communities within the DCPvl varied among lakes, but were generally comprised of chrysophytes, diatoms, and cryptophytes. One lake also had deep cyanobacterial populations. Relative in situ fluorescence (absolute fluorescence at each peak minus background fluorescence) at the fluorescence peaks was significantly correlated with the level of chlorophyll a at the peak (r(2) = 0.81, p < 0.025) for all lakes. In general, DCM peak heights were consistent in each lake over the four-year post-logging sampling period, whereas DCM depths declined slightly in the most heavily logged takes associated with increases in dissolved organic carbon. Therefore, on the basis of DCM data, only mild effects on lake water quality were apparent after the logging activity

Pathways to economic well-being among teenage mothers in Great Britain

The present study examines pathways to independence from social welfare among 738 teenage mothers, participants of the 1970 British Cohort Study, who were followed up at age 30 years. Using a longitudinal design, a pathway model is tested, examining linkages between family social background, cognitive ability, school motivation, and individual investments in education, as well as work- and family-related roles. The most important factors associated with financial independence by age 30 are continued attachment to the labor market as well as a stable relationship with a partner (not necessarily the father of the child). Pathways to financial independence, in turn, are predicted through own cognitive resources, school motivation, and family cohesion. Implications of findings for policy making are discussed.© 2010 Hogrefe Publishing

What’s sex got to do with it? A family-based investigation of growing up heterosexual during the twentieth century

This paper explores findings from a cross-generational study of the making of heterosexual relationships in East Yorkshire, which has interviewed women and men within extended families. Using a feminist perspective, it examines the relationship between heterosexuality and adulthood, focussing on sexual attraction, courtship, first kisses, first love and first sex, as mediated within family relationships, and at different historical moments. In this way, the contemporary experiences of young people growing up are compared and contrasted with those of mid-lifers and older adults who formed heterosexual relationships within the context of the changing social and sexual mores of the 1960s/1970s, and the upheavals of World War Two

Academic self-concept, gender and single-sex schooling

This paper assesses gender differences in academic self-concept for a cohort of children born in 1958 (the National Child Development Study). We address the question of whether attending single-sex or co-educational schools affected students’ perceptions of their own academic abilities (academic self-concept). Academic selfconcept was found to be highly gendered, even controlling for prior test scores. Boys had higher self-concepts in maths and science, and girls in English. Single-sex schooling reduced the gender gap in self-concept, while selective schooling was linked to lower academic self-concept overall