Pragmatic reframing from distress to playfulness: !Xun caregiver responses to infant crying

Using the method and theoretical perspective of language socialization, this paper examines the pragmatic reframing of infant behavior from distress to playfulness among the !Xun San of north–central Namibia. Reframing mobilizes a constellation of multiple semiotic resources. For the !Xun, central among these resources is “gymnastic behavior, ” namely, holding infants upright or moving them up and down (bouncing). The analysis shows that !Xun caregivers frequently engage infants in gymnastic behavior in response to infant crying and other displays of distress. They thereby collaboratively create rhythms with infants and encourage them to display joyful reactions. Consequently, infants grow accustomed to pragmatic reframing and rekeying long before they can do so using language. Along with that, caregivers often involve other people in the changing participation framework of family interactions. These findings suggest that pragmatic reframing and rekeying assist infants and caregivers in establishing an intimate intercorporeality. Moreover, by reframing infant behavior in a particular manner, the caregivers display their alignment with !Xun knowledge and value system. Involvement of people around infants in caregiving behavior also enhances the (re)socialization of each interactant into the family and other social identities. It is argued that these features forge the development of !Xun distinct intersubjectivity

Ab-Initio Total-Energy Pseudopotential Calculations For Polymorphic B2O3 Crystals

[[abstract]]We use ab initio pseudopotential electronic-structure methods to describe successfully both the detailed static structures and the structural transformation in B2O3 crystals. Employing a reduced cell volume, with full relaxation of all internal coordinates, our calculations model the structural transformation from the polymorph containing the BO3 triangular unit into that containing the BO4 tetrahedral unit. In order to interpret the mechanism, individual energy contributions to the total energy are analyzed.[[journaltype]]國外[[incitationindex]]SCI[[booktype]]紙本[[booktype]]電子版[[countrycodes]]US

Caregivers’ strategies for eliciting storytelling from toddlers in Japanese caregiver–child picture book reading activities

Although storytelling is a central practice in everyday interaction, it is not an easy task for young children, because it requires extended turns-at-talk. To tell a story successfully, a child requires considerable support from the recipient. In this article, we examine how storytelling is facilitated in Japanese caregiver–child interactions, focusing on the strategies employed by caregivers to elicit storytelling from 2- to 3-year-old children during picture book reading activities. Our analysis indicates that caregivers employ various multimodal strategies in encouraging children to launch, develop, and end a story, and that these strategies are themselves effectively implemented through the application of several grammatical features, conventional expressions, and formulaic words. Hence, storytelling functions as a valuable device in orchestrating attention, affect, and morality in caregiver–child interactions

Studies on Tryptophan Metabolites in Patients of Major Monopolar Depression

Plasma levels of tryptophan metabolites were compared between healthy volunteers and patients of major monopolar depression at various ages and genders. An ultrahigh-speed liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry has been used for analysis. There are significant gender and age differences in TRP metabolites of healthy volunteers. At the upper stream of metabolism, metabolites of young women and old men are higher, but at the lower stream of metabolism, their levels are higher in young men and old women. Such differences disappear in plasma of patients of major monopolar depression except for kynurenine (KYN). Daily variation of blood serotonin (5-HT) levels showed that 5-HT levels were low in the morning and increased toward evening, but blood levels of 5-HT were higher in healthy people than depressive people in the morning and decreased to ward evening. Significant age and gender differences of plasma levels of tryptophan metabolites in healthy volunteers disappear in patients of major monopolar depression. Blood levels of 5-HT were higher in healthy people than depressive patients

Calcium antagonism and reversibility of gentamicin-induced loss of cochlear microphonics in the guinea pig

The perilymphatic space of the guinea pig cochlea was perfused with various concentrations of Ca2+, Mg2+ and gentamicin. Cochlear microphonic potentials (CM) were essentially stable when solutions contained 1 mM Ca2+ plus 2 mM Mg2+, 1 mM Ca2+ and no Mg2+ or when both Ca2+ and Mg2+ were omitted. In the absence of Ca2+, the presence of 2 mM Mg2+ or 1 mM EGTA markedly decreased CM.Addition of 3 mM gentamicin lowered CM, the magnitude of the effect depending on the concentration of Ca2+ present. Ten mM Ca2+ eliminated the action of the drug. In the absence of Ca2+, the effects of Mg2+ and gentamicin were additive.When the application of gentamicin was followed by perfusion with drug-free medium, suppression of CM by 3 mM drug could be reversed with 10 mM Ca2+ but not with 1 mM Ca2+. Loss of CM was irreversible when administration of 10 mM Ca2+ was delayed or when the drug concentration was increased to 10 mM.The results are consistent with our previous hypothesis of a biphasic mechanism of aminoglycoside toxicity: an initial action competitive with calcium ions and reversible and a second step, non-competitive and irreversible.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/23845/1/0000084.pd

Object transfer in request–accept sequence in Japanese caregiver–child interactions

Available online 2 May 2015Requesting an object or information is a basic and ubiquitous activity in human interactions, but the sequential organization of this activity varies considerably across speech communities. In line with the Language Socialization approach, this paper inquires into (1) how children formulate their acceptance of object requests made by caregivers, (2) the role of the requested object in request–accept sequences, and (3) the distinctive features of object requests in Japanese caregiver–child interactions (CCIs). Based on video data of Japanese caregiver–child (aged 0–5 years) interactions, we conducted an interaction analysis of conversations involving object transfer. The results revealed that the features of request–acceptance sequences are shaped by (1) the trigger of the object request, (2) the features of the requested object, (3) timing, bodily orientation, and the manner of transferring the requested object. By engaging in object request sequences, caregivers not only made reciprocal communication more effective but also set and modified the frame of their activity. The study also revealed that object request sequences are the place of negotiation for both children and caregivers with respect to (re)constructing the appropriate morality of Japanese culture

Stages of a Transtheoretical Model as Predictors of the Decline in Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: The transtheoretical model (TTM) is composed of the multiple stages according to patient’s consciousness and is believed to lead people to realize the importance of healthier behaviors. We examined the association of TTM stages with the decline of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Methods: We used the annual health checkup data and health insurance claims data of the Japan Health Insurance Association in Kyoto Prefecture between April 2012 and March 2016. TTM stages of change obtained from questionnaires at the first health checkup and categorized into six groups. The primary outcome was defined as a more than 30% decline in eGFR from the first health checkup. We fitted multivariable Cox proportional-hazards model for time-to-event analyses adjusting for age, sex, eGFR, body mass index, blood pressure, blood sugar, dyslipidemia, uric acid, urinary protein, and existence of kidney diseases at first health checkup. Results: We analyzed 239, 755 employees and the mean follow-up was 2.9 (standard deviation, 1.2) years. As compared with the stage 1 group, the risk of eGFR decline was significantly low in the stage 3 group (hazard ratio [HR] 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.65–0.91); stage 4 group (HR 0.80; 95% CI, 0.65–0.98); and stage 5 group (HR 0.79; 95% CI, 0.66–0.95). Conclusion: Compared with the precontemplation stage (stage 1), the preparation, action and maintenance stages (stages 3, 4, and 5), were associated with a lower risk of eGFR decline

Molecular dynamics study of tridymite

Structural changes in tridymite have been investigated by molecular dynamics simulation. Two thermal processes were carried out, one cooling from the high-temperature hexagonal structure of tridymite (HP-tridymite) and the other heating from the low-temperature monoclinic structure of tridymite (MX1-tridymite). The former process showed that HP, LHP (low-temperature hexagonal structure), OC (orthorhombic structure with C2221 symmetry) and OP (orthorhombic structure with P212121 symmetry)-like structures appeared in sequence. In contrast, the latter process showed that MX1, OP, OC, LHP and HP-like structures appeared in sequence. Detailed analysis of the calculated structures showed that the configuration underwent stepwise changes associated with several characteristic modes. First, the structure of HP-tridymite determined from diffraction experiments was identified as a time-averaged structure in a similar manner to β-cristobalite, thus indicating the important role of floppy modes of oxygen atoms at high temperature – one of the common features observed in silica crystals and glass. Secondly, the main structural changes were ascribed to a combination of distortion of the six-membered rings in the layers and misalignment between layers. We suggest that the slowing down of floppy oxygen movement invokes the multistage emergence of structures with lower symmetry on cooling. This study therefore not only reproduces the sequence of the main polymorphic transitions in tridymite, except for the appearance of the monoclinic phase, but also explains the microscopic dynamic structural changes in detail

THE FRICTIONAL COEFFICIENTS IN TI-NB ALLOY

Objectives: To determine the frictional force (FF) of the novel, elastic, bendable titanium-niobium (Ti-Nb) alloy orthodontic wire in stainless steel (SS) brackets and to compare it with those of titanium-nickel (Ti-Ni) and titanium-molybdenum (Ti-Mo) alloy wires. Materials and Methods: Three sizes of Ti-Nb, Ti-Ni, and Ti-Mo alloy wires were ligated with elastic modules to 0.018-inch and 0.022-inch SS brackets. The dynamic FFs between the orthodontic wires and SS brackets were measured at three bracket-wire angles (0゜, 5゜, and 10゜) with an Instron 5567 loading apparatus (Canton, Mass). Results: FFs increased gradually with the angle and wire size. In the 0.018-inch-slot bracket, the dynamic FFs of Ti-Nb and Ti-Ni alloy wires were almost the same, and those of the Ti-Mo alloy wire were significantly greater (P<0.05). FF values were 1.5–2 times greater in the 0.022-inch-slot bracket than in the 0.018-inch-slot bracket, regardless of alloy wire type, and the Ti-Mo alloy wire showed the greatest FF. Scanning electric microscopic images showed that the surface of the Ti-Mo alloy wire was much rougher than that of the Ti-Ni and Ti-Nb alloy wires. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that the Ti-Nb alloy wire has almost the same frictional resistance as the Ti-Ni alloy wire, although it has a higher elastic modulus

Femoral bone structure in Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty rats

AbstractObjectivesType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) increases fracture risk despite normal to high levels of bone mineral density. Bone quality is known to affect bone fragility in T2DM. The aim of this study was to clarify the trabecular bone microstructure and cortical bone geometry of the femur in T2DM model rats.MethodsFive-week-old Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF; n = 5) and Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO; n = 5) rats were used. At the age of 18 months, femurs were scanned with micro-computed tomography, and trabecular bone microstructure and cortical bone geometry were analyzed.ResultsTrabecular bone microstructure and cortical bone geometry deteriorated in the femur in OLETF rats. Compared with in LETO rats, in OLETF rats, bone volume fraction, trabecular number and connectivity density decreased, and trabecular space significantly increased. Moreover, in OLETF rats, cortical bone volume and section area decreased, and medullary volume significantly increased.ConclusionsLong-term T2DM leaded to deterioration in trabecular and cortical bone structure. Therefore, OLETF rats may serve as a useful animal model for investigating the relationship between T2DM and bone quality