Associative, Semantic, \u27Thematic, and Syntactic Factors in the Memory Representations of Sentences

This study addressed two issues in sentence memory: Hie accuracy of Gestalt representations of sentences over strictly associative accounts, and the role of syntactic, semantic, and thematic variables in characterizing the organizational basis of sentence representations. Sixteen pairs of SVO sentences were generated with a single noun shared by both member sentences of each pair. After a study period during which subjects wrote expansions of stimulus sentences, memory for the shared nouns was tested using subject-verb or object-verb cues from one or both member sentences of each pair. According to associative accounts of sentence memory, mixed cues using one component each from both members of a sentence pair should have been more effective prompts for recall of target nouns than original cues formed from only one of the sentences in a pair. In contrast to the associative predictions the original cues were more likely to prompt meaning-preserving recall of the target nouns, suggesting that theories of sentence memory should incorporate Gestalt representations. In the same experiment, the semantic, syntactic, and thematic role of the sentence components was factorially varied such that each target noun was either a case-grammar agent or object, either subject or predicate, and either given information or new information. Thediffering sentential roles of target nouns produced no reliable variations in cued recall. Potential explanations for the absence of the expected results with regard to the second issue are offered

Storytelling: global perspectives on narrative

This book is a collection of papers from an international inter-disciplinary conference focusing on storytelling and human life. The chapters in this volume provide unique accounts of how stories shape the narratives and discourses of people’s lives and work; and those of their families and broader social networks. From making sense of history; to documenting biographies and current pedagogical approaches; to exploring current and emerging spatial and media trends; this book explores the possibilities of narrative approaches as a theoretical scaffold across numerous disciplines and in diverse contexts. Central to all the chapters is the idea of stories being a creative and reflexive means to make sense of people’s past, current realities and future possibilities

Investigating chronic pain as an in-group using the prisoner’s dilemma

Kinship is a strong predictor of altruism. However, chronic pain is a homeostatic threat to survival that creates a social in-group which we predicted would result in increased altruism over and above kinship, because it is driven by shared empathy. Participants included 139 individuals that were divided into a chronic pain or control group. Participants completed six Prisoner’s Dilemma scenarios with a sibling or chronic pain accomplice. Pain altruism and sibling altruism scores were calculated based on decisions to cooperate with or defect on an accomplice. A mixed ANOVA revealed that there were no significant differences between groups. The marginal difference between the groups suggests that chronic pain may create an in-group altruism that is just as strong as kinship

Changing Kindergarten Readiness Perceptions in the Rural South

This qualitative study examined the perceptions and understandings of various stakeholders in the early childhood sector of the Southeastern United States about kindergarten readiness in response to the implementation of more rigorous academic standards in kindergarten. The study combined interviews, observations, and documents to assess experiences, expectations, and challenges in meeting the strong accountability standards imposed by accountability measures and the implementation of new standards. The qualitative analysis showed that as more rigorous standards are implemented in kindergarten, all stakeholder groups are experiencing high levels of pressure related to the testing and accountability requirements related to the standards. The study further revealed that the stakeholder groups did not share a common understanding of the level of school readiness necessary for the children to reach by first grade and that early communication with parents is necessary for a successful transition of children into the school environment. The results of the study provide insight into the perceptions and understandings of the participants as they experience the readiness process from preschool through participation in kindergarten

A comparison of diet quality in a sample of rural and urban Australian adults

The diet quality of rural Australians is under researched. Characterising disparities in diet quality between rural and urban populations may inform targeted interventions in at- risk groups. A cross-sectional study aimed to determine the relationship between diet quality, rurality and socio-demographic characteristics in a sample of Australian adults. Participants were recruited at rural and regional events between 2017 and 2020, in New South Wales, Australia. Diet quality was measured using the Healthy Eating Quiz or Australian Eating Survey to generate an Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS). ARFS was compared by rurality and sociodemographic characteristics using multivariate regression. Participants (n = 247; 53% female) had a mean ± SD ARFS of 34.5 ± 9.0. There was no significant effect of rurality on ARFS (β-coefficient = −0.4; 95%CI −3.0, 2.3). Compared to participants aged 18–30 years, higher ARFS was evident for those aged 31–50 (β = 5.4; 95%CI 0.3, 10.4), 51–70 (β = 4.4; 95%CI 0.3, 8.5) and >71 years (β = 6.5; 95% CI 1.6–11.4). Compared to those living alone, participants living with a partner (β = 5.2; 95%CI 2.0, 8.4) and families with children (β = 5.6; 95%CI 1.4, 9.8) had significantly higher ARFS. ARFS was significantly lower with each additional self-reported chronic health condition (β = −1.4; 95%CI −2.3, −0.4). Our results indicate that diet quality as defined by the ARFS was classified as ‘getting there’ and that age, living arrangements and chronic health conditions, but not rurality, influenced diet quality in a sample of Australian adults

Candida albicans as an essential "keystone" component within polymicrobial oral biofilm models?

Background: Existing standardized biofilm assays focus on simple mono-species or bacterial-only models. Incorporating Candida albicans into complex biofilm models can offer a more appropriate and relevant polymicrobial biofilm for the development of oral health products. Aims: This study aimed to assess the importance of interkingdom interactions in polymicrobial oral biofilm systems with or without C. albicans, and test how these models respond to oral therapeutic challenges in vitro. Materials and Methods: Polymicrobial biofilms (two models containing 5 and 10 bacterial species, respectively) were created in parallel in the presence and absence of C. albicans and challenged using clinically relevant antimicrobials. The metabolic profiles and biomasses of these complex biofilms were estimated using resazurin dye and crystal violet stain, respectively. Quantitative PCR was utilized to assess compositional changes in microbial load. Additional assays, for measurements of pH and lactate, were included to monitor fluctuations in virulence “biomarkers.” Results: An increased level of metabolic activity and biomass in the presence of C. albicans was observed. Bacterial load was increased by more than a factor of 10 in the presence of C. albicans. Assays showed inclusion of C. albicans impacted the biofilm virulence profiles. C. albicans did not affect the biofilms’ responses to the short-term incubations with different treatments. Conclusions: The interkingdom biofilms described herein are structurally robust and exhibit all the hallmarks of a reproducible model. To our knowledge, these data are the first to test the hypothesis that yeasts may act as potential “keystone” components of oral biofilms. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Polymicrobial oral biofilm models: simplifying the complex

Over the past century, numerous studies have used oral biofilm models to investigate growth kinetics, biofilm formation, structure and composition, antimicrobial susceptibility and host–pathogen interactions. In vivo animal models provide useful models of some oral diseases; however, these are expensive and carry vast ethical implications. Oral biofilms grown or maintained in vitro offer a useful platform for certain studies and have the advantages of being inexpensive to establish and easy to reproduce and manipulate. In addition, a wide range of variables can be monitored and adjusted to mimic the dynamic environmental changes at different sites in the oral cavity, such as pH, temperature, salivary and gingival crevicular fluid flow rates, or microbial composition. This review provides a detailed insight for early-career oral science researchers into how the biofilm models used in oral research have progressed and improved over the years, their advantages and disadvantages, and how such systems have contributed to our current understanding of oral disease pathogenesis and aetiology

The influence of depth and velocity on age‐0 Scaphirhynchus sturgeon prey consumption: Implications for aquatic habitat restoration

After the pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) was listed as endangered in 1990, a variety of management actions focusing on early life history needs have been implemented to aid species recovery. Given the scarcity of age‐0 pallid sturgeon, managers and scientists have relied on sympatric congeners to evaluate the effectiveness of management actions in the short term; however, increased understanding of habitat requirements for age‐0 Scaphirhynchus sturgeon is still needed to appropriately focus management efforts. Recently, a lack of food‐producing and foraging habitats were proposed as potential limiting factors for pallid sturgeon, and the purpose of this study was to evaluate the current definition of these habitats at multiple spatial scales using data from age‐0 Scaphirhynchus sturgeon (shovelnose sturgeon [Scaphirhynchus platyrhynchus] or hybrid [shovelnose sturgeon x pallid sturgeon]). Results showed the water depths and velocities that currently define age‐0 pallid sturgeon foraging habitat had little effect on age‐0 Scaphirhynchus sturgeon prey consumption. Similar results occurred when evaluating the relationship between prey consumption and food‐producing habitat present 10, 20, and 30 days before capture. Assuming that individuals captured during this study were a valid surrogate, these results suggest that increasing foraging and food‐producing habitat as defined by the current depth and velocity criteria is unlikely to result in the desired benefits of increased growth and survival of age‐0 pallid sturgeon

Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Age: Exploring Intersections in Preterm Birth Disparities among Teen Mothers

Few studies have examined disparities in adverse birth outcomes and compared contributingsocioeconomic factors specifically between African-American and White teen mothers. Thisstudy examined intersections between neighborhood socioeconomic status (as defined by censustractmedian household income), maternal age, and racial disparities in preterm birth (PTB)outcomes between African-American and White teen mothers in North Carolina. Using a linkeddataset with state birth record data and socioeconomic information from the 2010 US Census,disparities in preterm birth outcomes for 16,472 teen mothers were examined through bivariateand multilevel analyses. African-American teens had significantly greater odds of PTB outcomesthan White teens (OR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.21, 1.56). Racial disparities in PTB rates significantlyvaried by neighborhood income; PTB rates were 2.1 times higher for African-American teens inhigher income neighborhoods compared to White teens in similar neighborhoods. Disparities inPTB did not vary significantly between teens younger than age 17 and teens ages 17–19,although the magnitude of racial disparities was larger between younger African-American andWhite teens. These results justify further investigations using intersectional frameworks to testthe effects of racial status, neighborhood socioeconomic factors, and maternal age on birthoutcome disparities among infants born to teen mothers