Linguistic significance of current British slang

This thesis comprises four chapters dealing with aspects of current British Slang. In Chapter 1 a questionnaire dealing largely with Slang terms for women is described, and the results obtained are analysed for socio-linguistic information. This analysis indicates that differences of Slang usage correlate with the informants' age, sex and social class. A new taxonomy of English Register is suggested. Chapter 2 deals with a test designed to gather data about the acceptability of items in the questionnaire. It investigates the effects on acceptability of: an item's context; the informants' age, sex and social class; and the rating of pairs of items used in similar contexts. In Chapter 3 the problems of carrying out semantic analyses of such material are discussed. A partitioning cluster analysis procedure is employed to group the data objectively. A single-context synonymity test is also applied to the data. Stable clusters which are consistent with the results of the single-context synonymity test and with linguistic intuitions are generated using cluster analysis. Cluster analysis procedures are assessed for applicability in linguistic research and their possible future uses in semantic analysis are discussed. Chapter 4 reviews some alternative proposals for semantic analysis as well as previous suggestions regarding the position of Slang in the English Language. The data collected illustrate semantic parallels between Slang and Standard English. An attempt at componential analysis of the data illustrates problems inherent in this procedure. The difficulties are seen in terms of the dilemma: the need to generalise to keep the system a manageable size; and the unavoidable loss of vital information through generalization. Some modifications of the normal techniques are suggested, especially the introduction of the notion 'fuzzy component', to deal with the irreducible vagueness of meaning in some items of Standard English and of Slang

Review of Meriden: Its People and Houses Part 1

This publication, said to be \u27the first book ever written about Meriden\u27, has come to our attention because of \u27The George Eliot Connection\u27 and because it was researched and written by a member of the George Eliot Fellowship. The historical research, dating back to the Middle Ages, is very thorough, and there are numerous photographs, plans and maps. The prose is somewhat breathless, as if copious notes have been written up with great rapidity, and this impairs its clarity. There are some errors in proof: the Clarkes, not the Evanses, must have been living at The Cottage in 1850. The index has \u27Royal Flying Corpse\u27, and \u27Morianne Evans\u27 for George Eliot\u27s proper name. It is misleading to use the French form, Marianne, as, according to Dr. Haight, she used this form only a few times while she was in Geneva after her father\u27s death. Mary Ann Evans would be more appropriate for the index

Metabolic scaling: consensus or controversy?

BACKGROUND: The relationship between body mass (M) and standard metabolic rate (B) among living organisms remains controversial, though it is widely accepted that in many cases B is approximately proportional to the three-quarters power of M. RESULTS: The biological significance of the straight-line plots obtained over wide ranges of species when B is plotted against log M remains a matter of debate. In this article we review the values ascribed to the gradients of such graphs (typically 0.75, according to the majority view), and we assess various attempts to explain the allometric power-law phenomenon, placing emphasis on the most recent publications. CONCLUSION: Although many of the models that have been advanced have significant attractions, none can be accepted without serious reservations, and the possibility that no one model can fit all cases has to be more seriously entertained

More than Just a Roof over Their Heads Migrant Accommodation Centres and the Assimilation of “New Australians” 1947-1960

period of migration has distorted the understanding of what and how assimilation programs operated and the importance that was attached to not only educating migrants in the model Australian way of life, but also convincing old Australians of the benefits of the mass migration scheme. Through extensive archival research, this work identifies the key role that migrant accommodation centres played in the assimilation of new arrivals. The thesis moves beyond previous considerations of these centres as substandard temporary housing to argue that they were more than roofs over the heads of migrants; rather they provided an important liminal space for early assimilation activity to occur. Through a variety of examples (such as the content of language lessons, the work of voluntary organisations, the introduction of kindergartens, participation in sport, the showing of films, and the celebration of commemorative events) this thesis shows that the process of assimilating new arrivals within migrant accommodation centres was in fact all-encompassing and moved far beyond the previously assumed importance of the Good Neighbour Movement as the primary agent of assimilation. Finally, the thesis considers some of the negative consequences of this all-encompassing approach with particular reference to an often neglected cohort of migrants, women and children.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Humanities, 201

Experimental Validation of Methods for Prophylaxis against Deep Venous Thrombosis: A Review and Proposal

The experimental procedure by which the valve cusp hypoxia (VCH) hypothesis of the etiology of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) was confirmed lends itself to testing of methods of prophylaxis. Similar animal experiments could end the present exclusive reliance on statistical analysis of data from large patient cohorts to evaluate prophylactic regimes. The reduction of need for such (usually retrospective) analyses could enable rationally-based clinical trials of prophylactic methods to be conducted more rapidly, and the success of such trials would lead to decreased incidences of DVT-related mortality and morbidity. This paper reviews the VCH hypothesis (“VCH thesis”, following its corroboration) and its implications for understanding DVT and its sequelae, and outlines the experimental protocol for testing prophylactic methods. The advantages and limitations of the protocol are briefly discussed

Diet as prophylaxis and treatment for venous thromboembolism?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Both prophylaxis and treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE: deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary emboli (PE)) with anticoagulants are associated with significant risks of major and fatal hemorrhage. Anticoagulation treatment of VTE has been the standard of care in the USA since before 1962 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began requiring randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) showing efficacy, so efficacy trials were never required for FDA approval. In clinical trials of 'high VTE risk' surgical patients before the 1980s, anticoagulant prophylaxis was clearly beneficial (fatal pulmonary emboli (FPE) without anticoagulants = 0.99%, FPE with anticoagulants = 0.31%). However, observational studies and RCTs of 'high VTE risk' surgical patients from the 1980s until 2010 show that FPE deaths without anticoagulants are about one-fourth the rate that occurs during prophylaxis with anticoagulants (FPE without anticoagulants = 0.023%, FPE while receiving anticoagulant prophylaxis = 0.10%). Additionally, an FPE rate of about 0.012% (35/28,400) in patients receiving prophylactic anticoagulants can be attributed to 'rebound hypercoagulation' in the two months after stopping anticoagulants. Alternatives to anticoagulant prophylaxis should be explored.</p> <p>Methods and Findings</p> <p>The literature concerning dietary influences on VTE incidence was reviewed. Hypotheses concerning the etiology of VTE were critiqued in relationship to the rationale for dietary versus anticoagulant approaches to prophylaxis and treatment.</p> <p>Epidemiological evidence suggests that a diet with ample fruits and vegetables and little meat may substantially reduce the risk of VTE; vegetarian, vegan, or Mediterranean diets favorably affect serum markers of hemostasis and inflammation. The valve cusp hypoxia hypothesis of DVT/VTE etiology is consistent with the development of VTE being affected directly or indirectly by diet. However, it is less consistent with the rationale of using anticoagulants as VTE prophylaxis. For both prophylaxis and treatment of VTE, we propose RCTs comparing standard anticoagulation with low VTE risk diets, and we discuss the statistical considerations for an example of such a trial.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Because of (a) the risks of biochemical anticoagulation as anti-VTE prophylaxis or treatment, (b) the lack of placebo-controlled efficacy data supporting anticoagulant treatment of VTE, (c) dramatically reduced hospital-acquired FPE incidence in surgical patients without anticoagulant prophylaxis from 1980 - 2010 relative to the 1960s and 1970s, and (d) evidence that VTE incidence and outcomes may be influenced by diet, randomized controlled non-inferiority clinical trials are proposed to compare standard anticoagulant treatment with potentially low VTE risk diets. We call upon the U. S. National Institutes of Health and the U.K. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to design and fund those trials.</p

Formally calling the CoPs for staff working with first year students

Drawing on both Community of Practice (CoP) and First Year in Higher Education (FYHE) literature this nuts and bolts session will explore whether the FYHE community may be identified as a CoP. This discussion will be used as a springboard to a presentation on the development of CoPs that support the FYHE teaching community in other Australian universities and the establishment of the CoP for staff who work with first year students at Flinders University. The presentation will outline why a CoP was established to support first year teaching and how the initiative is progressing. Participants will be provided with time to either consider the CoPs at their own institutions or to consider whether investing in one is an appropriate strategy to support staff who work with first year students