Phrase parsing in a second language as indexed by the closure positive shift: The impact of language experience and acoustic cue salience

Despite the importance of prosodic processing in utterance parsing, a majority of studies investigating boundary localization in a second language focus on word segmentation. The goal of the present study was to investigate the parsing of phrase boundaries in first and second languages from different prosodic typologies (stress-timed vs. syllable-timed). Fifty English-French bilingual adults who varied in native language (French or English) and second language proficiency listened to English and French utterances with different prosodic structures while event-related brain potentials were recorded. The utterances were built around target words presented either in phrase-final position (bearing phrase-final lengthening) or in penultimate position. Each participant listened to both English and French stimuli, providing data in their native language (used as reference) and their second language. Target words in phrase-final position elicited closure positive shifts across listeners in both languages, regardless of the language-specific acoustic cues associated with phrase-final lengthening (shorter phrase-final lengthening in English compared to French). Interestingly, directional effects were observed, where learning to parse English as a second language in a native-like manner seemed to require a higher proficiency level than learning to parse French as a second language. This pattern of results supports the idea that L2 listeners need to learn to recognize L2-specific phrase-final lengthening regardless of the apparent similarity across languages and that some language combinations might present greater challenges than others.

Who are you talking to? The role of addressee identity in utterance comprehension

Experimental evidence suggests that speaker and addressee quickly adapt to each other from the earliest moments of sentence processing, and that interlocutor-related information is rapidly integrated with other sources of nonpragmatic information (e.g., semantic, morphosyntactic, etc.). These findings have been taken as support for one-step models of sentence comprehension. The results from the present event-related potential study challenge this theoretical framework providing a case where discourse level information is integrated only at a late stage of processing, when morphosyntactic analysis has been already initiated. We considered the case of Basque allocutive agreement, where information about addressee gender is encoded in verbal inflection. Two different types of Basque grammatical violations were presented together with the corresponding control conditions: one could be detected based on a morphosyntactic mismatch (person agreement violation), while the other could be detected only if the addressee's gender was considered (allocutive violation). Morphosyntactic violations elicited greater N400 effects followed by P600 effects, while allocutive violations elicited only P600 effects. These results provide new constraints to one-step accounts as they represent a case where speakers do not immediately adjust to the addressee's perspective. We propose that the relevance of discourse-level information might be a crucial variable to reconcile the dichotomy between one- and two-step models.

Adaptive and selective production of syllable duration and fundamental frequency as word segmentation cues by French-English bilinguals

Despite the significant impact of prosody on L2 speakers' intelligibility, few studies have examined the production of prosodic cues associated with word segmentation in non-native or non-dominant languages. Here, 62 French-English bilingual adults, who varied in L1 (French or English) and language dominance, produced sentences built around syllable strings that can be produced either as one bisyllabic word or two monosyllabic words. Each participant produced both English and French utterances, providing both native productions (used as reference) and L2 productions. Acoustic analyses of the mean fundamental frequency (F0) and duration of both syllables of the ambiguous string revealed that speakers' relative language dominance affected the speakers' prosodic cue production over and above L1. Speakers also produced different prosodic patterns in English and French, suggesting that the production of prosodic cues associated with word-segmentation is both adaptive (modified by language experience) and selective (specific to each language).

Barriers and facilitators to shared decision making in child and youth mental health: clinician perspectives using the Theoretical Domains Framework

Shared decision making (SDM) is increasingly being suggested as an integral part of mental health provision. Yet, there is little research on what clinicians believe the barriers and facilitators around practice to be. At the same time, there is also increasing recognition of a theory-practice gap within the field, with calls for more pragmatic uses of theory to inform and improve clinical practice. Using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), a comprehensive, theoretical-led framework, underpinned by 33 behaviour change theories and 128 constructs, clinician perceived barriers and facilitators to SDM are investigated. The sample comprised of 15 clinicians across two sites in England, who took part in qualitative semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Transcripts were analysed using a deductive thematic analysis, and themes were coded under each theoretical domain. Overall, 21 barriers and facilitators for SDM in child and youth mental health were identified across ten domains of the TDF. Under capability, barriers and facilitators were found for knowledge, skills, memory/attention/decision making processes, and behavioural regulation. For opportunity, barriers and facilitators were found for social influences, as well as environmental context and resources. Finally, for motivation, domains covered included: beliefs about consequences, beliefs about capabilities, emotions, and professional role and identity. Findings suggest that a range of barriers and facilitators affect clinicians' abilities to engage in SDM with young people and parents. Interventions which target different domains related to capability, opportunity and motivation should be developed to better facilitate young people and their families in care and treatment decisions.

Addressee Identity and Morphosyntactic Processing in Basque Allocutive Agreement

Information about interlocutor identity is pragmatic in nature and has traditionally been distinguished from explicitly coded linguistic information, including mophosyntax. Study of speaker identity in language processing has questioned this distinction, but addressee identity has been less considered. We used Basque to explore how addressee identity is processed during morphosyntactic analysis. In the familiar register hika, Basque has obligatory allocutive agreement, where verbal morphology represents the gender of a non-argument addressee. We manipulated the gender of the allocutive verb and the congruence of addressee gender in conversations between two interlocutors. Items with person agreement manipulations were included as a control comparison. Basque speakers familiar with hika completed speeded acceptability judgments and unspeeded, offline naturalness ratings for each conversation. Results showed a main effect of addressee identity congruence for naturalness ratings, but there was no main effect for addressee identity congruence for reaction times or accuracy in the acceptability judgment. Interactions and correlations with biographical data showed that the effect of congruence was modulated by the gender of the allocutive verb and that hika proficiency was related to participants' performance for the acceptability judgment. These results show an interaction between morphosyntactic and pragmatic information and are the first experimental data of allocutive processing. In comparison, clear effects were seen for the person agreement condition, indicating that person disagreement is more disruptive to processing than addressee identity incongruence. This study has implications for investigation of the role of extralinguistic information in morphosyntactic processing, and suggests that not all such information plays an equal role.

Changes in severity of psychosocial difficulties in adolescents accessing specialist mental healthcare in England (2009-2014)

In England, clinicians and professional organisations report that higher numbers of adolescents with more severe psychosocial difficulties are accessing specialist services. A lack of national data on patterns of access to specialist services means there is limited information to inform policy. We examined whether severity of psychosocial difficulties in adolescents accessing mental healthcare has changed over time. Adolescents seen in specialist child mental healthcare in 2009 vs. 2014 were matched on demographics and problem types using propensity score matching; final sample N = 2776 adolescents. We found: 1) stability over time in overall severity of difficulties, 2) an increase in severity of young women's emotional problems, and 3) a decrease in adolescents' conduct problems. The findings suggest the intriguing possibility that the criteria for accessing mental healthcare are not universally rising, but rather the patterns in access to specialist services may mirror epidemiological changes in severity of psychosocial difficulties in the population.

When is Sessional Monitoring More Likely in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services?

Sessional monitoring of patient progress or experience of therapy is an evidence-based intervention recommended by healthcare systems internationally. It is being rolled out across child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in England to inform clinical practice and service evaluation. We explored whether patient demographic and case characteristics were associated with the likelihood of using sessional monitoring. Multilevel regressions were conducted on N = 2609 youths from a routinely collected dataset from 10 CAMHS. Girls (odds ratio, OR 1.26), older youths (OR 1.10), White youths (OR 1.35), and youths presenting with mood (OR 1.46) or anxiety problems (OR 1.59) were more likely to have sessional monitoring. In contrast, youths under state care (OR 0.20) or in need of social service input (OR 0.39) were less likely to have sessional monitoring. Findings of the present research may suggest that sessional monitoring is more likely with common problems such as mood and anxiety problems but less likely with more complex cases, such as those involving youths under state care or those in need of social service input.

A sterol-binding protein integrates endosomal lipid metabolism with TOR signaling and nitrogen sensing

Kes1, and other oxysterol-binding protein superfamily members, are involved in membrane and lipid trafficking through trans-Golgi network (TGN) and endosomal systems. We demonstrate that Kes1 represents a sterol-regulated antagonist of TGN/endosomal phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate signaling. This regulation modulates TOR activation by amino acids and dampens gene expression driven by Gcn4, the primary transcriptional activator of the general amino acid control regulon. Kes1-mediated repression of Gcn4 transcription factor activity is characterized by nonproductive Gcn4 binding to its target sequences, involves TGN/endosome-derived sphingolipid signaling, and requires activity of the cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) module of the enigmatic "large Mediator" complex. These data describe a pathway by which Kes1 integrates lipid metabolism with TORC1 signaling and nitrogen sensing.

Characterization of the CuA center in the cytochromec oxidase fromThermus thermophilus for the spectral range 1800-500 cm?1 with a combined electrochemical and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic setup

In this study we present the electrochemically induced Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) difference spectra of the Cu(A) center derived from the ba(3)-type cytochrome c oxidase of Thermus thermophilus in the spectral range from 1800 to 500 cm(-1). The mid infrared is dominated by the nu(C[double bond]O) vibrations of the amide I modes at 1688, 1660, and 1635 cm(-1), reflecting the redox-induced perturbation of the predominantly beta-sheet type structure. The corresponding amide II signal is found at 1528 cm(-1). In the lower frequency range below 800 cm(-1), modes from amino acids liganding the Cu(A) center are expected. On the basis of the absorbance spectrum of the isolated amino acids, methionine is identified as an important residue, displaying C-S vibrations at these frequencies. This spectral range was previously disregarded by protein IR spectroscopists, mainly due to the strong absorbance of the solvent, H(2)O. With an optimized setup, however, IR is found suitable for structure/function studies on proteins.

First direct structural comparison of complexes of the same metal fragment to ketenes in both C,C- and C,O-bonding modes

Using a series of Ir(I) and Rh(I) ketene complexes, conclusions about the structure and bonding of complexes of the fundamentally important ketene ligand class are reached. In a unique comparison of X-ray structures of the same metal fragment to ketenes in both the eta(2)-(C,C) and the eta(2)-(C,O) binding mode, the Ir-Cl bond distances in complexes of trans-Cl(Ir)[P(i-Pr)(3)](2) to phenylketene [4, eta(2)-(C,C)] and diphenylketene [2a, eta(2)-(C,O)] are 2.371(3) and 2.285(2) A, respectively. This would be consistent with greater trans influence of a ketene ligand bound to a metal through its C=C bond than one connected by its C=O bond. Back-bonding of Ir(I) and Rh(I) to diphenylketene was assessed using trans-Cl(M)[P(i-Pr)(3)](2)[eta(2)-(C,O)-diphenylketene] (2a and 2d). Most bond lengths and angles are identical, but slightly greater back-bonding by Ir(I) is suggested by the somewhat greater deformation of the ketene C=C=O system [C-C-O angles are 136.6(4) and 138.9(4) in the Ir and Rh cases 2a and 2d, respectively]. Syntheses of new labeled ketenes Ph(2)C=(13)C=O and Ph(2)C=C=(18)O and their Ir(I) and Rh(I) complexes are reported, along with the generation of an Ir(I) complex of PhCH=(13)C=O. The effects of isotopic substitution on infrared absorption data for ketene complexes are presented for the first time. Preliminary normal coordinate mode analysis allowed definitive assignment of absorptions ascribed to the C-O stretching frequencies of coordinated ketenes, which are near the absorptions for aromatic ring systems commonly found as substituents on ketenes. For free diphenylketene and four of its complexes and a phenylketene complex characterized by X-ray diffraction, the magnitude of the (13)C-(13)C coupling between the two ketene carbons is correlated to carbon-carbon bond distance.

Corneal ulceration at an urban African hospital

During a one-year survey 283 corneal ulcers from 274 patients were seen at St John's Eye Unit of Baragwanath Hospital. Central bacterial ulcers constituted the largest problem, and the commonest isolate in this group was Streptococcus pneumoniae. Mycotic and dendritic keratitis were relatively uncommon, while marginal catarrhal ulceration secondary to chronic staphylococcal lid disease was frequently seen. The microbiology of the various ulcers is described, and the placing of organisms into classes is stressed in determining significance of isolates. Many of the patients were male Africans who were either manual labourers or unemployed. Half the patients had used topical antibiotics before presentation.

Effects of topical indomethacin pretreatment on argon laser trabeculoplasty: a randomised, double-masked study on black South Africans

This randomised, double-masked study on 45 black South Africans compares the effect of topical indomethacin pretreatment with that of placebo on the immediate postoperative increase or reduction in intraocular pressure one week and one month after argon laser trabeculoplasty. There was no significant difference in the incidence and the magnitude of the immediate postoperative intraocular pressure increase between the two groups, though they occurred significantly later in the indomethacin-treated group (p less than 0.01). Although no effect of indomethacin pretreatment on the intraocular pressure reduction was evident after one week, a significant adverse effect of the drug was demonstrated after one month (p less than 0.01).