Individual Variation In Use Research Articles

Individual variation in the use of non-F0 cues in the realization of accentual contrasts

Previous analysis of Greek H*, L + H*, and H* + L used FPCA on the f0 contours of these accents (N = 844; 13 speakers), and showed that they are distinguished by their PC1 and PC2 scores: PC1 captures differences in pitch height (H* < L + H* < H* + L) and PC2 differences in accent shape. We extend this analysis by investigating the use of voice quality (H1-H2) and duration in distinguishing the accents, with a focus on individual variation in the use of these cues. Results obtained from Bayesian multivariate analysis demonstrate considerable variability in the use of voice quality and duration in distinguishing between L + H* and H*, as compared to H* + L and H*. Specifically, all speakers used F0 to distinguish H* + L and L + H* from H*. In addition, 7/13 speakers employed a breathier voice to distinguish H* + L from H*, while the use of duration as a cue was relatively infrequent. In contrast, 8/13 speakers employed voicing and 7/13 employed duration to distinguish L + H* from H*, with most speakers using at least one parameter in addition to F0 to make this accentual distinction. These results highlight the importance of investigating non-F0 cues used in encoding intonation categories, as well as individual variation in such use.

Pairing long-term population monitoring and wildlife crossing structure interaction data to evaluate road mitigation effectiveness

Roads negatively affect wildlife populations directly as a source of mortality and indirectly through habitat fragmentation, restricted movement, and altered habitat use. Wildlife crossing structures and roadside fencing are two common road mitigation strategies implemented to reduce wildlife road mortalities and maintain population connectivity. Metrics quantifying use of crossing structures by wildlife are often used to determine their effectiveness, but interpreting these metrics can be challenging when local population processes and individual variation in use are not considered. We used over six years of remote camera data, including two years of post-construction data, from a road improvement project in south Texas to evaluate mitigation efforts in the context of long-term felid abundance. Variation in seasonal felid abundance was tied to precipitation in the preceding 12 months, highlighting the importance of accounting for baseline wildlife abundance when measuring structure efficacy. Crossing structure use by felids was positively correlated with abundance estimates, though frequency and consistency of use varied among individuals. Probability of use was related to roadside fencing, canopy cover, time since crossing construction, and presence of water in the structure. Our results suggest that conventional indices of crossing structure effectiveness, such as crossing rates, are more informative when ongoing population processes are considered. By interpreting structure use in the context of long-term abundance trends and individual variation, managers can compare use across sites to better determine factors that influence crossing structure effectiveness and take steps to site, construct, and maintain structures that enable safe wildlife road crossing and promote connectivity.

Effects of an introduced, novel prey on diet and reproduction in the diet-specialist European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

Diet specialization has important consequences for how individuals or species deal with environmental change that causes changes in availability of prey species. We took advantage of a “natural experiment” — establishment of a commercial insect farm — that introduced a novel prey item, black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens (Linnaeus, 1758)), to the diet-specialist European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758). We investigated evidence for individual diet specialization (IDS) and the consequences of diet specialization and exploitation of novel prey on breeding productivity. In all 4 years of our study, tipulid larvae were the most common prey item. Soldier flies were not recorded in diets in 2013–2014; however, coincident with the establishment of the commercial insect farming operation, they comprised 22% and 30% of all prey items in the diets of European Starling females and males, respectively, in 2015. There was marked individual variation in use of soldier flies (4%–48% and 2%–70% in females and males, respectively), but we found little evidence of dichotomous IDS, i.e., where only some individuals have a specialized diet. We found no evidence for negative effects of use of soldier flies on breeding productivity: brood size at fledging and chick quality (mass, tarsus length) were independent of the number and proportion (%) of soldier flies returned to the nest.

Limited Service Availability, Readiness, and Use of Facility-Based Delivery Care in Haiti: A Study Linking Health Facility Data and Population Data.

Understanding the barriers that women in Haiti face to giving birth at a health facility is important for improving coverage of facility delivery and reducing persistently high maternal mortality. We linked health facility survey data and population survey data to assess the role of the obstetric service environment in affecting women's use of facility delivery care. Data came from the 2012 Haiti Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and the 2013 Haiti Service Provision Assessment (SPA) survey. DHS clusters and SPA facilities were linked with their geographic coordinate information. The final analysis sample from the DHS comprised 4,921 women who had a live birth in the 5 years preceding the survey. Service availability was measured with the number of facilities providing delivery services within a specified distance from the cluster (within 5 kilometers for urban areas and 10 kilometers for rural areas). We measured facility readiness to provide obstetric care using 37 indicators defined by the World Health Organization. Random-intercept logistic regressions were used to model the variation in individual use of facility-based delivery care and cluster-level service availability and readiness, adjusting for other factors. Overall, 39% of women delivered their most recent birth at a health facility and 61% delivered at home, with disparities by residence (about 60% delivered at a health facility in urban areas vs. 24% in rural areas). About one-fifth (18%) of women in rural areas and one-tenth (12%) of women in nonmetropolitan urban areas lived in clusters where no facility offered delivery care within the specified distances, while nearly all women (99%) in the metropolitan area lived in clusters that had at least 2 such facilities. Urban clusters had better service readiness compared with rural clusters, with a wide range of variation in both areas. Regression models indicated that in both rural and nonmetropolitan urban areas availability of delivery services was significantly associated with women's greater likelihood of using facility-based delivery care after controlling for other covariates, while facilities' readiness to provide delivery services was also important in nonmetropolitan urban areas. Increasing physical access to delivery care should become a high priority in rural Haiti. In urban areas, where delivery services are more available than in rural areas, improving quality of care at facilities could potentially lead to increased coverage of facility delivery.

Is the Uniscale an Appropriate Mother-Child Scale?

To determine the reliability and acceptability of the Uniscale. Two studies were conducted from December 2000 to February 2001 in Iran. In the first study, weights of subjects were obtained using the Uniscale and compared with weights obtained from the currently used scale. The sample comprised pregnant women and children under 5 years old. The main measure was reliability, which was assessed by two indicators: intra-instrument error for each of the two scales, and inter-instrument error. The second study was a descriptive study designed to test providers' perceptions of acceptability of Uniscale measurements. In the first study, a total of 458 subjects participated in the study. Overall, mean values of repeated measurements using each of the scales (intra-instrument error) were not significantly different. There was no significant difference between the weight measurements of the two scales (inter-instrument error) when weighing children, but a significant difference was detected when weighing pregnant women (p < 0.001). In the second study, 54 providers were included. The proportions of providers who recommended use of the Uniscale for children under 2 years, children 2-5 years and pregnant women were 57%, 75% and 80%, respectively. The Uniscale had the same accuracy as the current scale when weighing children. However, for use with adults, we suggest additional studies be conducted with increased training of providers because we found that measurements were influenced by individual variation in use. It is recommended that new versions of mother-child scales be developed that are more user friendly.

Het Quotatieve Van

Since the 1970s, the use of the Dutch preposition van in the (semi-)quotative function has been noted by several linguists and language users as rapidly increasing in informal speech. In this sense, it can be compared to the English quotative marker like, which is also used to introduce direct speech. Dutch van, however, can also occur before indirect speech. This paper concentrates on the pragmatic function(s) of this marker. The typifying function is considered to be of central relevance. Exploiting this meaning in specific contexts, additional pragmatic effects can occur, such as positive and negative politeness, focusing the quote and facilitating expressivity. Whereas (American) English like seems to have sociolinguistic connotations ('young females'), a similar connotation has not been found for Dutch van, although further sociolinguistic research is necessary. Variation in individual use has been observed: some speakers seem to avoid the use of the marker, whereas others use it frequently.

Legislation and Reality in Public Dental Services in Norway: Dental Health Services for Children and Adolescents in 1975 and 1985

The act relating to dental health service implied a reorganization of the public dental health services in Norway in 1984. The act intended to extend the target group of public dental health services and to achieve social and geographic equality in the distribution of dental health services among children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to assess the degree to which these intentions had been fulfilled. The material comprised two nationwide, stratified, and randomly selected samples of 3,356 and 2,970 children and adolescents in the age group zero to 18 years. Data were collected in 1975 and 1985. Both the theoretical and the empirical models applied structural and individual resources to explain individual variation in use of dental health services. The results showed that the proportion of zero- to 18-year-olds who had seen a dentist within the past 12 months was higher in 1985 than in 1975 (81.7% and 75.8%, respectively). Bivariate and trivariate table analyses showed that statistically significant associations between structural resources and use of dental health services disappeared when controlling for a third variable. Use of dental health services among children and adolescents in Norway was not systemically influenced by the same factors, as was the use of dental health services in the adult population. Thus, the Public Dental Health Service in Norway seems to have had the capability of compensating for most of the discriminating effects that individual and structural factors may have on the use of dental health services both before and after the reorganization of the public dental health service.

Some Like It Hot: Individual Differences in Responses to Group Feeling Thermometers

Some Like It Hot: Individual Differences in Responses to Group Feeling Thermometers