Search

Prior research documents /æ/ raising and tensing when followed by /g/ in words like bag in the Pacific Northwest, particularly in Seattle. The present study compares /æg/ raising among speakers from Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, British Columbia, and explores the social motivations for its use. The findings show that while the feature occurs in both cities, its social distribution is not identical. Different age and gender distributions and varying metalinguistic commentary raise questions about the trajectory of change in each city. Nonetheless, speakers' realizations of raised bag are associated with similar sociocultural backgrounds and ideologies. In Seattle, bag raisers have multigenerational ties to the area, take strong ideological stances against changes in the area's industries and economy, and oppose "gentrification." Nonraisers have more international ties, show stronger interest in moving elsewhere, and embrace Seattle's new industries. In Vancouver, bag raisers describe growing up as Caucasian Canadians in majority Asian neighborhoods and emphasize the changing demographics and increased cost of living. In both cities, bag raisers are ideologically opposed to perceived encroachment and take conservative stances toward changes in their city. This highlights that the West and Canada participate in some of the same sound changes and show similar, locally contextualized motivations for their use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Although the period after the birth of their infant is a difficult and complex time for first-time parents who have to attain new abilities, knowledge, and skills, parents of very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants (<1500 g) face even greater challenges. Parenting self-efficacy has been found to play a key role in the transition to parenthood and has been linked with positive behavioral outcomes. Although many studies have attempted to describe the needs and experiences of mothers in this area, very little is yet known about fathers. Design: Using a qualitative, descriptive method, this study explored the factors that first-time fathers of a VLBW infant perceive to influence their parenting self-efficacy beliefs. Setting: The study was conducted though a neonatal follow-up clinic in an urban setting in Canada. Participants: Five participants were recruited though convenience sampling. Results: Thematic coding analysis revealed five key themes that fathers identified as influencing their perceived self-efficacy: learning from capable role models, personal experiences, the importance of personal beliefs and traits, positive reinforcement, and infant health status. Conclusions: The study results highlight the needs of first-time fathers of VLBW infants in the early period after birth and offer guidance to nurses as to how they might foster self-efficacy during this time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  We report the synthesis of N-isopropylacrylamide-based hydrogels containing either an anionic (acrylic acid) or cationic ([2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride) co-monomer. These hydrogels were cross-linked with a cleaveable (N,N′-cystaminebisacrylamide) and/or inert (N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide) molecule in four combinations. Gold nanostructures were then synthesized within these hydrogel matrices by in situ reduction of a metal ion precursor. The resulting eight nanocomposites and their non-gold-containing (native) analogs were characterized with several analytical methods. UV–visible and infrared spectroscopy revealed differences among the samples based largely on the concentration and identity of cross-linking agent. Equilibrium swelling masses and phase transition behavior point to differences among samples on charge of the hydrogel backbone, cross-linker type, and presence or absence of gold nanostructures. A molecular level explanation for these observations is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]