This paper argues that phonetic naturalness and unnaturalness can interact within a single grammatical system. In Japanese loanword phonology, only voiced geminates, but not voiced singletons, devoice to dissimilate from another voiced obstruent. The neutralizability difference follows from a ranking which Japanese speakers created on perceptual grounds: IDENT(voi)Sing » IDENT(voi)Gem. On the o...

Genetic studies have demonstrated that osteoclasts are essential for focal erosion of bone and cartilage as a consequence of chronic pro-inflammatory cytokine production (TNF, IL-1) in inflammatory arthritis. In these inflamed joints, mature osteoclasts differentiate from circulating osteoclast precursors (OCPs) in response to local increased production of RANKL and pro-inflammatory cytokines. ...

BACKGROUND Ethinyl estradiol (EE) increases endothelium-dependent vasodilation in young women, but certain progestins paired with EE in combination oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) have been shown to antagonize the vasodilatory effects of EE. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate how endothelial function, serum biomarkers and resting blood pressures change across an OCP cycle i...

BACKGROUND Recent evidence suggests a role for hormonal factors in the aetiology of asthma. METHODS Data from a large study of women selected from the general population were used to relate treatment with oral hormonal contraceptives (OCP) and postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to the following asthma indicators: self-reported asthma, wheezing, cough at exertion, and use of medi...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether women with congenital heart disease were receiving appropriate advice on contraception. SETTING Adult congenital heart disease clinic in a tertiary cardiac referral centre. DESIGN Questionnaire administered to 35 consecutive female patients attending the adult congenital clinic. The cardiologist assessed what the risk would be if each patient used an oestrogen...

Women with Lynch syndrome have a 40% to 60% lifetime risk for developing endometrial cancer, a cancer associated with estrogen imbalance. The molecular basis for endometrial-specific tumorigenesis is unclear. Progestins inhibit estrogen-driven proliferation, and epidemiologic studies have shown that progestin-containing oral contraceptives (OCP) reduce the risk of endometrial cancer by 50% in w...

The kinetic equation used to predict the current being passed in an intercalation electrode depends on the overpotential and the composition of the intercalating species. The overpotential depends on the difference between the potential in the solid phase and in the solution phase, both of which depend on the composition of the intercalation species in the solid and solution phases, respectivel...

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) in small island states like Trinidad and Tobago is usually provided in batches so as to minimize the cost of providing the service. As a result, patients 'cycles have to be synchronized in order to coincide with the arrival of a visiting embryologist. This is a retrospective study which evaluates the experience of pre-treatment with an oral contraceptive p...

INTRODUCTION This in vitro study assessed and compared the cytotoxicity of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), calcium-enriched mixture (CEM) cement, Biodentine (BD) and octacalcium phosphate (OCP) on stem cells of the human apical papilla (SCAP). METHODS AND MATERIALS SCAPs were isolated from two semi-impacted third molars. The cells were cultured in wells of an insert 24-well plate and were t...

The concentration and fate of persistent organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in estuarine surface sediments in Erh-jen and Lan-yang rivers, Taiwan were investigated using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HSSPME) method to evaluate the possible pollution potential and guideline for OCP concentrations in Taiwan. The HSSPME method exhibits a good analytical performance with low detection limits...