Contrastive prosody and the subsequent mention of alternatives during discourse processing

Linguistic research has long viewed prosody as an important indicator of information structure in intonationally rich languages like English. Correspondingly, numerous psycholinguistic studies have shown significant effects of prosody, particularly with respect to the immediate processing of a prosodically prominent phrase. Although co-reference resolution is known to be influenced by information structure, it has been less clear whether prosodic prominence can affect decisions about next mention in a discourse, and if so, how. We present results from an open-ended story continuation task, conducted as part of a series of experiments that examine how prosody influences the anticipation and resolution of co-reference. Overall results from the project suggest that prosodic prominence can increase or decrease reference to a saliently pitch-accented phrase, depending on additional circumstances of the referential decision. We argue that an adequate account of prosody’s role in co-reference requires consideration of how the processing system interfaces with multiple levels of linguistic representation

Morphological effects on IR band profiles: Experimental spectroscopic analysis with application to observed spectra of oxygen-rich AGB stars

To trace the source of the unique 13, 19.5, and 28 $\mu$m emission features in the spectra of oxygen-rich circumstellar shells around AGB stars, we have compared dust extinction spectra obtained by aerosol measurements. We have measured the extinction spectra for 19 oxide powder samples of eight different types, such as Ti-compounds (TiO, TiO$_2$, Ti$_2$O$_3$, Ti$_3$O$_5$, Al$_2$TiO$_5$, CaTiO$_3$), $\alpha$-, $\gamma$-, $\chi$-$\delta$-$\kappa$-Al$_2$O$_3$, and MgAl$_2$O$_4$ in the infrared region (10 - 50 $\mu$m) paying special attention to the morphological (size, shape, and agglomeration) effects and the differences in crystal structure. Anatase (TiO$_2$) particles with rounded edges are the possible 13, 19.5 and 28 $\mu$m band carriers as the main contributor in the spectra of AGB stars, and spherically shaped nano-sized spinel and Al$_2$TiO$_5$ dust grains are possibly associated with the anatase, enhancing the prominence of the 13 $\mu$m feature and providing additional features at 28 $\mu$m. The extinction data sets obtained by the aerosol and CsI pellet measurements have been made available for public use at http://elbe.astro.uni-jena.deComment: 17 pages, 8 figures, Accepted 24 March 2009 for publication in A&

A xenon gas purity monitor for EXO

We discuss the design, operation, and calibration of two versions of a xenon gas purity monitor (GPM) developed for the EXO double beta decay program. The devices are sensitive to concentrations of oxygen well below 1 ppb at an ambient gas pressure of one atmosphere or more. The theory of operation of the GPM is discussed along with the interactions of oxygen and other impurities with the GPM's tungsten filament. Lab tests and experiences in commissioning the EXO-200 double beta decay experiment are described. These devices can also be used on other noble gases.Comment: 41 pages, 26 figure

Zipfian word frequencies support statistical word segmentation

Word frequencies in natural language follow a Zipfian distribution. Artificial language experiments that are meant to simulate language acquisition generally use uniform word frequency distributions, however. In the present study we examine whether a Zipfian frequency distribution influences adult learners ’ word segmentation performance. Using two experimental paradigms (a forced choice task and an orthographic segmentation task), we show that human statistical learning abilities are robust enough to identify words from exposures with widely varying frequency distributions. Additionally, we report a facilitatory effect of Zipfian distributions on word segmentation performance in the orthographic segmentation task, both in segmenting trained material and in generalization to novel material. Zipfian distributions increase the chances for learners to apply their knowledge in processing a new speech stream

Laboratory production of magnesium sulfide grains and their characteristic infrared spectra due to shape

Nanosized MgS grains, which have been considered the origin of the 30 μm emission feature of carbon-rich evolved objects, were produced from the gas phase using an advanced gas evaporation method. The far-infrared spectrum of cubic MgS grains showed a characteristic absorption peak at 311 cm-1 (32.1 μm) with three shoulders at 460, 400 and 262 cm-1 (21.7, 25.0 and 38.2 μm). On the other hand, when the grains were roundish or network-like, the absorption peak at 250 cm-1 became predominant. The cubic MgS grains were produced by direct nucleation from the gas phase. In the case of production via a gas-solid reaction, the MgS grains were network-like. Therefore, the formation environments of MgS grains around carbon-rich evolved objects may be predicted from the intensity of 310 and 250 cm-1 bands. We suggest that the origins of the absorption band at 310 and 250 cm-1 are (100), (110) and/or (111) surfaces of MgS grains, respectively.

Direct observation of the metamorphism of silicon oxide grains

Experimental studies on the metamorphism of SiOx grains under heating at 10-6 Pa have been conducted using a high-resolution transmission electron microscope. Si crystallites were predominantly grown at 500 to 700 °C in SiOx grains. The Si crystallites disappeared at 800 °C and evaporated as the SiO phase