Revisiting the Thetic/Categorical Distinction in Japanese

In this study, I propose a refinement of Kuroda\u27s (1972, 1990) claim that the categorical and thetic judgments are realized syntactically in Japanese. Succinctly put, Kuroda argues that sentences with the topic marker wa represent categorical judgments whereas those with the nominative marker ga represent thetic judgments. In the present study, I demonstrate that wa-sentences do not uniformly represent categorical judgments and that ga-sentences do not represent thetic judgments across the board either. In particular, I argue that ga-sentences represent thetic judgments only on the so-called neutral-description reading (in the sense of Kuno 1973); on the exhaustive-listing reading, they instead involve categorical judgments. In addition, I demonstrate that wa-sentences also require a parallel refinement: thematic wa vs. contrastive wa. I therefore propose a four-way distinction and further demonstrate that the four readings are interrelated through different types of judgments as follows: thematic wa and exhaustive-listing ga involve categorical judgments whereas contrastive wa and neutral-description ga involve thetic judgments

Large frequency dependence of lowered maximum dielectric constant temperature of LiTaO3 nanocrystals dispersed in mesoporous silicate

A large frequency dependence of the maximum dielectric constant temperature was observed for LiTaO3 nanocrystals (the diameter 20 Å) dispersed in mesoporous silicate. At the applied field frequency of 100 kHz, the maximum temperatures in the real and imaginary parts were 365 and 345 °C, respectively. The maximum temperature in the real part is apparently lower than the paraelectric–ferroelectric transition temperature (645 °C) of bulk LiTaO3. The maximum temperature in the imaginary part rose from 285 to 420 °C with increasing frequency from 10 to 1000 kHz. Since the bulk LiTaO3 shows no relaxor behavior, such superparaelectric behavior is obviously a consequence of nanominiaturization of LiTaO3 crystal and insignificant cooperative interactions between the nanoparticles

Superconductivity in oxygen-annealed FeTe1-xSx single crystal

We investigated the S-doping-driven phase transition from antiferromagnetic to superconducting in FeTe1-xSx single crystals. The partial substitution of Te by S suppresses antiferromagnetism in Fe-square lattice. Superconductivity is induced by oxygen annealing for only FeTe1-xSx in which the long-range magnetic ordering is suppressed. To realize superconductivity in FeTe1-xSx, both S concentration enough to suppress antiferromagnetism and oxygen annealing are required. Anisotropy of superconductivity in oxygen-annealed FeTe0.886S0.114 was estimated to be 1.17.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure

Large frequency dependence of lowered maximum dielectric constant temperature of LiTaO3 nanocrystals dispersed in mesoporous silicate

A large frequency dependence of the maximum dielectric constant temperature was observed for LiTaO3 nanocrystals (the diameter 20 Å) dispersed in mesoporous silicate. At the applied field frequency of 100 kHz, the maximum temperatures in the real and imaginary parts were 365 and 345 °C, respectively. The maximum temperature in the real part is apparently lower than the paraelectric–ferroelectric transition temperature (645 °C) of bulk LiTaO3. The maximum temperature in the imaginary part rose from 285 to 420 °C with increasing frequency from 10 to 1000 kHz. Since the bulk LiTaO3 shows no relaxor behavior, such superparaelectric behavior is obviously a consequence of nanominiaturization of LiTaO3 crystal and insignificant cooperative interactions between the nanoparticles

Risk for the occupational infection by cytomegalovirus among health-care workers

Background Cytomegalovirus (CMV) are ubiquitously distributed worldwide, causing a wide range of clinical manifestations from congenital infection to a life-threatening disease in immunocompromised individuals. CMV can be transmitted via human-to-human contact through body fluids; however, the risk of CMV infection among healthcare workers (HCWs) has not been fully evaluated. Aim This study aimed to assess the risk of CMV infection among HCWs through daily medical practices. Methods Serum samples from HCWs at Osaka University Hospital (Japan) were analysed. Initially, we compared CMV IgG seropositivity among HCWs (medical doctors, nurses, and others) in 2017, which was examined after 1 year to evaluate seroconversion rates among those with seronegative results. Then, we examined CMV seroconversion rates in HCWs who were exposed to blood and body fluids. Findings We analysed 1153 samples of HCWs (386 medical doctors, 468 nurses, and 299 others), of which CMV seropositivity rates were not significantly different (68.9%, 70.3%, and 70.9%, respectively). Of these, 63.9% (221/346) of CMV seronegative HCWs were followed after 1 year, with CMV seroconversion rates of 3.2% (7/221). Among 72 HCWs who tested negative for CMV IgG when exposed to blood and body fluids, the CMV seroconversion rate was 2.8% (2/72). The CMV seroconversion rates between the two situations were not significantly different. Conclusion Our study indicated that CMV infection through daily patient care seems quite rare. Further well-designed studies with a large sample size are warranted to verify our finding