Ways of looking: Lexicalizing visual paths in verbs

The packaging of meaning in verbs varies widely across languages since verbs are free to encode different aspects of an event. At the same time, languages tend to display recurrent preferences in lexicalization, e.g. verb-framing vs. satellite-framing in motion. It has been noted, however, that the lexicalization patterns in motion are not carried over to the domain of vision, since gaze trajectory (‘visual path’) is coded outside the main verb even in verb-framed languages. This ‘typological split’ (Matsumoto 2001), however, is not universal. This article contains the first extensive report of verb-framing in the domain of vision based on data from Maniq (Austroasiatic, Thailand). The verbs are investigated using a translation questionnaire and a picture-naming task, which tap into subtle semantic detail. Results suggest the meanings of the verbs are shaped by universal constraints linked to earth-based verticality and bodily mechanics, as well as local factors such as the environment and the cultural scenarios of which looking is a salient part. A broader look across the whole Maniq verb lexicon reveals further cases of verbally encoded spatial notions and demonstrates a pervasive cross-domain systematicity, pointing to the language system itself as an important shaping force in lexicalization

Color technology is not necessary for rich and efficient color language

The evolution of basic color terms in language is claimed to be stimulated by technological development, involving technological control of color or exposure to artificially colored objects. Accordingly, technologically “simple” non-industrialized societies are expected to have poor lexicalization of color, i.e., only rudimentary lexica of 2, 3 or 4 basic color terms, with unnamed gaps in the color space. While it may indeed be the case that technology stimulates lexical growth of color terms, it is sometimes considered a sine qua non for color salience and lexicalization. We provide novel evidence that this overlooks the role of the natural environment, and people's engagement with the environment, in the evolution of color vocabulary. We introduce the Maniq—nomadic hunter-gatherers with no color technology, but who have a basic color lexicon of 6 or 7 terms, thus of the same order as large languages like Vietnamese and Hausa, and who routinely talk about color. We examine color language in Maniq and compare it to available data in other languages to demonstrate it has remarkably high consensual color term usage, on a par with English, and high coding efficiency. This shows colors can matter even for non-industrialized societies, suggesting technology is not necessary for color language. Instead, factors such as perceptual prominence of color in natural environments, its practical usefulness across communicative contexts, and symbolic importance can all stimulate elaboration of color language

Contact and isolation in hunter-gatherer language dynamics: Evidence from Maniq phonology (Aslian, Malay Peninsula)

Maniq, spoken by 250-300 people in southern Thailand, is an undocumented geographical outlier of the Aslian branch of Austroasiatic. Isolated from other Aslian varieties and exposed only to Southern Thai, this northernmost member of the group has long experienced a contact situation which is unique in the Aslian context. Aslian is otherwise mostly under influence from Malay, and exhibits typological characteristics untypical of other Austroasiatic and Mainland Southeast Asian languages. In this paper we pursue a first investigation of the contrastive strategies of the Maniq sound system. We show that Maniq phonology is manifestly Aslian, and displays only minor influence from Thai. For example, Maniq has not developed tone, register or undergone changes typically associated with tonogenesis. However, it departs from Aslian mainstream phonology by allowing extreme levels of variation in the realization of consonants, which in our view are best explained by its distinctive social ecology and geographical isolation

Resonant Orbital Dynamics in LEO Region: Space Debris in Focus

The increasing number of objects orbiting the earth justifies the great attention and interest in the observation, spacecraft protection, and collision avoidance. These studies involve different disturbances and resonances in the orbital motions of these objects distributed by the distinct altitudes. in this work, objects in resonant orbital motions are studied in low earth orbits. Using the two-line elements (TLE) of the NORAD, resonant angles and resonant periods associated with real motions are described, providing more accurate information to develop an analytical model that describes a certain resonance. the time behaviors of the semimajor axis, eccentricity, and inclination of some space debris are studied. Possible irregular motions are observed by the frequency analysis and by the presence of different resonant angles describing the orbital dynamics of these objects.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Universidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, BR-12231280 Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP, BrazilAstron Observ, AMU, PL-60286 Poznan, PolandITA, BR-12228900 Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, BR-12231280 Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP, BrazilFAPESP: 2012/24369-0FAPESP: 2012/21023-6CNPq: 303070/2011-0Web of Scienc

The crucial involvement of retinoid X receptors in DDE neurotoxicity

Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) is a primary environmental and metabolic degradation product of the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). It is one of the most toxic compounds belonging to organochlorines. DDE has never been commercially produced; however, the parent pesticide DDT is still used in some developing countries for disease-vector control of malaria. DDT and DDE remain in the environment because these chemicals are resistant to degradation and bioaccumulate in the food chain. Little is known, however, about DDE toxicity during the early stages of neural development. The results of the present study demonstrate that DDE induced a caspase-3-dependent apoptosis and caused the global DNA hypomethylation in mouse embryonic neuronal cells. This study also provided evidence for DDE-isomer-non-specific alterations of retinoid X receptor α (RXRα)- and retinoid X receptor β (RXRβ)-mediated intracellular signaling, including changes in the levels of the receptor mRNAs and changes in the protein levels of the receptors. DDE-induced stimulation of RXRα and RXRβ was verified using selective antagonist and specific siRNAs. Co-localization of RXRα and RXRβ was demonstrated using confocal microscopy. The apoptotic action of DDE was supported at the cellular level through Hoechst 33342 and calcein AM staining experiments. In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrated that the stimulation of RXRα- and RXRβ-mediated intracellular signaling plays an important role in the propagation of DDE-induced apoptosis during early stages of neural development

Sensory Measurements: Coordination and Standardization

Do sensory measurements deserve the label of “measurement”? We argue that they do. They fit with an epistemological view of measurement held in current philosophy of science, and they face the same kinds of epistemological challenges as physical measurements do: the problem of coordination and the problem of standardization. These problems are addressed through the process of “epistemic iteration,” for all measurements. We also argue for distinguishing the problem of standardization from the problem of coordination. To exemplify our claims, we draw on olfactory performance tests, especially studies linking olfactory decline to neurodegenerative disorders

Attosecond correlated electron dynamics at C₆₀ giant plasmon resonance

Fullerenes have unique physical and chemical properties that are associated with their delocalized conjugated electronic structure. Among them, there is a giant ultra-broadband - and therefore ultrafast - plasmon resonance, which for C60 is in the extreme-ultraviolet energy range. While this peculiar resonance has attracted considerable interest for the potential downscaling of nanoplasmonic applications such as sensing, drug delivery and photocatalysis at the atomic level, its electronic character has remained elusive. The ultrafast decay time of this collective excitation demands attosecond techniques for real-time access to the photoinduced dynamics. Here, we uncover the role of electron correlations in the giant plasmon resonance of C60 by employing attosecond photoemission chronoscopy. We find a characteristic photoemission delay of up to 200 attoseconds pertaining to the plasmon that is purely induced by coherent large-scale correlations. This result provides novel insight into the quantum nature of plasmonic resonances, and sets a benchmark for advancing nanoplasmonic applications