Resemblance-Oriented Communication Strategies: Understanding The Role Of Resemblance In Signed And Spoken Languages

The goal of this thesis is to propose that resemblance plays an important role in human communication. Saussure proposed a characteristic principle of the linguistic sign: that connections between linguistic codes and the objects they signify are arbitrary; however, I intend to show that resemblance, which I define as the visual or aural similarity between a stimulus, the thought it is intended to activate, and the real world target that utterance is about, is an important part of human communication and should be taken into consideration when defining language and proposing theories of human communication. I have chosen Relevance Theory as the framework for this analysis because it highlights the importance of inferential communication. According to Relevance Theory, human communication is guided by expectations of relevance, a balance between cognitive effects (information the addressee finds worthwhile) and processing effort (the amount of work required to understand that information). Human communication reduces the amount of processing effort through conventionalization; words signify concepts, starting points from which inference can be used to arrive at a communicator\u27s intended meaning. I suggest that the range of human perception and experience acts as common ground between communicators, providing a shared context between communicator and addressee and reducing what must be explicitly communicated. Essentially, resemblance between an utterance and an intended thought performs a similar function to conventionalization, activating concepts from shared context and providing a starting point for inferential communication, guiding addresses to the communicator\u27s intended meaning. My claim that resemblance has a role to play in human communication raises significant questions about the widely held stance that language is inherently arbitrary. I have proposed that signs can meaningfully resemble the things they signify; if this is true, we must consider the implications for modern linguistic analysis and adjust linguistic theory to accurately account for the use of resemblance in human communication

An Analysis of Major Determinants of Poverty in Agriculture Sector in Pakistan

Replaced with revised version of paper 05/21/08.Food Security and Poverty,

Laser Doppler velocimeter aerial spray measurements

An experimental research program for measuring the location, spatial extent, and relative concentration of airborne spray clouds generated by agricultural aircraft is described. The measurements were conducted with a ground-based laser Doppler velocimeter. The remote sensing instrumentation, experimental tests, and the results of the flight tests are discussed. The cross section of the aerial spray cloud and the observed location, extent, and relative concentration of the airborne particulates are presented. It is feasible to use a mobile laser Doppler velocimeter to track and monitor the transport and dispersion of aerial spray generated by an agricultural aircraft

Who is Willing to Pay to Keep Livestock Production Away?

Residents have opposed location of nearby livestock facilities. Illinois residents were asked how much they would be willing to pay (WTP) to stop a dairy from locating near them. Most respondents would not pay. Demographic characteristics (income, education, age, gender, agricultural interest, activism, etc.) were used to evaluate respondents WTP.Livestock Production/Industries,

TOWARD AN APPRAISAL OF THE FMHA FARM CREDIT PROGRAM: A CASE STUDY OF THE EFFICIENCY OF BORROWERS IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

A production frontier methodology is used to measure the overall efficiency of a sample of farms obtaining credit from the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) compared to nonparticipants. The study did not find evidence that the efficiency of FmHA farms improved between 1981 and 1984. Results indicate that the overall efficiency of FmHA borrowers is associated with selected financial characteristics of the farms.Agricultural Finance,

PROMOTIONAL EFFORTS VS. ECONOMIC FACTORS AS DRIVERS OF PRODUCERS' DECISIONS TO EXPAND OR START A DAIRY

Replaced with revised version of paper 07/13/04.Farm Management,

BIOMECHANICS OF NORMAL AND ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT DEFICIENT GAIT UNDER BRACED AND UNBRACED CONDITIONS

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) performs an important role in stabilizing the knee joint during gait. However, little research has examined the effect of ACLdeficiency on gait mechanics. Furthermore, the mechanics of braced ACL-deficient gait remain unclear. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the running mechanics of normal and ACL-deficient individuals, and secondly, to investigate the running mechanics of normal and ACL-deficient Individuals while wearing a derotation knee brace. Seven ACL-deficient individuals (X age = 25 +I- 5 yrs, X height = 1.80 +I- .07 m, X mass = 85.0 +/ 16 kg) and seven uninjured males (X age = 24 +I- 2 yrs, X height = 1.80 +/- .05 m, X mass = 86.0 +I- 5 kg) participated. Subjects were filmed during braced and unbraced straight-lie running across a force platform (cadence = 77 cycles-perminute). One acceptable trial was recorded for each subject under braced and unbraced conditions. Running velocities were 3.24 m/s and 3.50 m/s for normal and ACL-deficient subjects, respectively. Selected kinematic and kinetic parameters were calculated to quantify the differences between normal and ACL-deficient individuals, and the effect of bracing the knee. A 2 X 2 repeated measures analysis of variance revealed no statistically significant difference on any dependent variable (a = .05). It appears that ACL-deficiency may not alter the running mechanics of wellrehabilitated individuals during a low-risk, non-fatigued running task. Bracing the knee seemed to have no effect on the gait mechanics of normal or ACL-deficient individuals. The assessment of ACL-deficiency and bracing may require more demanding experimental protocol and/or newlyinjured/less-rehabilitated subjects. Future studies may benefit from an examination of the muscle moments at the occurrence of specific events during the support period

Untersuchungen zur Gleichgewichtsfeuchte und Quellung von Massivholzplatten

Zusammenfassung: Aus den Untersuchungen an mehrschichtigen Massivholzplatten aus Fichtenholz geht hervor, dass die Gleichgewichtsfeuchtigkeit im unteren hygroskopischen Bereich bis etwa 65% rel. Luftfeuchtigkeit bedeutend höher und im obersten Bereich bedeutend tiefer ist als diejenige beim Fichtenholz. Die Messungen haben gezeigt, dass die Längen- sowie die Breitenquellung gegenüber der Dickenquellung vernachlässigbar klein ist, sodass die Volumenquellung der Dickenquellung gleichgestellt werden kann. Das Quellen im Bereich zwischen 0% und etwa 20% Wassergehalt ist nahezu linear. Diese Beziehung korreliert mit der Sorptionsisotherme. Die Quellung steigt linear mit der Anzahl Leimschichten pro Plattendicke, wobei die Steigung der Geraden vom Bereich der Chemi- über die Physisorption bis zum Bereich der Kapillarkondensation stetig ansteig

Investment Analysis of Alternative Dairy Systems under MILC

Three dairy systems, 120-cow grazing, 120-cow conventional, and 600-cow concentrated, were evaluated by internal rate of return (IRR) accounting for the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC). With MILC, the grazing and conventional systems had higher IRRs. Without MILC, the 600-cow dairy had the highest IRR. Results were sensitive to assumptions.Concentrated feeding, conventional, grazing, internal rate of return, Livestock Production/Industries,