6,012 research outputs found

    Influence of English donor word stress on tonal assignment in Cantonese loanwords: an acoustic account

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    Regular SessionThis study aims to identify the relationship between tone and stress in Cantonese loanwords borrowed from English. Tonal patterns of 23 disyllabic and trisyllabic Cantonese loanwords corresponding to English donor words of 20 different stress patterns, and the tonal patterns of 23 unassimilated Cantonese loanwords exhausting the same set of 20 stress patterns were examined. Fundamental frequency characteristics of the vowels extracted from the loanwords produced by 15 native Cantonese speakers were analysed by using Praat. The average F0s were calculated in Matlab with the algorithm of autocorrelation, and the F0s of vowels corresponding to stressed and unstressed/epenthetic vowels were compared with Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test. Acoustic results reveal that Cantonese loanword syllables corresponding to stressed syllables in the English donor words were assigned high-level tone whereas epenthetic syllables and those corresponding to unstressed syllables were usually assigned low-level or low-falling tone, and highrising tone for word-final syllables. This is consistent with previous findings proving the explicit correlation between English lexical stress and high tone, and that between English lexical non-stress and mid or low tones in Cantonese loanwords.published_or_final_versio

    Mobile devices in PBL

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    Session: Digital Tsunami / Evidence and Theory - Oral Presentations & 45 Minute Workshop: no. 54INTRODUCTION/ BACKGROUND: Problem-based learning is a dynamic process through which students not only learn content knowledge but also skills important to their medical career, such as problem solving skills and communication skills. Technology can potentially contribute to this process, such as the use of mobile devices (defined in this study to include laptop or notebook computers, smartphones, and tablets) for search of information during PBL. But it presents both opportunities and challenges to the …postprin

    Cryopreservation of Brassia rex Orchid Shoots Using PVS2 Technique

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    In vitro grown shoots of Brassia rex orchid hybrid was cryopreserved by means of plant vitrification solution 2 (PVS2) technique. For the preculture treatment, the shoots were excised into two standard sizes of 0.5-1.0 and 1.0-1.5 cm and were precultured on half-strength Murashige and Skoog (MS) semi solid medium supplemented with different concentrations of sucrose (control (0.06 M), 0.1, 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 M) for 24 and 48 h. For the PVS2 dehydration treatment, the 0.1 M precultured (48 h and 1.0-1.5 cm) shoots were chosen for further experiment where the shoots were dehydrated in PVS2 solution at various durations (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 min) at 0 and 24°C for positive and negative storage in Liquid Nitrogen (LN). The viability of the cryopreserved cells were determined by 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) assay and chlorophyll extraction techniques. The best condition of PVS2 treatment was at 20 min of PVS2 treatment at 0°C prior to storage in liquid nitrogen. In chlorophyll determination based on chlorophyll assay, the highest concentration of total chlorophyll concentration (56.250 µg g-1) was obtained from shoots that were dehydrated for 25 min in PVS2 solution at 0°C without storage in liquid nitrogen

    Clinical significance of hepatic derangement in severe acute respiratory syndrome

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    Aim: Elevation of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level is commonly seen among patients suffering from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). We report the progression and clinical significance of liver derangement in a large cohort of SARS patient. Methods: Serial assay of serum ALT was followed in patients who fulfilled the WHO criteria of SARS. Those with elevated ALT were compared with those with normal liver functions for clinical outcome. Serology for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was checked. Adverse outcomes were defined as oxygen desaturation, need of intensive care unit (ICU) and mechanical ventilation and death. Results: Two hundred and ninety-four patients were included in this study. Seventy (24%) patients had elevated serum ALT on admission and 204 (69%) patients had elevated ALT during the subsequent course of illness. Using peak ALT >5×ULN as a cut-off and after adjusting for potential confounding factors, the odds ratio of peak ALT >5× ULN for oxygen desaturation was 3.24 (95%CI 1.23-8.59, P = 0.018), ICU care was 3.70 (95%CI 1.38-9.89, P = 0.009), mechanical ventilation was 6.64 (95%CI 2.22-19.81, P = 0.001) and death was 7.34 (95%CI 2.28-24.89, P = 0.001). Ninety-three percent of the survived patients had ALT levels normalized or were on the improving trend during follow-up. Chronic hepatitis B was not associated with worse clinical outcomes. Conclusion: Reactive hepatitis is a common complication of SARS-coronavirus infection. Those patients with severe hepatitis had worse clinical outcome. © 2005 The WJG Press and Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.published_or_final_versio

    Meson-like Baryons and the Spin-Orbit Puzzle

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    I describe a special class of meson-like \Lambda_Q excited states and present evidence supporting the similarity of their spin-independent spectra to those of mesons. I then examine spin-dependent forces in these baryons, showing that predicted effects of spin-orbit forces are small for them for the same reason they are small for the analogous mesons: a fortuitous cancellation between large spin-orbit forces due to one-gluon-exchange and equally large inverted spin-orbit forces due to Thomas precession in the confining potential. In addition to eliminating the baryon spin-orbit puzzle in these states, this solution provides a new perspective on spin-orbit forces in all baryons.Comment: 24 pages, 4 figure

    Isospin splitting in heavy baryons and mesons

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    A recent general analysis of light-baryon isospin splittings is updated and extended to charmed baryons. The measured Σc\Sigma_c and Ξc\Xi_c splittings stand out as being difficult to understand in terms of two-body forces alone. We also discuss heavy-light mesons; though the framework here is necessarily less general, we nevertheless obtain some predictions that are not strongly model-dependent.Comment: 12 pages REVTEX 3, plus 4 uuencoded ps figures, CMU-HEP93-

    Understanding Sanctuary Cities

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    In the wake of President Trump’s election, a growing number of local jurisdictions around the country have sought to disentangle their criminal justice apparatus from federal immigration enforcement efforts. These localities have embraced a series of reforms that attempt to ensure immigrants are not deported when they come into contact with the criminal justice system. The Trump administration has labeled these jurisdictions “sanctuary cities” and vowed to “end” them by, among other things, attempting to cut off their federal funding. This Article is a collaborative project authored by law professors specializing in the intersection between immigration and criminal law. In it, we set forth the central features of the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans and its campaign to “crack down” on sanctuary cities. We then outline the diverse ways in which localities have sought to protect their residents by refusing to participate in the Trump immigration agenda. Such initiatives include declining to honor immigration detainers, precluding participation in joint operations with the federal government, and preventing immigration agents from accessing local jails. Finally, we analyze the legal and policy justifications that local jurisdictions have advanced. Our examination reveals important insights for how sanctuary cities are understood and preserved in the age of Trump
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