From technicians to classics: on the rationalization oftheRussian language in the USSR (1917-1953)

In the 1920s, rationalization is a very fashionable word in the Soviet Union. Under the influence of the ‘movement for the scientific organization of labour', industry tries to obtain a maximum of productivity and profitability with a minimum expenditure of means. During these years, this rationalizing process was applied to the Russian language as well: several texts in the 1920s suggested rationalizing the Russian language. The purpose was to remove from the language all useless and needless words, to gain clarity and efficiency. But such texts seem to disappear in the 1930s, in spite of this being a period of great industrial rationalization in the USSR. This article aims at proposing an explanation for this paradox, pointing out the evolution of the conception of language and state between the 1920s and 1930

Single-Metal Deposition for Fingermark Detection - A Simpler and More Efficient Protocol

This publication presents the latest optimization of the single-metal deposition technique (SMD II) and its comparison with the previous version (SMD I). In this study, endeavors were made to simplify and strengthen both the reagents and the detection procedure to obtain a technique that can be implemented in a standard operational laboratory. As a result, the proposed technique is simpler and faster because the monitoring of both temperature and pH is no longer required. Most importantly, the technique is (1) more efficient, with at least ca. 50% more marks detected with SMD II in comparison with SMD I (% obtained by using split marks) and (2) more robust regarding the processing of porous samples

Functionalised silicon oxide nanoparticles for fingermark detection

Over the past decade, the use of nanotechnology for fingermark detection has been attracting a lot of attention. A substantial number of nanoparticle types has thus been studied and applied with varying success. However, despite all efforts, few publications present clear supporting evidence of their superiority over standard and commonly used techniques. This paper focuses on a rarely studied type of nanoparticles that regroups all desired properties for effective fingermark detection: silicon oxide. These nanoparticles offer optical and surface properties that can be tuned to provide optimal detection. This study explores their potential as a new method for fingermark detection. Detection conditions, outer functionalisations and optical properties were optimised and a first evaluation of the technique is presented. Dye-doped silicon oxide nanoparticles were assessed against a one-step luminescent cyanoacrylate. Both techniques were compared on natural fingermarks from three donors collected on four different non-porous substrates. On average, the two techniques performed similarly but silicon oxide detected marks with a better homogeneity and was less affected by donor inter-variability. The technique remains to be further optimised and yet silicon oxide nanoparticles already show great promises for effective fingermark detection

La voix de Meillet: sur deux enregistrements des Archives de la parole

La voix d’Antoine Meillet n’a pas définitivement disparu. Il en reste aujourd’hui une trace sous la forme de deux enregistrements sonores effectués en mars 1927 dans le cadre du projet des Archives de la parole et disponibles sur Gallica. Sur ce disque double-face se laisse entendre la voix frêle de Meillet qui parle de «L’histoire des langues» et de «La carte linguistique du monde». Ces deux productions sonores du savant n’ont pas été recensées dans les essais de bibliographie de son œuvre et sont retranscrites ici pour la première fois à notre connaissance