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The first signs of language: Phonological development in British sign language
A total of 1018 signs in one deaf child’s naturalistic interaction with her deaf mother, between the ages 19-24 months were analysed. This study summarises regular modification processes in the phonology of the child sign’s handshape, location, movement and prosody. Firstly changes to signs were explained by the notion of phonological markedness. Secondly, the child managed her production of first signs through two universal processes: structural change and substitution. Constraints unique to the visual modality also caused sign language specific acquisition patterns, namely: more errors for handshape articulation in locations in peripheral vision, a high frequency of whole sign repetitions and feature group rather than one-to-one phoneme substitutions as in spoken language development
Production of Millisecond Dips in Sco X-1 Count Rates by Dead Time Effects
Chang et al. (2006) reported millisecond duration dips in the X-ray intensity
of Sco X-1 and attributed them to occultations of the source by small
trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). We have found multiple lines of evidence that
these dips are not astronomical in origin, but rather the result of high-energy
charged particle events in the RXTE PCA detectors. Our analysis of the RXTE
data indicates that at most 10% of the observed dips in Sco X-1 could be due to
occultations by TNOs, and, furthermore, we find no positive or supporting
evidence for any of them being due to TNOs. We therefore believe that it is a
mistake to conclude that any TNOs have been detected via occultation of Sco
X-1.Comment: Submitted to ApJ; uses emulateapj.cls, 8 pages with 8 figure
Pathways to "opportunity and excellence": collaborative curriculum innovation in South Yorkshire
This paper reports on two aspects of a large-scale curriculum project currently taking place in four LEAs in South Yorkshire. The first of these is concerned with the positive and negative influences on effective curriculum innovation and is addressed from the perspective of the LEA project managers who are managing the delivery of the project in the region's schools. The second aspect considers what the pupils (Year 10, age 14-15) think about the new learning opportunities. The project is set in the context of regional regeneration. The paper concludes that the extremely positive responses from the sample of pupils in all three strands of the programme indicate that the greater emphasis on vocational work and work experience in schools is having a strong motivational effect on pupils who are responding with improved attendance, behaviour and achievement.</p
Belousov-Zhabotinsky droplet mixing on-chip for chemical computing applications
Without an imposed physical structure, even the most complex chemistries are limited in their ability to process information. For example, the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) oscillating reaction has been shown to have information procession potential, but only if structure is imposed e.g. using physical barriers or light-sensitive catalysts. Recently, separated BZ droplets in oil have been investigated. Another option for aqueous/oil systems is to add lipid into the oil, which self-assembles into a monolayer at the phase boundary. If the lipid-stabilised droplets are brought into contact, a bilayer is formed, separating the BZ droplets into compartments. This technique is more flexible than other methods of imparting structure, allowing for the creation of droplet arrays inspired by biological neuronal networks
Hydrazine electrolysis for spacecraft propulsion. Analysis and test of a dual-mode gas and liquid system Final report
Dual-mode hydrazine electrolysis for spacecraft propulsion syste
Predictors of radiographic osteoarthritis 2 to 3 years after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: Data from the MOON on-site nested cohort
Superconducting Diamond on Silicon Nitride for Device Applications
Chemical vapour deposition (CVD) grown nanocrystalline diamond is an
attractive material for the fabrication of devices. For some device
architectures, optimisation of its growth on silicon nitride is essential.
Here, the effects of three pre-growth surface treatments, often employed as
cleaning methods of silicon nitride, were investigated. Such treatments provide
control over the surface charge of the substrate through modification of the
surface functionality, allowing for the optimisation of electrostatic diamond
seeding densities. Zeta potential measurements and X-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy (XPS) were used to analyse the silicon nitride surface following
each treatment. Exposing silicon nitride to an oxygen plasma offered optimal
surface conditions for the electrostatic self-assembly of a hydrogen-terminated
diamond nanoparticle monolayer. The subsequent growth of boron-doped
nanocrystalline diamond thin films on modified silicon nitride substrates under
CVD conditions produced coalesced films for oxygen plasma and solvent
treatments, whilst pin-holing of the diamond film was observed following RCA-1
treatment. The sharpest superconducting transition was observed for diamond
grown on oxygen plasma treated silicon nitride, demonstrating it to be of the
least structural disorder. Modifications to the substrate surface optimise the
seeding and growth processes for the fabrication of diamond on silicon nitride
devices
Controlled formation of metallic nanowires via Au nanoparticle ac trapping
Applying ac voltages, we trapped gold nanoparticles between microfabricated
electrodes under well-defined conditions. We demonstrate that the nanoparticles
can be controllably fused together to form homogeneous gold nanowires with
pre-defined diameters and conductance values. Whereas electromigration is known
to form a gap when a dc voltage is applied, this ac technique achieves the
opposite, thereby completing the toolkit for the fabrication of nanoscale
junctions.Comment: Nanotechnology 18, 235202 (2007
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