4,009 research outputs found

    Big words, small phrases: Mismatches between pause units and the polysynthetic word in Dalabon

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    This article uses instrumental data from natural speech to examine the phenomenon of pause placement within the verbal word in Dalabon, a polysynthetic Australian language of Arnhem Land. Though the phenomenon is incipient and in two sample texts occurs in only around 4% of verbs, there are clear possibilities for interrupting the grammatical word by pause after the pronominal prefix and some associated material at the left edge, though these within-word pauses are significantly shorter, on average, than those between words. Within-word pause placement is not random, but is restricted to certain affix boundaries; it requires that the paused-after material be at least dimoraic, and that the remaining material in the verbal word be at least disyllabic. Bininj Gun-wok, another polysynthetic language closely related to Dalabon, does not allow pauses to interrupt the verbal word, and the Dalabon development appears to be tied up with certain morphological innovations that have increased the proportion of closed syllables in the pronominal prefix zone of the verb. Though only incipient and not yet phonologized, pause placement in Dalabon verbs suggests a phonology-driven route by which polysynthetic languages may ultimately become less morphologically complex by fracturing into smaller units

    Evaluating cultural competency and patient satisfaction in an urban dermatology clinic.

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    Cultural competency continues to gain increased attention in medicine. Not only does it play a significant role in the delivery of health care and patient outcomes, but it also remains a major determinant of patient satisfaction. This study investigated how patients in an urban dermatology clinic rated their satisfaction with cultural competency. Compared to White patients, satisfaction scores were greater for Hispanic or Latino patients and less for Asian patients, while there was no significant difference for Black or African American patients. There were clear differences in patient satisfaction rates of various dimensions of cultural competency. A follow-up study with a larger sample size is needed for closer examination into the conclusions

    Land-Grabbing, Tribal Conflict, and Settler-Nomad Disputes: Land Rights in Mine Action

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    Mine action is intrinsically linked to land rights. While mine action creates multi-dimensional positive humanitarian and development impacts, clearance of explosive ordnance (EO) and land release can lead to competition, contestation, and potential conflict over that land. Settled farmers lay claim and block access to lands which nomadic pastoralists traverse or use for grazing. Local strongmen grab and confiscate land. Families returning from displacement find their ancestral lands seized. And governments and citizens may have very different ideas about who should own lands close to communities which, following EO clearance, are now more productive, where resources are more accessible, and with land that has increased value. This is especially the case where land ownership systems, including documentation and enforcement, are not fully transparent. Since mine action often takes place in conflict or post-conflict areas, these factors are heightened further, with a breakdown in clear and just land rights and tenure. The major objective of this article is to help mine action stakeholders identify different land dispute risks and outline key strategies to mitigate those risks. Key strategies include 1) broad and inclusive consultation; 2) centering the principle of do no harm;1 3) employing the lens of conflict sensitivity; 4) linking with the Housing, Land, and Property (HLP) space;2 and 5) exploring the opposing effect of how mine action can help alleviate social tensions through land release. Recognition and mitigation of mine action related land disputes will help curtail negative consequences of clearance while increasing positive impacts as the sector works towards a mine-free world

    The Evolution of Post-Starburst Galaxies from z1z\sim1 to the Present

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    Post-starburst galaxies are in the transitional stage between blue, star-forming galaxies and red, quiescent galaxies, and therefore hold important clues for our understanding of galaxy evolution. In this paper, we systematically searched for and identified a large sample of post-starburst galaxies from the spectroscopic dataset of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 9. In total, we found more than 6000 objects with redshifts between z0.05z\sim0.05 and z1.3z\sim1.3, making this the largest sample of post-starburst galaxies in the literature. We calculated the luminosity function of the post-starburst galaxies using two uniformly selected subsamples: the SDSS Main Galaxy Sample and the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey CMASS Sample. The luminosity functions are reasonably fit by half-Gaussian functions. The peak magnitudes shift as a function of redshift from M23.5M\sim-23.5 at z0.8z\sim0.8 to M20.3M\sim-20.3 at z0.1z\sim0.1. This is consistent with the downsizing trend, whereby more massive galaxies form earlier than low-mass galaxies. We compared the mass of the post-starburst stellar population found in our sample to the decline of the global star-formation rate and found that only a small amount (1%\sim1\%) of all star-formation quenching in the redshift range z=0.20.7z=0.2-0.7 results in post-starburst galaxies in the luminosity range our sample is sensitive to. Therefore, luminous post-starburst galaxies are not the place where most of the decline in star-formation rate of the universe is happening.Comment: 26 pages, 24 figures, 8 tables. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

    The clustering and evolution of massive galaxies

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    In this thesis we investigate the clustering and evolutionary properties of massive galaxies. We present new measurements of galaxy clustering over a range of redshifts using data from the 2SLAQ Survey and the AAOmega LRG Pilot Survey. The clustering properties of Luminous Red Galaxies (LRGs) are measured using nearly 9 000 2SLAQ LRGs at a mean redshift of z = 0.55. We find that the real-space 2-point correlation function is well described by a single power-law of the form ع(r) = (r/ro)(^- ٦), where ٦ = 1.72 ± 0.06 and the correlation length ro = 7.45 ± 0.35 h (^-1) Мрc. Then we study the redshift-space distortions that are present in the clustering signal. From these dynamical and geometric distortions, we derive a value of Ω(_m) = 0.30 ± 0.15 and ß{z = 0.55) = 0.45 ± 0.05, where Ω(_m) is the present day matter density parameter and β = Ω(_m) /b where b is the linear bias parameter. We find for 2SLAQ LRGs, b(z = 0.55) = 1.66 ± 0.35. If one then assumes a "high-peaks" bias model, this value of b is consistent with the measured clustering strengths for low-redshift, massive early-type galaxies, under the assumption that gravitational growth leaves the comoving space density of early-types independent of redshift. We then use the new AAOmega instrument to perform a study of redshift z ~ 0.7 LRGs selected using riz-band photometry. We find a redshift-space correlation length of So = 9.9 ± 0.5 h-l Мрc and show that using LRGs as tracers would be a very competitive strategy for baryon acoustic oscillation studies in future galaxy redshift surveys. We also confirm that this population again has a clustering strength consistent with the above "high-peaks" bias model. Finally, we use data from the Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes taken in the COSMOS field and find tentative evidence for dust emission possibly coming from obscured star formation. We also show that z ~ 0.7 LRGs are predominantly early-type galaxies
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