Speech characteristics of monozygotic twins and a same-sex sibling: an acoustic case study of coarticulation patterns in read speech

This case study reports on an acoustic investigation of the motor speech characteristics of a set of young adult male monozygotic (MZ) twins and compares them to those of an age- and sex-matched sibling who participated in the study 2 years later to match for demographic factors. Coarticulation patterns were investigated from read samples of consonant-vowel sequences in monosyllabic words containing a variety of consonants and vowels. This was done by examining F2 vowel onsets and F2 vowel targets, plotted as F2 locus equations. Data were processed for between-sibling differences using a number of statistical tests. Results indicated that the MZ twins displayed F2 parameters and coarticulation patterns which were more similar than those of their age- and sex-matched sibling. The results of this case study therefore suggest that acoustic phonetic parameters used to index coarticulation patterns have the potential to profile some of the similarities and differences in the speech characteristics of genetically related individuals

Time Evolution of Entropy in Gravitational Collapse

We study the time evolution of the entropy of a collapsing spherical domain wall, from the point of view of an asymptotic observer, by investigating the entropy of the entire system (i.e. domain wall and radiation) and induced radiation alone during the collapse. By taking the difference, we find the entropy of the collapsing domain wall, since this is the object which will form a black hole. We find that for large values of time (times larger than $t/R_s\approx8$), the entropy of the collapsing domain wall is a constant, which is of the same order as the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure

Using a Logic Programming Framework to Control Database Query Dialogues in Natural Language

We present a natural language question/answering system to interface the University of Évora databases that uses clarification dialogs in order to clarify user questions. It was developed in an integrated logic programming framework, based on constraint logic programming using the GnuProlog(-cx) language [2,11] and the ISCO framework [1]. The use of this LP framework allows the integration of Prolog-like inference mechanisms with classes and inheritance, constraint solving algorithms and provides the connection with relational databases, such as PostgreSQL. This system focus on the questions’ pragmatic analysis, to handle ambiguity, and on an efficient dialogue mechanism, which is able to place relevant questions to clarify the user intentions in a straightforward manner. Proper Nouns resolution and the pp-attachment problem are also handled. This paper briefly presents this innovative system focusing on its ability to correctly determine the user intention through its dialogue capability

Agency Theory of Overvalued Equity as an Explanation for the Accrual Anomaly

We show that the agency theory of overvalued equity (see Jensen, 2005) rather than investors' fixation on accruals explains the accrual anomaly, i.e., abnormal returns to an accrual trading strategy (see Sloan, 1996).Under the agency theory of overvalued equity, managers of overvalued firms are likely to manage their firms' accruals upwards to prolong the overvaluation.Thus, high-accrual portfolios are likely to be over-represented with over-valued firms.Overvaluation, however, cannot be sustained indefinitely and we expect price reversals for high accrual firms.In contrast, undervalued firms do not face incentives to report low accruals, so undervalued firms are not concentrated in low accrual decile portfolios.Therefore, across the accrual decile portfolios, we predict and find an asymmetric relation between accruals and both prior and subsequent returns.In addition, consistent with the predictions of the agency theory of overvalued equity, we find high, but not low, accrual firms' investment-financing decisions and insider trading activity are distorted, and analyst forecast optimism is concentrated among the high-accrual decile portfolios.Overall, return behavior, analyst optimism, investment-financing decisions, and insider trading activity are all consistent with the agency theory of overvalued equity, but do not support investor fixation on accruals.accrual anomaly;earnings management;agency theory of overvalued equity

Emerging key roles for P2X receptors in the kidney

P2X ionotropic non-selective cation channels are expressed throughout the kidney and are activated in a paracrine or autocrine manner following the binding of extracellular ATP and related extracellular nucleotides. Whilst there is a wealth of literature describing a regulatory role of P2 receptors (P2R) in the kidney, there are significantly less data on the regulatory role of P2X receptors (P2XR) compared with that described for metabotropic P2Y. Much of the historical literature describing a role for P2XR in the kidney has focused heavily on the role of P2X1R in the autoregulation of renal blood flow. More recently, however, there has been a plethora of manuscripts providing compelling evidence for additional roles for P2XR in both kidney health and disease. This review summarizes the current evidence for the involvement of P2XR in the regulation of renal tubular and vascular function, and highlights the novel data describing their putative roles in regulating physiological and pathophysiological processes in the kidney

3 year old with chronic wet cough : Intralobar Bronchopulmonary sequestration

Bronchopulmonary sequestration (BPS) is a rare congenital foregut anomaly of the lung, consisting of nonfunctioning primitive tissue that does not communicate with the healthy tracheobronchial tree. The abnormal segment has its own anomalous systemic blood supply, and typically drains into the pulmonary venous system. It is frequently asymptomatic and may be discovered incidentally. Symptoms may vary, with patients presenting with vague symptoms related to chronic respiratory infection. Early diagnosis and intervention decreases morbidity and mortality. We present a case of intralobar pulmonary sequestration involving the right lower lobe in a male child.peer-reviewe

Screen printed flexible Bi2Te3-Sb2Te3 based thermoelectric generator

This paper reports the fabrication and testing of Bismuth Tellurium (Bi2Te3) – Antimony Tellurium (Sb2Te3) based thermocouples using screen printing technology. In this study, screen printable thermoelectric pastes were developed and the transport properties of cured material were measured. The dimension of each planer thermoleg is 39.3 mm × 3 mm with a thickness of 67 µm for Bi2Te3 leg and 62 µm for Sb2Te3 leg. A single thermocouple with this dimension can generate a voltage of 6 mV and a peak output power of 48 nW at a temperature difference of 20°C. The calculated Seebeck coefficient of a single thermocouple is in the range of 262 to 282 µV/K. The Seebeck coefficient at room temperature were measured to be -134 to -119 µV/K and 128 to 134 µV/K for Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 respectively. This work demonstrates that the low-cost screen printing technology and low-temperature materials are promising for the fabrication of flexible thermoelectric generators (TEGs)

The relationship between P2X4 and P2X7: a physiologically important interaction?

Purinergic signaling within the kidney is becoming an important focus in the study of renal health and disease. The effectors of ATP signaling, the P2Y and P2X receptors, are expressed to varying extents in and along the nephron. There are many studies demonstrating the importance of the P2Y2 receptor on kidney function, and other P2 receptors are now emerging as participants in renal regulation. The P2X4 receptor has been linked to epithelial sodium transport in the nephron and expression levels of the P2X7 receptor are up-regulated in certain pathophysiological states. P2X7 antagonism has been shown to ameliorate rodent models of DOCA salt-induced hypertension and P2X4 null mice are hypertensive. Interestingly, polymorphisms in the genetic loci of P2X4 and P2X7 have been linked to blood pressure variation in human studies. In addition to the increasing evidence linking these two P2X receptors to renal function and health, a number of studies link the two receptors in terms of physical associations between their subunits, demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. This review will analyze the current literature regarding interactions between P2X4 and P2X7 and assess the potential impact of these with respect to renal function

Religion as a Repository of Nigeria National Communication Policy Israel Udomisor

Religion and communication are pervasive globally. In Nigeria, efforts to accommodate religious plurality in the face of Modern Mass Communication have led to the formation of policies to guide the conduct of Mass Communication. This is with the view of minimizing conflict or clash of interest of people, especially those with different religious conviction. An explorative study of these policies, both written and unwritten, reveals that they are religiously derived. This paper identified a number of ways in which religious actions and inactions; religious leaders’ statements as news sources; religious believes derived from holy books serve as sources of communication policies, guiding the behavior of Mass Communications in their business of communication in Nigeria. Keywords: Religion, Communication, Policy, National

Agency Theory of Overvalued Equity as an Explanation for the Accrual Anomaly

We show that the agency theory of overvalued equity (see Jensen, 2005) rather than investors' fixation on accruals explains the accrual anomaly, i.e., abnormal returns to an accrual trading strategy (see Sloan, 1996).Under the agency theory of overvalued equity, managers of overvalued firms are likely to manage their firms' accruals upwards to prolong the overvaluation.Thus, high-accrual portfolios are likely to be over-represented with over-valued firms.Overvaluation, however, cannot be sustained indefinitely and we expect price reversals for high accrual firms.In contrast, undervalued firms do not face incentives to report low accruals, so undervalued firms are not concentrated in low accrual decile portfolios.Therefore, across the accrual decile portfolios, we predict and find an asymmetric relation between accruals and both prior and subsequent returns.In addition, consistent with the predictions of the agency theory of overvalued equity, we find high, but not low, accrual firms' investment-financing decisions and insider trading activity are distorted, and analyst forecast optimism is concentrated among the high-accrual decile portfolios.Overall, return behavior, analyst optimism, investment-financing decisions, and insider trading activity are all consistent with the agency theory of overvalued equity, but do not support investor fixation on accruals