The Science of Pronominal Usage: He and It in Co-Reference to Inanimate Objects in Late Middle English Texts on Alchemy

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The published version can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0075424210384225This article explores the variation between he and it in coreference to inanimate entities (such as mercury, sulfur, and salt). Using alchemical texts from the fifteenth century as material, the article demonstrates that there was much more variation in pronominal reference in this period than has previously been shown. Of the possible explanations suggested by previous research, the earlier grammatical gender system and transference from Latin do not seem to play a role, while pronoun clustering and pronominal reanalysis appear to influence the quantitative distribution. The scale of individuation used by Siemund and Stenroos to explain similar usage is shown not to be a straightforward predictor. Other factors such as personification and perceived similarities between animate and inanimate entities may affect the degree of perceived individuation. The choice of he over she seems to be influenced by pronominal reanalysis and straightforward personification in some cases. In other instances, it is speculated that the he usage reflects (stereotypical) gender conceptions in the Middle Ages

Initial clinical experience with a new biointegrative cement for vertebroplasty in osteoporotic vertebral fractures.

Summary: Polymethylmethacrylate, as a widely used material for vertebroplasty, has several drawbacks such as heat development and high allergenic potential. In order to avoid these drawbacks ceramic cement materials have been developed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new biointegrative material for vertebroplasty in osteoporotic vertebral fractures regarding pain relief, safety aspects and technical feasibility. The injectable bone substitute Cerament(TM) SpineSupport has been developed for vertebroplasty of osteoporotic vertebral fractures. The aim of the product is to provide mechanical stability by cured calcium sulfate dehydrate during a period of several weeks and to act as an osteoconductive support by hydroxyl apatite particles. Inclusion criteria were a stable single vertebral fracture at levels Th5 to L5, verified by CT and MRI, and not older than four weeks, in osteoporotic patients aged 60 years or older. Bipedicular vertebroplasty technique was used. Follow up included CT directly after treatment and after two month and pain assessment (VAS) pre and post procedure after two weeks and one month. Seven patients (age range 62 - 96 years, mean 73.9, five women, two men) were treated at levels T 8 (n=1), T 12 (n=4) and L1 (n=2). The average injected volume was 1.9 ml (range 0.2-4 ml). No material or procedure-related complications were observed. An average height loss of the treated vertebral bodies of 3.6 mm (range 1.5-5.4) was seen two months after treatment as compared to pre-treatment CT. Pain assessment by VAS resulted in an improvement from mean 69 prior treatment to 37 the day post treatment, 42 after two weeks and 30 after one month. Initial results indicate that Cerament(TM) SpineSupport is safe and effective in the treatment of acute osteoporotic vertebral body fractures. Further studies with long-term follow-up are needed to confirm these results and to prove the concept of osteoconduction with hydroxyl apatite particles

An Experimental Study of Flow and Thermal Transient Response in a Race-Track Monolith Catalytic Converter

A model for the pressure drop was proposed and compared to experimental results. Global flow characteristics and velocity distribution were studied from residence time distribution measurements in a race-trackmonolith. Significant dead volumes were detected and the velocity distribution was determined. The effect of flow-rate, inlet tube diameter and flow deflector was investigated. Study of the time evolution of outlet temperature and temperature distribution in a monolith coated or not with catalyst makes it possible to determine the thermal characteristics of heat-up. The influence of flow rate, velocity distribution and developing laminar flow regime in the channel were qualitatively estimated. Theses results allow one to determine the hydrodynamic and thermal behavior of the catalytic converter and to propose reliable and realistic assumptions for subsequent modeling

Cerebral Perfusion Imaging in Hemodynamic Stroke: Be Aware of the Pattern

Reduction of the cerebral perfusion pressure caused by vessel occlusion or stenosis is a cause of neurological symptoms and border-zone infarctions. The aim of this article is to describe perfusion patterns in hemodynamic stroke, to give a practical approach for the assessment of colour encoded CT- and MR-perfusion maps and to demonstrate the clinical use of comprehensive imaging in the workup of patients with hemodynamic stroke

Multilingualism and language mixing among Singapore university students

This chapter discusses the dynamics of language mixing among Singaporean university students and how such mixing practices are an integral part of students’ linguistic behaviour at university, both inside and outside formal classroom contexts. The study draws on a large-scale language survey of undergraduate students, as well as qualitative language data collected at one of Singapore’s leading universities. The findings reveal how Singaporean students are able to shift between various languages inside and outside their classrooms, and may also have relevance for a range of other multilingual contexts, particularly in relation to language use in higher education.Accepted versio