Notions and subnotions in information structure

Three dimensions can be distinguished in a cross-linguistic account of information structure. First, there is the definition of the focus constituent, the part of the linguistic expression which is subject to some focus meaning. Second and third, there are the focus meanings and the array of structural devices that encode them. In a given language, the expression of focus is facilitated as well as constrained by the grammar within which the focus devices operate. The prevalence of focus ambiguity, the structural inability to make focus distinctions, will thus vary across languages, and within a language, across focus meanings

Shiwilu (Jebero)

Shiwilu (a.k.a. Jebero) is a critically endangered language from Peruvian Amazonia and one of the two members of the Kawapanan linguistic family. Most of its nearly 30 remaining fluent speakers live in and around the village of Jeberos (District of Jeberos, Province of Alto Amazonas, Loreto Region), at approximately 5° S, 75° W. The documentation of Shiwilu is scarce and no survey grammar is available. Until very recently, the only trained linguist who had worked on Shiwilu was John Bendor- Samuel, who carried out fieldwork in 1955–1956 and completed a doctoral thesis in 1958 (see Bendor-Samuel 1981 [1958]). An abridged version of the thesis, which includes an outline of the phonology, was published as Bendor-Samuel (1961). Whereas recent publications have focused on the social position of the Shiwilu language (Valenzuela 2010), morpho-syntactic aspects (Valenzuela 2011), and a formal demonstration of its family affiliation with the Shawi language (a.k.a. Chayahuita) (Valenzuela Bismarck 2011), the present article is the first account of its sound system since the work by Bendor-Samuel

Average and worst-case specifications of precipitating auroral electron environment

The precipitation electrons in the auroral environment are highly variable in their energy and intensity in both space and time. As such they are a source of potential hazard to the operation of the Space Shuttle and other large spacecraft operating in polar orbit. In order to assess these hazards both the average and extreme states of the precipitating electrons must be determined. Work aimed at such a specification is presented. First results of a global study of the average characteristics are presented. In this study the high latitude region was divided into spatial elements in magnetic local time and corrected geomagnetic latitude. The average electron spectrum was then determined in each spatial element for seven different levels of activity as measured by K sub p using an extremely large data set of auroral observations. Second a case study of an extreme auroral electron environment is presented, in which the electrons are accelerated through field aligned potential as high as 30,000 volts and in which the spacecraft is seen to charge negatively to a potential approaching .5 kilovolts

Fine phonetic detail and intonational meaning

International audienceThe development of theories about form-function relations in intonation should be informed by a better understanding of the dependencies that hold among different phonetic parameters. Fine phonetic detail encodes both linguistically structured meaning and paralinguistic meaning. <BR /

Evaluation of waiting periods prior to laser refractive surgery after discontinuing wear of rigid and soft contact lenses

PURPOSE: This study evaluated how contact lens induced corneal warpage stabilizes upon discontinuation of lens wear and further evaluated whether the waiting periods for laser refractive surgery now in use can be safely shortened. METHODS: Using corneal topography, both retrospective and prospective analyses were conducted for 16 soft lens eyes and 8 rigid lens eyes. Corneal maps were taken prior to discontinuation of lens wear, serial maps taken during the waiting period (if an RGP wearer), and again on the date of surgery. Using the Humphrey PathFinder Analysis software, comparisons were made of the CIM, Shape Factor, and TKM to evaluate the changes over time. RESULTS: There is very little corneal reshaping once soft lens wear is discontinued. However, statistically significant changes in SF (Shape Factor) and TKM (Mean Toric Keratometry) before and after the waiting period were found for subjects wearing RGP (rigid gas permeable) lenses. CONCLUSION: Careful topographic analysis should allow many long-term RGP wearers without signs of corneal warpage to forego the long waiting period dictated by current standards in refractive surgery. Short waiting periods for soft lens wearers may be a prudent precaution, but is not a necessity

Editorial: Crosstalk between intonation and lexical tones: Linguistic, cognitive and neuroscience perspectives

The interplay between categorical and continuous aspects of the speech signal remains central and yet controversial in the fields of phonetics and phonology. The division between phonological abstractions and phonetic variations has been particularly relevant to the unraveling of diverse communicative functions of pitch in the domain of prosody. Pitch influences vocal communication in two major but fundamentally different ways, and lexical and intonational tones exquisitely capture these functions. Lexical tone contrasts convey lexical meanings as well as derivational meanings at the word level and are grammatically encoded as discrete structures. Intonational tones, on the other hand, signal post-lexical meanings at the phrasal level and typically allow gradient pragmatic variations. Since categorical and gradient uses of pitch are ubiquitous and closely intertwined in their physiological and psychological processes, further research is warranted for a more detailed understanding of their structural and functional characterisations. This Research Topic addresses this matter from a wide range of perspectives, including first and second language acquisition, speech production and perception, structural and functional diversity, and working with distinct languages and experimental measures. In the following, we provide a short overview of the contributions submitted to this topi

Pronunciation acquisition patterns of learners with different starting levels

This study described the results of an investigation into the effect of an intensive 12-week pronunciation course in British English which 30 Dutch female 1st-year university students of English took. They read out the same text before and after the course. Each student’s ‘before’ and ‘after’ tests were recorded. Before analysis of their results, students were split up into three groups on the basis of their general starting level: high, intermediate and low. The analysis involved a before- and after comparison of the pronunciation of eleven different phonemes: /æ, ɒ, ɔː, ʌ, ʊ, d, θ/, medial /t/, coda /r/, and syllable-final /d, v/. The analysis was done by means of both auditory and acoustic analysis. Four degrees of success (or lack thereof) were defined. The results show that the consonants required the least effort, as they were already relatively acceptable before the course started. This was true of students in general, regardless of initial starting level. The three levels of students are most distinguishable on the basis of the development of the consonants during the course. The weaker students’ consonants in particular benefitted from the course. The research revealed that initial level can be used to predict the trajectory of improvement. A general conclusion is that teachers may recognise types of students before the course starts and subject them to different types of teaching

The pursuit of economic strength has stabilizing effects in the South China Sea

Are Vietnam and the Philippines trending more toward conflict or cooperation with China over disputed territories and resource claims in the South China Sea? This thesis investigates realist and liberal international relations theories applied to three states involved in South China Sea disputes. It reviews the history of South China Sea disputes between China, Vietnam, and the Philippines since 1988 and reviews the states' growing economic interconnectedness to determine whether they have trended toward armed conflict or if economic interdependence has led the states toward cooperation to manage their overlapping claims. This thesis concludes that China, Vietnam, and the Philippines have trended neither toward armed conflict nor cooperation to manage their South China Sea territory and resource disputes. Despite increasing tensions over the competition for territory and resources, the states have managed their disputes peacefully and have avoided armed conflict since 1988. Furthermore, despite increasing asymmetric economic interdependence between the smaller states and China correlating to the period of relative peace in the South China Sea, the states have rarely cooperated with one another to manage their disputes. Asymmetric economic interdependence between the smaller states and China, however, has contributed to the relative peace in the South China Sea.http://archive.org/details/thepursuitofecon1094550556Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Determination of the mean cross-sectional area of the thoracic aorta using a double indicator dilution technique

A double indicator dilution technique for determining the mean cross-sectional area (CSA) of a blood vessel in vivo is presented. Analogous to the thermodilution method, dilution of hypertonic saline was measured by an electrical conductance technique. Because the change in conductance rather than absolute conductance was used to calculate CSA, pulsatile changes in shear rate of blood and conductance of surrounding tissues had no effect on the data. To calculate CSA from an ion mass balance, cardiac output was needed and estimated from the thermodilution curve using the same 'cold' (hypertonic) saline injection. The mean CSA, obtained from this double indicator dilution method (CSA(GD)), was compared with the CSA obtained from the intravascular ultrasound method (IVUS) in 44 paired observations in six piglets. The regression line is close to the line of identity (CSA(GD) = -1.83 + 1.06 · CSA(IVUS), r = 0.96). The difference between both CSAs was independent of the diameter of the vessel, on average -0.99 mm2 ± 2.64 mm2 (mean CSA(GD) = 46.84 ± 8.21 mm2, mean CSA(IVUS) = 47.82 ± 9.08 mm2) and not significant. The results show that the double indicator dilution method is a reliable technique for estimating the CSA of blood vessels in vivo