L2 Syntax-Discourse Interface : Wh-Parameter and D-Linking

A version of this study has been published in the Proceedings of the 13th Seoul International Conference of Generative Grammar (SICOGG) and is also presented SICOGG in August 2011 and Second Language Research Forum (SLRF) in October 2011.In English, the Superiority Condition (Chomsky 1973) is overtly observed; in multiple wh-questions, the wh-phrase that is closest to SpecCP gets moved. But this condition is overridden by discourse-linking whichphrases (Pesetsky 1987) ; i.e., any one of the which-phrases can move to SpecCP. However, these phenomena are overt only in a wh-movement language such as English, but not in wh-in-situ languages such as Korean. For Koreans to learn the syntactic contrast in English, resetting the wh-parameter is crucial. By examining L2 acquisition of superiority and discourse-linking, this study tests the Interpretability Hypothesis and the Interface Hypothesis. 51 Korean ESL learners and 18 native English speakers participated. The results suggest the learners parameter resetting regardless of the uninterpretability of the target feature

Detection and monitoring of forest fires using Himawari-8 geostationary satellite data in South Korea

Geostationary satellite remote sensing systems are a useful tool for forest fire detection and monitoring because of their high temporal resolution over large areas. In this study, we propose a combined 3-step forest fire detection algorithm (i.e., thresholding, machine learning-based modeling, and post processing) using Himawari-8 geostationary satellite data over South Korea. This threshold-based algorithm filtered the forest fire candidate pixels using adaptive threshold values considering the diurnal cycle and seasonality of forest fires while allowing a high rate of false alarms. The random forest (RF) machine learning model then effectively removed the false alarms from the results of the threshold-based algorithm (overall accuracy ~99.16%, probability of detection (POD) ~93.08%, probability of false detection (POFD) ~0.07%, and 96% reduction of the false alarmed pixels for validation), and the remaining false alarms were removed through post-processing using the forest map. The proposed algorithm was compared to the two existing methods. The proposed algorithm (POD ~ 93%) successfully detected most forest fires, while the others missed many small-scale forest fires (POD ~ 50-60%). More than half of the detected forest fires were detected within 10 min, which is a promising result when the operational real-time monitoring of forest fires using more advanced geostationary satellite sensor data (i.e., with higher spatial and temporal resolutions) is used for rapid response and management of forest fires

Anti-reflective nano- and micro-structures on 4H-SiC for photodiodes

In this study, nano-scale honeycomb-shaped structures with anti-reflection properties were successfully formed on SiC. The surface of 4H-SiC wafer after a conventional photolithography process was etched by inductively coupled plasma. We demonstrate that the reflection characteristic of the fabricated photodiodes has significantly reduced by 55% compared with the reference devices. As a result, the optical response Iillumination/Idark of the 4H-SiC photodiodes were enhanced up to 178%, which can be ascribed primarily to the improved light trapping in the proposed nano-scale texturing

Sopungyangjae-Tang Inhibits Development of Dermatitis in Nc/Nga Mice

Sopungyangjae-Tang (SYT) is a traditional Korean decoction used for the treatment of dermatitis. The aim of this study was to confirm whether or not SYT has a preventive effect on the development of atopic dermatitis in dinitrochlorobenzene-applied Nc/Nga mice. SYT was administered orally to Nc/Nga mice, which led to the remarkable suppression of the development of dermatitis, as determined by a histological examination and the serum IgE levels. Moreover, SYT inhibited the production of thymus- and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) and its mRNA expression in a keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT, which had been stimulated with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Activation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) or activator protein-1 (AP-1) is one of the key steps in the signaling pathways mediating induction of TARC. In this study, SYT selectively suppressed NF-κB activation, which may be essential for TARC expression in TNF-α/IFN-γ treated keratinocytes. The inhibitory effect of SYT on NF-κB activation and TARC production might be associated with the anti-dermatitic effects of SYT

Two Cases of Giant Epidermal Cyst Occurring in the Neck

Epidermal cysts are the most common cysts of the skin. Aconventional epidermal cyst rarely reaches a size of more than 5 cm in diameter. We report on two cases of giant epidermal cyst occurring in the neck. One patient had a cyst measuring 12×9×9 cm and the other patient had a non-pulsatile, dome-shaped lesion in the neck, which measured 6×5×3 cm. The lesions were totally excised. Histopathologically, both were confirmed as giant epidermal cysts