Negative free choice

Free Choice (FC) is an inference arising from the interaction between existential modals and disjunction. Schematically, a sentence of the form permitted(A or B) gives rise to the inference ◊A∧◊B. Many competing theories of FC have been proposed but they can be classified into two main groups: one group derives FC as an entailment, while the other derives it as an implicature. By contrast, Negative Free Choice (NFC), the corresponding inference from negated universal modals embedding conjunction, e.g., not(required(A and B)) to ¬□A∧□B, has been discussed much less, and its existence has even been questioned in the recent literature. This paper reports on three experiments whose results provide clear evidence that NFC exists as an inference, but also indicate that NFC is far less robust than FC. This leaves us with two theoretical possibilities: the uniform approach, which comes in two versions, one deriving both FC and NFC as implicatures, and the other deriving both as entailments, and the hybrid approach that derives FC as an entailment and NFC as an implicature. We argue that the observed difference between FC and NFC is straightforwardly explained under the hybrid approach while it poses a challenge for the uniform approach. We end with a brief discussion of the options we see for the uniform approach and their further consequences

Diversity with Universality

This paper investigates the ‘Diversity’ inferences (D-inferences) arising from disjunction embedded in the scope of a universal quantifier, e.g., Every X is A or B suggests Some Xs are A and Some Xs are B. It has previously been claimed (i) that D-inferences are independent from ‘Negative Universal’ inferences (NU-inferences), which are the negations of Every X is A and Every X is B, but (ii) that for disjunction in the scope of a universal modal the D-inferences cannot be observed independently of the NU-inferences ([3, 7, 9, 13]). Experiment 1 tested the availability of D-inferences in the absence of NU-inferences for the determiner every and the epistemic modal must. Experiment 2 followed up on Experiment 1 by testing the same two quantifiers, only this time the modal must expressed deontic necessity. The results show that, for both types of quantifiers, D-inferences could be derived independently of NU-inferences. While the results for every essentially replicate those reported in [7], the results for must are new and go against the aforementioned claim (ii). In addition, the response time results from both experiments show that D-inferences are associated with response delay effects in the opposite direction to those observed for regular scalar implicatures in similar tasks ([4, 5]). We argue that these findings about the time course of D-inferences raise a new challenge for an implicature-based approach to these inferences

PILOT: a balloon-borne experiment to measure the polarized FIR emission of dust grains in the interstellar medium

Future cosmology space missions will concentrate on measuring the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background, which potentially carries invaluable information about the earliest phases of the evolution of our universe. Such ambitious projects will ultimately be limited by the sensitivity of the instrument and by the accuracy at which polarized foreground emission from our own Galaxy can be subtracted out. We present the PILOT balloon project which will aim at characterizing one of these foreground sources, the polarization of the dust continuum emission in the diffuse interstellar medium. The PILOT experiment will also constitute a test-bed for using multiplexed bolometer arrays for polarization measurements. We present the results of ground tests obtained just before the first flight of the instrument.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures. Presented at SPIE, Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy VII. To be published in Proc. SPIE volume 915

Ordering intermetallic alloys by ion irradiation: a way to tailor magnetic media

Combining He ion irradiation and thermal mobility below 600K, we both trigger and control the transformation from chemical disorder to order in thin films of an intermetallic ferromagnet (FePd). Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations show how the initial directional short range order determines order propagation. Magnetic ordering perpendicular to the film plane was achieved, promoting the initially weak magnetic anisotropy to the highest values known for FePd films. This post-growth treatment should find applications in ultrahigh density magnetic recording.Comment: 7 pages, 3 Figure

Gold nanoparticle decorated single walled carbon nanotube nanocomposite with synergistic peroxidase like activity for D-alanine detection

© The Royal Society of Chemistry. In this report, a gold nanoparticle decorated single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNTs) nanocomposite was shown to possess synergistic intrinsic peroxidase like activity and enhanced affinity towards H2O2 oxidation. The gold nanoparticle decorated SWCNTs nanocomposite was characterized by high catalytic activity, enhanced stability from the gold nanoparticles and improved dispersion from the SWCNTs. Subsequently, this nanocomposite was proved to be a novel peroxidase mimetic with great potential to catalyze the oxidation of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of H2O2 to yield a blue colored product. As a proof of concept, the gold nanoparticle decorated SWCNTs composite was used as a robust nanoprobe for the detection of d-alanine with improved analytical characteristics. Taking into account the valuable intrinsic peroxidase activity of the nanohybrid, the present work may find widespread applications in the field of sensors and biosensors for diverse applications. This journal i

Yttrium-90 microsphere induced gastrointestinal tract ulceration

© 2008 South et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens