bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fast High-Resolution Screening Method for Reactive Surfaces by Combining Atomic Force Microscopy and Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering
Authors: van Hoorn Camiel H. , Wessels Carlos , Ariese Freek , Mank Arjan J.G.
Published: July 2017

A fast high-resolution screening method for reactive surfaces is presented. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) are combined in one method in order to be able to obtain both morphological and chemical information about processes at a surface. In order to accurately align the AFM and SERS images, an alignment pattern on the substrate material is exploited. Subsequent SERS scans with sub-micron resolution are recorded in 30 min per scan for an area of 100 × 100 µm2 and are accompanied by morphological information, supplied by a fast AFM, of the same area. Hence, a complete reactivity overview is obtained within several hours with only a monolayer of reactant. To demonstrate the working principle of this method, a SERS substrate containing the alignment pattern and silver nanoparticle aggregates as catalytic sites is prepared to study the photo-catalytic reduction of p-nitrothiophenol ( p-NTP).
An Empirical Study on Raman Peak Fitting and Its Application to Raman Quantitative Research
Authors: Yuan Xueyin , Mayanovic Robert A.
Published: July 2017

Fitting experimentally measured Raman bands with theoretical model profiles is the basic operation for numerical determination of Raman peak parameters. In order to investigate the effects of peak modeling using various algorithms on peak fitting results, the representative Raman bands of mineral crystals, glass, fluids as well as the emission lines from a fluorescent lamp, some of which were measured under ambient light whereas others under elevated pressure and temperature conditions, were fitted using Gaussian, Lorentzian, Gaussian–Lorentzian, Voigtian, Pearson type IV, and beta profiles. From the fitting results of the Raman bands investigated in this study, the fitted peak position, intensity, area and full width at half-maximum (FWHM) values of the measured Raman bands can vary significantly depending upon which peak profile function is used in the fitting, and the most appropriate fitting profile should be selected depending upon the nature of the Raman bands. Specifically, the symmetric Raman bands of mineral crystals and non-aqueous fluids are best fit using Gaussian–Lorentzian or Voigtian profiles, whereas the asymmetric Raman bands are best fit using Pearson type IV profiles. The asymmetric O–H stretching vibrations of H2O and the Raman bands of soda–lime glass are best fit using several Gaussian profiles, whereas the emission lines from a florescent light are best fit using beta profiles. Multiple peaks that are not clearly separated can be fit simultaneously, provided the residuals in the fitting of one peak will not affect the fitting of the remaining peaks to a significant degree. Once the resolution of the Raman spectrometer has been properly accounted for, our findings show that the precision in peak position and intensity can be improved significantly by fitting the measured Raman peaks with appropriate profiles. Nevertheless, significant errors in peak position and intensity were still observed in the results from fitting of weak and wide Raman bands having unnormalized intensity/FWHM ratios lower than 200 counts/cm−1.
Significance of Russia-China-India Cooperation in the Backdrop of Present Global and Regional Changes
Authors: Titarenko M.L. , Karnati Ajoy
Published: July 2017

The world is experiencing an intricate period of changes and new dimensions in international relations. Other issues prevalent in international life are the problems of international terrorism together with other modem challenges and threats including weapons of mass destruction. There have been official visits at state levels between Russia and India, between China and India and between Russia and China. Intensive political contacts and trade collaboration between our countries on a bilateral level have been significant developments in the present. An important event has been the trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of India, China and Russia in Vladivostok. In a Joint Communiqué, it was highlighted that strategic cooperation between the three countries is not directed against any other country. Russia, India and China continue to look for effective ways of developing a constructive partnership with the United States. The vital issue today remains the problem of strengthening the leading role of the United Nations (UN), justified reformation of this organisation by considering the interests of majority of members of the world community. Russia, as well as its Indian and Chinese friends, continues to proceed from the fact that the central role of uniting the efforts of the world community in deciding the key issues must belong to the UN.
Has China's Anti-Secession Law Made the World a Safer Place?
Authors: Chung Chien-peng
Published: July 2017

The Anti-Secession Law enacted on 14 March 2005 by the highest legislature of the People's Republic of China (PRC), the National People's Congress, establishes for the first time a legal basis for the possible use of military use of force by the PRC against Taiwan. It may also be read as an attempt by the PRC to pursue a steady relationship with Taiwan by putting it on a quasi-legal footing. This comment analyses the Law from different aspects for its purpose, meaning and fallout for the PRC, Taiwan, the Asia-Pacific region and the rest of the world. The comment argues that the Law actually makes East Asia a more peaceful and secure environment than before its enactment.
Test Calibration for Categorical Classification
Authors: Betts Gilbert L.
Published: July 2017

The need for having tests calibrated on a quality scale arises from difficulties encountered in the classification of borderline personnel into predetermined categories. The proposed scale was studied experimentally from a succession of differently spaced criterion groups. As thus studied, its characteristics indicated that it was admirably suited for the purpose contemplated.

The practicability of the scale was verified through actual use. A new test, called the Biographical Case History, was constructed, calibrated by reference to two contrasting criterion groups, and used successfully for measurement and classification purposes. The nature of further applications that may be made was illustrated.
Integrating Placement with the Student Personnel Program
Authors: Johnson Norman A.
Published: July 2017

If we are to do more than merely acknowledge placement as an essential student personnel service, and if we are to do more than merely give “lip” service to the need for integration, then I firmly believe that the following prerequisites must be met:

1. That the responsibility for placement services must be definitely assigned.

2. That the individuals charged with the administration or coordination of placement services be responsible to the office having over-all administration and coordination of all student personnel services.

3. That there be qualified personnel to discharge effectively the duties and responsibilities incident to placement and follow-up services.

An attempt has been made in this presentation to indicate the limitations, from the point of view of integration, of a placement program dependent entirely on the efforts of individual instructional departments, schools or colleges within an institution. This was in reference, of course, to those institutions in which there were no central placement or coordinating offices.

If the foregoing prerequisites have been met, then it would seem relatively easy to identify areas of integration as well as to develop specific techniques of integrating placement with the student personnel program. Admittedly, I may have been thinking in terms of perhaps the “ideal” or the optimum program, but should we set our sights any lower?
Imposition of Safeguard Measures and Unforeseen Developments
Authors: Rai Sheela
Published: July 2017

WTO has certain protective clauses which allow the Members to provide their domestic industry temporary respite from the rigors of free market. Provision for safeguard measures under Article XIX of the GATT 1994 and the Agreement on Safeguards is one such provision that allows Members to restrict imports if there is serious injury to the domestic industry because of increase in imports. However, as held by the Appellate Body, it needs to be proved that increase in imports has been the result of unforeseen developments. The article critically analyzes the provision of unforeseen developments as interpreted by the Appellate Body and then examines whether the decision of the Appellate Body was correct in the light of the negotiating process.
Users& Perspective on Inland Container Depots in Rajasthan
Authors: Dwivedi Harsh , Pande Shankar
Published: July 2017

This study deals with the users' perception on Inland Container Depots (ICDs) in Rajasthan. It is an attempt to understand that how far the users of ICDs are satisfied with the procedures, documentations, storage, facilities and amenities and the control of time to maintain quality service used by Rajasthan Small Industries Corporation. The study concludes that there are several things to be updated and upgraded to bring the overall satisfaction amongst the users. The implication of the study is that these state owned institutions must adopt competitive strategies to meet the challenges of change in the area of international management.
Missing Qualities in Training Educators for the Gifted and Talented
Authors: Bruch Catherine
Published: July 2017

One of the critical practical problems in gifted and talented education is the training of teachers and others who deal with the gifted. In the past year the federal government has taken steps through USOE consortium grants to underwrite stipends for "federal fellows" in an effort to spotlight the fact that we are not training enough leaders, administrators, teachers and counselors in this area. Recognizing the importance of this matter, the editor has commissioned the most able talent he could find,--one of his former students, an assistant director of the San Fernando Valley Gifted Children Workshops in the 1960's and now professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Georgia, where she is part of one of the top teams in the country (headed by Dr. Torrance) in training for the doctorate in the area of gifted and talented. Kay is an editorial board member of this journal as well as a member of the executive committee of NAGC, and the past president of TAG. She has put together a great issue which may become a collector's item. Her editorial follows:
The Eminent Genius in History: the Critical Role of Creative Development
Authors: Simonton Dean Keith
Published: July 2017

Why do creative geniuses appear in some periods of history but not in others? A review of recent research suggests that various external events--including formal education, role-model availability, zeitgeist, political fragmentation, war, civil disturbances, and political instability-- tend to have a critical impact on the development of creative potential in the young genius. Once that potential is established, however, and the genius enters adulthood, creative productivity tends to proceed with little interference from outside events.
Solubilities of Nitrogen, Isobutane and Carbon Dioxide in Polyethylene
Authors: Chaudhary Bharat I. , Johns Andy I.
Published: July 2017

This paper describes the use of a novel method for measuring gas solubilities in polymers. It involves the use of a magnetic suspension device, an instrument with good mass sensitivity and short equilibration times that is able to operate in relatively hostile conditions, At similar temperatures and pressures, isobutane was significantly more soluble in polyethylene than carbon dioxide. The solubilities of both gases increased as the pressure was raised and decreased with increasing temperatures. The effect of temperature on gas solubility was smaller with carbon dioxide than with isobutane. Both isobutane and carbon dioxide were substantially more soluble in polyethylene than nitrogen.
The Reading of Messages of Different Types and Numbers of Syllables Under Conditions of Delayed Side-Tone
Authors: Black John W.
Published: July 2017

Eight sets of phrases were constructed for oral reading. Two sets were comprised of five syllables, in one instance consonant-vowel syllables and in the other, vowel-consonant. Three sets were made to include only syllables of two, three, or four sounds and a total of either 15 or 16 sounds. Three additional sets were the same as the preceding ones except that the total number of sounds was either 20 or 21.

Each group of twenty-four young male adults read a set of the phrases under 12 conditions of delayed side-tone ranging from zero delay to 0.30 sec. delay. The duration of the oral phrase was measured.

The reading of phrases of vowel-consonant syllables was more adversely affected by delayed side-tone than was the reading of consonant-vowel syllables, and the disparity between the two increased as the amount of delay of side-tone was increased to 0.21 sec. Otherwise syllables and phrases of different lengths were responded to “alike,” there being no interaction between the amount of delay of side-tone and the structure of the phrase.
Verbal Dysfunction in Mental Illness: A Comparative Study
Authors: Raven J. G.
Published: July 2017

The unusual ways in which patients explain and use words throw light on the different forms of thought disorder noticed in structural and functional mental illnesses. The frequency of unusual qualities can be an aid to differential diagnosis, and sometimes prognosis.
The Predictability of Words in Context and the Length of Pauses in Speech
Authors: Goldman-Eisler Frieda
Published: July 2017

Fluency and hesitation in spontaneous speech have previously been shown to be symptomatic of variations in word transition probability. The purpose of the present experiment was to corroborate this conclusion by evidence demonstrating the influence of transition probability (amount of information) on selective behaviour stimulated in an experimental situation.

An experiment in sentence completion was designed in such a way as to recreate the conditions for word selection in sentences. As a result word transition probability was shown to be related not only to incidence but also to the length of hesitation pauses within sentences. The completion of gaps substituted for words that had originally been preceded by pauses required a significantly longer period of hesitation than the completion of gaps substituted for words which had been uttered fluently. A relation was thus shown to exist between periods of hesitation before verbalisation in different persons performing different operations within the same linguistic setting. The conditions under which this relation has been shown to hold have been found to be those of successful anticipation of the original speaker's intentions.
Phoneme Categorization of Synthetic Vocalic Stimuli By Speakers of Japanese, Spanish, Persian, and American English
Authors: Scholes Robert J.
Published: July 2017

A set of 69 synthetic vowel sounds were generated which covered a wide range of F1/F2 frequency combinations. Subjects from four language groups (American English, Spanish, Japanese and Persian) were asked to listen to these stimuli in random order and to assign each one either to a vowel phoneme of their native language (as represented in a key-word) or to a class of sound which was not represented in that language. The results showed that the subjects were prepared to accept synthesized sounds for this purpose and were able consistently to assign many of the sounds to phonemes. The method therefore provides a means of arriving at the vowel phonemes for a number of languages, except in the case of sounds where time changes, such as diphthongisation, form an important cue.
A Second Evaluation of the Speaking Fundamental Frequency Characteristics of Post-Adolescent Girls
Authors: Hollien Harry , Paul Patricia
Published: July 2017

Normative data on the speaking fundamental frequency characteristics (SFF) of 467 post-adolescent girls are presented—160 from the present study combined with 307 from previous research by Michel, Hollien and Moore (the two groups were combined to provide a representative experimental population). The mean fundamental frequencies for the three age groups studied were found to be 215.7, 213.9 and 211.5 c.p.s. respectively. These data are in general agreement with those of similar studies for other age groups and would indicate that most girls probably (1) undergo voice change before the fifteenth year and (2) attain reasonably stable adult voices during the immediate post-pubescent period.
Fricative and Plosive Perception-Identification as a Function of Phonetic Context in CVCVC Utterance
Authors: Treon Martin A.
Published: July 2017

Hypothesis: The largest perceptual influence unit (PIU) for consonant perception-identification is of larger than syllable size and at least of the size CVCVC. The PIU is defined as that number of two or more successive speech sounds which influence the perception-identification of a given sound within that sequence. Each of twenty listeners attempted to identify the centrally occurring consonant /p t k b d g f s ∫ v z / in each of 576 CVCVC nonsense utterances occurring in white noise. The vowel context included combinations of /i α u/ while the outside consonants were both either /θ/ or /m/. Results indicated that plosive and non-sibilant fricative intelligibility varied significantly as a function of trans-consonantal vowel interaction (V C V). Furthermore trans-vowel consonant influence (C V C and/or C V C)

significantly affected the intelligibility of almost all of the stimulus sounds. This latter finding, considered together with the former, clearly supports the proposed hypothesis.
Social Class and Code Elaboration in Written Communication
Authors: Poole Millicent E. , Field T.W.
Published: July 2017

The present study sought to test the tenability of Bernstein's socio-linguistic theory of ' elaborated' and restricted' coding orientations at the tertiary educational level, and in an Australian socio-cultural context. Differences in overall coding orientation were established for working-class and middle-class groups. In contrast to previous studies in the area, the social class groups were not contrasted on single coding dimensions, but in the totality of their coding orientation on the elaborated/restricted continuum.
Comparison of Sensitivity to the Surface and Deep Structure of Sentences in Children
Authors: Trembath Alexis A.
Published: July 2017

Passages of connected discourse followed by a test sentence and a further twenty syllables of discourse were played to sixty six-year-old children. At the end of each passage the test sentence was played in one of four forms: (i) identical, (ii) with its deep structure changed and surface structure maintained, (iii) as in (ii) but the meaning of the new sentence out of line with the sense of the passage, (iv) with its surface structure changed but deep structure maintained. Subjects were asked to say whether the test sentence was the same as or different from the one in the passage.

Treatment of (ii), (iii) and (iv) sentences was significantly different from that of (i), i.e., some changes were detected. Type (iv) changes were hardest to detect and type (iii) changes were detected most often. The children were more sensitive to deep structure than to surface structure changes.
The Index of Contingency : a Critique
Authors: Pease Kenneth
Published: July 2017

The index of contingency of Becker et al. is not a satisfactory measure of redundancy since (1) the measure of reconstitution against which it was validated does not co-vary with noun repetitions in all circumstances. (2) The assumption that sentence meanings are basically carried by nouns produces anomalies in the comparative judgement of passages with large amounts of noun repetition and minimal verb repetition and passages with large amounts of verb repetition and minimal noun repetition. It is suggested that for much moderately redundant English the index seems to work because it co-varies with other aspects of sentence complexity. Becker and Carroll's view of the relationship between interest of a passage and the contingency of sentences within that passage is questioned.
Random Generation of Apparent Speech Rhythms
Authors: Jaffe Joseph , Breskin Stephen , Gerstman Louis J.
Published: July 2017

In order to illustrate the misinterpretation of time series data, simulated temporal patterns of vocalizations and pauses were generated from a table of random digits. These data exhibited precisely those characteristics which, when seen in graphs of actual spontaneous speech, have heretofore been taken as evidence for cognitive planning. This concretizes a previously made point concerning the need to distinguish random process from causal connection.
The Location of Rhythmic Stress Beats in English: an Experimental Study I
Authors: Allen George D.
Published: July 2017

This study examines the perceived location of rhythmic stress beats in sentences drawn from spontaneous conversation. Subjects listened to each sentence repeatedly from a tape loop and located the beats associated with various syllables in three ways: first, they tapped their fingers in time to the rhythm of the sentence; second, they moved an audible click around in the sentence until they felt it occurred at the same time that they would have tapped in the first task; third, they heard an audible click superimposed on the sentence near a rhythmic beat and were asked to judge whether or not the click "hit the beat". The times of occurrence of the subjects' taps, their placements of the movable click, and their judgments of which clicks hit the beat were compared as beat locations and were found to be in general agreement: the rhythmic beats were closely associated with the onsets of the nuclear vowels of the stressed syllables, but precede those vowel onsets by an amount positively correlated with the length of the initial consonant(s) of the syllable. This finding suggests that rhythmic beats in English are centred around a ballistic release of the initial consonants into the stressed vowels, this release involving respiratory, laryngeal and articulatory activity. The reliability of a subject's beat locating responses to a syllable was positively correlated with the degree of stress on that syllable, i.e., the more stress there is on a syllable, the more accurately can a listener locate the rhythmic beat of that syllable. Both the actual locations of the beats and the correlation of accuracy with degree of stress give meaning to the notion that English is a stress timed language.
Encoding Self-Embedded Sentences
Authors: Blaubergs Maija S.
Published: July 2017

Are encoding and decoding mirror image processes? Previous studies show that semantically supported self-embedded sentences are easier to decode than semantically neutral sentences. A procedure for testing encoding is developed. The hypothesis that semantically supported self-embedded sentences are not easier to encode than semantically neutral sentences is supported. An analysis of the errors made indicates that although errors increase with increasing sentence complexity, subjects can produce the correct orderings of subjects and predicates in sentences with up to five degrees of self-embedding. It is concluded that the scarcity of complex self-embedded sentences is not based primarily on memory limitations in the encoding of sentences, but more likely on the memory requirements in decoding.
Intervocalic Double Consonant Articulations in Ceylon Tamil : a Palatographic Study on Lengthening
Authors: Thananjayarajasingham S.
Published: July 2017

The validity of the writer's proprioceptive impression that the lengthening of laterals and nasals is distinctive in Ceylon Tamil was checked with the help of palatograms. The test items consisted of words in which single and double laterals and nasals occur. In the case of palatograms of words containing single consonants, there was only just a suggestion of a wipe-off and most of the marking medium was left intact. But in the case of words containing double consonants, the palatograms revealed a dearer and more marked wipe-off than in the previous cases. Thus it can be shown that during the articulation of double nasals and laterals, the tongue touches the area of contact more firmly and for a longer duration the articulation of single nasals and laterials.
On the Role of Sentence Stress in Sentence Processing
Authors: Cutler Anne , Foss Donald J.
Published: July 2017

Words bearing high stress appear to be easier to process during sentence comprehension. Since sentence stress typically falls on content words this suggests that comprehension is organized according to a form class bias: process stressed items as content words. The present study measured reaction-time (RT) to word-initial phoneme targets on content and function words in sentence contexts. Half of the words of each type were stressed, half were not. In addition, a variable of "normality" of stress pattern was manipulated. It was found that RTs were shorter for stressed items independent of their syntactic function. No effect for content v. function words or normal v. non-normal stress pattern was observed. Results were interpreted within the framework of a predictive model utilizing the concept of semantic focus.
The Influence of Linguistic Structure on Typing
Authors: Shulansky John D. , Herrmann Douglas J.
Published: July 2017

Touch typists, those who do not look at the keys while typing, and non-touch typists, those who do look at the keys, typed sentences which varied in linguistic complexity. Sentences were either grammatical and meaningful (GM), grammatical and anomalous (GA), or ungrammatical and meaningless (UML). Accuracy and latencies were measured. Accuracy decreased as complexity increased, i.e. from GM to GA to UML sentences, for both touch and non-touch typists. Preparation latency, the time from the presentation of a sentence and commencement of typing, and typing latency, the time from the beginning to the end of typing, increased for non-touch typists but remained constant for touch typists across sentence types (GM, GA, and UML).
Elicited Imitation in Second Language Learners
Authors: Hamayan Else , Saegert Joel , Larudee Paul
Published: July 2017

Three groups of subjects were tested in an elicited imitation study. These were 8-year-old, 11-year-old and adult native speakers of Arabic who were learning English as a second language. The subjects were asked to repeat sentences of seven different grammatical structure types. Previous research with 4-year-old native speakers of English (Smith, 1973) has found that three of the structures were easy to repeat (Type A structures) while four were difficult to repeat (Type B structures). In the present study, a similar difference in the repeatability of A and B structures was found for the youngest subjects, but there was no such difference for the adults and only a moderate difference for the intermediate group. The pattern of results suggested that this was not a function of differences in the subjects' English-language backgrounds, but represents a developmental difference in the ability of second language learners to repeat certain grammatical structures. The theoretical reasons for the variability in repetition difficulty for the different structure types were considered.
Frequency of Occurrence of Phonemes in Conversational English
Authors: Mines M. Ardussi , Hanson Barbara F. , Shoup June E.
Published: July 2017

The phoneme identification process of an automatic speech recognition system may be aided through the use of statistics of phoneme occurrence in conversational English. These statistics are also applicable to the fields of linguistics and speech, to teaching English as a foreign language and to speech pathology. In this study a data base containing 103,887 phoneme occurrences taken from casual conversational American English was obtained through interviews of sixteen adult males and ten adult females. The speech was transcribed using a quasi-phonemic system, known as ARPAbet, plus selected phoneme alternates and was analysed with computer assistance to obtain the rank order of phonemes according to frequency of occurrence. Also, the radius of the confidence interval for the observed frequency of occurrence was calculated at the 95% level for each phoneme. The top ten phonemes (in order, / a, n, t, i, s, r, i, l, d, ε /) account for 47% of all the data. As expected, the results of the present study correlate highly with those of one other major study of natural speech. Comparisons show some interesting differences in detail, however, that appear to be attributable to relatively minor variations in the experimental procedures.
Expectation Affects Identification by Listening
Authors: Ladefoged Peter
Published: July 2017

In criminal proceeding, suspects may be identified from tape-recordings. However, expectations affect the identification of voices. The voice of a person believed to belong to a particular group may be falsely identified in a recording of another member of that group. An experiment conducted with recordings from a tapped telephone has shown how frequent such false identifications can be.
Contextual Probability and Word Frequency as Determinants of Pauses and Errors in Spontaneous Speech
Authors: Beattie Geoffrey W. , Butterworth B.L.
Published: July 2017

This study investigated the relationship between the contextual probability of lexical items in spontaneous speech, as measured by the Cloze procedure, and word frequency. It also attempted to determine the relative importance of the two variables in causing delay, in the form of hesitation, in the production of spontaneous speech. The analysis revealed that content words of low contextual probability tended to be more infrequent than other words, and that both contextual probability and word frequency were associated with hesitation in speech. Contextual probability had an effect on hesitation even when word frequency was held constant, but word frequency had no effect when contextual probability was controlled. Analysis of certain types of errors, also, revealed that word frequency may play an important role in the lexical selection process.
Sex Differences in Children's Conversation
Authors: Esposito Anita
Published: July 2017

Sex differences in children's conversation are explored to determine if they exist and, if so, when they emerge. Forty preschool children were randomly assigned to groups (female-female, female-male, male-male) and were audio-taped in conversation while playing. Transcripts of their conversations were analyzed for interruptions, overlaps, lapses, gaps and number of initiated unit-types. Significant differences between heterogeneous and homogeneous groups were found for interruptions. Boys interrupted girls 2 to 1. Conversational sex differences seem to be acquired early in life, developing in conjunction with general conversational skills.
Acquisition of the English Voicing Contrast By Arab Children
Authors: Fokes Joann , Bond Z.S. , Steinberg Marcy
Published: July 2017

Children are typically more proficient than adults in learning the phonetic detail of a second language. The purpose of this study was to investigate the acquisition of the English voicing contrast as cued by voice onset time in syllable-initial position and preconsonantal vowel duration in final position in the speech of children whose native language is Arabic. The children, 24 to 135 months in age, were recorded producing minimal pairs differing in the voicing of consonants. Voice onset time and vowel duration were measured from spectrograms. Children were highly variable in their mastery of the voicing contrast. For this sample, neither age nor experience with English could predict phonetic proficiency.
The Interplay Between Prosodic Structure and Coarticulation
Authors: de Jong Kenneth , Beckman Mary E. , Edwards Jan
Published: July 2017

In this paper we draw on a linguistic model of prosodic structure and a task-dynamic model of speech gestures to account for the interplay of coarticulation and stress in English. We reinterpret results from two experiments in which articulator movements were recorded for utterances varying in pitch accent placement. In the first experiment, jaw kinematics were studied in post-nuclear unaccented and nuclear accented [pap] syllables. The kinematic patterns suggested that gestures in syllables with greater stress (nuclear accented) show less coarticulatory overlap. By contrast, the vowel's low jaw target is undershot in unaccented syllables. Two hypotheses are possible. Either the jaw is lower in stressed syllables so more energy can radiate from the mouth (“sonority expansion”) or the jaw is lower to help distinguish the low vowel from other vowels (“hyperarticulation”). Another experiment differentiates the two hypotheses by examining tongue point positions in [put] preceding a [Ö]. In the more stressed syllables, the tongue dorsum retracts more, likely to make a more distinct back vowel. Also, the amount of assimilation of the alveolar stop to the following dental is reduced. Both results suggest hyperarticulation rather than sonority expansion. Thus, it seems that coarticulation is reduced in stressed syllables, because stressed syllables are hyperarticulated.
Articulatory Representation and Speech Technology
Authors: Schmidbauer O. , Casacuberta F. , Castro M.J. , Hegerl G. , Höge H. , Sanchez J. A. , Zlokarnik I.
Published: July 2017

In this paper we demonstrate the feasibility and usefulness of articulation-based approaches in two major areas of speech technology: speech recognition and speech synthesis. Our articulatory recognition model estimates probabilities of categories of manner and place of articulation, which establish the articulatory feature vector. The transformation from the articulatory level to the symbolic level is performed by hidden Markov models or multi-layer perceptrons. Evaluations show that the articulatory approach is a good basis for speaker-independent and speaker-adaptive speech recognition. We are now working on a more realistic articulatory model for speech recognition. An algorithm based on an analysis by synthesis model maps the acoustic signal to 10 articulatory parameters which describe the position of the articulators. EMA (electro-magnetic articulograph) measurements recorded at the University of Munich provide good initial estimates of tongue coordinates. In order to improve articulatory speech synthesis we investigated an accurate physical model for the generation of the glottal source with the aid of a numerical simulation. This model takes into account nonlinear vortical flow and its interaction with soundwaves. The simulation results can be used to improve the articulatory synthesis model developed by Ishizaka and Flanagan (1972).
Backwards Signing and ASL Syllable Structure
Authors: Wilbur Ronnie B. , Petersen Lesa
Published: July 2017

A recurrent question raised by the study of signed languages concerns the linguistic effect of the modality in which the language is produced. Is the modality difference between speech and sign reflected merely in the nature of the phonetic features that map into production and perception, or is it the case that there might. be higher level organizational differences between the two linguistic modalities? The present study addresses the nature of the modality effect inside the syllable, namely whether syllables in ASL display evidence of segmental composition. Data from backwards signing are presented to demonstrate that the phonological representations that must be available to signers when they perform backwards signing tasks cannot be adequately represented with the current models that posit segmental composition of ASL syllables. Instead, it is argued that it is sufficient to make reference to distinctive features, in syllable initial and syllable final positions, and that there is no support for any further internal segmental divisions.
Control of Virus Spread in Potato Crops
Authors: Broadbent L.
Published: July 2017

Nearly all the potato acreage in England and Wales is planted with certified or once-grown seed, for growers believe that stocks cannot be kept more than two years without deteriorating. Post-war experiments have proved, however, that in many areas stock can be maintained for at least four years by spraying to prevent virus spread by aphids, and it is more profitable to do so than to import costly seed in the traditional way.
Some aspects of fertilizer application to grassland in the Soviet Union
Authors: Andreev N. G. , Ljubimova E. E.
Published: July 2017

Grasslands in the Soviet Union amount to about 370 million hectares, of which some 70 million are devoted to hay, the remaining 300 million being grazed. That the wide range of climate and soil types should be reflected in the variety of grassland problems is inevitable. The present article reviews the contributions of the Timiryazev Agricultural Academy and discusses many of the problems related to the use of fertilizers on grassland in the Soviet Union.
Population Growth and Natural Resource Use: Do We Need to Despair of Africa?
Authors: Tiffen Mary , Mortimore Michael
Published: July 2017

Population growth can lead to increases in agricultural output per head on a more sustainable basis. This was the conclusion of Boserup in 1965. The powerful mechanisms she identified can be illustrated by a study of Machakos District, Kenya during 1930–1960, which shows that, if policies are supportive, agricultural and non-farm incomes grow faster than even the rapid population growth rate experienced in Africa. Land use capability is not fixed, but can be transformed by investment, new technologies and good management. Lack of investment and consequent degradation are most likely at low population densities. While the study cannot foretell the future, Java illustrates a similar theme at even higher densities. It is essential that research understands the position the farmer has reached, and contributes, with other sources of information, to the technologies he or she can choose.
Mixed farming and intensification of animal production systems in Asia
Authors: Devendra C.
Published: July 2017

Integrated crop-animal systems are important in Asia. Both ruminants and non-ruminants are used in a variety of combinations with annual and perennial crops in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, China and Sri Lanka. These combined systems provide distinct economic benefits, and are more compatible with ecological and environmental sustainability. Increased investment in these systems is likely and research is needed on feed resources, use of indigenous animal genetic resources and livestock disease to increase livestock production. In addition, available research results should be applied and enabling policies developed to promote increased investment in livestock production and natural resource use and management in the rainfed warm humid/subhumid and arid/semiarid tropics.
It's Time for the World to Get Realistic about Meat
Authors: Avery Dennis T.
Published: July 2017

Raising more grain and meat per hectare of land is now more important to the world's future than further lowering the global population growth rate. That's because the human population is already stabilizing rapidly, but global meat demand is soaring. Will the additional meat be produced by ploughing up the world's tropical forests and other wildlands, or by increasing yields from existing fields and pastures? Will land-deficient Asia's workers be priced out of world markets by high food costs? These are vital questions for the twenty-first century, both for people's quality of life and for saving the environment. The real food danger for the future is not famine, but the potential that millions of square miles of wildlife habitat will be ploughed up for low-yield crops and livestock.
Communication of Improved Farm Practices to Rural Women Farmers in Benue State, Nigeria
Authors: Omoregbee F. E.
Published: July 2017

A study was conducted to investigate the communication process through which the extension workers of Benue Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (BNARDA) disseminate improved farm practices to rural women farmers. A total of 250 women farmers who were in contact with the extension services were randomly selected and interviewed. The results showed that 90% of them recognized personal contacts, group meetings of farmers, and method-and-result demonstration sites as channels through which they communicated with the extension workers. There was a positive and significant interaction effect between the frequency of contacts the rural women contact farmers had with the extension workers and some of their socioeconomic characteristics: education ( b = 0.91); farm size ( b = 0.117); and knowledge of extension worker's office by the rural women contact farmers ( b = 0.48).
The Development of Integrated Arable Production Systems to Meet Potential Economic and Environmental Requirements
Authors: Jordan V.W.L.
Published: July 2017

The development of less intensive crop management systems is being increasingly recognized as the long-term objective for arable crop production. Such systems must be economically sound, environmentally acceptable and sustainable in the long term, with the flexibility necessary to meet the varying requirements in different agro-ecosystems. The Less-Intensive Farming and Environment (LIFE) Project builds upon a sound base of ecological research aimed at understanding and optimizing the ecological interactions within the system, with effort focused on the need to resolve the conflicting requirements for control of pests, diseases and weeds and to minimize the environmental impact of crop production. The major consideration in this approach is the stepwise replacement of ‘off-farm’ inputs by integration of natural regulation processes, on-farm alternatives and management skills, in order to maintain species diversity, minimize pollution and losses, provide a safe and wholesome food supply, and to sustain income.
Are We Willing to Pay Enough to `Back the Bid'?: Valuing the Intangible Impacts of London's Bid to Host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games
Authors: Atkinson Giles , Mourato Susana , Szymanski Stefan , Ozdemiroglu Ece
Published: July 2017

Using a contingent valuation survey, this paper provides the first empirical test of the proposition that intangible impacts might justify hosting major sporting events on cost—benefit grounds. Respondents, drawn from London, Manchester and Glasgow, were asked for their willingness to pay (WTP) to host the 2012 Olympic Games in London on the basis of the intangible impacts that this event might provide. Annual mean WTP is £22, £12 and £11 per year (for 10 years) in these 3 UK cities respectively. An illustrative total (UK) WTP for intangible impacts is in the region of £2 billion. Statistical analysis of WTP determinants reveals a range of plausible explanatory factors such as respondents' degree of support for the bid.
Missiological Issues in the Encounter with Emerging Hinduism
Authors: Hiebert Paul G.
Published: July 2017

Neo-Hinduism emerged as a revitalization movement in India's encounter with the West. In recent years it has become increasingly aggressive. One branch has stressed Hindu spirituality and has sent missionaries to evangelize the world. The other has become political, seeking to establish Hindutva, a Hindu nation, and to persecute Christians as followers of a foreign religion. Around the world Indian immigrants have established Hindu communities and spread their faith. This resurgence of Hinduism as an active formal religion challenges Christians to rethink their mission to Hindus and the Hindu world.
Toward a Theology of Mission Partnerships
Authors: Engen Charles Van
Published: July 2017

Beginning with a consideration of the meaning of “partnership” as that has been understood by the various Christian traditions in the twentieth century, the author bases his theology of mission partnerships on a missiological reading of Ephesians 4:1 to 5:2. Drawing from the major emphases of Paul's thought in the text, Van Engen argues that because the church's oneness is centered in Jesus Christ (the motivation for mission), Christians are called to partner together for world evangelization, serving one another in love and humility (the agency of mission) as they participate in Christ's mission, offering to one another the unique gifts given by the Holy Spirit to their various regional and global organizations and churches (the means of mission), so that they may equip the saints for the work of ministry until they all together grow up into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (the goals of mission partnerships).
Seeds of Mutuality in Mission: Response to Anne Nasimiyu-Wasike
Authors: Houle Carroll
Published: July 2017

Anne Nasimiyu-Wasike lays out several challenges for us from the West, including the need to have a greater sensitivity and knowledge of the richness and complexity of the African culture. We must ask ourselves, how do we become involved in the culture where we live? Nasimiyu-Wasike touches on the historical negative influences that are affecting the political and economic life in Africa. We are called to enter the daily sufferings and deaths of the people in Africa if we follow Christ in his “hour of glory” as he faced his own suffering and death. This means that mutuality in mission demands new skills and attitudes so that we touch all aspects of the lives of people, that is, the social, economic, and political dimensions, as well as the religious and cultural.
Avoiding the Crash-and-Burn-Syndrome: Toward a Strategy of Missionary Re-Integration
Authors: Huff Livingston
Published: July 2017

This article has to do with the catastrophic upheaval many missionaries experience upon return to their home country permanently and the lack of mission agencies to deal effectively with the resulting crash-and-burn syndrome experienced. After introducing the topic, the article describes some of what the missionary is experiencing on a personal level and how he or she may attempt to soften the blow of re-integration into the home culture. Following this the article deals with the responsibility of mission agencies concerning the re-integration process of returned missionaries. Suggestions for the establishment of policies and procedures of re-integration are made concerning the following areas of administrative and pastoral care: communication, finance, medical care, official debriefing, formal closure, and attitude and perception.
Contextualizing the Gospel in Athens: Paul's Areopagus Address as a Paradigm for Missionary Communication
Authors: Flemming Dean
Published: July 2017

The contemporary emphasis on contextualization has not always recognized that the process of “contextualizing the gospel” goes back to the New Testament itself. This study looks at one of the most instructive case studies in New Testament contextualization, Paul's speech before the Areopagus in Acts 17:16–34. It analyzes various aspects of Paul's missionary communication, showing how both the form and the substance of the speech are targeted to persuade an educated and philosophically minded Greek audience. At the same time, Paul refuses to compromise the non-negotiable message of the Christ event, in particular the resurrection of Jesus, which confronts the worldviews of his hearers. The essay concludes with a reflection on how this paradigmatic account can inform the task of incarnating the gospel in pluralistic settings today.