Every method counts

In this study we explore the concurrent, combined use of three research methods, statistical corpus analysis and two psycholinguistic experiments (a forced-choice and an acceptability rating task), using verbal synonymy in Finnish as a case in point. In addition to supporting conclusions from earlier studies concerning the relationships between corpus-based and ex- perimental data (e. g., Featherston 2005), we show that each method adds to our understanding of the studied phenomenon, in a way which could not be achieved through any single method by itself. Most importantly, whereas relative rareness in a corpus is associated with dispreference in selection, such infrequency does not categorically always entail substantially lower acceptability. Furthermore, we show that forced-choice and acceptability rating tasks pertain to distinct linguistic processes, with category-wise in- commensurable scales of measurement, and should therefore be merged with caution, if at all.

Traditional patterns and textures as values for meaningful automatization in music

This contribution focuses on the accelerated loss of traditional sound patterning in music, parallel to the exponential loss of linguistic and cultural variety in a world increasingly 'globalized' by market policies and economic liberalization, in which scientific or technical justification plays a crucial role. As a suggestion to an alternative trend, composers and music theorists are invited to explore the world of design and patterning by grammar rules from non-dominant cultures, and to make an effort to understand their contextual usage and its transformation, in order to appreciate their symbolism and aesthetic depth. Practical examples are provided.

Henkivakuutus ja solidaarisuuden kehät

Abstract

Rigorous scaling law for the heat current in disordered harmonic chain

We study the energy current in a model of heat conduction, first considered in detail by Casher and Lebowitz. The model consists of a one-dimensional disordered harmonic chain of n i.i.d. random masses, connected to their nearest neighbors via identical springs, and coupled at the boundaries to Langevin heat baths, with respective temperatures T_1 and T_n. Let EJ_n be the steady-state energy current across the chain, averaged over the masses. We prove that EJ_n \sim (T_1 - T_n)n^{-3/2} in the limit n \to \infty, as has been conjectured by various authors over the time. The proof relies on a new explicit representation for the elements of the product of associated transfer matrices.

Search for High-Mass e+e- Resonances in pp̅ Collisions at √s=1.96 TeV

A search for high-mass resonances in the $e^+e^-$ final state is presented based on 2.5 fb$^{-1}$ of $\sqrt{s}=$1.96 TeV $p\bar{p}$ collision data from the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. The largest excess over the standard model prediction is at an $e^+e^-$ invariant mass of 240 GeV/$c^2$. The probability of observing such an excess arising from fluctuations in the standard model anywhere in the mass range of 150--1,000 GeV/$c^2$ is 0.6% (equivalent to 2.5 $\sigma$). We exclude the standard model coupling $Z'$ and the Randall-Sundrum graviton for $k/\overline{M}_{Pl}=0.1$ with masses below 963 and 848 GeV/$c^2$ at the 95% credibility level, respectively.

Kiehuva veri

Abstract: Boiling blood : anger at the start of the modern era in England