Expanding the gestural model of lexical tone: evidence from two dialects of Serbian

Featural and gestural models of tone differ on the degree to which they include timing information in the representation. However, both assume some kind of simultaneity between tones and their tone-bearing units, where featural models emphasize the role of acoustic relationships and gestural models instead emphasize articulatory coordination. We present the results of two acoustic production studies on two dialects of Serbian, a lexical pitch accent language. In the Belgrade dialect, pitch accents are aligned relatively late in the tone-bearing unit, while in the Valjevo dialect, pitch accents are phonetically retracted, sometimes into the preceding syllable. We varied the syllable onsets of tone-bearing units in falling (experiment 1) and rising (experiment 2) pitch accents, and measured the effects on F0 contours. Despite these differences in phonetic alignment, the phonological system is the same in both dialects. We argue that this apparent mismatch between the phonology and phonetics can be expressed straightforwardly in the Articulatory Phonology framework by allowing tone gestures to coordinate with other gestures in all the ways that segmental gestures can, rather than restricting tone to c-center coordination.

Spatiotemporal coordination in word-medial stop-lateral and s-stop clusters of American English

This paper is concerned with the relation between syllabic organization and intersegmental spatiotemporal coordination using Electromagnetic Articulometry recordings from seven speakers of American English (henceforth, English). Whereas previous work on English has focused on word-initial clusters (preceding a vowel whose identity was not systematically varied), the present work examined word-medial clusters /pl, kl, sp, sk/ in the context of three different vowel heights (high, mid, low). Our results provide evidence for a global organization for the segments involved in these cluster-vowel combinations. This is reflected in a number of ways: compression of the prevocalic consonant and reduction of CV timing in the word-medial cluster case compared to its singleton paired word in both stop-lateral and s-stop clusters, early vowel initiation (as permitted by the clusters’ phonetic properties), and presence of compensatory relations between phonetic properties of different segments or intersegmental transitions within each cluster. In other words, we find that the global organization presiding over the segments partaking in these word-medial tautosyllabic CCVs is pleiotropic, that is, simultaneously expressed in multiple phonetic exponents rather than via a privileged metric such as c-center stability or any other such given single measure employed in previous works.

Autism and Neurodiversity: Addressing Concerns and Offering Implications for the School-Based Speech-Language Pathologist

Purpose The purpose of this article is to address some common concerns associated with the neurodiversity paradigm and to offer related implications for service provision to school-age autistic students. In particular, we highlight the need to (a) view first-person autistic perspectives as an integral component of evidence-based practice, (b) use the individualized education plan as a means to actively address environmental contributions to communicative competence, and (c) center intervention around respect for autistic sociality and self-expression. We support these points with cross-disciplinary scholarship and writings from autistic individuals. Conclusions We recognize that school-based speech-language pathologists are bound by institutional constraints, such as eligibility determination and Individualized Education Program processes that are not inherently consistent with the neurodiversity paradigm. Consequently, we offer examples for implementing the neurodiversity paradigm while working within these existing structures. In sum, this article addresses key points of tension related to the neurodiversity paradigm in a way that we hope will directly translate into improved service provision for autistic students. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13345727

Screening of possibly anthrax-contaminated burial sites in eastern and southern Ukraine

Aim. The aim of this study was to screen soil samples of 17 anthrax burial sites in Eastern and Southern Ukraine for the presence of B. anthracis. Methods. Soil samples were collected from anthrax grave sites located in Kharkiv, Sumy and Mykolaiv regions (diseased animals dated from 1946 to 2003). Isolation of B. anthracis from collected soil samples was performed with the GABRI method. From single colonies without hemolysis, that were inactivated with peracetic acid- containing 2 % Terralin PAA solution, DNA was extracted and analyzed by qPCR for the presence of chromosomal marker dhp61, as well as the markers pagA and capC located on virulence plasmids pXO1 and pXO2, respectively. Results. Eleven fi eld trips were conducted from July, 2016 to October, 2018 in which 369 soil samples from 17 burial sites in Kharkiv, Sumy and Mykolaiv oblasts were collected from different depths of presumed anthrax carcass sites. In most cases (12 out of 17 cases), the current status of these burial sites was deteriorated and not prop- erly accounted for. It was possible to obrain viable B. anthracis isolate was obtained from 50 cm depth at the grave site near Koviagy village, Valky district, Kharkiv region (49.92373°N, 35.48951°E). This isolate was named KhR/ VD/Kov2-2-05-3 and deposited in the Collection of Animal Infectious Pathogens of the National Scientifi c Center “Institute of Experimental and Clinical Veterinary Medicine”, Kharkiv, Ukraine. The contamination level of soil at the isolation site reached about 10 4 CFU per g as determined by plate counting. qPCR analysis of this isolate identi- fi ed both the dhp61 B. anthracis chromosomal and the pagA virulence plasmid marker. However, the plasmid pXO2 marker, required for capsule-formation could not be detected. Conclusions. The anthrax burial sites were created between the 1920s and 1960s, however, only approximate locations could be found and demarcated. In most cases the status of the sites was unsuitable for sampling. Nevertheless, isolation of B. anthracis in one case in the Valky district shows that old anthrax burial sites (13.500 exist in Ukraine) still pose a risk as potential source of the infection and therefore require more attention and surveillance, for which a surveillance plan will be developed.

Expanding the gestural model of lexical tone: evidence from two dialects of Serbian

Featural and gestural models of tone differ on the degree to which they include timing information in the representation. However, both assume some kind of simultaneity between tones and their tone-bearing units, where featural models emphasize the role of acoustic relationships and gestural models instead emphasize articulatory coordination. We present the results of two acoustic production studies on two dialects of Serbian, a lexical pitch accent language. In the Belgrade dialect, pitch accents are aligned relatively late in the tone-bearing unit, while in the Valjevo dialect, pitch accents are phonetically retracted, sometimes into the preceding syllable. We varied the syllable onsets of tone-bearing units in falling (experiment 1) and rising (experiment 2) pitch accents, and measured the effects on F0 contours. Despite these differences in phonetic alignment, the phonological system is the same in both dialects. We argue that this apparent mismatch between the phonology and phonetics can be expressed straightforwardly in the Articulatory Phonology framework by allowing tone gestures to coordinate with other gestures in all the ways that segmental gestures can, rather than restricting tone to c-center coordination.

Educational and scientifi c "Center for Additive Polymer Technologies" - cooperation of the Department of HCCI and PC with TOTALZED LLC (TOTAL-Z)

The issues of molding products from polymer materials and composites using additive technologies (ADT), which are one of the modern trends in the technology of processing polymer materials and composites into products with complex geometry of various standard sizes, are considered. It is shown that the creation of ADT is a complex scientifi c and technical task. The data on TOTAL-Z LLC, the Russian manufacturer of 3D-printers, and model range of printers are presented. The role of RTU MIREA’s Department of Chemistry and Technology of Plastics and Polymer Composites Processing, together with TOTAL-Z LLC, in the organization of the first educational and scientific center for additive polymer technologies, training and development of additive technologies is shown.

Bactericidal activity of disinfectants

The modern market of drugs off ers a wide range of disinfectants. However, the constant use of the same drugs contributes to the development of resistance in the microfl ora and reduces the quality of activities. In this regard to develop eff ective measures to combat and prevent infectious diseases, it is necessary to periodically monitor the activity of disinfectants used in the enterprise. The purpose of the researches was to study the bactericidal eff ect of disinfectants on the microfl ora of poultry enterprises. The researches have been carried out at the Siberian Scientifi c and Research Institute of Poultry Farming – a branch of the Federal State Budgetary Scientifi c Institution “Omsk Agrarian Scientifi c Center”. The activity of 8 disinfectants to 37 test cultures isolated from poultry farms of diff erent productivity trends and species of poultry (chickens, turkeys, quails) has been tested. It has been found as a result of the conducted research that the most expressed bactericidal eff ect on gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms were complex disinfectants, which included glutaraldehyde in combination with quaternary ammonium compounds. Thus, 1 % solutions of Gludesive and Viroshield provided the death of all test cultures, Dinovis Ultra and TN-4+ – 92 and 84 % of cultures. The disinfecting activity of Mirosan drug and formalin was most expressed for gram-positive microfl ora, among gram-negative microfl ora resistance was registered in 25–75 % and 25–50 % of cultures, respectively. Drugs EcoSide Advansa and Ecocide C have showed the lowest activity to all investigated microorganisms. The largest number of resistant cultures to the tested disinfectants have been registered in the bacteria of the genus Citrobacter spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, while simultaneously noted resistance to 4–6 drugs.

Miniature (dwarf) daff odils in the collection of Federal Research Center “Subtropical Scientifi c Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences”

The Subtropical Scientifi c Center has a large collection of bulbous plants, including daff odils, dating back to the 1960s. The purpose of this work was to study miniature daff odils attracted to the collection. The research was carried out at the experimental base of the Center in Sochi (Razdolnoye village) in 2013-2019. As the collection was replenished with dwarf varieties, the work was begun on developing a methodology for evaluating this group. Climatic conditions of the research area are typical for the zone of humid subtropics, characterized by a large amount of precipitation, mainly in winter and early spring, and mild winters. During the research, it was noted that the meteorological parameters in the years of research diff ered both from the average long-term indicators and between themselves. When introducing and studying varieties, much attention was paid to both phenological observations and biometric measurements, as well as to varieties’ reproduction ability. It is established that all these parameters largely depend not only on variety characteristics, but also on climatic conditions during the growth and development of plants. Insuffi cient precipitation in some years and relatively cold winters contributed to the later phenophases, reducing their terms and biometric parameters. In general, as a result of long-term observations, it was found that in the humid subtropics of Russia, dwarf daff odils begin their vegetation in the fi rst or second ten-day period of January, which lasts from 118 to 135 days, depending on a variety. Early blooming (in the third ten-day period of February) was recorded in ‘Tete-a-Tete’ and ‘Jetfi re’ cvs. Later blooming was recorded in ‘Jack Snipe’ and ‘Canaliculatus’ cvs. in the second ten-day period of March. As a result of the research, the following miniature varieties with a plant height of less than 20 cm were selected from the daff odils collection: ‘Canaliculatus’, ‘Jack Snipe’, ‘Jetfi re’, ‘Rip van Winkle’, ‘Tete-a-Tete’ and ‘Topolino’. The studied varieties have high ornamental qualities, are resistant to biotic factors and can be used in pot culture and landscaping of open ground.

Crystal structure of an oxidized mutant of human mitochondrial branched-chain aminotransferase

This study presents the crystal structure of a thiol variant of the human mitochondrial branched-chain aminotransferase protein. Human branched-chain aminotransferase (hBCAT) catalyzes the transamination of the branched-chain amino acids leucine, valine and isoleucine and α-ketoglutarate to their respective α-keto acids and glutamate. hBCAT activity is regulated by a CXXC center located approximately 10 Å from the active site. This redox-active center facilitates recycling between the reduced and oxidized states, representing hBCAT in its active and inactive forms, respectively. Site-directed mutagenesis of the redox sensor (Cys315) results in a significant loss of activity, with no loss of activity reported on the mutation of the resolving cysteine (Cys318), which allows the reversible formation of a disulfide bond between Cys315 and Cys318. The crystal structure of the oxidized form of the C318A variant was used to better understand the contributions of the individual cysteines and their oxidation states. The structure reveals the modified CXXC center in a conformation similar to that in the oxidized wild type, supporting the notion that its regulatory mechanism depends on switching the Cys315 side chain between active and inactive conformations. Moreover, the structure reveals conformational differences in the N-terminal and inter-domain region that may correlate with the inactivated state of the CXXC center.

Planar tetracoordinate carbon molecules with 14 valence electrons: examples of CBe4Mnn−2 (M = Li, Au; n = 1–3) clusters

Planar tetracoordinate carbon species are viable with 14 valence electrons, which violate the 18-electron rule. Chemical bonding around the C center is governed by double 2π/6σ aromaticity.