Report on a new OED project: A study of the history of new words in the new OED

The study of the history of new words in theNewOED described in this paper was undertaken in 1986-87, and is based on the material then available. Since then, theNewOED has been finished, and PAT, the inquiry system developed at the University of Waterloo for the investigation of theNewOED data base, has been much altered and improved. Nevertheless, this report should prove useful in indicating the potentiality for analyzing the computerizedNewOED and some of the problems. This project is a study of the ways in which new words are created in English at various periods of time. A chronological dictionary 's created listing words introduced into the language over 50 year increments. These words are then classified by the processes used in forming them to show, in proportional terms, if certain processes are more common at some times than at others.H. M. Logan, Associate Professor, Department of English, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, has written The Dialect of the Middle English Life of St. Katherine (Mouton, 1973), making use of the computer in a study of medieval dialectology. He has also written articles on computer stylistics and literary analysis inCHum, ALLC Journal, Language and Style, College Literature, and on the dictionary inDictionaries.     

Overview of Tiber-II—Evolution toward an Engineering Test Reactor

TIBER II is designed to be a minimum size and cost candidate for an international Engineering Test Reactor. High-current density Nb₃Sn superconducting magnets with radiation-tolerant polymide insulation is combined with a minimum thickness tungsten inbored shield and a common, external vacuum boundary to minimize the inner radial build of the tokamak core. This results in a major radius of 3 m, compared to 5 m for previous ETR designs such as INTOR, with correspondingly lower costs expected. Cyclic stress fatigue limits the number of pulses so that steady-state current drive, based on a combination of neutral beams, lower hybrid and ECH, is designed to achieve reactor-relevant nuclear testing conditions (Fluence 3MW yr/m², rwall > 1 MW/m² in steady state).This report is abstracted from a more complete information document UCID-20863 with numerous authors. See Ref. l for complete credits.     

The dielectric properties of glass-ceramic-on-metal substrates for microelectronics packaging

The dielectric properties of some glass-ceramic-on-metal substrates have been determined over the frequency range 500 Hz to 5 MHz using a.c. bridge techniques. The substrates consisted of cordierite-based glass-ceramics screen printed on molybdenum. For glass layers of thickness greater than 100 m both the permittivity, and the dielectric loss, , are frequency independent over this frequency range at room temperature giving the value of =6.5 and tan =8×10^–3; the room-temperature data are consistent with the universal law of dielectric response. The variation of permittivity with temperature has also been examined and, below 120 °C, the temperature coefficient [(–1) (+2)]^–1 (/T)_p, was found to be 1.3×10^–5 K^–1. The results are compared with those previously reported for Al₂O₃ and AIN substrates.     

The in-line inspection of carbon anodes for aluminum production

In this paper, methods for measuring the quality of carbon anodes consumed in the commercial production of aluminum are discussed. The electrical and mechanical qualities of these anodes are important for the economic operation of the aluminum plant. While the investigation is ongoing, results from tests made at an aluminum reduction plant are included. The methods reviewed include direct resistivity measurement using core samples, ultrasonic measurement, the hammer method, analysis of the Hall effect, the four-probe method, and use of magnetic coils (various arrangements).     

Gaming Social Capital: Exploring Civic Value in Multiplayer Video Games

Recent research suggests that social interactions in video games may lead to the development of community bonding and prosocial attitudes. Building on this line of research, a national survey of U.S. adults finds that gamers who develop ties with a community of fellow gamers possess gaming social capital, a new gaming‐related community construct that is shown to be a positive antecedent in predicting both face‐to‐face social capital and civic participation.     

Oral health assessment in dogs: study design and results

The authors have conducted a large number of canine dental studies during the past six years. Study methodologies have been driven by the need for statistical validation of results, requiring the participation of large numbers of animals in each study. For plaque, stain, and calculus evaluations, a "clean tooth" model was used, in which formation of these substrates was assessed days to weeks after an initial coronal cleaning. A primary goal of the studies described was to validate the study designs used--that is, to use accepted plaque-, calculus-, and stain-controlling agents to test whether the study methods could detect differences between treated and untreated groups. The results of clinical studies show that the methods described can be used to identify plaque, calculus, and stain control attributable to chemical agents, oral hygiene aids, and consumable products.     

Homophobia? No, homoprejudice

The ubiquitous expression of anti-homosexual responses and the lack of consensus regarding the characterization of such responses served as the impetus for this study. The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of anti-homosexual responses as reported by male and female undergraduates. Participants in the study were asked to respond to both a lesbian and a gay target questionnaire. Responses were measured as either phobic or prejudicial. Findings indicated that there is little, if any, evidence to support the characterization of anti-homosexual responses as a phobia. Responses to prejudicial items suggested that anti-homosexual responses lie primarily within the realm of prejudice. Results also indicated that males were less tolerant than females of gays and lesbians and males and females respond differentially according to same-sex target. The implications of using a more accurate term such as "homoprejudice" to characterize anti-homosexual responses are discussed. Additionally, avenues for future research are addressed.     

Effect of reduced dietary sodium on blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

OBJECTIVE:- To ascertain whether restriction of dietary sodium lowers blood pressure in hypertensive and normotensive individuals. DATA SOURCES:- An English-language computerized literature search, restricted to human studies with Medical Subject Heading terms, "hypertension," "blood pressure," "vascular resistance," "sodium and dietary," "diet and sodium restricted," "sodium chloride," "clinical trial," "randomized controlled trial," and "prospective studies," was conducted. Bibliographies of review articles and personal files were also searched. TRIAL SELECTION:- Trials that had randomized allocation to control and dietary sodium intervention groups, monitored by timed sodium excretion, with outcome measures of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were selected by blinded review of the methods section. DATA EXTRACTION:- Two observers extracted data independently, using purpose-designed forms, and discrepancies were resolved by discussion. DATA SYNTHESIS:- The 56 trials that met our inclusion criteria showed significant heterogeneity. Publication bias was also evident. The mean reduction (95% confidence interval) in daily urinary sodium excretion, a proxy measure of dietary sodium intake, was 95 mmol/d (71-119 mmol/d) in 28 trials with 1131 hypertensive subjects and 125 mmol/d (95-156 mmol/d) in 28 trials with 2374 normotensive subjects. After adjustment for measurement error of urinary sodium excretion, the decrease in blood pressure for a 100-mmol/d reduction in daily sodium excretion was 3.7 mm Hg (2.35-5.05 mm Hg) for systolic (P<.001) and 0.9 mm Hg (-0.13 to 1.85 mm Hg) for diastolic (P=.09) in the hypertensive trials, and 1.0 mm Hg (0.51-1.56 mm Hg) for systolic (P<.001) and 0.1 mm Hg (-0.32 to 0.51 mm Hg) for diastolic (P=.64) in the normotensive trials. Decreases in blood pressure were larger in trials of older hypertensive individuals and small and nonsignificant in trials of normotensive individuals whose meals were prepared and who lived outside the institutional setting. CONCLUSION:- Dietary sodium restriction for older hypertensive individuals might be considered, but the evidence in the normotensive population does not support current recommendations for universal dietary sodium restriction.     

Modeling Task Switching Without Switching Tasks: A Short-Term Priming Account of Explicitly Cued Performance.

Switch costs in task switching are commonly attributed to an executive control process of task-set reconfiguration, particularly in studies involving the explicit task-cuing procedure. The authors propose an alternative account of explicitly cued performance that is based on 2 mechanisms: priming of cue encoding from residual activation of cues in short-term memory and compound cue retrieval of responses from long-term memory. Their short-term priming account explains the repeated cue encoding benefit, switch cost, reduction in switch cost with preparation time, and other effects. The authors develop a mathematical model of their priming account and fit it to data from 3 experiments, demonstrating that a set of basic psychological processes can produce several effects--including putative switch costs--without switching tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)