Vector spaces for historical linguistics : using distributional semantics to study syntactic productivity in diachrony

This paper describes an application of dis- tributional semantics to the study of syn- tactic productivity in diachrony, i.e., the property of grammatical constructions to attract new lexical items over time. By providing an empirical measure of seman- tic similarity between words derived from lexical co-occurrences, distributional se- mantics not only reliably captures how the verbs in the distribution of a construc- tion are related, but also enables the use of visualization techniques and statistical modeling to analyze the semantic develop- ment of a construction over time and iden- tify the semantic determinants of syntactic productivity in naturally occurring data

Grigori Kuzmin and Stellar Dynamics

Grigori Kuzmin was a very gifted dynamicist and one of the towering figures in the distinguished history of the Tartu Observatory. He obtained a number of important results in relative isolation which were later rediscovered in the West. This work laid the foundation for further advances in the theory of stellar systems in dynamical equilibrium, thereby substantially increasing our understanding of galaxy dynamics.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure, to appear in Baltic Astronomy, proceedings of the conference "Expanding the Universe" held in Tartu, Estonia, 27-29 April, 201

Organisation-level policy toward older workers in Poland

This article presents the results of studies on organisation-level strategies towards older workers in Poland. The analyses were based on a national and representative sample survey of 1,037 companies (public and private sectors) - the first of its kind in Poland. The question of the survey was: How do Polish employers deal with an ageing workforce and how can management tap into their potential through various measures? The analyses revealed three different strategies: (i) improvement of productivity - trying to improve the skills and competencies of older workers, increase their effective use of and adjustment to the workplace, plan individual career moves and avoid work burn-out; (ii) the pushing out of older workers - attempting to rid the workplace of older workers as quickly as possible; (iii) accommodation and reduction of labour costs - slowly preparing senior workers for retirement and creating conditions that would meet their actual needs

Working carers in Poland : successful strategies of reconciliation of work and care of an older adult

This paper focuses on the possible methods and measures that individual Polish informal carers utilize in order to manage the double burden of work and care. The strategies they use are understood as conscious and systematized ways of tackling the everyday obligations in order to successfully reconcile different duties. Based on interviews with working carers (N=58), the strategies they invented (either intentionally or accidentally) were intended to remedy the stress resulting from multiple conflict situations in everyday life. These strategies were individual approaches of every carer to the often unique situation of reconciliation, which could nevertheless form a set of practical advice for the benefit of working carers in Poland, but also in other countries

Ball Screw Actuator Including a Stop with an Integral Guide

An actuator includes a housing assembly, a ball nut, a ball screw, and a ball screw stop. The ball nut is rotationally mounted in the housing assembly, is adapted to receive an input torque, and is configured, upon receipt thereof, to rotate and supply a drive force. The ball screw is mounted within the housing assembly and extends through the ball nut. The ball screw has a first end and a second end, and is coupled to receive the drive force from the ball nut. The ball screw is configured, upon receipt of the drive force, to selectively translate between a stow position and a deploy position. The ball screw stop is mounted on the ball screw to translate therewith and is configured to at selectively engage the housing assembly while the ball screw is translating, and engage the ball nut when the ball screw is in the deploy position

The Internal Extinction Curve of NGC 6302 and its Extraordinary Spectrum

In this paper we present a new method for obtaining the optical wavelength-dependent reddening function of planetary nebulae, using the nebular and stellar continuum. The data used was a spectrum of NGC 6302 obtained with a mean signal to noise of >10^2 A^-1 in the nebular continuum. With such a high S/N the continuum can be accurately compared with a theoretical model nebular plus stellar continuum. The nebular electron temperature and density used in the model are determined using ratios of prominent emission lines. The reddening function can then be obtained from the ratio of the theoretical and the observed continuum. We find that for NGC 6302, the visible to IR extinction law is indistinguishable from `standard' interstellar reddening, but that the UV extinction curve is much steeper than normal, suggesting that more small dust grains had been ejected into the nebula by the PN central star. Finally, using the extinction law that we have determined, we present a complete de--reddened line list of nearly 600 emission lines, and report on the detection of the He(2-10) and He(2-8) Raman Features at 4331 A and 4852 A, and the detection of Raman-Scattered OVI features at 6830 and 7087 AA.Comment: 32 pages, 7 figures, to appear in PASA 2002, 1

The Classification of M1-78

The published properties of M1-78 are discussed with the purpose to resolve the object's classification as either a planetary nebula or an ultracompact HII region. A classification as a planetary nebula is rejected primarily because of the high luminosity of the object, but because of the chemical composition and expansion velocity of the nebula, a novel classification is proposed instead: that of an ultracompact HII region with a post-main sequence central star (possibly a WN star). It must therefore follow that observable ultracompact HII regions persist beyond the main sequence lifetimes of at least some massive stars, and so cannot be transient phenomena that are seen only during pre-main sequence or early main sequence evolution.Comment: 16 pages, Postscrip

A systematic review of existing ageism scales

Ageism has been shown to have a negative impact on older people’s health and wellbeing. Though multiple scales are currently being used to measure this increasingly important issue, syntheses of the psychometric properties of these scales are unavailable. This means that existing estimates of ageism prevalence may not be accurate. We conducted a systematic review aimed at identifying available ageism scales and evaluating their scope and psychometric properties. A comprehensive search strategy was used across fourteen different databases, including PubMed and CINAHL. Independent reviewers extracted data and appraised risk of bias following the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) guidelines. Of the 29,664 records identified, 106 studies, assessing 11 explicit scales of ageism, were eligible for inclusion. Only one scale, the ‘Expectations Regarding Aging’ met minimum requirements for psychometric validation (i.e., adequate content validity, structural validity and internal consistency). Still, this scale only assesses the ‘stereotype’ dimension of ageism, thus failing to evaluate the other two ageism dimensions (prejudice and discrimination). This paper highlights the need to develop and validate a scale that accounts for the multidimensional nature of ageism. Having a scale that can accurately measure ageism prevalence is key in a time of increasing and rapid population ageing, where the magnitude of this phenomenon may be increasing