bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
First molar eruption, weaning, and life history in living wild chimpanzees
Authors: Smith Tanya M. , Machanda Zarin , Bernard Andrew B. , Donovan Ronan M. , Papakyrikos Amanda M. , Muller Martin N. , Wrangham Richard
Published: January 2013

Understanding dental development in chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, is of fundamental importance for reconstructing the evolution of human development. Most early hominin species are believed to show rapid ape-like patterns of development, implying that a prolonged modern human childhood evolved quite recently. However, chimpanzee developmental standards are uncertain because they have never been based on living wild individuals. Furthermore, although it is well established that first molar tooth emergence (movement into the mouth) is correlated with the scheduling of growth and reproduction across primates broadly, its precise relation to solid food consumption, nursing behavior, or maternal life history is unknown. To address these concerns we conducted a photographic study of subadult chimpanzees (
Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii
) in Kanyawara, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Five healthy infants emerged their lower first molars (M1s) by or before 3.3 y of age, nearly identical to captive chimpanzee mean ages (∼3.2 y,
n
= 53). First molar emergence in these chimpanzees does not directly or consistently predict the introduction of solid foods, resumption of maternal estrous cycling, cessation of nursing, or maternal interbirth intervals. Kanyawara chimpanzees showed adult patterns of solid food consumption by the time M1 reached functional occlusion, spent a greater amount of time on the nipple while M1 was erupting than in the preceding year, and continued to suckle during the following year. Estimates of M1 emergence age in australopiths are remarkably similar to the Kanyawara chimpanzees, and recent reconstructions of their life histories should be reconsidered in light of these findings.
Structure–phenotype correlations of human CYP21A2 mutations in congenital adrenal hyperplasia
Authors: Haider Shozeb , Islam Barira , D’Atri Valentina , Sgobba Miriam , Poojari Chetan , Sun Li , Yuen Tony , Zaidi Mone , New Maria I.
Published: January 2013

Mutations in the cytochrome p450 (CYP)21A2 gene, which encodes the enzyme steroid 21-hydroxylase, cause the majority of cases in congenital adrenal hyperplasia, an autosomal recessive disorder. To date, more than 100
CYP21A2
mutations have been reported. These mutations can be associated either with severe salt-wasting or simple virilizing phenotypes or with milder nonclassical phenotypes. Not all
CYP21A2
mutations have, however, been characterized biochemically, and the clinical consequences of these mutations remain unknown. Using the crystal structure of its bovine homolog as a template, we have constructed a humanized model of CYP21A2 to provide comprehensive structural explanations for the clinical manifestations caused by each of the known disease-causing missense mutations in
CYP21A2
. Mutations that affect membrane anchoring, disrupt heme and/or substrate binding, or impair stability of CYP21A2 cause complete loss of function and salt-wasting disease. In contrast, mutations altering the transmembrane region or conserved hydrophobic patches cause up to a 98% reduction in enzyme activity and simple virilizing disease. Mild nonclassical disease can result from interference in oxidoreductase interactions, salt-bridge and hydrogen-bonding networks, and nonconserved hydrophobic clusters. A simple
in silico
evaluation of previously uncharacterized gene mutations could, thus, potentially help predict the often diverse phenotypes of a monogenic disorder.
The characteristics and chronology of the earliest Acheulean at Konso, Ethiopia
Authors: Beyene Yonas , Katoh Shigehiro , WoldeGabriel Giday , Hart William K. , Uto Kozo , Sudo Masafumi , Kondo Megumi , Hyodo Masayuki , Renne Paul R. , Suwa Gen , Asfaw Berhane
Published: January 2013

The Acheulean technological tradition, characterized by a large (>10 cm) flake-based component, represents a significant technological advance over the Oldowan. Although stone tool assemblages attributed to the Acheulean have been reported from as early as circa 1.6–1.75 Ma, the characteristics of these earliest occurrences and comparisons with later assemblages have not been reported in detail. Here, we provide a newly established chronometric calibration for the Acheulean assemblages of the Konso Formation, southern Ethiopia, which span the time period ∼1.75 to <1.0 Ma. The earliest Konso Acheulean is chronologically indistinguishable from the assemblage recently published as the world’s earliest with an age of ∼1.75 Ma at Kokiselei, west of Lake Turkana, Kenya. This Konso assemblage is characterized by a combination of large picks and crude bifaces/unifaces made predominantly on large flake blanks. An increase in the number of flake scars was observed within the Konso Formation handaxe assemblages through time, but this was less so with picks. The Konso evidence suggests that both picks and handaxes were essential components of the Acheulean from its initial stages and that the two probably differed in function. The temporal refinement seen, especially in the handaxe forms at Konso, implies enhanced function through time, perhaps in processing carcasses with long and stable cutting edges. The documentation of the earliest Acheulean at ∼1.75 Ma in both northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia suggests that behavioral novelties were being established in a regional scale at that time, paralleling the emergence of
Homo erectus-
like hominid morphology.
Cell-permeable probe for identification and imaging of sialidases
Authors: Tsai Charng-Sheng , Yen Hsin-Yung , Lin Meng-I , Tsai Tsung-I , Wang Shi-Yun , Huang Wen-I , Hsu Tsui-Ling , Cheng Yih-Shyun E. , Fang Jim-Min , Wong Chi-Huey
Published: January 2013

Alkyne-hinged 3-fluorosialyl fluoride (DFSA) containing an alkyne group was shown to be a mechanism-based target-specific irreversible inhibitor of sialidases. The ester-protected analog DFSA (PDFSA) is a membrane-permeable precursor of DFSA designed to be used in living cells, and it was shown to form covalent adducts with virus, bacteria, and human sialidases. The fluorosialyl–enzyme adduct can be ligated with an azide-annexed biotin via click reaction and detected by the streptavidin-specific reporting signals. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry analysis on the tryptic peptide fragments indicates that the 3-fluorosialyl moiety modifies tyrosine residues of the sialidases. DFSA was used to demonstrate influenza infection and the diagnosis of the viral susceptibility to the anti-influenza drug oseltamivir acid, whereas PDFSA was used for in situ imaging of the changes of sialidase activity in live cells.
Shrinkage of experimental benign prostatic hyperplasia and reduction of prostatic cell volume by a gastrin-releasing peptide antagonist
Authors: Rick Ferenc G. , Abi-Chaker Andrew , Szalontay Luca , Perez Roberto , Jaszberenyi Miklos , Jayakumar Arumugam R. , Shamaladevi Nagarajarao , Szepeshazi Karoly , Vidaurre Irving , Halmos Gabor , Krishan Awtar , Block Norman L. , Schally Andrew V.
Published: January 2013

Gastrin releasing-peptide (GRP) is a potent growth factor in many malignancies. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a progressive age-related proliferation of glandular and stromal tissues; various growth factors and inflammatory processes are involved in its pathogenesis. We have demonstrated that potent antagonists of GRP inhibit growth of experimental human tumors including prostate cancer, but their effect on models of BPH has not been studied. Here, we evaluated the effects of GRP antagonist RC-3940-II on viability and cell volume of BPH-1 human prostate epithelial cells and WPMY-1 prostate stromal cells in vitro, and in testosterone-induced BPH in Wistar rats in vivo. RC-3940-II inhibited the proliferation of BPH-1 and WPMY-1 cells in a dose-dependent manner and reduced prostatic cell volume in vitro. Shrinkage of prostates was observed after 6 wk of treatment with RC-3940-II: a 15.9% decline with 25 μg/d; and a 18.4% reduction with 50 μg/d (
P
< 0.05 for all). Significant reduction in levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, NF-κβ/p50, cyclooxygenase-2, and androgen receptor was also seen. Analysis of transcript levels of genes related to growth, inflammatory processes, and signal transduction showed significant changes in the expression of more than 90 genes (
P
< 0.05). In conclusion, GRP antagonists reduce volume of human prostatic cells and lower prostate weight in experimental BPH through direct inhibitory effects on prostatic GRP receptors. GRP antagonists should be considered for further development as therapy for BPH.
Landscape of somatic single-nucleotide and copy-number mutations in uterine serous carcinoma
Authors: Zhao Siming , Choi Murim , Overton John D. , Bellone Stefania , Roque Dana M. , Cocco Emiliano , Guzzo Federica , English Diana P. , Varughese Joyce , Gasparrini Sara , Bortolomai Ileana , Buza Natalia , Hui Pei , Abu-Khalaf Maysa , Ravaggi Antonella , Bignotti Eliana , Bandiera Elisabetta , Romani Chiara , Todeschini Paola , Tassi Renata , Zanotti Laura , Carrara Luisa , Pecorelli Sergio , Silasi Dan-Arin , Ratner Elena , Azodi Masoud , Schwartz Peter E. , Rutherford Thomas J. , Stiegler Amy L. , Mane Shrikant , Boggon Titus J. , Schlessinger Joseph , Lifton Richard P. , Santin Alessandro D.
Published: January 2013

Uterine serous carcinoma (USC) is a biologically aggressive subtype of endometrial cancer. We analyzed the mutational landscape of USC by whole-exome sequencing of 57 cancers, most of which were matched to normal DNA from the same patients. The distribution of the number of protein-altering somatic mutations revealed that 52 USC tumors had fewer than 100 (median 36), whereas 5 had more than 3,000 somatic mutations. The mutations in these latter tumors showed hallmarks of defects in DNA mismatch repair. Among the remainder, we found a significantly increased burden of mutation in 14 genes. In addition to well-known cancer genes (i.e.,
TP53
,
PIK3CA
,
PPP2R1A
,
KRAS
,
FBXW7
), there were frequent mutations in
CHD4/Mi2b
, a member of the NuRD–chromatin-remodeling complex, and
TAF1
, an element of the core TFIID transcriptional machinery. Additionally, somatic copy-number variation was found to play an important role in USC, with 13 copy-number gains and 12 copy-number losses that occurred more often than expected by chance. In addition to loss of
TP53
, we found frequent deletion of a small segment of chromosome 19 containing
MBD3
, also a member of the NuRD–chromatin-modification complex, and frequent amplification of chromosome segments containing
PIK3CA
,
ERBB2
(an upstream activator of PIK3CA), and CCNE1 (a target of FBXW7-mediated ubiquitination). These findings identify frequent mutation of DNA damage, chromatin remodeling, cell cycle, and cell proliferation pathways in USC and suggest potential targets for treatment of this lethal variant of endometrial cancer.
I
Ks
channels open slowly because KCNE1 accessory subunits slow the movement of S4 voltage sensors in KCNQ1 pore-forming subunits
Authors: Ruscic Katarina J. , Miceli Francesco , Villalba-Galea Carlos A. , Dai Hui , Mishina Yukiko , Bezanilla Francisco , Goldstein Steve A. N.
Published: January 2013

Significance

E1 and Q1 protein subunits assemble to form I
Kslow
channels in the heart and ear. Inherited mutations in either subunit that decrease protein level or alter function can cause life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and deafness. The mechanism by which E1 slows channel opening has been the subject of active debate. Here, we use gating current measurements and simultaneous recordings of ionic currents and changes in fluorescence of a probe on the Q1 voltage sensors to demonstrate that E1 slows the movement of sensors in a manner that is both necessary and sufficient to determine the slow activation time course of I
Ks
channels.
Recessive loss of function of the neuronal ubiquitin hydrolase UCHL1 leads to early-onset progressive neurodegeneration
Authors: Bilguvar Kaya , Tyagi Navneet K. , Ozkara Cigdem , Tuysuz Beyhan , Bakircioglu Mehmet , Choi Murim , Delil Sakir , Caglayan Ahmet O. , Baranoski Jacob F. , Erturk Ozdem , Yalcinkaya Cengiz , Karacorlu Murat , Dincer Alp , Johnson Michele H. , Mane Shrikant , Chandra Sreeganga S. , Louvi Angeliki , Boggon Titus J. , Lifton Richard P. , Horwich Arthur L. , Gunel Murat
Published: January 2013

Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCHL1), a neuron-specific de-ubiquitinating enzyme, is one of the most abundant proteins in the brain. We describe three siblings from a consanguineous union with a previously unreported early-onset progressive neurodegenerative syndrome featuring childhood onset blindness, cerebellar ataxia, nystagmus, dorsal column dysfuction, and spasticity with upper motor neuron dysfunction. Through homozygosity mapping of the affected individuals followed by whole-exome sequencing of the index case, we identified a previously undescribed homozygous missense mutation within the ubiquitin binding domain of UCHL1 (UCHL1
GLU7ALA
), shared by all affected subjects. As demonstrated by isothermal titration calorimetry, purified UCHL1
GLU7ALA
, compared with WT, exhibited at least sevenfold reduced affinity for ubiquitin. In vitro, the mutation led to a near complete loss of UCHL1 hydrolase activity. The GLU7ALA variant is predicted to interfere with the substrate binding by restricting the proper positioning of the substrate for tunneling underneath the cross-over loop spanning the catalytic cleft of UCHL1. This interference with substrate binding, combined with near complete loss of hydrolase activity, resulted in a >100-fold reduction in the efficiency of UCHL1
GLU7ALA
relative to WT. These findings demonstrate a broad requirement of UCHL1 in the maintenance of the nervous system.
The Dutch change-of-state copulawordenand its Spanish counterparts
Authors: Hanegreefs Hilde
Published: January 2013

By means of a contrastive corpus analysis we will examine the different translation possibilities in Spanish for the Dutch change-of-state copulaworden. Unlike English or French, Spanish does not have a single verb to translate the Dutch copulaworden, but instead displays a whole range of possibilities to express change. In the present study, we will focus on the three Spanish predicates that – in our corpus – are most frequently used to translate the attributive construction withworden, viz. A semi-copula, a lexical verb and a simple copula (serorestar ‘to be’).

Our data will reveal that the selection of an appropriate translation of worden is not random. On the contrary, a different translation category corresponds to a different conceptualization of the process of change. A variety of contextual, formal and semantic factors can help explain the preference for one translation possibility over the other.
The cognitive basis of adjectival and adverbial resultative constructions
Authors: Broccias Cristiano
Published: January 2013

In this paper I investigate adjectival resultative constructions, which usually do not occur in Romance languages, and adverbial resultative constructions, which are also possible in Romance languages. I claim that adjectival resultative constructions and adverbial resultative constructions rely on different cognitive processes. In particular, I contend that adjectival resultative constructions involve the activation of Langacker's billiard-ball model. Such an analysis turns out to be more satisfactory than formal ones. On the other hand, adverbial resultative constructions, as well as more generally adverbial depictive constructions, are argued to involve the process of property ascription by the conceptualiser and the reference point ability. Finally, I show that adverbial (resultative) constructions exhibit similarities with so-called raising constructions in that both crucially rely on the reference point ability.
Constructions at the crossroads
Authors: Glynn Dylan
Published: January 2013

Construction Grammar focuses on the meaning encoded in the syntagmatic structures of language. However, syntagmatic meaning and coding interact in a complex way with paradigmatic structures such as lexis, metonymy, and metaphor. How can Construction Grammar capture the formal and semantic structure of entrenched schematic constructions while rigorously accounting for all these parameters? Based on the analysis of the conceptual domain of ‘stealing’ in English, this study demonstrates that through combining three different approaches to linguistic structure, the study of the semantic frame, the cognitive model, and the onomasiological lexical field, we can more properly appreciate and explain lexical, metaphoric, and constructional interplay.
Carnavalesk taalgebruik en de constructie van lokale identiteiten
Authors: Cornips Leonie M.E.A. , de Rooij Vincent , Stengs Irene
Published: January 2013

This article aims to encourage the interdisciplinary study of ‘languaculture,’ an approach to language and culture in which ideology, linguistic and cultural forms, as well as praxis are studied in relation to one another. An integrated analysis of the selection of linguistic and cultural elements provides insight into how these choices arise from internalized norms and values, and how people position themselves toward received categories and hegemonic ideologies. An interdisciplinary approach will stimulate a rethinking of established concepts and methods of research. It will also lead to a mutual strengthening of linguistic, sociolinguistic, and anthropological research. This contribution focuses on Limburg and the linguistic political context of this Southern-Netherlands region where people are strongly aware of their linguistic distinctiveness. The argument of the paper is based on a case study of languaculture, viz. the carnivalesque song ‘Naar Talia’ (To Italy) by the Getske Boys from the city of Heerlen.
Towards a historical sociolinguistic account of language-in-education policy in the German-speaking community of Belgium
Authors: Boemer Magali , Darquennes Jeroen
Published: January 2013

One finds a number of descriptive synchronic sketches of language-in-education policy in the German-speaking community of Belgium (GC). However, a systematic analytical account of the evolution of language-in-education policy over the last 90 years has not been provided yet. With a project entitled ‘Language, Education and Power in the German-speaking community of Belgium (1919–2012)’, the Pluri-LL research group at the University of Namur seeks to tackle this research desideratum. The present paper intends to provide some basic information on the research project, starting with the GC’s geography and demography (Section 2) and the political history (Section 3). An outline of the project’s theoretical and methodological backbone (Section 4) and some preliminary findings (Section 5) are discussed as well.
Evaluatieve tweets van studenten en het effect van een interventie door docent-volgers
Authors: Augusteijn Hilde , Vermeer Anne , van Amelsvoort Marije
Published: January 2013

In this study, 21,085 tweets from university students over a period of twelve weeks were analyzed. Our aim was to investigate the number and evaluative content of students’ tweets related to their study, and to know whether the number of negative tweets decreases when teachers follow students on Twitter. About thirteen percent of all students’ tweets relate to their study. We categorized these in student-centered (10%) or curriculum-centered (3%), and divided both categories in negative (4%) or positive (9%) tweets. Teachers became followers of their students after six weeks, which led to a significant decrease of negative curriculum-centered tweets (from 2.2 to 0.7%), although a small decrease was observed even before the intervention started. Contrary to the teachers’ initial fears, it is unlikely that students ‘infect’ each other with negative evaluations about the curriculum, since the number of negative tweets is very low overall.
Corpus CesCa
Authors: Llaurado Anna , Martí Maria Antònia , Tolchinsky Liliana
Published: January 2013

This paper outlines the compilation of a corpus of Catalan written production. The CesCa corpus presents a picture of the Catalan written language throughout compulsory schooling. It contains two kinds of data: Vocabularies of five semantic fields comprising 242,404 lexical forms and Textual data of four different discourse genres consisting of 207,028 tokens. Both vocabularies and the textual data have been morphologically analyzed and lemmatized. The corpus is freely available. This paper will outline the main features of the corpus and make some suggestions as to the uses to which the corpus can be put.
Institutional constraints on strategic maneuvering in shared medical decision-making
Authors: Snoeck Henkemans A. Francisca , Mohammed Dima
Published: January 2013

In this paper it is first investigated to what extent the institutional goal and basic principles of shared decision making are compatible with the aim and rules for critical discussion. Next, some techniques that doctors may use to present their own treatment preferences strategically in a shared decision making process are discussed and evaluated both from the perspective of the ideal of shared decision making and from that of critical discussion.
Reasonableness of a doctor’s argument by authority
Authors: Pilgram Roosmaryn
Published: January 2013

Argumentation can play an important role in medical consultation. A doctor could, for instance, argue in support of a treatment advice to overcome a patient’s hesitance about it. In this argumentation, the doctor might explicitly present him- or herself as an authority, thereby presenting an argument by authority. Depending on the specific conditions under which the doctor advances such an argument, the doctor’s argument by authority can constitute a sound or a fallacious contribution to the discussion. In this paper, I shall determine what the specific soundness conditions are that apply to a doctor’s argumentation by authority in medical consultation.
Evaluating argumentative moves in medical consultations
Authors: Bigi Sarah
Published: January 2013

The relevance of context has been acknowledged also recently as a fundamental element for the correct evaluation of argumentative moves within institutional fields of interaction. Indeed, not considering the larger culture-specific and social features of the context within which the interactions take place poses problems of interpretation of the data and comparability of results. Starting from these considerations, the paper aims at discussing a model for the description of the social context of interaction that may allow for a better interpretation and evaluation of argumentative moves within medical consultations. The efficacy of the model is shown by applying it to the description and analysis of examples of real-life consultations recorded in the Italian region of Lombardy. In the first section, the model for the description of the social context of interaction is presented and discussed. In the second section, examples of argumentative passages from a selection of consultations are presented and commented on by relying on the model. Some concluding remarks and further developments of the research are proposed in the final section
“It is about our body, our own body!”
Authors: Schulz Peter J. , Meuffels Bert
Published: January 2013

This article is concerned with the reasons why sometimes good arguments in health communication leaflets fail to convince the targeted audience. As an illustrative example it uses the age-dependent eligibility of women in the Netherlands to receive routine breast cancer screening examinations: according to Dutch regulations women under 50 are ineligible for them. The present qualitative study rests on and complements three experimental studies on the persuasiveness of mammography information leaflets; it uses interviews to elucidate reasons why the arguments in the health communication leaflets for the exclusion of women under 50 from routine mammographic screenings do not work.
In search of an alternative history of debate in early modern Japan
Authors: Kanke Tomohiro , Morooka Junya
Published: January 2013

This paper offers an alternative historical account of debate in Japan during the Meiji, Taishō, and early Shōwa eras (1868-1936). Most previous studies on the modern history of debate in Japan have focused on Yukichi Fukuzawa (the alleged founding father of Western debate) or political advocacy by voluntary associations in the Freedom and People’s Rights Movement (1874-1890). Contrary to the prevailing view that debate had largely dissipated by 1890 due to the government’s strict regulations and crackdowns, this paper demonstrates that debate continued to be an important activity of youth clubs across the nation. Emerging around the late 1880s, those youth clubs regularly held intra-group debates on various topics in order to advance knowledge in academic and practical matters. This paper concludes by suggesting that far from suppressing debates altogether, political authorities tolerated, and even promoted, certain forms of debate which they deemed fit for producing active yet subservient citizens.
Differences in actual persuasiveness between experiential and professional expert evidence
Authors: Burgers Christian , de Graaf Anneke , Callaars Sabine
Published: January 2013

This study investigates the persuasiveness of different types of expert evidence. Following Wagemans (2011), two types of experts were distinguished that can be used in expert evidence: experiential experts (who base their expertise on personal experience) and professional experts (who base their expertise on professional knowledge). In a between-subjects experiment (N = 179), these different types of experts were included in a news report on a political issue. Results indicate that the perceived expertise and persuasiveness of professional experts was higher than that of experiential experts. Perceived expertise completely mediated the effects of the different types of expert evidence on persuasion. These results point towards a recommendation of using professional expert evidence over experiential expert evidence in reporting on political issues.
Fronting, dislocation, and the syntactic role of discourse-related features
Authors: Cruschina Silvio
Published: January 2013

This paper focuses on the syntactic role of the features related to discourse and information structure. It is argued that information-structure notions are encoded in syntax as syntactic features projecting their own phrase structure, and are fundamental in accounting for cross-linguistic variation. The word order alternations and syntactic operations which are strictly dependent on the discourse/informational properties of the sentence, as well as the different grammatical properties characterizing different information-structure categories, can all be related to the syntactic role of discourse-related features, the functional projections with which they are associated, and the type of movement that these features trigger. Under this view, this paper offers an analysis of fronting and dislocation phenomena in Romance, which entails that variation with respect to these processes is correlated to the activation and to the attraction properties of the functional projections encoding information-structure distinctions.
Keywords: discourse-related features; information structure; functional projections; topic; informational focus; contrastive focus; Romance; Sicilian
Universal linguistic pressures and their solutions
Authors: Berent Iris , Lennertz Tracy , Rosselli Monica
Published: January 2013

Do speakers possess universal linguistic restrictions on the sound structure of their language? We examine this question by investigating the restrictions on onset clusters (e.g., bl in block). Cross-linguistic comparisons suggest that certain onset clusters are universally preferred: Onsets like bn are preferred to bd, which, in turn, are preferred to lb. In four experiments, we demonstrate that such preferences constrain onset identification by Spanish speakers: the worst formed the onset, the more likely its misidentification. Onset structure, however, determines not only the rate of disyllabic recoding but also its type. While better-formed onsets of rising sonority are repaired epenthetically (e.g., bnif→benif), worse-formed onsets are recoded prothetically (e.g., lbif→elbif), and the choice of repair (epenthesis vs. prothesis) is modulated by linguistic experience. These findings suggest that speakers possess broad linguistic restrictions that extend to structures unattested in their language, but the response to such putatively universal pressures is experience-dependent.
Tense morphology in German agrammatism
Authors: Marusch Tina , von der Malsburg Titus , Bastiaanse Roelien , Burchert Frank
Published: January 2013

This study investigates tense morphology in agrammatic aphasia and the predictions of two accounts on processing of regular and irregular verbs: the Dual Mechanism model, that is, for aphasic data, the Declarative/Procedural model, and the Single Mechanism approach. The production of regular, irregular and mixed verbs in the present, simple past and past participle (present perfect) was tested in German by means of a sentence completion task with a group of seven speakers with agrammatic aphasia. The results show a difference between regular verbs and irregular verbs. Mixed verbs were equally difficult as irregular verbs. A frequency effect was found for irregular verbs but not for regular and mixed verbs. A significant difference among the correctness scores for present tense and simple past forms was found. Simple past and past participle were significantly more difficult than present tense. Error types were characterized by pure infinitive responses and time reference errors. Neither of the above accounts is sufficient to explain these results. Correctness scores and error patterns for mixed verbs suggest that such minor lexical patterns can be useful in finding new evidence in the debate on morphological processing. The findings also highlight time reference as well as language specific characteristics need to be taken into consideration.
Emergent projecting constructions
Authors: Maschler Yael
Published: January 2013

The present analysis is grounded in a view of grammar emerging in interaction and coming into being through mundane language use. By analyzing Hebrew interactional data, I outline the continua of synchronic usage from literal constructions involving the verb yada (‘know’) to three projecting constructions of the discourse marker variety. The study furthers our understanding of how projecting constructions are sedimentations of interactional practices. I combine interactional linguistics with grammaticization studies to show phonological, morphological, syntactic, pragmatic, and prosodic evidence in support of different grammaticization paths from matrix clause to discourse marker. Diachronic evidence from Mishnaic and Medieval Hebrew is added as further support for the paths suggested. The previously debated issue of complement-taking predicates is thus situated in another language and in a wider context, showing that different constructions employing the same matrix verb may follow different grammaticization paths. The study continues along an existing path of investigation into the issue of complement-taking constructions viewed as grammatically superordinate vs. as attachments to essentially monoclausal utterances. I argue for a more differentiated analysis recognizing both types of usage.
Translation as the new game in the digital era
Authors: O'Hagan Minako
Published: January 2013

Aimed at promoting a broader interdisciplinary discussion, this paper explores translation and entertainment in the context of current and emerging technological trends from a perspective beyond strictly Translation Studies concerns. Taking the case of video games as a rapidly growing modern digital entertainment genre, the article examines the concept of adaptation and how transmedia and remediation might further impact translation practices. It hints at a new development of translation itself as a form of entertainment, which may tie in with the concept of gamification to stimulate further thinking into the future of translation and entertainment.
The industrialization of translation
Authors: Dunne Keiran J.
Published: January 2013

Much has written by scholars on translation as product and as process, but relatively little attention has been paid to translation as a commercial service, business or industry. This article proposes a modest step in this direction by using microeconomics as a window through which to examine the industrialization of translation, focusing on causes, consequences and challenges. It begins by analyzing the outsourcing of translation and translation-related services. It then considers consequences of large-scale outsourcing, including quality uncertainty, information asymmetry, adverse selection, price pressure and perceived commoditization. Finally, the article explores challenges posed by these developments, including signaling and screening, the productivity imperative and the development of expertise. The article concludes with an overview of potential areas of research to be explored in this track in future issues.
Just a matter of scope
Authors: Muñoz Martín Ricardo
Published: January 2013

Mental load is an important construct in reading, writing, bilingualism, and multitasking research. It is also an implicit concept in most accounts of both translators’ mental processes and expertise, where it is often related to controlled and automated processes, which are interrelated. TPR projects tend to equate problem solving with controlled processing, but problem solving is not fully conscious or analytic and TPR should consider many other factors and the translation event as a whole. On the other hand, automated processes seem to comprise several phenomena, such as the optimization of the bilingual mental lexicon, the proceduralization of translation routines, and the development of translation-specific monitoring and evaluative processes and coping tactics. Many of the coping tactics translators develop are epistemic actions that deserve further study. Focusing on mental load in TPR may foster both theoretical and empirical efforts and also establish a bridge with interpreting research.
Notch pathway activation targets AML-initiating cell homeostasis and differentiation
Authors: Lobry Camille , Ntziachristos Panagiotis , Ndiaye-Lobry Delphine , Oh Philmo , Cimmino Luisa , Zhu Nan , Araldi Elisa , Hu Wenhuo , Freund Jacquelyn , Abdel-Wahab Omar , Ibrahim Sherif , Skokos Dimitris , Armstrong Scott A. , Levine Ross L. , Park Christopher Y. , Aifantis Iannis
Published: January 2013

Notch signaling pathway activation is known to contribute to the pathogenesis of a spectrum of human malignancies, including T cell leukemia. However, recent studies have implicated the Notch pathway as a tumor suppressor in myeloproliferative neoplasms and several solid tumors. Here we report a novel tumor suppressor role for Notch signaling in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and demonstrate that Notch pathway activation could represent a therapeutic strategy in this disease. We show that Notch signaling is silenced in human AML samples, as well as in AML-initiating cells in an animal model of the disease. In vivo activation of Notch signaling using genetic Notch gain of function models or in vitro using synthetic Notch ligand induces rapid cell cycle arrest, differentiation, and apoptosis of AML-initiating cells. Moreover, we demonstrate that Notch inactivation cooperates in vivo with loss of the myeloid tumor suppressor Tet2 to induce AML-like disease. These data demonstrate a novel tumor suppressor role for Notch signaling in AML and elucidate the potential therapeutic use of Notch receptor agonists in the treatment of this devastating leukemia.
Discerning “Indistinguishable” Quantum Systems
Authors: Caulton Adam
Published: January 2013

In a series of recent papers, Simon Saunders, Fred Muller, and Michael Seevinck have collectively argued, against the folklore, that some nontrivial version of Leibniz’s principle of the identity of indiscernibles is upheld in quantum mechanics. They argue that all particles—fermions, paraparticles, anyons, even bosons—may be weakly discerned by some physical relation. Here I show that their arguments make illegitimate appeal to nonsymmetric, that is, permutation-noninvariant, quantities and that therefore their conclusions do not go through. However, I show that alternative, symmetric quantities may be found to do the required work. I conclude that the Saunders-Muller-Seevinck heterodoxy can be saved.
The Independence Condition in the Variety-of-Evidence Thesis
Authors: Claveau François
Published: January 2013

The variety-of-evidence thesis has been criticized by Bovens and Hartmann. This article points to two limitations of their Bayesian model: the conceptualization of unreliable evidential sources as randomizing and the restriction to comparing full independence to full dependence. It is shown that the variety-of-evidence thesis is rehabilitated when unreliable sources are reconceptualized as systematically biased. However, it turns out that allowing for degrees of independence leads to a qualification of the variety-of-evidence thesis: as Bovens and Hartmann claimed, more independence does not always imply stronger confirmation.
First Principles Study on Encapsulation of Alkali Metals into ZnO Nanocage
Authors: T. Baei Mohammad , Ahmadi Peyghan Ali , Bagheri Zargham
Published: January 2013

Encapsulation of alkali metals (Li, Na, K, and Rb) into Zn12O12 nanocage has been investigated using density functional theory. Encapsulation of Li and Na atoms is found to be thermodynamically favorable at 298 K and 100 kPa, with negative Gibbs free energy change ΔG of about −130.12 and −68.43 kJ/mol, respectively. By increasing the size of encapsulated atom the process become less favorable so that in the cases of K and Rb encapsulations the ΔG values are positive. The results indicate that the LUMO, Fermi level, and specially HOMO of the cluster are shifted to higher energies so that the HOMO-LUMO gap of the cluster is significantly narrowed in all the cases. After encapsulation of the alkali metals the work function of cluster is decreased due to the shift of the Fermi level to higher energies. Therefore, the emitted electron current density from the Zn12O12 cluster will be increased.
Reduced boundaries and convexity
Authors: Caraballo David
Published: January 2013

We establish strong, new connections between convex sets and geometric measure theory. We use geometric measure theory to improve several standard theorems from the theory of convex sets, which have found wide application in fields such as functional analysis, economics, optimization, and control theory. For example, we prove that a closed subsetKKofRn\mathbb {R}^{n}with non-empty interior is convex if and only if it has locally finite perimeter inRn\mathbb {R}^{n}and has a supporting hyperplane through each point of its reduced boundary. This refines the standard result that such a setKKis convex if and only if it has a supporting hyperplane through each point of its topological boundary, which may be much larger than the reduced boundary. Thus, the reduced boundary from geometric measure theory contains all the convexity information for such a setKK. We similarly refine a standard separation theorem, as well as a representation theorem for convex sets. We then extend all of our results to other notions of boundary from the literature and deduce the corresponding classical results from convex analysis as special cases.
MetaNetX.org: a website and repository for accessing, analysing and manipulating metabolic networks
Authors: Ganter Mathias , Bernard Thomas , Moretti Sébastien , Stelling Joerg , Pagni Marco
Published: January 2013

Summary: MetaNetX.org is a website for accessing, analysing and manipulating genome-scale metabolic networks (GSMs) as well as biochemical pathways. It consistently integrates data from various public resources and makes the data accessible in a standardized format using a common namespace. Currently, it provides access to hundreds of GSMs and pathways that can be interactively compared (two or more), analysed (e.g. detection of dead-end metabolites and reactions, flux balance analysis or simulation of reaction and gene knockouts), manipulated and exported. Users can also upload their own metabolic models, choose to automatically map them into the common namespace and subsequently make use of the website’s functionality.

Availability and implementation: MetaNetX.org is available at http://metanetx.org.

Contact:  help@metanetx.org
Interaction between Nitrous Oxide, Sevoflurane, and Opioids
Authors: Vereecke Hugo E. M. , Proost Johannes H. , Heyse Bjorn , Eleveld Douglas J. , Katoh Takasumi , Luginbühl Martin , Struys Michel M. R. F.
Published: January 2013

Background:

The interaction of sevoflurane and opioids can be described by response surface modeling using the hierarchical model. We expanded this for combined administration of sevoflurane, opioids, and 66 vol.% nitrous oxide (N2O), using historical data on the motor and hemodynamic responsiveness to incision, the minimal alveolar concentration, and minimal alveolar concentration to block autonomic reflexes to nociceptive stimuli, respectively.

Methods:

Four potential actions of 66 vol.% N2O were postulated: (1) N2O is equivalent to A ng/ml of fentanyl (additive); (2) N2O reduces C50 of fentanyl by factor B; (3) N2O is equivalent to X vol.% of sevoflurane (additive); (4) N2O reduces C50 of sevoflurane by factor Y. These four actions, and all combinations, were fitted on the data using NONMEM (version VI, Icon Development Solutions, Ellicott City, MD), assuming identical interaction parameters (A, B, X, Y) for movement and sympathetic responses.

Results:

Sixty-six volume percentage nitrous oxide evokes an additive effect corresponding to 0.27 ng/ml fentanyl (A) with an additive effect corresponding to 0.54 vol.% sevoflurane (X). Parameters B and Y did not improve the fit.

Conclusion:

The effect of nitrous oxide can be incorporated into the hierarchical interaction model with a simple extension. The model can be used to predict the probability of movement and sympathetic responses during sevoflurane anesthesia taking into account interactions with opioids and 66 vol.% N2O.
Policy for material efficiency—sustainable taxation as a departure from the throwaway society
Authors: Stahel Walter R
Published: January 2013

The present economy is not sustainable with regard to its
per capita
material consumption. A dematerialization of the economy of industrialized countries can be achieved by a change in course, from an industrial economy built on throughput to a circular economy built on stock optimization, decoupling wealth and welfare from resource consumption while creating more work. The business models of a circular economy have been known since the mid-1970s and are now applied in a number of industrial sectors. This paper argues that a simple and convincing lever could accelerate the shift to a circular economy, and that this lever is the shift to a tax system based on the principles of sustainability: not taxing renewable resources including human labour—work—but taxing non-renewable resources instead is a powerful lever. Taxing materials and energies will promote low-carbon and low-resource solutions and a move towards a ‘circular’ regional economy as opposed to the ‘linear’ global economy requiring fuel-based transport for goods throughput. In addition to substantial improvements in material and energy efficiency, regional job creation and national greenhouse gas emission reductions, such a change will foster all activities based on ‘caring’, such as maintaining cultural heritage and natural wealth, health services, knowledge and know-how.
Transitions to material efficiency in the UK steel economy
Authors: Allwood Julian M.
Published: January 2013

Steel production is energy intensive so already has achieved impressive levels of energy efficiency. If the emissions associated with steel must be reduced in line with the requirements of the UK Climate Change Act, demand for new steel must be reduced. The strategies of ‘material efficiency’ aim to achieve such a reduction, while delivering the same final services. To meet the emissions targets set into UK law, UK consumption of steel must be reduced to 30 per cent of present levels by 2050. Previous work has revealed six strategies that could contribute to this target, and this paper presents an approximate analysis of the required transition. A macro-economic analysis of steel in the UK shows that while the steel industry is relatively small, the construction and manufacturing sectors are large, and it would be politically unacceptable to pursue options that lead to a major contraction in other sectors. Alternative business models are therefore required, and these are explored through four representative products—one for each final sector with particular emphasis given to options for reducing product weight, and extending product life. Preliminary evidence on the triggers that would lead to customers preferring these options is presented and organized in order to predict required policy measures. The estimated analysis of transitions explored in this paper is used to define target questions for future research in the area.
Material efficiency in a multi-material world
Authors: Lifset Reid , Eckelman Matthew
Published: January 2013

Material efficiency—using less of a material to make a product or supply a service—is gaining attention as a means for accomplishing important environmental goals. The ultimate goal of material efficiency is not to use less physical material but to reduce the impacts associated with its use. This article examines the concept and definition of material efficiency and argues that for it to be an effective strategy it must confront the challenges of operating in a multi-material world, providing guidance when materials are used together and when they compete. A series of conceptions of material efficiency are described, starting with mass-based formulations and expanding to consider multiple resources in the supply chain of a single material, and then to multiple resources in the supply chains of multiple materials used together, and further to multiple environmental impacts. The conception of material efficiency is further broadened by considering material choice, exploring the technical and economic effects both of using less material and of materials competition. Finally, this entire materials-based techno-economic system is considered with respect to the impact of complex policies and political forces. The overall goal here is to show how the concept of material efficiency when faced with more expansive—and yet directly relevant—definitional boundaries is forced to confront analytical challenges that are both familiar and difficult in life cycle assessment and product-based approaches.