bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prototipo de emulación de movimiento humano mediante una plataforma bípeda humanoide
Authors: Calderón Coy Milton Vicente , Coronel Segrera César Augusto , Camargo Casallas Esperanza
Published: March 2015

En esta investigación se desarrolló una plataforma bípeda humanoide, cuya función es emular la marcha humana partiendo del principio de mantener el mínimo consumo energético minimizando el movimiento vertical de la pelvis. La plataforma se realizó utilizando herramientas de diseño y simulación como AutoCAD para la estructura mecánica, Solid-edge para el modelamiento tridimensional y Phyton para simular el movimiento de la plataforma. Estas herramientas suministraron las características físicas exactas de la plataforma, permitiendo generar el modelo cinemático. El modelo cinemático de la marcha se desarrolló utilizando MATLAB, así: a partir de una versión modificada de los parámetros de Denavit-Hartenberg se establece la cinemática directa, y la cinemática inversa se determina a partir de una red neuronal de tipo feedforward-backpropagation. Se obtuvo una plataforma bípeda humanoide con diez grados de libertad, capaz de realizar flexión - extensión en la cadera y rodilla, abducción - aducción en la cadera, flexión plantar-dorsal y pronación - supinación en el tobillo. La generación de trayectorias se obtiene en MATLAB mediante el ingreso del número de pasos, la longitud del paso, la altura del paso y una variable de tiempo que separará cada una de las secuencias o subpasos de la trayectoria. Como resultado se obtuvieron las trayectorias articulares en cadera, rodilla y tobillo en los tres planos, las cuales son acordes con la marcha humana y se evidenció con el robot bípedo humanoide.Con esta investigación se espera establecer nuevos modelos para emular la marcha humana normal y patológica. Asimismo, esta es desarrollada por el grupo de investigación DIGITI de la Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas.
Optimizing the use of the “state-of-the-art” performance criteria
Authors: Haeckel Rainer , Wosniok Werner , Streichert Thomas
Published: March 2015

The organizers of the first EFLM Strategic Conference “Defining analytical performance goals” identified three models for defining analytical performance goals in laboratory medicine. Whereas the highest level of model 1 (outcome studies) is difficult to implement, the other levels are more or less based on subjective opinions of experts, with models 2 (based on biological variation) and 3 (defined by the state-of-the-art) being more objective. A working group of the German Society of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (DGKL) proposes a combination of models 2 and 3 to overcome some disadvantages inherent to both models. In the new model, the permissible imprecision is not defined as a constant proportion of biological variation but by a non-linear relationship between permissible analytical and biological variation. Furthermore, the permissible imprecision is referred to the target quantity value. The biological variation is derived from the reference interval, if appropriate, after logarithmic transformation of the reference limits.
Pharmacogenetics of drug metabolizing enzymes in the United Kingdom population: review of current knowledge and comparison with selected European populations
Authors: Daly Ann K.
Published: March 2015

Data on frequency of pharmacogenetic polymorphisms in the UK population are limited. However, availability of whole genome sequencing data on 94 UK controls of European ethnicity from the 1000 genomes project together with similar data on other populations provides a valuable new source of data in this area and allows direct comparison of allele frequencies with those for other European populations. The ethnic diversity of the UK population also needs to be considered, and 1000 genomes includes data on South Asians, the most common ethnic group in the UK after White Europeans. Allele frequencies for polymorphisms in genes relevant to phase I and phase II drug metabolism for UK, Finnish, Spanish and South Asian populations were obtained from the literature and 1000 genomes. Generally there was good agreement between the literature and 1000 genomes reports. CYP2D6*4, the most common CYP2D6 poor metabolizer allele among Europeans, appears more common in the UK than in Spain and Finland, whereas, as suggested previously, CYP2C19*2 and CYP2C9*2 appear more common in Finland and Spain, respectively, than in the UK. South Asians show low frequencies of CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C19*17 but higher frequencies of CYP2C19*2 compared with UK residents of European ethnicity. Though personalizing drug treatment on the basis of individual genotype rather than ethnicity may be more appropriate, differences in allele frequencies across continents should be considered when designing clinical trials of new drugs.
Comparison of Different Models for Ground-Level Atmospheric Attenuation Prediction with New Models According to Local Weather Data for FSO Applications
Authors: Arockia Bazil Raj A. , Arputha Vijaya Selvi J.
Published: March 2015

A dedicated Free Space Optical Link (FSOL) for the range of 0.5 km at an altitude of 15.25 m is established and explained. The power levels of the received signal with meteorological parameters are continuously measured using the opto-electronic assembly and developed weather station respectively and stored in a computer. The existing models selected for comparative analysis are briefed. Measured meteorological parameters and optical attenuation of size [2000×4] are used for linear regression analysis as well as to design the mathematical models more suitable at the test field. In addition, the prediction accuracy of the proposed and selected models during different seasons in one-year period are investigated and validated in terms of RMSE. The average Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.041 dB/km for the optical attenuation is achieved in the longer range dynamic of meteorological parameters during different local seasons.
High Data Rate OFDM-Based Radio over FSO Communication System Using M-QAM Modulation
Authors: Kumar Naresh , Teixeira Antonio Luis Jesus
Published: March 2015

In this paper, we have presented analysis of OFDM-based Radio over FSO Communication System using M-QAM Modulation under different data rate and attenuation. A distance of 1,000 m was achieved at 10 Gbit/s data rate in OFDM-based Radio over FSO Communication System.
Antimony and antimony oxide@graphene oxide obtained by the peroxide route as anodes for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Yu Denis Y.W. , Batabyal Sudip K. , Gun Jenny , Sladkevich Sergey , Mikhaylov Alexey A. , Medvedev Alexander G. , Novotortsev Vladimir M. , Lev Ovadia , Prikhodchenko Petr V.
Published: March 2015

Zero-valent antimony and antimony oxide were deposited on graphene oxide by the recently introduced peroxide deposition route. The antimony@graphene oxide (GO) anode exhibits a charging capacity of 340 mAh g
Novel polymer inclusion membranes containing T2EHDGA as carrier extractant for actinide ion uptake from acidic feeds
Authors: Mahanty Bholanath , Mohapatra Prasanta Kumar , Raut Dhaval Ramakant , Das Dillip Kumar , Behere Praveen Gajanan , Afzal Mohammad
Published: March 2015

Polymer inclusion membranes (PIM) containing N,N,N′,N′-tetra(2-ethylhexyl) diglycolamide (T2EHDGA) were
evaluated for the separation of actinide ions such as Am3+, Pu4+, UO2
2+ and Th4+ from acidic
feeds. The PIMs were prepared using cellulose triacetate (CTA) as the polymer matrix, 2-nitrophenyloctyl ether (NPOE) as the
plasticizer and T2EHDGA as the carrier extractant and the optimized membrane composition was found to be 68.4% T2EHDGA,
17.9% NPOE and 13.7% CTA which resulted in 74% Am3+ uptake at 1 M HNO3 in
2 h. The uptake studies were carried out using feed solutions containing varying concentrations of nitric acid
(0.5–3.0 M) and showed the trend: Pu4+ > Am3+ > Th4+ >
UO2
2+. Quantitative stripping (> 99%) of the sorbed Am3+ was possible using a solution containing
0.01 M EDTA at pH 3.0. Reusability studies indicated deterioration of the PIM on continuous use.
Integración conceptual (blending) en el proceso de gramaticalización de construcciones nominales cuantificativas en español
Authors: Huelva Enrique
Published: March 2015

The primary purpose of this article is to examine the cognitive underpinnings of grammaticalization processes that generate quantifier noun constructions in Spanish. This analysis aims to demonstrate the need to develop a cognitive model of grammaticalization based on the Theory of Blending. Grammaticalization is thus considered a specific case of blending. The main argument sustaining this position lies in the emergent properties of the constructions that result from grammaticalization processes. Finally, a framework for such a model is outlined and its comparative advantages vis-à-vis other cognitive models of grammaticalization proffered in the literature are explained.
Homeless in Post-Modern Linguistics? (Re/Dis)placing Hispanic Dialectology
Authors: Lipski John M.
Published: March 2015

Within the context of contemporary Hispanic linguistics, dialectology is often felt to be an anachronism, a notion grounded in the stereotype of the dialectologist as linguistic butterfly-collector. In fact this view is as unrealistic in the 21st century as the concept of a physician administering leeches and “philtres,” and stems from a failure to acknowledge that dialectology has evolved together with the rest of linguistics. Dialectology as currently practiced is best defined as the response to the question of how and why languages vary regionally and socially. As such, dialectology intersects with, but is not superseded by, sociolinguistics; contemporary dialectology includes theoretical advances in syntax, phonology, phonetics, historical linguistics, and variational linguistics.
Affirming Differences, Valuing Variation and Dismissing Dialects in Modern Linguistics
Authors: Otheguy Ricardo
Published: March 2015

Dialectology and sociolinguistics have given rise to the notions of dialect difference and sociolinguistic variation. An evaluation of these concepts in terms of usefulness to scholars, social relevance to laymen, and solid intellectual coherence and soundness yields high marks on the first two criteria, while pointing to problems with regard to coherence. The scientific and social contributions made possible by the concept of dialectal difference are clear, but serious questions must be raised as to the coherence of the notion of dialect. The concept of variation, while also facilitating important contributions, raises questions of its own on the criterion of coherence. Dialects can be safely dismissed from our conceptual repertoire, while dialectal difference and sociolinguistic variation should remain, demanding, however, that considerable effort be expended in finding a better fit with more traditional areas of research in linguistics. These areas are not exempt from the task, as their coherence too requires greater engagement with variation.
Ratio Frequency: Insights into Usage Effects on Phonological Structure from Hiatus Resolution in New Mexican Spanish
Authors: Alba Matthew C.
Published: March 2015

Mounting evidence shows that frequency of use plays a fundamental role in shaping linguistic structure, including phonological structure (cf. Bybee 2001). Because the study of frequency effects is relatively new, our understanding of how they impact structure continues to be refined. This study explores the effects of several frequency measures on the resolution of hiatus between words in Spanish, and reveals that in addition to the traditional phonological factors, frequency is also involved. Multivariate analyses show that ratio frequency - or the frequency of a two-word string relative to that of one of the words it contains - is a better indicator than straightforward token frequency of the likelihood that the string will be processed as an autonomous unit and undergo concurrent phonological reduction. These findings build on a usage-based model of language, providing important insights into the nature of lexical storage and how this relates to linguistic variation and change.
How Pragmatically Odd! Interface Delays and Pronominal Subject Distribution in L2 Spanish
Authors: Rothman Jason
Published: March 2015

Sorace (2000, 2005) has claimed that while L2 learners can easily acquire properties of L2 narrow syntax they have significant difficulty with regard to interpretation and the discourse distribution of related properties, resulting in so-called residual optionality. However, there is no consensus as to what this difficulty indicates. Is it related to an insurmountable grammatical representational deficit (in the sense of representation deficit approaches; e.g. Beck 1998, Franceschina 2001, Hawkins 2005), is it due to cross-linguistic interference, or is it just a delay due to a greater complexity involved in the acquisition of interface-conditioned properties? In this article, I explore the L2 distribution of null and overt subject pronouns of Englishspeaking learners of L2 Spanish. While intermediate learners clearly have knowledge of the syntax of Spanish null subjects, they do not have target-like pragmatic knowledge of their distribution with overt subjects. The present data demonstrate, however, that this difficulty is overcome at highly advanced stages of L2 development, thus suggesting that properties at the syntax-pragmatics interface are not destined for inevitable fossilization.
Research on First Language Acquisition of Spanish Phonology
Authors: Lleó Conxita
Published: March 2015

This paper deals with research on acquisition of Spanish phonology by young children. The beginnings of this discipline are placed within the model of Generative Grammar, at the end of the 1960s. The two main areas of phonology are considered: on the one hand segments, and certain chronological sequences of segment acquisition, and on the other hand prosody, i.e. syllables, stress, intonation and rhythm. The most important issues of acquisition research are presented, including the relationship between perception and production, the role of prosody in acquisition, underlying representations, and the dependency of morphology on prosody. The main models of the field are also discussed, namely rules, parameters and constraints. The beginnings of morphological development and its dependence on phonology are briefly discussed as well. Finally, the acquisition of Spanish phonology in bilingual contexts is also described. The paper deals exclusively with normal first language acquisition, and does not refer to speech language impaired children nor to second language acquisition.
Variation and Second Language Grammars
Authors: Bayley Robert , Preston Dennis R.
Published: March 2015

Using sociolinguistic methods, variationists have successfully modeled many of the numerous factors that constrain L2 speakers’ use of variable linguistic forms. However, variationists have been less successful in developing a psycholinguistic model to account for variation in the grammar. In this paper we first describe early studies of L2 variation. Then, using examples from L1 English and L2 and bilingual Spanish, we present a three level psycholinguistic model to account for L1 and L2 variation constrained by social factors only at Level I, by linguistic factors at Level II and change over time at Level III.
The Role of Language Variation in Mental Grammars: An Optimality-Theoretic Perspective
Authors: Colina Sonia
Published: March 2015

This paper argues that language variation plays a critical role in the shaping and understanding of mental grammars and that Optimality Theory is a crucial player in demonstrating the relevance of variation data for advancing our knowledge of mental grammars. It takes the position that experimental, quantitative and variationist studies need to formalize the results of their research (cf. Díaz-Campos & Colina 2006) and propose grammars that generate the variable patterns described, as well as their interaction with non-variable patterns. Similarly, existing formal models of variation need to be tested against quantitative and variable corpora and data, and analyses and predictions need to be compared to evaluate formal accounts of variation (Auger 2001 and Cardoso 2001). The optimality-theoretic studies reviewed show that this is already an emerging and important line of research that opens the doors to unprecedented progress both in variationist and formal phonology.
Sibilant Voicing in Ecuadorian Spanish
Authors: Colina Sonia
Published: March 2015

Highland Ecuadorian Spanish has a unique process of /s/ voicing that differs from other dialects of Spanish in that word-final /s/ is realized as [z] intervocalically (Lipski 1989, 1994, Robinson 1979). Ecuadorian /s/ voicing is problematic for serial models of phonology as well as for some output-to-output analyses within Optimality Theory. It is argued that the data can be accounted for by an optimalitytheoretic analysis that incorporates phonetic underspecification as a strategy to satisfy coda-licensing restrictions. Sibilants without a voicing target remain unspecified until the phonetic component, where they adopt the laryngeal configuration of neighboring sounds and can thus be expected to exhibit gradient and variable voicing. Contrary to existing non-derivational proposals (Bradley 2007, Colina 2006), it is shown that it is not necessary to resort to two levels of representation (lexical and postlexical) to explain the behavior of Ecuadorian Spanish. The analysis proposed also accounts for cross-dialectal variation affecting word-final prevocalic /s/.
Deaccenting in Spontaneous Speech in Barcelona Spanish
Authors: Rao Rajiv
Published: March 2015

Recent literature on Spanish intonation assumes that deaccenting occurs when a lexical item fails to cue stress via an F0 rise or some other pitch movement through its stressed syllable. Inspired by the findings and suggestions for future research by Face (2003), the present study fills in research gaps by examining seven potential influences on deaccenting, working with spontaneous speech, and addressing the understudied Barcelona dialect of Spanish. The analysis of 160-170 minutes of spontaneous speech data collected at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona reveals that the odds of deaccenting increase in words that are high frequency in Spanish, have fewer syllables, are verbs or adverbs, are uttered multiple times within a recent timeframe, or are in initial or medial positions of the phonological phrase. Finally, high frequency verbs and adverbs, as well as adverbs, nouns, and verbs with fewer syllables are all especially prone to deaccenting.
Knowledge about Language for Teachers is More than Knowing Grammar Rules
Authors: Bigelow Martha , Ranney Susan
Published: March 2015

Knowledge about language (KAL) is an essential and dynamic part of language teachers’ knowledge base used for instruction. Content-based instruction (CBI) calls for the integration of KAL and complex pedagogical skills to teach language through content texts, tasks and communicative functions. This article argues that language teacher preparation should develop KAL alongside pedagogical knowledge and skills in ways that include teachers’ language learning and teaching biographies as well as facts of their teaching contexts. Given that all teachers have gaps in their KAL, cultivating a commitment to exploring language-related issues in their teaching is crucial for the integration of KAL into language teaching that is contextualized in engaging content and real communication. Fostering a spirit of inquiry about learner language and the language needed for learning and communication is more important than the impossible task of learning all of the “rules” of the language.
A Case of Grammaticalization in the Use of the Perfect for the Preterite in Bilbao Spanish
Authors: Burgo Clara
Published: March 2015

Research into the use of the Present Perfect in various Romance languages often finds that the Present Perfect is taking over functions previously accomplished through the Preterite. This is also the case in Peninsular Spanish. A key constraint on the alternation of the Present Perfect and the Preterite involves the time-frame distinction of “today” versus “before-today”. Among the various dialects of Spanish spoken in Spain,the regional dialect of Bilbao has been identified as having the highest percentage of “today” Present Perfects. Nonetheless, no community-based study of this dialect has been carried out. This study reports the results of a variationist study of the increasing use of the Present Perfect instead of Preterite in the city of Bilbao, Spain, based on 49 sociolinguistic interviews. Twenty factor groups involving linguistic constraints were analyzed. The findings support the findings of previous research except for the case of telicity, polarity and clause type that were not found to be significant in previous research. In addition, the findings provide new evidence of the significance of the following factors in a multi-variate analysis of the alternation of the Present Perfect and the Preterite: mood, the following verb’s mood, the following verb’s tense and narratives.
Perceptions of Second Person Singular Pronoun Use in San Salvador, El Salvador
Authors: Michnowicz Jim , Place Soraya
Published: March 2015

El Salvador Spanish evidences a tripartite system of pronoun address, with one formal pronoun, usted, and two informal pronouns, tú and vos. The present study addresses attitudes toward pronoun use in San Salvador through the use of a linguistic questionnaire. The choice of pronoun is not dependent solely on the interlocutor whom the speaker is addressing, but also social factors, such as a speaker’s age, gender, and education. Statistical analysis demonstrates that tú is reserved for a few specific situations, and may represent an intermediate level of formality between usted and vos. Tú is reported more frequently by older and moderately educated speakers. Vos, however, is being advanced by younger, welleducated speakers in both frequency and into pragmatic areas that previously belonged to usted. In this way voseo in San Salvador may reflect increased informality and a higher use of regional forms reported in many Spanish varieties.
Beyond “Naturalistic”: On the Role of Task Characteristics and the Importance of Multiple Elicitation Methods
Authors: Geeslin Kimberly L.
Published: March 2015

The exploration of the role of naturally-occurring data in studies of second language acquisition begins by assessing the ways in which the term “naturalistic” may apply to second languages. Instead of classifying tasks and the data they elicit as natural or unnatural, this paper presents a view of tasks that is multidimensional, rather than oppositional, and highlights some of the features of tasks that appear to pose significant differences in the data they elicit. Following this review, three cases from the study of the second language acquisition of Spanish are presented. Each case demonstrates how data differ across tasks and builds support for the position that there is no single ideal method for eliciting data. Instead, these cases show that multiple means of elicitation are necessary to fully understand the acquisition of a given construct, with each elicitation task providing unique and essential information about learner language.
Naturalistic and Elicited Data in Grammatical Studies of Codeswitching
Authors: MacSwan Jeff , McAlister Kara T.
Published: March 2015

The authors discuss the merits of naturalistic and elicited data in the study of grammatical aspects of codeswitching. Three limitations of naturalistic data are discussed, including the problems of negative evidence, induction, and unidentified performance error. The authors recommend the use of language surveys as a tool for overcoming limitations of elicited grammaticality judgment data.
¿Mejor o peor español? Actitudes lingüísticas de universitarios hispanohablantes en Estados Unidos
Authors: Montes-Alcalá Cecilia
Published: March 2015

The present study aims to explore the linguistic attitudes towards the different regional varieties of Spanish in a group of college-educated native speakers of Spanish. A survey was conducted among participants from diverse Spanishspeaking countries who lived in the United States. The main goals of the study were, in the first place, to determine whether these individuals were able to spontaneously attribute more (or less) prestige to a specific Spanish variety over others. Second, I attempted to analyze the rationale - whether explicit or implicit - behind their choice of a certain variety as more (or less) prestigious. Finally, I examined the extent to which their linguistic attitudes were motivated (or not) by any sort of ethno-linguistic loyalty towards their own speech communities. The results of the study substantiate previous research carried out in this field, but also reveal unforeseen findings, especially in regards to the less prestigious varieties.
Spanish Morphophonology
Authors: Colina Sonia
Published: March 2015

In recent years a sizable number of morphophonological phenomena have attracted considerable attention from Spanish phonologists. This article presents a current view of the controversies within the context of two recurring topics: the validity of morphophonological generalizations and the interaction of morphological and phonological processes. Some of the processes discussed are velar and coronal softening, diphthongization, word-classes, stem formatives, nasal depalatalization, diminutive formation and the nature of final -e. It is shown that some phenomena cannot be said to be synchronically active (i.e. coronal and velar softening, final epenthesis, diphthongization, and depalatalization), consisting instead of lexicalized alternants. Plural epenthesis, on the other hand, is argued (contra Bonet) to be an active phenomenon. Pluralization and diminutive formation are said to be morphophonological, not just phonological. Finally, the article addresses the connection between the interaction of morphological and phonological processes to the design of the morphophonological component of the grammar, introducing the issue of a derivational element in non-derivational models of phonology.
The Phonology-Morphology Interface in Judeo-Spanish Diminutive Formation: A Lexical Ordering and Subcategorization Approach
Authors: Bradley Travis G. , Smith Jason
Published: March 2015

In this article we examine diminutive formation in Judeo-Spanish, which has not been treated before in the generative literature. The distribution of diminutive suffixes is shown to be predictable based on an interaction of morphological and phonological properties, which is a recognized hallmark of diminutive formation in Spanish more generally. Judeo-Spanish also presents some interesting twists not commonly found in other varieties of Spanish. A formal analysis is developed in Optimality Theory that builds upon recent work on allomorph selection involving lexical ordering and subcategorization. A comparison with previous analyses of other Spanish varieties shows that our approach can account for the behavior of nominal class markers in diminutivization, as well as the alternation of diminutive allomorphs, while avoiding the proliferation of language- and morpheme-specific constraints. Furthermore, our account sheds new light on the moraic status of glides in rising and falling diphthongs and of the trill in word-medial intervocalic position.
Eyetracking Methodology: A User's Guide for Linguistic Research
Authors: Sagarra Nuria , Hanson Aroline Seibert
Published: March 2015

During the past decade, the use of behavioral (e.g. picture/word naming, self-paced reading, eyetracking) and electrophysiological (e.g. event-related potentials) quantitative experimental techniques historically associated with psychology has flourished in linguistics. These techniques are shaping linguistic theories in new ways and it is important to understand how they can contribute to our field. This article focuses on the use of eyetracking, a research methodology that measures eye positions and movements through a device called an eyetracker. In linguistics, eyetracking is generally employed for studying language processing during comprehension and production. The paper is organized as follows. Section 1 presents the benefits of eyetracking for linguistic research. Section 2 explains terminology commonly used in eyetracking studies and discusses issues relevant for stimuli creation and data analysis. Section 3 compares the eyetracker models employed in linguistic studies and provides useful links to obtain further information. Finally, Section 4 summarizes representative eyetracking research on Spanish and Portuguese.
Technology in Phonetic Science: Setting Up a Basic Phonetics Laboratory
Authors: Simonet Miquel
Published: March 2015

The present paper discusses some techniques and procedures used in experimental phonetic research. The use of technology and its recent widespread availability have been instrumental in our developing a better understanding of the basic processes of human speech production and perception. Specifically, this paper reviews some of the uses of the software package Praat for acoustic and perceptual research, as well as software products such as R, Akustyk, SuperLab, and E-Prime, among others. Finally, we offer some remarks on the basic equipment (hardware) one would need to purchase in order to carry out modern experimental phonetic research in the field as well as in the laboratory.
Spanish Differential Object Marking: An Empirical Study of Implicit and Explicit Instruction
Authors: Zyzik Eve , Marqués Pascual Laura
Published: March 2015

This article examines the impact of instruction on L2 learners’ ability to recognize and produce differential object marking in Spanish as measured by three written tasks: a grammatical preference task, a cued sentence production task, and a discourse-length narrative task. These assessment measures are hypothesized to tap both implicit and explicit knowledge based on criteria proposed by Ellis (2005) and Ellis, Loewen, Elder, Erlam, Philp & Reinders (2009). English-speaking learners (n = 123) were randomly assigned to one of three instructional treatments: input flood, enhanced input flood, and explicit grammar. The results indicate a significant advantage for the explicit grammar group on the preference task and the cued sentence production task. The remaining two groups showed modest improvement after the treatment, but with no significant differences between them. These results confirm the advantage of explicit instruction vis-à-vis more implicit treatments, although this advantage seems to be limited to controlled assessment measures.
Tense-Aspect Distinctions within the Subjunctive Mood in the Spanish of Native Speakers and Second-Language Learners
Authors: Gudmestad Aarnes
Published: March 2015

The current study constitutes the first empirical investigation of the complete repertoire of tense-aspect forms of the subjunctive mood in Spanish. In this study, I identify the frequency of use of the full range of tense-aspect forms of the subjunctive mood (e.g. present, pluperfect) that native speakers and five proficiency levels of second-language learners use in mood-choice contexts and seek to determine the linguistic contexts (i.e. functions) in which these forms occur. The results show that native speakers use the present, imperfect, and pluperfect subjunctive forms more frequently than other subjunctive forms and that they use these three forms in a range of linguistic contexts. The analysis also demonstrates that learners use these three forms in largely the same contexts as the native speakers and that they restructure the strength of their form-meaning associations as they become more proficient in the target language.
Enhancing Dialogue between Variationist Sociolinguistics and Minimalist Syntax: Plural Agreement in Afro-Bolivian Spanish
Authors: Sessarego Sandro
Published: March 2015

This paper analyzes processes of variable number agreement marking in Afro- Bolivian Spanish (ABS) Determiner Phrases (DPs). In line with several sociolinguistic studies of this kind (Guy 1981, Poplack 1979, 1980, Scherre 2001, etc.), this work provides detailed VARBRUL statistical analyses for the cases of plural marking variability found in this dialect. However, differently from traditional sociolinguistic accounts, results are explained by adopting recent minimalist assumptions on agreement and feature valuation processes (Frampton & Gutman 2000). In doing so, the present study attempts to enhance dialogue between variationist sociolinguistic and generative theory.
Overt Language Attitudes and Linguistic Identities among Multilingual Speakers in Northern Belize
Authors: Balam Osmer
Published: March 2015

The current study examines Mestizo adolescent and post-adolescent speakers’ overt language attitudes towards their language varieties and bilingual/trilingual codeswitching. Results show that contrary to previous studies where code-switching has typically been negatively perceived even by the speakers themselves, codeswitching has thrived in Belize, particularly among post-adolescent speakers, because they are positively predisposed to code-switching and associate it with their multilingual identity. In contrast, the use of monolingual varieties of Spanish is marked and pejoratively perceived, especially among high school speakers. Interview data revealed that an incipient trend among younger high school speakers is to employ more Belizean Kriol and less Northern Belizean Spanish and codeswitching. This is a trend which merits further investigation as it may be pointing to the genesis of a strong pan-Afro-Belizean linguistic identity among younger Belizeans which cuts across ethnic lines, and which consequently holds implications for issues of language dominance, language shift, and language policy and planning in Belize.
Como in Commute: The Travels of a Discourse Marker across Languages
Authors: Kern Joseph
Published: March 2015

The present investigation is a mixed-method study combining quantitative and qualitative analyses to explore the use of como as a discourse marker in the Spanish spoken in Southern Arizona, based on a corpus of twenty-four sociolinguistic interviews of young male and female Spanish-English bilinguals. In the speech of these bilinguals, the discourse marker como mirrors the grammaticalization of the focus and quotative discourse functions of like in English. The results of this study on the diffusion of the focus and quotative como to another Spanish-English bilingual community add to our knowledge of how discourse markers can travel both within and between communities as well as across languages and time.
Tonal Crowding Effects In Buenos Aires Spanish: An Experimental Study
Authors: Thornberry Philip A.
Published: March 2015

This study provides insight into the consequences of tonal crowding in Buenos Aires Spanish, enriching our current knowledge of the phonetic phenomena in this variety of Spanish. The present work is an experimental study that elicits 270 broad focus declarative statements in varying degrees of tonal crowding from five native speakers of this dialect. To achieve this, the number of unstressed syllables between stressed syllables in content words was manipulated to observe how the scaling and alignment of L and H tones, rise times, and syllable durations in prenuclear pitch accents all respond in different phonetic conditions. The results indicate that temporal and scaling reorganization is a prerequisite for the realization of two pitch accents in tonal crowding situations in Buenos Aires Spanish, though in ways differing from other dialects of Spanish. The first pitch accent remains largely unaffected, while the second pitch accent appears to be deaccented entirely.
Language contacts in Georgian Internet forums
Authors: Amaghlobeli Natia
Published: March 2015

This paper reviews different types of language contacts found in Georgian forum discussions. We will consider natural, oral/written and natural/electronic language contacts, style-shifting and mixed contacts. The frequency and the reason of the use of borrowings, code-switching and shortenings will be considered as well as the question of why Georgian language does not allow some shortening forms – specific for English, French or German internet slang – will be discussed.
Is the Samaritan Pentateuch a Sectarian Text?
Authors: Gallagher Edmond L.
Published: March 2015

Wissenschaftler kennzeichnen den Samaritanischen Pentateuch (SP) auf Grund einiger Abweichungen zum masoretischen Text (MT) üblicherweise als einen sektierischen Text. Diese Stellen heben den Kult auf dem Garizim besonders hervor. Neuerdings verstehen Wissenschaftler einige der besonders als sektiererisch klassifizierten Stellen durchaus nicht als sektiererisch, auch wenn der SP weiterhin als tendenziös und sektiererisch eingeordnet wird. Dieser Artikel untersucht die Gründe für die Verwendung dieser Kennzeichnungen mit Blick auf den SP und fragt nach dem Nutzen solcher Klassifikationen.

Scholars routinely describe the Samaritan Pentateuch (SP) as a sectarian text, owing to the presence of a few variants in the SP in comparison with the Masoretic Text (MT). These particular readings are thought to highlight the Gerizim cult in a way peculiarly appropriate to Samaritanism and inappropriate for Jewish texts. But scholars now interpret some of the most prominent »sectarian « elements of the SP as not sectarian at all, even while continuing to label the SP tendentious and sectarian. This paper examines the reasons for applying these terms to the SP and queries the usefulness of describing it in this manner.

Les chercheurs décrivent systématiquement le Pentateuque samaritain comme un texte sectaire, en raison de quelques variantes dans le Pentateuque samaritain par rapport au texte massorétique. Ces lectures spécifiques ont pour but d’accentuer dans le Pentateuque le culte au mont Garizim et ceci de manière particulièrement adaptée au courant samaritain mais inadéquat du point de vue du judaïsme. A présent cependant, plusieurs chercheurs interprètent quelquesuns des plus importants éléments dits »sectaires« du Pentateuque samaritain comme n’étant pas sectaires du tout, même s’ils continuent à étiqueter le Pentateuque samaritain comme tendancieux et sectaire. Cet article examine les raisons pour lesquelles on applique ces termes au Pentateuque samaritain et s’interroge sur l’utilité de le décrire de cette manière.
Synthesis of bis-thiazolidin-4-ones from N,N,N″-(1,ω-alkanediyl)bis(N″-organylthiourea) derivatives
Authors: Hassan Alaa A. , El-Shaieb Kamal M.A. , Abd El-Aal Amal S. , Bräse Stefan , Nieger Martin
Published: March 2015

A new series of (2Z,2′E)-dimethyl 2,2′-[(2Z,2′Z)-3,3′-(alkanediyl)bis(4-oxo-2-iminothiozolidin-3-yl-5-ylidene)]acetates has been synthesized by the reaction of N,N″-(1,ω-alkanediyl)bis(N′-organylthiourea) derivatives with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate. The structures were established by spectroscopic data, elemental analyses, and single crystal X-ray crystallography. A rationale for the formation of the products is presented.
Tl2C2O4·H2C2O4: a new crystalline form of thallium(I) oxalate
Authors: Piro Oscar E. , Echeverría Gustavo A. , González-Baró Ana C. , Baran Enrique J.
Published: March 2015

The title compound was prepared by reaction, in aqueous solution, of Tl2CO3 and H2C2O4·2H2O in a molar ratio of 1:2. Its crystal structure was solved by X-ray diffraction methods. It crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/a with Z = 2 molecules per unit cell. The oxalic acid molecule and the oxalate anion are planar, residing on crystallographic inversion centers, and linked to each other by strong O–H···O hydrogen bonds giving rise to a polymeric structure. The Tl(I) ion is in a distorted polyhedral coordination with nine neighboring O atoms, five of oxalate anions and four others of oxalic acid molecules. The FTIR and FT-Raman spectra of the compound were also recorded and are briefly discussed.
The solid solutions CeRu1–x
Pd
x
Sn and CeRh1–x
Pd
x
Sn – Applicability of the ICF model to determine intermediate cerium valencies by comparison with XANES data
Authors: Niehaus Oliver , Abdala Paula M. , Pöttgen Rainer
Published: March 2015

Several samples of the solid solutions CeRu1–x
Pd
x
Sn and CeRh1–x
Pd
x
Sn have been synthesized by arc-melting and characterized by X-ray powder diffraction. Guinier powder patterns prove that the ZrNiAl-type structure is the dominating one, besides the CeRuSn and TiNiSi type structures. The structures of CeRu0.28Pd0.72Sn (ZrNiAl type, P6̅2m, a = 751.95(3), c = 418.70(2) pm, wR2 = 0.0274, 332 F
2 values, 14 variables) and CeRh0.66Pd0.34Sn (ZrNiAl type, P6̅2m, a = 750.26(3), c = 411.59(2) pm, wR2 = 0.0533, 358 F
2 values, 14 variables) were refined from single crystal diffractometer data. Magnetic measurements in combination with XANES (X-Ray Absorption Near Edge Structure) clearly proved intermediate cerium valencies for most compounds and revealed the best fitting parameters for those with the ICF model (Interconfiguration fluctuation). The electrical resistivity is also influenced by the substitutions. At low and high valence electron counts (VECs) metallic character is present, while around the VEC of CeRhSn the typical resistivity behavior for valence fluctuating compounds is observed.
Le Corbusier and Postwar America
Authors: Bacon Mardges
Published: March 2015

In 1946 Le Corbusier returned to the United States in conjunction with a French mission to study American architecture, public works, and planning. He traveled with Eugène Claudius-Petit, who would become minister of reconstruction in France. Their principal objective was to visit the Tennessee Valley Authority, considered a model for postwar reconstruction. In Le Corbusier and Postwar America: The TVA and Béton Brut, Mardges Bacon argues that the TVA’s regional planning and societal synthesis served as a model for Le Corbusier’s second-machine-age civilization. The TVA’s reinforced concrete dams employed industrial piping and a new formwork technique. Examining Le Corbusier’s postwar agenda through the prism of the TVA and a collaborative practice, Bacon contends that his work showed greater monumentality and plasticity, the integration of architecture and infrastructure, and an aesthetic treatment of béton brut, which situates his Unité d’Habitation in Marseilles (1945–52) within a transatlantic as well as a Mediterranean culture.
Status and Mimicry
Authors: Micots Courtnay
Published: March 2015

Status and Mimicry: African Colonial Period Architecture in Coastal Ghana looks at Anomabo, a historically significant port, as a case study to examine hybrid African colonial period architecture in coastal Ghana, formerly known as the Gold Coast Colony. Between the 1870s and 1920s, numerous residences with façades inspired by British styles were built for and by Africans in Anomabo. Courtnay Micots examines these houses as reflections of a deliberately constructed hybrid style of architecture with exteriors appropriated from the Italianate and Queen Anne styles of nineteenth-century England and interior plans utilizing borrowed and local elements. This hybrid architecture in colonial Ghana reflects status, modernity, and resistance to British hegemony. Through close analysis of five residences and the potential motivations of their patrons, Micots shows these houses to be markers of selfhood and cultural belonging, local forms that were refashioned to counter the growing authority of the British administration.
The Context of the Aisles of the Abbey Church at Cluny
Authors: Armi C. Edson
Published: March 2015

In The Context of the Aisles of the Abbey Church at Cluny, C. Edson Armi examines the construction, structure, and design of the ruined aisles of the abbey church at Cluny, the largest Christian basilica in the eleventh century. The empirical study of a peripheral part of the mother church of the Cluniac Order reveals new information about the context of creation, the synthesis of masonry traditions, and the originality of architectural ideas at the abbey.
Self-Help and the Helpless Subject
Authors: Murray Cara E.
Published: March 2015

Cara E. Murray, “Self-Help and the Helpless Subject: Samuel Smiles and Biography’s Objects” (pp. 481–508)

This essay examines how the changing relationship between human subjects and industrial objects in the industrial age redraws the conventions of the most influential strand of nineteenth-century biography, self-help. It argues that Samuel Smiles’s greatest contribution to biography, self-help, arises from his initial recognition of how, in an industrial age, objects shape subjects, and then from his subsequent demonstration of how subjects surmount that very phenomenon. By tracing the strides that Smiles makes in his biographical project from his earliest speeches in the mid-1840s, and then to his technical and biographical writings of the following decade, to his synthesis of these two forms in Self-Help (1859), this essay demonstrates how Smiles develops the genre of self-help out of writing about men’s changing relation to objects. It argues that Self-Help teaches the paradoxical lesson that at the height of industrialization men no longer need to depend upon machines. With this message, Self-Help invigorates biography by providing it with the ideological purpose of teaching Victorians that in the age of machines man can help himself.
Reduced sleep quality and depression associate with decreased quality of life in patients with pituitary adenomas
Authors: Leistner Sarah M , Klotsche Jens , Dimopoulou Christina , Athanasoulia Anastasia P , Roemmler-Zehrer Josefine , Pieper Lars , Schopohl Jochen , Wittchen Hans-Ulrich , Stalla Günter K , Fulda Stephany , Sievers Caroline
Published: March 2015

Objectives

Several studies reported decreased quality of life (QoL) and sleep as well as increased rates of depression for patients with pituitary adenomas. Our aim was to explore to what extent differences in depression and sleep quality contribute to differences in QoL between patients with pituitary adenomas and controls.

Design

A cross-sectional case–control study.

Setting

Endocrine Outpatient Unit of the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Department of Internal Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, and the Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technical University, Dresden.

Participants

Patients with pituitary adenomas (n=247) and controls (from the DETECT cohort, a large epidemiological study in primary care patients) matched individually by age and gender (n=757).

Measurements

Sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and QoL was measured by the generic EQ-5D and calculated by the time trade-off- and VAS-method. Depression was categorized as ‘no depression’, ‘subclinical depression’, and ‘clinical depression’ according to the Beck Depressions Inventory for patients and the Depression Screening Questionnaire for control subjects.

Statistical analyses

General linear and generalized, logistic mixed models as well as proportional odds mixed models were calculated for analyzing differences in baseline characteristics and in different subgroups.

Results

Patients with pituitary adenomas showed decreased QoL (VAS index: 0.73±0.19) and sleep (PSQI score: 6.75±4.17) as well as increased rates of depression (subclinical or clinical depression: 41.4%) compared with their matched control subjects (VAS index: 0.79±0.18, PSQI score: 5.66±4.31, subclinical or clinical depression: 25.9%). We have shown that a substantial proportion of the reduced QoL (48% respectively 65%) was due to the incidence of depression and reduced sleep quality.

Conclusions

These findings emphasize the importance of diagnosing depressive symptoms and sleep disturbances in patients with pituitary disease, with the ultimate goal to improve QoL in patients with pituitary adenomas.