bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Defining tumor-associated vascular heterogeneity in pediatric high-grade and diffuse midline gliomas
Authors: Wei Xin , Meel Michaël H. , Breur Marjolein , Bugiani Marianna , Hulleman Esther , Phoenix Timothy N.
Published: August 2021

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) plays important roles in brain tumor pathogenesis and treatment response, yet our understanding of its function and heterogeneity within or across brain tumor types remains poorly characterized. Here we analyze the neurovascular unit (NVU) of pediatric high-grade glioma (pHGG) and diffuse midline glioma (DMG) using patient derived xenografts and natively forming glioma mouse models. We show tumor-associated vascular differences between these glioma subtypes, and parallels between PDX and mouse model systems, with DMG models maintaining a more normal vascular architecture, BBB function and endothelial transcriptional program relative to pHGG models. Unlike prior work in angiogenic brain tumors, we find that expression of secreted Wnt antagonists do not alter the tumor-associated vascular phenotype in DMG tumor models. Together, these findings highlight vascular heterogeneity between pHGG and DMG and differences in their response to alterations in developmental BBB signals that may participate in driving these pathological differences.
Circulating Brucella species in wild animals of the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania
Authors: Sambu R. M. , Mathew C. , Nonga H. E. , Lukambagire A. S. , Yapi R. B. , Akoko J. , Fokou G. , Keyyu J. D. , Bonfoh B. , Kazwala R. R.
Published: August 2021

Background

Brucellosis is a bacterial zoonosis of public health and economic importance worldwide. It affects a number of domestic animals, wild animals and humans. Human brucellosis originates from either livestock or wildlife. The species of Brucella circulating in wild animals in Tanzania is largely unknown due to insufficient surveillance. This study was carried out to identify Brucella species found in selected wildlife hosts in the Serengeti ecosystem.

Methodology

The study used a total of 189 archived samples that were obtained from cross-sectional studies previously conducted between 2000 and 2017 in the Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania. Whole blood, serum and amniotic fluid collected from buffalos, lions, wildebeest, impala, zebra and hyena were available for DNA extraction. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction for B. abortus, B. melitensis, B. ovis and B. suis (AMOS PCR) and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) targeting the bcsp31 and IS711 genes for Brucella genus detection and the IS711 targets alkB for B. abortus and BMEI1162 for B. melitensis were used to detect Brucella strains.

Results

Out of the 189 samples tested, 12 (6.35 %) and 22 (11.6 %) were positive to AMOS-PCR and qPCR, respectively. Most of the positive samples were from lions (52.6 %) and buffaloes (19.6 %). Other animals that were positive included: wildebeest (13.6 %), impala (13.6 %), zebra (4.5 %) and hyena (4.5 %). Out of 22 positive samples, 16 (66.7 %) were identified as B. abortus and the other six samples did not amplify for neither B. abortus nor B. melitensis.

Conclusions

The detection of Brucella DNA in archived wild animal samples shows testing potential of samples collected from this population. The zoonotic species B. abortus and B. melitensis detected in wild animals have previously been reported in livestock and humans in the region. The findings suggest that, due to the contact network, some of the identified wild animal hosts in this study could be reservoirs for infections in domestic animals and humans within the Serengeti ecosystem while others are likely dead-end hosts. One Health control strategies and continuous surveillance programs in other wildlife reserved areas should be implemented to help predicting transmission in livestock and humans in the region.
Congenital aural atresia surgery: anterior mastoid and transmastoid approaches
Authors: Mohammed Essam Fathy
Published: August 2021

Background

Aural atresia (CAA) is a congenital abnormality with hypoplasia or aplasia of the external auditory canal. Surgical procedures of CAA is not only difficult but has still not been embraced by surgeons. Many surgeons are doubtful to perform a repair due to poor hearing results and the risk of new canal stenosis. This article describes the writers’ expertise with surgical management of aural atresia. A retrospective study of 16 cases of CAA was undertaken in the Hearing and Speech Institute between 2015 and 2018. The study consisted of 16 patients, 8 patients for each group, 10 males and 6 females between 4 and 18 years of age with a median age of 6 years. Ten patients had bilateral atresia, and 6 had unilateral atresia. Postoperatively, patients were tested for hearing recovery and follow-up lasting up to 2 years to record any complications. Purpose of the study was to compare hearing effects and risks of anterior and transmastoid approaches to external and middle ear restoration in patients with CAA.

Results

All patients were satisfied with the surgery by improving the hearing up to 35 dB or less after 12 months. Four patients (25%) developed soft tissue meatal stenosis, with 2 patients in each group. There were no cases of bony canal stenosis. TM perforation was seen in two patients (12.51%), one patient in each group. Lateralization of the graft was seen in one patient in the transmastoid group, and no ossicular chain refixation. Five cases had postoperative otorrhea, one in the anterior mastoid group and four in the transmastoid group. There were no other complications.

Conclusions

Although the findings of the hearing are close. The previous approach, due to fewer postoperative complications, is now our favorite technique. Proper alignment and soft-tissue strategies are keys to the effective correction of the congenitally atretic ear canal.
Endoscopic tympanoplasty using Tutoplast versus conventional microscopic tympanoplasty
Authors: Abdelaal Taha M. , Ibrahim Ahmed A.
Published: August 2021

Background

Temporalis fascia and perichondrium are still the most successful graft materials for primary microscopic repair of tympanic membrane perforations worldwide with 80% to 90% success rate. However, minimally invasive surgery is becoming standard in many fields and the endoscope has been largely incorporated in ear surgery over the past 10 years. This study aimed to evaluate the success rate of endoscopic transcanal closure of tympanic membrane perforation using Tutoplast® compared with the conventional post auricular approach using homologous temporalis fascia graft.

Results

Our study was conducted on 50 patients, were equally divided into 2 groups. Group A patients have been operated endoscopic transcanal using the Tutoplast as a graft material. Group B patients have been operated using a temporalis fascia graft through a post-auricular approach. The graft take rate, the pre- and post-operative pure tone audiogram, and operative time were compared in both the groups. The graft uptake rate was 100% in both groups. The mean of ABG showed significant improvement in both groups. In group A, the mean of ABG was 28.2 pre-operatively and became 12.12 post-operatively. In group B, the mean of ABG was 29.72 pre-operatively then became 15.2 post-operatively. Comparing the mean of post-operative ABG between both groups showed statistically significant difference as p value was 0.000496. We found a significant difference of the mean average operative time between both groups as the mean average time for group A was 48.08 min compared to 69.4 min for group B with p value 0.049772295.

Conclusions

Endoscopic closure of tympanic membrane perforation using Tutoplast is successful short-time procedure avoiding the postauricular or endaural incisions with shorter operative time.
A case report of congenital cholesteatoma in adult patient mimicking as Bell palsy and proposed follow-up schedule for Bell palsy
Authors: Othman Iylia Ajmal , Abdullah Asma , Hashim Noor Dina
Published: August 2021

Background

Making the diagnosis of congenital cholesteatoma in adult patients still pose a challenge even among experienced otologists.

Case presentation

We are discussing a case of a young adult who was initially treated as Bell palsy in a different center. Two years later, she presented with marked unilateral hearing loss in addition to her ipsilateral non-resolving facial asymmetry.

Conclusions

Considering the delayed pattern of otological presentation in congenital cholesteatoma, as seen in our case, we proposed monthly follow up in patients diagnosed with Bell palsy for at least 6 months, and those who do not show noticeable recovery after 3 months warrant referral to neurologist or otorhinolaryngologist for further investigations. Contrast-enhanced, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the temporal bone complemented by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) supported our diagnosis. Mastoid exploration and complete removal of the disease was imperative.
Lineage-specific control of convergent differentiation by a Forkhead repressor
Authors: Mizeracka Karolina , Rogers Julia M. , Rumley Jonathan D. , Shaham Shai , Bulyk Martha L. , Murray John I. , Heiman Maxwell G.
Published: August 2021

During convergent differentiation, multiple developmental lineages produce a highly similar or identical cell type. However, few molecular players that drive convergent differentiation are known. Here, we show that the C. elegans Forkhead transcription factor UNC-130 is required in only one of three convergent lineages that produce the same glial cell type. UNC-130 acts transiently as a repressor in progenitors and newly-born terminal cells to allow the proper specification of cells related by lineage rather than by cell type or function. Specification defects correlate with UNC-130:DNA binding, and UNC-130 can be functionally replaced by its human homolog, the neural crest lineage determinant FoxD3. We propose that, in contrast to terminal selectors that activate cell type-specific transcriptional programs in terminally differentiating cells, UNC-130 acts early and specifically in one convergent lineage to produce a cell type that also arises from molecularly distinct progenitors in other lineages.
In vitro models of the human heart
Authors: Hofbauer Pablo , Jahnel Stefan M. , Mendjan Sasha
Published: August 2021

Cardiac congenital disabilities are the most common organ malformations, but we still do not understand how they arise in the human embryo. Moreover, although cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death globally, the development of new therapies is lagging compared with other fields. One major bottleneck hindering progress is the lack of self-organizing human cardiac models that recapitulate key aspects of human heart development, physiology and disease. Current in vitro cardiac three-dimensional systems are either engineered constructs or spherical aggregates of cardiomyocytes and other cell types. Although tissue engineering enables the modeling of some electro-mechanical properties, it falls short of mimicking heart development, morphogenetic defects and many clinically relevant aspects of cardiomyopathies. Here, we review different approaches and recent efforts to overcome these challenges in the field using a new generation of self-organizing embryonic and cardiac organoids.
Loss of Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 leads to cardiac dysfunction and lipotoxicity
Authors: Tuthill II Bryon F. , Quaglia Christopher J. , O'Hara Eileen , Musselman Laura Palanker
Published: August 2021

Diets high in carbohydrates are associated with type 2 diabetes and its co-morbidities, including hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, obesity, hepatic steatosis and cardiovascular disease. We used a high-sugar diet to study the pathophysiology of diet-induced metabolic disease in Drosophila melanogaster. High-sugar diets produce hyperglycemia, obesity, insulin resistance and cardiomyopathy in flies, along with ectopic accumulation of toxic lipids, or lipotoxicity. Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 is an enzyme that contributes to long-chain fatty acid metabolism by introducing a double bond into the acyl chain. Knockdown of stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 in the fat body reduced lipogenesis and exacerbated pathophysiology in flies reared on high-sucrose diets. These flies exhibited dyslipidemia and growth deficiency in addition to defects in cardiac and gut function. We assessed the lipidome of these flies using tandem mass spectrometry to provide insight into the relationship between potentially lipotoxic species and type 2 diabetes-like pathophysiology. Oleic acid supplementation is able to rescue a variety of phenotypes produced by stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 RNAi, including fly mass, triglyceride storage, gut development and cardiac failure. Taken together, these data suggest a protective role for monounsaturated fatty acids in diet-induced metabolic disease phenotypes.
Contextualizing adolescents’ self-awareness of problematic mobile phone use: a preliminary study
Authors: Karnaze Andrew , Grevelding Katherine , Marquis-Eydman Traci , McHugh Douglas
Published: August 2021

Adolescents engage cognitively, emotionally, and behaviorally with smartphones. Growing evidence suggests they struggle to interact with them in moderation, which has been framed in relation to behavioral addiction as problematic mobile phone use. This study contextualized 13-15 year-old adolescents’ self-awareness of problematic mobile phone use. Focus groups were conducted with 11 adolescents who assessed themselves using the problematic use of mobile phones scale. The authors used interpretative phenomenological epistemology as a guiding framework. Audio recordings were analyzed qualitatively using a constant comparison approach. Students agreed or strongly agreed with multiple dimensions of the problematic mobile phone use construct. Four major themes emerged in relation to circumstances, factors, processes, constraints, and opportunities: drivers of excessive smartphone use, with family or friends, barriers to healthier smartphone use, and nighttime habits. Adolescents’ assessment of perceived proper versus problematic mobile phone can inform hypotheses targeted at improving overall wellness and developing healthy habits in adolescence that carry over into young adulthood and beyond.
Qualitative analysis of first-person accounts of noetic experiences
Authors: Wahbeh Helané , Fry Nina , Speirn Paolo , Hrnjic Lutvija , Ancel Emma , Niebauer Erica
Published: August 2021

The term “noetic” comes from the Greek word noēsis/noētikos that means inner wisdom, direct knowing, intuition, or implicit understanding. Strong cultural taboos exist about sharing these experiences. Thus, many may not feel comfortable transparently discussing or researching these topics, despite growing evidence that these experiences may be real. The study’s objective was to qualitatively evaluate first-hand accounts of noetic experiences. 521 English-speaking adults from around the world completed an online survey that collected demographic data and four open-ended questions about noetic experiences. Thematic analysis was used to characterize the data. The ten most used codes were expressing to or sharing with others, impacting decision-making, intuition/”just knowing,” meditation/hypnosis, inner visions, setting intentions/getting into the “state,” healing others, writing for self, and inner voice. There were five main themes identified: 1. Ways of Engagement; 2. Ways of Knowing; 3. Types of Information; 4. Ways of Affecting; and 5. Ways of Expressing. Subthemes. Future research will include investigating the nuances of these themes and also establishing standardized methods for evaluating them. This would also then inform curricula and therapies to support people in these experiences.
Socioeconomic and Racial Disparities in Diabetic Ketoacidosis Admissions in Youth With Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Maxwell Andrea R , Jones Nana‐Hawa Yayah , Taylor Stuart , Corathers Sarah D , Rasnick Erika , Brokamp Cole , Riley Carley L , Parsons Allison , Kichler Jessica C , Beck Andrew F
Published: August 2021

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether census tract poverty, race, and insurance status were associated with the likelihood and severity of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) hospitalization among youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective population‐based cohort study using Cincinnati Children's Hospital electronic medical record (EMR) data from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2017, for T1D patients ≤18 years old. The primary outcome was admission for DKA. Secondary outcomes included DKA severity, defined by initial pH and bicarbonate, and length of stay. Exposures were the poverty rate for the youth's home census tract, parent‐reported race, and insurance status. We used multivariable logistic regression to analyze effects on odds of admission.

RESULTS: We identified 439 patients with T1D; 152 were hospitalized. The cohort was 48% female, 25% Black, and 36% publicly insured; the median age was 14 years. For every 10% increase in a youth's census tract poverty rate, the adjusted odds of admission increased by 22% (95% CI, 1.03‐1.47). Public insurance status was associated with DKA admission (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 2.71, 95% CI, 1.62‐4.55) while race was not. There were no clinically meaningful differences in pH or bicarbonate by census tract poverty, race, or insurance status; however, Black patients experienced differences in care (eg, longer length of stay).

CONCLUSION: Youth with T1D living in high poverty areas and on public insurance were significantly more likely to be admitted for DKA. Severity upon presentation was similar across exposures. Understanding contextual mechanisms by which disparities emerge will inform changes aimed at equitably improving care.
A CIDADE DO LOBITO NA MEMÓRIA DE MIGRANTES DA DESCOLONIZAÇÃO DE ANGOLA RESIDENTES NO RIO DE JANEIRO THE CITY OF LOBITO IN THE MEMORY OF MIGRANTS OF DECOLONIZATION FROM ANGOLA WHO LIVE IN RIO DE JANEIRO
Authors: De Souza Lima Junqueira Barreto Isabel
Published: August 2021

A cidade do Lobito foi fundada em 1905. Segundo o último Censo populacional do período colonial em Angola, feito em 1970, naquela altura era a terceira maior cidade angolana. Era um centro econômico muito relevante, sede de um importante porto e do Caminho de Ferro de Benguela. Este artigo aborda as memórias de antigos habitantes que residem hoje no Rio de Janeiro e que deixaram Angola em 1975, ano da independência política e do início da guerra civil. Através de suas lembranças foi possível acessar a visão que tinham da atmosfera da cidade, um exemplo da visão da vida em Angola como um paraíso, assim como suas visões a respeito do racismo e da discriminação estruturantes daquela sociedade. Tal questão se referia às relações entre brancos e negros e também entre colonos, de primeira geração e luso-angolanos. The city of Lobito was founded in 1905. According to the last Population census, made in 1970, at that time it was the third biggest Angolan city. It was a very relevant economic center, headquarters of an important port and of the Benguela Railway. This paper approach the memories of former inhabitants that today live in Rio de Janeiro and who left Angola in 1975, year of the political independence and the beginning of the civil war. Through their memories it was possible to access their vision of the city’s atmosphere, an example of the vision concerning the life in Angola as a paradise, as well as their visions concerning the structural racism and discrimination of that society. Such matter refers to the relation between whites and blacks and also between first generation settlers and luso-angolans.
Um conceito a construir: as forças produtivas no pensamento de Amílcar Cabral
Authors: Rolim Gustavo Koszeniewski , Cá Vanito Ianium Vieira
Published: August 2021

Neste artigo procuramos refletir sobre a utilização por parte de Amílcar Cabral da categoria marxiana de “forças produtivas”, realizando um panorama sobre sua produção, desde a época de agrônomo até a de líder das lutas de libertação nacional de Guiné-Bissau e Cabo Verde. Procuramos ressaltar que o pensamento de Cabral possui como um de seus fundamentos esta categoria, sendo necessário considerá-la portanto, nas suas acepções marxistas gerais e na especificidade que tomou no pensamento do líder africano para uma real compreensão de sua teoria social, histórica e revolucionária.
Dominação e Denominação: o Etnônimo Pejorativo "Mawia" e os Macondes de Moçambique no Tanganyika Colonial
Authors: Barradas Correia Castro Bastos Felipe
Published: August 2021

O artigo aborda o surgimento e a aplicação, a partir da segunda metade do século XIX, de um termo pejorativo utilizado para designar comunidades macondes localizadas ou provenientes de Moçambique no Tanganyika, atual Tanzânia continental. O escopo temporal abrange o emprego do termo por diferentes observadores europeus para indicar como o termo “mawia”, cuja origem antecede o período colonial, foi alçado à categoria de etnônimo e utilizado pelas autoridades alemãs e britânicas do Tanganyika. Para tanto, dá-se enfoque sobre um conjunto heterogêneo de fontes coloniais para rastrear o emprego dessa denominação com o objetivo de evidenciar os impactos negativos do colonialismo na naturalização de identidades socioculturais, e indicar a resistência de macondes de Moçambique radicados na colônia vizinha à denominação “mawia”.
RESEARCH ROUNDUP
Authors: McLoughlin Alison Sarah Rachel
Published: August 2021

Alison McLoughlin provides a synopsis and brief review of a selection of recently published research articles that are of interest to neuroscience nurses, highlighting key points to keep you up to date; a full reference is provided for those who wish to read the research in more detail
Variable-Rate Irrigation Uniformity Model for Linear-Move Sprinkler Systems
Authors: Liu Junping , Gull Umair , Putnam Daniel H. , Kisekka Isaya
Published: August 2021

Highlights

Using different nozzle sizes on a linear-move sprinkler irrigation system is a simple method for implementing VRI.

This study established a variable-rate sprinkler irrigation model for a linear-move system with different nozzles.

Uniformity parameters were predicted for different tests, and prediction accuracy ranged from 1.6% to 13.0%.

The simulation model can be applied to other sprinkler systems with variable-rate irrigation.

Abstract. Variable-rate irrigation (VRI) can vary the application rate by either changing the amount of water flowing through sprinkler nozzles (zone control) or varying the speed of a moving irrigation system across parts of a field, referred to as speed/sector control. The uniformity of sprinkler irrigation in each management zone under VRI directly affects crop growth and yield. The use of different nozzle diameters on a linear-move sprinkler irrigation system is a simple and affordable method for achieving VRI. There are few studies on modeling the uniformity of VRI on linear-move sprinkler irrigation systems. In this study, a cubic spline difference-value model was used to simulate the variable-rate water distribution and uniformity of a linear-move system. Nine tests were designed to evaluate VRI uniformity with different nozzle diameters. A simulation and corresponding field experiments were carried out. The application rate of the simulation model was higher than the experimental values because of wind drift. The uniformity coefficients of the simulation with nozzle diameters of 1.98, 2.97, and 4.17 mm in tests 1, 2, and 3 were 86.56%, 85.24%, and 79.94%, respectively. The uniformity coefficients of the VRI simulations with combinations of nozzle diameters in tests 4 through 9 were 76.89%, 80.70%, 76.67%, 69.58%, 76.64%, and 81.87%, respectively. The smallest error between the simulation and experiment was 1.6%, and the largest error was 13.0%. The simulation model and prediction method can be applied to other sprinkler irrigation systems. Keywords: Linear move, Simulation model, Sprinkler irrigation, Uniformity, VRI.
A 2020 Vision of Subsurface Drip Irrigation in the U.S.
Authors: Lamm Freddie R. , Colaizzi Paul D. , Sorensen Ronald B. , Bordovsky James P. , Dougherty Mark , Balkcom Kris , Zaccaria Daniele , Bali Khaled M. , Rudnick Daran R. , Peters R. Troy
Published: August 2021

Highlights

Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) has continued to expand in irrigation area within the U.S. during the last 15 years.

Research with SDI continues for multiple crop types (fiber, grain and oilseed, horticultural, forage, and turf).

SDI usage on many crops has matured through research and development of appropriate strategies and technologies

Despite some persistent challenges to successful use of SDI, important opportunities exist for further adoption.

Abstract. Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) offers several advantages over alternative irrigation systems when it is designed and installed correctly and when best management practices are adopted. These advantages include the ability to apply water and nutrients directly and efficiently within the crop root zone. Disadvantages of SDI in commercial agriculture relative to alternative irrigation systems include greater capital cost per unit land area (except for small land parcels), unfamiliar management and maintenance protocols that can exacerbate the potential for emitter clogging, the visibility of system attributes (components and design characteristics) and performance, and the susceptibility to damage (i.e., rodents and tillage) of the subsurface driplines. Despite these disadvantages, SDI continues to be adopted in commercial agriculture in the U.S., and research efforts to evaluate and develop SDI systems continue as well. This article summarizes recent progress in research (2010 to 2020) and the status of commercial adoption of SDI, along with a discussion of current challenges and future opportunities. Keywords: Drip Irrigation, Irrigation, Irrigation systems, Microirrigation, SDI, Water management.
Factors Behind Construction Companies Wood Products Purchasing Decisions: Supplier Market Impact
Authors: Pomponi Joseph Philip , Quesada Henry J. , Smith Robert , Loferski Joseph
Published: August 2021

Companies in the construction industry have a wide range of suppliers to choose from to meet their building material needs. Local (in-state) suppliers within key southern states in the United States face challenges gaining market share within the construction sectors. Construction companies often outsource their purchase of wood products from a different state or country, which adversely affects the local economy as a result of loss of revenue. However, if companies were limited to in-state supply it would affect trade across states and countries; but the focus was to improve local wood products supplier market impact. Companies within the states of Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Florida, and Virginia were interviewed by phone and in person to determine how companies chose wood product suppliers and what factors affected their purchasing decisions. Key factors included cost, quality, delivery, flexibility, location, relationship, and payment options. A survey of construction companies was conducted after the interviews were concluded. Important factors highlighted by responses included cost, quality, relationship, and lead time in choosing a supplier. Suppliers were asked to differentiate their products using information the construction companies highlighted as factors they emphasized. In-state wood product suppliers have an opportunity to gain market share within the construction industry using the factors those construction companies favored in interviews and survey results.
ESL, EFL, EIL Revisited: Investigation, Evaluation and Justification of a Shift in the Current ELT Models in Iran
Authors: Talebinezhad Mohammad Reza , Aliakbari Mohammad
Published: August 2021

English language teaching in Iran has usually been considered an EFL model. This position, though common and widespread, seems to need revision in several grounds. Through comparing EFL, ESL and EIL (English as an international language) models based on Smiths (1978) comparative study, the present article reveals that the ELT in Iran no longer follows EFL model. The comparative evaluation makes it clear that in terms of most categories ELT in Iran shows the characteristics of EIL. Therefore, through characterizing it as a developmental process along a continuum towards EIL, the present study argues for instances of paradigm shift and thus claims that the ELT context in Iran is ripe for revision.
Scope and semimodal verbs: two approaches
Authors: Richter Michael
Published: August 2021

In this paper I focus on scope phenomena connected with semimodal (and modal) verbs and mainly on the syntactic behaviour of these groups of verbs. One important question is: why can semimodal verbs (and modal verbs in epistemic use) not have perfect and future tense forms? Taking among other things Reichenbach's tense system as a starting point I try to point out that the interpretation of a semimodal or a modal in epistemic use is problematic 1. if there is more than one reference time/if the reference time is indefinite or 2. if the verb in question stands together with an auxiliary of future which has a certain modal meaning itself.
The comparison of the treatment of these phenomena in the framework of the Semantic Syntax with a non transformational approach (fragment of a categorial grammar) shows, that some important transformational rules and principles easily and economically can be represented in a non transformational grammar. The transformational approach needs rules like RAISING and LOWERING (or at least one of the two, and in addition to this a rather extended set of rules) for the generation of sentences, while in the categorial system we need only two reduction laws. It has to be investigated whether and to what extent the formation and transformation rules in a transformational grammar on the one hand and the dominance / linear precedence rules together with the lexical entries on the other hand are equivalent.
Unnötige Regeln
Authors: Hentschel Elke
Published: August 2021

This paper argues that among the rules used in foreign language teaching there are often unnecessary ones. These rules offer detailed description of linguistic facts that probably could be learned easier without them. Although "explanatory rules" of this sort might be quite helpful when offered as additional explanations, they can hinder the language learning process when presented as rules to be learned and obeyed ("learning rules"). In order to show the difference between this set of rules more clearly, several examples are given. They belong to the context of German as a foreign language and concern the declension and comparison of the adjective, diminutives, and the passive voice.
Merkmals- und Prototypensemantik: Eine Einführung
Authors: Bärenfänger Olaf
Published: August 2021

Traditional componential semantics are faced with various problems in adequately describing the meaning of a word. Therefore, this contribution presents the prototype theory as a fruitful approach for the description and explanation of many phenomena in the field of lexical semantics. Starting out from a large body of empirical results, it is discussed how prototype theory conceives lexical categories and meaning or concepts respectively. Important properties of a category are fuzzy boundaries as well as that particular elements can be viewed as differently typical for a category. The degree to which an element belongs to a category is defined in terms of typical features, whereby the most central element is called "prototype" and possesses the greatest possible number of typical features. Unlike traditional componential semantics, family resemblance relations determine which elements belong to a particular category, i.e. not all elements have to share the same necessary features, but at least one typical one. Subsequent to the description of these theorems consequences for argumentation theory, lexicography and the formation of linguistic theories are discussed as well as critical aspects of the prototype theory. After an enumeration of some research desiderata a concluding chapter gives a short summary and names the most impressive achievements of this increasingly influential research paradigm.
Angesichts der verschiedenen Schwierigkeiten traditioneller Merkmalssemantiken, die Bedeutung eines Wortes angemessen zu beschreiben, wird mit der Prototypentheorie im vorliegenden Beitrag eine Konzeption vorgestellt, die möglicherweise vielversprechende Lösungsansätze bereithält. Ausgehend von empirischen Befunden wird diskutiert, wie lexikalische Kategorien resp. Bedeutungen oder Begriffe von der Prototypentheorie konzipiert worden sind. Als wesentliche Kategorieneigenschaften spielen hierbei insbesondere unscharfe Kategoriengrenzen eine Rolle sowie der Umstand, daß die verschiedenen Vertreter einer Kategorie unterschiedlich typisch sein können. Über den Grad der Repräsentativität des Elementes einer Kategorie wird nicht auf der Basis notwendiger, sondern typischer Merkmale entschieden. Das am meisten zentrale Element, der Prototyp, weist die größtmögliche Anzahl typischer Merkmale auf. Welche Elemente überhaupt in eine Kategorie gehören, wird über Familienähnlichkeitsrelationen bestimmt, bei der nicht alle Elemente dieselbe Anzahl notwendiger Merkmale gemeinsam haben müssen, sondern lediglich mindestens ein typisches Merkmal. Im Anschluss an die Darstellung dieser Theoreme werden Konsequenzen für die Argumentation, die Lexikographie und für die linguistische Theorienbildung erwogen. Nach der Erörterung einiger kritikwürdiger Aspekte der Prototypentheorie und der Aufzählung von Forschungsdesideraten gibt ein Schlusskapitel eine kurze Zusammenfassung und benennt die wichtigsten Leistungen dieses zunehmend einflußreichen Forschungsparadigmas.
de ira
Authors: Fries Norbert
Published: August 2021

This article is a contribution to the investigation of intercultural communication. On the basis of a concrete corpus of German-Swedish business communication, it looks into the question of the manifestation of cultural self- and other-ascription in natural data. The article shows which verbal means interactants use to present cultural knowledge, anticipate different cultural knowledge and orient themselves to an intercultural participation that is implicitly or explicitly apparent. This article also shows what the participants consider to be culture resp. cultural in this professional setting and how the constitution of interculturality is used functionally. At the same time, the article can be read as a plea for an endogenous investigation of intercultural communication.
Delokutivität, Possessive und die italienischen Verwandtschaftsbezeichnungen
Authors: Hölker Klaus
Published: August 2021

This contribution is about a hitherto unexplained phenomenon of Italian syntax, i.e. the lack of a determiner in nominal expressions of a certain type that contain a possessive and a kinship noun as its scope, despite the fact that possessives normally require a determiner. So, my car is la mia macchina in Italian, whereas my son translates as mio figlio. It is argued that a plausible solution to this puzzle can be given by using Benveniste's notion of delocutivity. Therefore, the first part of the article presents the concept of delocutivity, mainly drawing on French examples. The main purpose of this introductory part is to show that the class of delocutive expressions is not restricted to verbs.
Von der linguistisch bezogenen Fremdsprachendidaktik zur interkulturellen Fremdsprachenpädagogik. Ein Essay
Authors: Pfeiffer Waldemar
Published: August 2021

This paper deals with the scientific evolution of the didactics of foreign languages, an area which has developed form a linguistically-based discipline into an intercultural pedagogic of foreign language. After the change in perspectives and paradigms, we are presented with the revised goals and tasks of the discipline as it is today, which can in short be defined as intercultural language education.
Applied linguistics - a science of culture?
Authors: Benke Gertraud
Published: August 2021

In this article, the status of applied linguistics as discipline is questioned and problems of establishing it - and other newly formed scientific enterprises like cultural science - as disciplines are discussed. This discussion is contextualized using the author's own experience as applied linguist working in (the institutional structure of) Austria. Secondly, applied linguistics is presented as complementing cultural science, with both exploring at times the same phenomena albeit under different perspectives and focussing on different levels of experience. Two examples of research involving such a joint interest with different foci are discussed.
Discourse Acts in Antenatal Clinic Literacy Classroom in South-Western Nigeria
Authors: Taiwo 'Rotimi , Salami 'Foluke
Published: August 2021

This study examines the organization of discourse in antenatal classrooms in south-western Nigeria. Antenatal literacy classrooms are classes organized in hospitals and health centres for pregnant women to intimate them with the necessary health information needed in pregnancy. The data for this study were randomly selected from series of data recorded during some antenatal classes in some selected hospitals in Ile-Ife and its environs, all in south-western Nigeria. The data consist of tape recordings of the classroom sessions and observational notes. The study reveals that three categories of discourse act were most prominent in the data - informative, elicitation and directive. This shows that the antenatal educators were more active in the classes than the students. They maximized the use of their power in discourse, which gives them the [+ HIGHER] role. They therefore had the privilege to talk while the mothers listened. This places the pregnant women at the disadvantage of being passive learners, who cannot see the knowledge being passed across beyond the context of the class. Despite that they have access to information, they are not adequately empowered to influence the society with what they are being exposed to. Their perception of their role in the discourse was that of listeners. The findings have significant implications for health literacy programmes in Nigeria. It clearly shows that health literacy programmes, as we have observed in antenatal classrooms exist only as an aspect of functional health literacy - the aspect that recognizes that pregnant women need to know about their health by listening to experts. This makes the practice, as it is essentially transactional. The study concludes that for antenatal classrooms to achieve their goal of health security of pregnant women and their foetus, they have to be more interactive. There must be a departure from the lecture method used now to a method that actually involves the mothers.
Mehrsprachige Jugendliche im Umgang mit Dialekt und Hochsprache in der Deutschen Schweiz
Authors: Häcki Buhofer Annelies , Schneider Hansjakob , Beckert Christine
Published: August 2021

For much too long the study of plurilingual pupils has been focussed on their deficits. In the present study special resources of underprivileged adolescents who are successful in their literal socialization were investigated. From a sample of 1500 15-year-olds 76 were asked to fulfil a writing task measuring their functional-pragmatic writing abilities. The results show only minor differences between mono- and plurilingual adolescents.
The same trend can be detected for reading abilities as well, especially when empathic reading competence is included and socio-economic status is controlled for.
The authors argue in favour of a concept for reading and writing which, in addition to traditional hard criteria like orthography and grammar for writing or information processing for reading, incorporates soft dimensions like emotional involvement (for reading) or communicative strategies (for writing). Reading and writing socialization viewed in such terms can only succeed if schools find ways to embed reading and writing in their students' lives in a way which is perceived by them as meaningful.
Deutsche Unflektierbare aus französischer Sicht. Zum Beispiel wieder.
Authors: Bertrand Yves
Published: August 2021

Der vorliegende Artikel will an einem Beispiel zu zeigen, wie die Groupe lexicographique de l'Université de Nancy II arbeitet. Diese Gruppe gibt seit mehreren Jahren das Lexion Les invariables difficiles: dictionnaire allemand-français des particules, connecteurs, interjections et autres " mots de la communication" heraus, von dem bereits drei Bände in der Reihe Bibliotheque des nouveaux cahiers d'Allemand publiziert sind, dessen vierter und letzter Band aber noch aussteht.
Das gewählte Beispiel ist wieder, ein Wort, zu dem bisher erst ein Konzept, also noch nicht die Endfassung des Lexikonbeitrages, vorliegt. Anhand dieses Konzepts sollen einerseits die vorläufigen Ergebnisse der Fortschungstätigkeit der Gruppe dargelegt, andererseits ein Einblick in die angewandten Methoden, die bei so einem Beschreibungsvorhaben entstehenden Schwierigkeiten und die gewählte Lösungswege gegeben werden.
Flat lens design to rotate a cylindrical beam of a line source to an
arbitrary angle
Authors: Naghavian Abbas , Taskhiri Mohammad Mahdi , Rajabi Roozbeh
Published: August 2021

The theory of transformation optics is used to adjust the direction of
emitted beams from a flat lens. In this paper, a planar lens is
presented based on the transformation optics approach, which converts
cylindrical beams emitted from a line source into a planar beam at the
desired angle. The index profile of a planar inhomogeneous lens is
considered as the refractive index of the original coordinate system.
So, this yields a lens that produces a flat wave at an arbitrary
angle. The performance of the structure is confirmed by COMSOL
software.
Self-evolving ghost imaging
Authors: Liu Baolei , Wang Fan , Chen Chaohao , Dong Fei , McGloin David
Published: August 2021

Ghost imaging captures 2D images with a point detector instead of an array sensor. It could therefore solve the challenge of building cameras in wave bands where sensors are difficult and expensive to produce and could open up more routine THz, near-infrared, lifetime, and hyperspectral imaging simply by using single-pixel detectors. Traditionally, ghost imaging retrieves the image of an object offline by correlating measured light intensities with pre-designed illuminating patterns. Here we present a “self-evolving” ghost imaging (SEGI) strategy for imaging objects bypassing offline post-processing. It also offers the capability to image objects in turbid media. By inspecting the optical feedback, we evaluate the illumination patterns by a cost function and generate offspring illumination patterns that mimic the object’s image, bypassing the reconstruction process. At the initial evolving state, the object’s “genetic information” is stored in the patterns. At the following imaging stage, the object’s image (

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) can be updated at a 40 Hz imaging rate. We numerically and experimentally demonstrate this concept for static and moving objects. The frame-memory effect between the self-evolving illumination patterns provided by the genetic algorithm enables SEGI imaging through turbid media. We further demonstrate this capability by imaging an object placed in a container filled with water and sand. SEGI shows robust and superior imaging power compared with traditional computational ghost imaging. This strategy could enhance ghost imaging in applications such as remote sensing, imaging through scattering media, and low-irradiative biological imaging.
Cutaneous anthrax associated with handling carcasses of animals that died suddenly of unknown cause: Arua District, Uganda, January 2015–August 2017
Authors: Aceng Freda Loy , Ario Alex Riolexus , Alitubeera Phoebe Hilda , Neckyon Mukasa Matinda , Kadobera Daniel , Sekamatte Musa , Okethwangu Denis , Bulage Lilian , Harris Julie R. , Nguma Willy , Ndumu Deo Birungi , Buule Joshua , Nyakarahuka Luke , Zhu Bao-Ping
Published: August 2021

Background

Anthrax is a zoonotic disease that can be transmitted to humans from infected animals. During May–June 2017, three persons with probable cutaneous anthrax were reported in Arua District, Uganda; one died. All had recently handled carcasses of livestock that died suddenly and a skin lesion from a deceased person tested positive by PCR for Bacillus anthracis. During July, a bull in the same community died suddenly and the blood sample tested positive by PCR for Bacillus anthracis. The aim of this investigation was to establish the scope of the problem, identify exposures associated with illness, and recommend evidence-based control measures.

Methods

A probable case was defined as acute onset of a papulo-vesicular skin lesion subsequently forming an eschar in a resident of Arua District during January 2015–August 2017. A confirmed case was a probable case with a skin sample testing positive by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for B. anthracis. Cases were identified by medical record review and active community search. In a case-control study, exposures between case-patients and frequency- and village-matched asymptomatic controls were compared. Key animal health staff were interviewed to learn about livestock deaths.

Results

There were 68 case-patients (67 probable, 1 confirmed), and 2 deaths identified. Cases occurred throughout the three-year period, peaking during dry seasons. All cases occurred following sudden livestock deaths in the villages. Case-patients came from two neighboring sub-counties: Rigbo (attack rate (AR) = 21.9/10,000 population) and Rhino Camp (AR = 1.9/10,000). Males (AR = 24.9/10,000) were more affected than females (AR = 0.7/10,000). Persons aged 30–39 years (AR = 40.1/10,000 population) were most affected. Among all cases and 136 controls, skinning (ORM-H = 5.0, 95%CI: 2.3–11), butchering (ORM-H = 22, 95%CI: 5.5–89), and carrying the carcass of livestock that died suddenly (ORM-H = 6.9, 95%CI: 3.0–16) were associated with illness.

Conclusions

Exposure to carcasses of animals that died suddenly was a likely risk factor for cutaneous anthrax in Arua District during 2015–2017. The recommendations are investigation of anthrax burden in livestock, prevention of animal infections through vaccinations, safe disposal of the carcasses, public education on risk factors for infection and prompt treatment of illness following exposure to animals that died suddenly.