bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dendritic impulse collisions and shifting sites of action potential initiation contract and extend the receptive field of an amacrine cell
Authors: ROYER AUDREY S. , MILLER ROBERT F.
Published: September 2007

We evaluated the contributions of somatic and dendritic impulses to the receptive field dimensions of amacrine cells in the amphibian retina. For this analysis, we used the NEURON simulation program with a multicompartmental, multichannel model of an On-Off amacrine cell with a three-dimensional structure obtained through computer tracing techniques. Simulated synaptic inputs were evenly spaced along the dendritic branches and organized into eight annuli of increasing radius. The first set of simulations activated each ring progressively to simulate an area summation experiment, while a second approach activated each annulus individually. Both sets of simulations were done with and without the presence of Na channels in the dendrites and soma. Unexpectedly, the receptive field dimensions observed in the area summation simulations was often smaller than that predicted from the summation of the annular simulations. Collisions of action potentials moving in opposite directions in the dendrites largely accounted for this contraction in receptive field size for the area summation studies. The presence of dendritic Na channels increased the size of the receptive field beyond that achieved in their absence and allowed the physiological size of the receptive field to approximate the physical dimensions of the dendritic tree. This receptive field augmentation was the result of impulse generating ability in the dendrites which enhanced the signal observed at the soma. These simulations provide a plausible mechanistic explanation for physiological recordings from amacrine cells that show similar phenomena.
Methodological limitations in measuring childhood and adolescent obesity and overweight in epidemiological studies: does overweight fare better than obesity?
Authors: Serra-Majem Lluís , Ribas-Barba Lourdes , Pérez-Rodrigo Carmen , Ngo Joy , Aranceta Javier
Published: September 2007

Objectives

International definitions of childhood obesity based on body mass index (BMI) are intended to be used for international comparisons of obesity prevalence. In general, they are not appropriate to be used in clinical practice. The objective of this study is to compare international-ecological vs. national-clinical reference data of obesity in Spain, as well as to describe trends.

Design

Cross-sectional study from a representative national random sample of Spanish children and youth conducted between 1998 and 2000. Prevalence estimates of obesity in a national random sample of Spanish children and youth are presented in this paper, defined by age- and sex-specific BMI national reference standards for the 85th percentile (overweight) and 95th percentile (obesity), as well as by Coleet al. criteria. The study protocol included personal data, data on education and socio-economic status for the family and anthropometric measurements.

Setting

Population-based study set in Spain.

Subjects

A random sample of 3534 individuals, aged 2–24 years.

Results

Prevalence of obesity using national reference data was higher (15.3%) than using international data (5.8%), but overweight rates were similar. Agreement observed for both definitions was low for obesity but higher for overweight. Obesity trends among children and adolescents in Spain show increasing patterns in boys but not in girls.

Conclusions

Results indicate the need to standardise the definitions of obesity and overweight in childhood and recommend the use of overweight due to the greater degree of agreement observed among the different methods used. The IOTF reference method underestimates obesity rates in Spanish schoolchildren.
Metabolic syndrome in childhood
Authors: Crespo Pablo Sanjurjo , Prieto Perera Jose Angel , Lodeiro Fernando Andrade , Azuara Luis Aldámiz-Echevarría
Published: September 2007

The so-called epidemic of childhood obesity has increased the interest in the metabolic syndrome (MS) due to the potential projection into adulthood. Prevalence of the MS in adolescents has been estimated to be 6.7% in young adults and 4.2% in adolescents. Figures rise up to 28.7% in overweight and obese adolescents.

The most widely accepted hypothesis links the syndrome to obesity. In the Bogalusa study, the best predictors were obesity and being in the upper quartile of basal insulin levels. Ethnic and genetic factors play a role in order to explain the syndrome in the non-obese population and the differences of interobesity.

The relationship between MS and type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease is well established in adults. This association can be suggested in children as well, although the syndrome in childhood urgently needs to be clearly defined. In this age group, it is also of great interest to identify diagnosis criteria of the so-called pre-MS.

Detection of the syndrome focuses mainly on obese and overweight young people. Other population groups such as newborns with low or high birth weight, infants with accelerated growth, or children of obese or with gestational diabetes mothers are at a higher risk of developing peripheral insulin resistance. The measurement of abdominal circumference can be a useful screening tool.

Physical exercise and restriction of saturated and trans fatty acids are basic for treatment. If reducing weight is necessary, a reduction of carbohydrate intake, especially for refined sugars, must be emphasised. Dietary fibre improves insulin sensitivity.
Inflammation, obesity and comorbidities: the role of diet
Authors: Bulló Mónica , Casas-Agustench Patricia , Amigó-Correig Pilar , Aranceta Javier , Salas-Salvadó Jordi
Published: September 2007

The adipocyte metabolism has been shown to change during the fat enlargement process associated to obesity. Several procoagulant proteins such as plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1, tissue factor or factor VII and also inducible nitric oxide synthase show higher expression in adipose tissue of obese people in comparison to lean. This overexpression could explain at least a part of the atherogenic and cardiovascular risk associated with obesity.

In addition to cytokine secretion, many other features have been observed to be common to adipocyte and monocyte/macrophage lines: for example, phagocytic and microbicidal activities, and possibly a cellular plasticity of adipose precursors.

Overweight and obesity are associated with an increased risk of such metabolic abnormalities as dyslipidemia, hypertension or type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases, common features of the metabolic syndrome. Initially, insulin resistance or hyperinsulinemia was suggested as the origin of these abnormalities. More recent studies indicate that adipokynes have an important role in obesity-associated metabolic complications, and suggest that chronically elevated local or systemic concentrations of adipokynes contribute to the development of complications associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Considering all the evidence relating to diet and inflammation, the best diet for protecting against the metabolic derangements associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome would be high in fibre-rich cereals, fruit, vegetables, fish, virgin olive oil and nuts; moderate in wine; and low in meat, processed meat foods and trans-fatty acids.
Composite Structure of Liquid Crystal/Polymer Nanotubes Revealed by High-Angle Annular Dark-Field Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy
Authors: Schaper Andreas K. , Kurata Hiroki , Yoshioka Taiyo , Tsuji Masaki
Published: September 2007

We have applied high-angle annular dark-field microscopy to the characterization of the structure of template-grown nanotubes composed of a polymer and a discotic liquid crystalline material. Selective staining of the liquid crystal phase with ruthenium tetroxide was used to develop adequate Z-contrast that allows us to distinguish between the two phases. At appropriate staining conditions, we could clearly visualize, in the annular dark-field mode, a 5–15-nm thin liquid crystalline layer precipitated on the inner surface of the polymer tubes. Cryo-electron diffraction has shown high alignment of the discotic columns within the layer parallel to the tube axis. However, although the polymer/liquid crystal phase separation is almost complete, the wetting behavior of the polymer in relation to the template appears to be sensitively influenced by kinetic factors.
A Unified Approach to IRT Scale Linking and Scale Transformations
Authors: von Davier Matthias , von Davier Alina A.
Published: September 2007

Abstract. This paper examines IRT scale transformations and IRT scale-linking methods used in the nonequivalent groups with anchor test (NEAT) design to equate two tests, X and Y. It proposes a unifying approach to the commonly used IRT linking methods: mean-mean, mean-var linking, concurrent calibration, Stocking and Lord, and Haebara characteristic curves approaches, and fixed-item parameters scale linkage. The main idea is to view any linking procedure as a restriction on the item parameter space. Then, a rewriting of the log-likelihood function together with an appropriately implemented maximization procedure of the log-likelihood function under linear (or nonlinear) restrictions will accomplish the linking. The proposed method is general enough to cover both the dichotomous item response models (the one parameter logistic (1PL) model, 2PL, and 3PL) and the polytomous unidimensional IRT models such as the generalized partial credit model.
Low‐frequency waves in the foreshock of Saturn: First results from Cassini
Authors: Bertucci C. , Achilleos N. , Mazelle C. , Hospodarsky G. B. , Thomsen M. , Dougherty M. K. , Kurth W.
Published: September 2007

We present the first characterization of low‐frequency upstream waves associated with Saturn's foreshock from observations by the Cassini spacecraft. A classification based on their frequency in the spacecraft frame (s/c) yields two groups: (1) a large majority of waves with frequencies below the local proton cyclotron frequency ΩH+ and (2) waves with frequencies above ΩH+. The waves within the first group are usually phase steepened and have a left‐hand polarization in the spacecraft frame. In addition, they present left‐hand‐polarized (s/c) dispersive wave packets attached to the steepening front. An analysis of these waves suggests that these are sunward propagating ion/ion resonant right‐hand mode waves that steepen and emit a whistler precursor to stop the steepening. These waves seem to populate the deep ion foreshock. Within the second group we find quasi‐monochromatic and steepened waves with a right‐hand polarization (s/c). Among the first we find noncompressive and slightly compressive waves, whereas the steepened ones are very compressive, show oblique propagation, and also display dispersive wave packets. Assuming that these packets are also whistlers, we suggest that these waves could be generated by the ion/ion resonant left‐hand mode. Then, during the nonlinear regime they would become compressive and eventually steepen, emitting a whistler precursor. However, we are unable to provide evidence for hot ion beams that could be related to this instability. This is the first time that such waves are observed at Saturn, and observations confirm that these waves contribute to Saturn's quasi‐parallel shock reformation.
Modeling historical long‐term trends of sulfate, ammonium, and elemental carbon over Europe: A comparison with ice core records in the Alps
Authors: Fagerli Hilde , Legrand Michel , Preunkert Susanne , Vestreng Vigdis , Simpson David , Cerqueira Mario
Published: September 2007

The regional EMEP chemical transport model has been run for the 1920–2003 period and the simulations compared to the long‐term seasonally resolved trends of major inorganic aerosols (sulfate and ammonium) derived from ice cores extracted at Col du Dôme (CDD, 4250 m above sea level, French Alps). Source‐receptor calculations have been performed in order to allocate the sources of air pollution arriving over the Alps. Spain, Italy, France, and Germany are found to be the main contributors at CDD in summer, accounting for 50% of sulfate and 75% of ammonium. In winter more European wide and trans‐Atlantic contributions are found. The relative impact of these sources remains similar over the whole Alpine massif although transport from US and emissions from Spain contribute less as we move eastward from CDD, toward other alpine ice core drill sites like Colle Gnifetti (CG) in the Swiss Alps. For sulfate, the CDD ice core records and the simulated trends match very well. For ammonium, the trend simulated by the model and the summer ice core record are in reasonable agreement, both showing greater changes in ammonium concentrations than would be suggested by historical ammonia emissions. Motivated by a such good agreement between simulations of past atmospheric concentrations and ice core records for inorganic aerosol species, we also use the model to simulate trends in elemental carbon for which less information on past emission inventories are available.
Characteristics and dynamics of surfzone transverse finger bars
Authors: Ribas F. , Kroon A.
Published: September 2007

Patches of transverse finger bars have been identified in the surf zone of Noordwijk beach (Netherlands). They consisted of three to nine elongated accumulations of sand attached to the low‐tide shoreline. The bars extended up to 50 m into the inner surf zone, had an oblique orientation with respect to the shore‐normal, and were quasiregularly spaced in the alongshore direction. We analyzed nearly 6 years of video data and observed a significant presence of finger bars (14% of the time with good data). Bars were visible on 193 days, gathered in 44 events that persisted from 2 days to 2 months. Obliquely incident waves of intermediate and approximately constant height were dominant during finger bar presence. Shore‐normal incident or more energetic wave fields destroyed the bar patches. The underlying bathymetry affected finger bar formation: inner surfzone troughs with cross‐shore areas of 100 m2 and inner surfzone slopes of 0.02 were more conducive to their growth. The mean alongshore wavelength of the finger bar patches was 39 m, ranging from 21 to 75 m. Bar crests deviated up to 40 degrees from the shore‐normal against the alongshore current direction (“up‐current orientation”) and bar patches migrated at rates up to 22 m/day in the direction of the alongshore current. We used these observations to test existing theoretical self‐organization mechanisms for transverse bar formation. The “bed‐flow mechanism” was the most viable explanation for the generation and persistence of Noordwijk finger bars. Our observations were consistent with most of the predictions of two models that included this interaction, but migration rates differed by 1 order of magnitude.
Spatial variability of regional model simulated June–September mean precipitation over West Africa
Authors: Druyan Leonard M. , Fulakeza Matthew , Lonergan Patrick
Published: September 2007

The study examines the spatial variability of June–September 2003 mean precipitation rates (Pr03) simulated by a regional climate model on a horizontal grid with 0.5° spacing. In particular, it evaluates the relative impact of different initial conditions versus the influence of the lateral boundary conditions (LBC), and it compares small spatial scale distributions of modeled Pr03 to data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and the NOAA Climate Prediction Center data for the African Famine Early Warning System (FEWS). Simulations over West Africa were made with the CCSR/GISS RM3, driven by synchronous data from NCEP reanalysis. A five‐member ensemble for a single season was generated by staggering the initial conditions of each member by 36 hr within the period May 9–15, 2003. Results showed that the LBC influence dominated over that of differing initial conditions, implying that the precipitation simulations suffered little contamination of random noise. In a second evaluation, small spatial scale distributions of Pr03 were computed as the difference between Pr03 and spatially smoothed fields. Spatial correlations between the RM3 product versus the TRMM and FEWS small‐scale components of Pr03 were highest using TRMM data provided at 1° elements. Results suggest that the model may be challenged to simulate realistic small‐scale features of the seasonal mean precipitation field, and/or that observational data sets do not adequately capture these fine spatial features.
Nitric oxide and hypoxia
Authors: Galkin Alexander , Higgs Annie , Moncada Salvador
Published: September 2007

NO (nitric oxide) can affect mitochondrial function by interacting with the cytochrome c oxidase (complex IV) of the electron transport chain in a manner that is reversible and in competition with oxygen. Concentrations of NO too low to inhibit respiration can trigger cell defence response mechanisms involving reactive oxygen species and various signalling molecules such as nuclear factor κB and AMP kinase. Inhibition of mitochondrial respiration by NO at low oxygen concentrations can cause so-called metabolic hypoxia and divert oxygen towards other oxygen-dependent systems. Such a diversion reactivates prolyl hydroxylases and thus accounts for the prevention by NO of the stabilization of hypoxia-inducible transcription factor. In certain circumstances NO interacts with superoxide radical to form peroxynitrite, which can affect the action of key enzymes, such as mitochondrial complex I, by S-nitrosation. This chapter discusses the physiological and pathophysiological implications of the interactions of NO with the cytochrome c oxidase.
Cellular mechanisms associated with intermittent hypoxia
Authors: Nanduri Jayasri , Nanduri R. Prabhakar
Published: September 2007

Hypoxia, i.e. decreased availability of oxygen occurs under many different circumstances and can be either continuous or intermittent. Continuous hypoxia such as that experienced during periods of high altitude leads to physiological adaptations, whereas chronic IH (intermittent hypoxia) associated with sleep-disordered breathing manifested as recurrent apneas leads to morbidity. The purpose of the present chapter is to highlight recent findings on cellular responses to IH. Studies on cell culture models of IH revealed that for a given duration and intensity, IH is more potent than continuous hypoxia in evoking transcriptional activation. IH activates HIF-1 (hypoxia-inducible factor-1), the immediate early gene c-fos, activator protein-1, nuclear factor κB and cAMP-response-element-binding protein. Physiological studies showed that HIF-1 plays an important role in chronic IH-induced autonomic abnormalities in mice. IH affects expression of proteins associated with neuronal survival and apoptosis, as well as post-translational modifications of proteins resulting in increased biological activity. Comparisons between continuous hypoxia and IH revealed notable differences in the kinetics of protein kinase activation, type of protein kinase being activated and the downstream targets of protein kinases. IH increases ROS (reactive oxygen species) generation both in cell culture and in intact animals, and ROS-mediated signalling mechanisms contribute to cellular and systemic responses to IH. Future studies utilizing genomic and proteomic approaches may provide important clues to the mechanisms by which IH leads to morbidity as opposed to continuous hypoxia-induced adaptations. Cellular mechanisms associated with IH (other than recurrent apneas) such as repetitive, brief ascents to altitude, however, remain to be studied.
The AMP-activated protein kinase: more than an energy sensor
Authors: Hue Louis , Rider Mark H.
Published: September 2007

The AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) is a highly conserved eukaryotic protein serine/threonine kinase. It mediates a nutrient signalling pathway that senses cellular energy status and was appropriately called the fuel gauge of the cell. At the cellular level, AMPK controls energy homoeostasis by switching on catabolic ATP-generating pathways, while switching off anabolic ATP-consuming processes. Its effect on energy balance extends to whole-body energy homoeostasis, because, in the hypothalamus, it integrates nutritional and hormonal signals that control food intake and body weight. The interest in AMPK also stems from the demonstration of its insulin-independent stimulation of glucose transport in skeletal muscle during exercise. Moreover, the potential importance of AMPK in metabolic diseases is supported by the notion that AMPK mediates the anti-diabetic action of biguanides and thiazolidinediones and that it might be involved in the metabolic syndrome. Finally, the more recent demonstration that AMPK activation could occur independently of changes in cellular energy status, suggests that AMPK action extends to the control of non-metabolic functions.
Hypoxia and Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Peers Chris , Pearson Hugh A. , Boyle John P.
Published: September 2007

Numerous cardiorespiratory disorders result in persistent systemic hypoxia, or at worst (as a consequence of stroke) deprive the brain of oxygen completely for a period of time. Patients suffering from such conditions are much more susceptible to the development of dementias such as AD (Alzheimer’s disease). Until recently, the cellular and molecular basis for the predisposition to AD by systemic hypoxia has been completely unknown. However, emerging evidence suggests that pathological cellular remodelling caused by chronic hypoxia shows striking similarities to those observed in the central nervous system as a consequence of AD. Furthermore, prolonged hypoxia can induce formation of Aβs (amyloid β peptides), the primary neurotoxic elements of AD, which accumulate over years to form the extracellular plaques that are the hallmark feature of the disease. Hypoxia can lead to paradoxical increases in mitochondrial ROS (reactive oxygen species) generation upstream of Aβ formation. The downstream consequences of prolonged hypoxia include remodelling of functional expression of voltage-gated calcium channels and disturbance of intracellular calcium homoeostasis via disrupted calcium buffering and inhibition of calcium extrusion mechanisms. These effects can be mimicked by application of exogenous Aβ and, crucially, appear to depend on Aβ formation. Current knowledge supports the concept that prevention of the deleterious effects of hypoxia may prove beneficial in slowing or preventing the onset of AD.
Imitative Production of Rising Speech Intonation in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Recipients
Authors: Peng Shu-Chen , Tomblin J. Bruce , Spencer Linda J. , Hurtig Richard R.
Published: September 2007

Purpose

This study investigated the acoustic characteristics of pediatric cochlear implant (CI) recipients' imitative production of rising speech intonation, in relation to the perceptual judgments by listeners with normal hearing (NH).

Method

Recordings of a yes–no interrogative utterance imitated by 24 prelingually deafened children with a CI were extracted from annual evaluation sessions. These utterances were perceptually judged by adult NH listeners in regard with intonation contour type (non-rise, partial-rise, or full-rise) and contour appropriateness (on a 5-point scale). Fundamental frequency, intensity, and duration properties of each utterance were also acoustically analyzed.

Results

Adult NH listeners' judgments of intonation contour type and contour appropriateness for each CI participant’s utterances were highly positively correlated. The pediatric CI recipients did not consistently use appropriate intonation contours when imitating a yes–no question. Acoustic properties of speech intonation produced by these individuals were discernible among utterances of different intonation contour types according to NH listeners' perceptual judgments.

Conclusions

These findings delineated the perceptual and acoustic characteristics of speech intonation imitated by prelingually deafened children and young adults with a CI. Future studies should address whether the degraded signals these individuals perceive via a CI contribute to their difficulties with speech intonation production.
A comparison of the establishment, productivity, and feed quality of four cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.) and four brome (Bromus spp.) cultivars, under leaf stage based defoliation management
Authors: Turner L. R. , Donaghy D. J. , Lane P. A. , Rawnsley R. P.
Published: September 2007

A glasshouse study was undertaken to investigate the differences in rate of establishment, productivity, feed quality, and response to defoliation frequency between new and old cultivars within the brome (Bromus spp.) and cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.) genera. Three of the more recent brome (Bareno, Gala, and Exceltas) and cocksfoot (Tekapo, Megatas, and Uplands) cultivars were compared with Matua and Kara, the most widely sown and utilised brome and cocksfoot dairy pasture cultivars, respectively.
The improvements resulting from breeding and selection within the cocksfoot genera included faster seedling emergence and tiller production during establishment, higher tiller density once established, lower acid detergent fibre (ADF), higher crude protein (CP), and higher metabolisable energy (ME) concentrations. The newer cocksfoot cultivars had lower leaf and tiller dry matter (DM) yields than Kara, with little variation in ME levels between cultivars.
The improvements resulting from breeding and selection within the brome genera, measured in this study, included faster seedling emergence, lower ADF, and higher CP concentrations. The higher fibre levels for Matua did not translate into a lower ME concentration; in fact, the energy content in Matua and Gala was higher than for all remaining cultivars. There were further similarities between Matua and Gala, the high water-soluble carbohydrate levels, leaf, and tiller DM yields of these cultivars, reflecting a strong regrowth response to defoliation.
Further research in the field is required to confirm the observed variation within and between cocksfoot and brome cultivars, and to quantify the potential benefits of using the new v. the original cultivars.
A genome-wide analysis in
Anopheles gambiae
mosquitoes reveals 46 male accessory gland genes, possible modulators of female behavior
Authors: Dottorini Tania , Nicolaides Lietta , Ranson Hilary , Rogers David W. , Crisanti Andrea , Catteruccia Flaminia
Published: September 2007

The male accessory glands (MAGs) of many insect species produce and secrete a number of reproductive proteins collectively named Acps. These proteins, many of which are rapidly evolving, are essential for male fertility and represent formidable modulators of female postmating behavior. Upon copulation, the transfer of Acps has been shown in
Drosophila
and other insects to trigger profound physiological and behavioral changes in females, including enhanced ovulation/oviposition and reduced mating receptivity. In
Anopheles gambiae
mosquitoes, the principal vectors of human malaria, experimental evidence clearly demonstrates a key role of MAG products in inducing female responses. However, no Acp has been experimentally identified to date in this or in any other mosquito species. In this study we report on the identification of 46 MAG genes from
An. gambiae
, 25 of which are male reproductive tract-specific. This was achieved through a combination of bioinformatics searches and manual annotation confirmed by transcriptional profiling. Among these genes are the homologues of 40% of the
Drosophila
Acps analyzed, including Acp70A, or sex peptide, which in the fruit fly is the principal modulator of female postmating behavior. Although many
Anopheles
Acps belong to the same functional classes reported for
Drosophila
, suggesting a conserved role for these proteins in mosquitoes, some represent novel lineage-specific Acps that may have evolved to perform functions relevant to
Anopheles
reproductive behavior. Our findings imply that the molecular basis of
Anopheles
female postmating responses can now be studied, opening novel avenues for the field control of these important vectors of human disease.
Researching the Effects of Form-Focussed Instruction on L2 Acquisition
Authors: Ellis Rod
Published: September 2007

This article examines a variety of options for conducting investigations of the effects of interventionist form-focused instruction (FFI). Constructs related to three key areas of form-focussed instruction are presented; (1) the type of instruction, (2) the target of the instruction, and (3) the definition and measurement of ‘language acquisition’. The constructs are illustrated by drawing on a representative set of FFI studies. The overall aim is to draw a conceptual map that can inform meta-analytical surveys of existing studies and the conceptualisation of new studies.
Interlanguage Development
Authors: Bardovi-Harlig Kathleen
Published: September 2007

The study of language development in second language acquisition naturally leads to information about linguistic processes of second language acquisition, but it also sheds light on learners’ individual differences. This article examines the acquisition of the future in L2 English and explores how learners in a longitudinal study respond to input, instruction, and the general task of learning a second language through the lens of their grammatical development.
On modal grounding, reference points, and subjectification
Authors: Cornillie Bert
Published: September 2007

In this paper it is argued that Langacker’s definition of grounding predications is problematic for languages other than English. The idea that in English tense and modal auxiliaries are mutually exclusive grounding elements leads Langacker (1990, 2003) to consider both deontic and epistemic modal auxiliaries as grounding predications, whereas he excludes German modals from being so on the basis of their tense inflection. In this paper I contend that, unlike the deontic modal verbs, and despite their tense marking, Spanish epistemic modals deber ‘must’, poder ‘may’ and tener que ‘have to’ are certainly appropriate for modal grounding due to their reference point function and to the subjectification they undergo. I show that deontic modality is more affected by temporal grounding than epistemic modality. Moreover, the impossibility of inserting an inchoative verb such as ir a ‘to be going to’ corroborates the theoretical underpinning that Spanish epistemic modals effect an epistemic grounding similar to that of the grounding predications in English.
Vectors, viewpoint and viewpoint shift
Authors: Chilton Paul
Published: September 2007

Cognitive Linguistics has developed many insights into language but no systematic formalism. This article proposes that the discipline can benefit from standard geometrical formalisms. It outlines an approach called Discourse Space Theory (DST) that uses coordinate geometry and vector spaces. It describes how vectors have been used by several scholars to characterise the semantics of spatial prepositions, extending this approach to an abstract, deictically centred discourse space. Vector geometry comes with standard properties and operations that can serve to describe many linguistic and discourse phenomena. One of these is transformation of axes, which can be used to represent the phenomenon of viewpoint shift in discourse. The paper illustrates how DST can systematically describe viewpoint shift in foreground-background shifts, deictic verbs, tense, complement clauses and conditional constructions, especially counterfactuals.
Conceptual metaphors in press headlines on globalisation
Authors: Herrera-Soler Honesto
Published: September 2007

The systematic use of metaphor and metonymy in economics discourse facilitates reading and widens the scope of our understanding in the globalisation domain. The importance of metaphor in conveying ideology has been highlighted since Lakoff and Johnson (1980:34) and recent studies have shown in detail how ideology, particularly in press discourse, underlies conceptual metaphors (Hawkins 2001; White and Herrera-Soler 2003). The aim of this article is to identify and contrast the conceptual metaphors underlying the metaphorical expressions found on internet editions throughout 2003 in Spanish and British press headlines dealing with the subject of globalisation. Findings show that though the meaning of globalisation seems to be elusive, the perspectivation metaphor provides a good understanding of the way the press handles pro- and anti-globalisation headlines. On the grounds of cultural frames such as national stereotypes and economies, and newspaper ideology, no significant differences are found between the languages at the conceptual level. Nevertheless, important differences arise by virtue of culture specific imagery and value-judgements occasionally show a markedly cultural realisation.
Motion events in Spanish L2 acquisition
Authors: Cadierno Teresa , Ruiz Lucas
Published: September 2007

The overall aim of this paper is to discuss how Talmy’s (1985, 2000) typological framework and Slobin’s (1996) thinking for speaking hypothesis can be fruitful for the investigation of how adult language learners come to express motion events in an L2. We report an empirical study which compares the expression of the semantic components of Path and Manner of motion by three groups of informants: (a) learners whose L1 and L2 belong to different typological patterns (Danish learners of Spanish; (b) learners whose L1 and L2 share the same typological pattern (Italian learners of Spanish); and (c) Spanish native speakers. Based on previous research on L1 acquisition, it was hypothesized that the Danish learner group would exhibit a higher degree of elaboration of the two semantic components than the other informant groups. The results of the study, however, show a limited role for the L1 thinking for speaking patterns in advanced second language acquisition.
Robinson Crusoe Naufraga en Tierras Españolas
Authors: Toledano Buendia Carmen
Published: September 2007

The incorporation of English novels into the Spanish literary system during the 18th century is characterized, in general terms, by their late appearance, especially if a comparison is drawn with other European countries, and by French mediation. One of the most illustrative examples is the assimilation process followed by Robinson Crusoe. This work, written by Daniel Defoe in 1719, appears for the first time in Spain in 1826 — more than 100 years after it was originally written — in an abridged version for children.

This paper aims to explore some of the many factors that may play a part in the late appearance of this novel and its reception as a juvenile or children’s book. Apart from the sociopolitical circumstances that turned Spain into a country which was very suspicious of foreign influence, an important factor to take into account is the influence of the French mediation. The introductory role played by mediator systems involves a filtered way of access through which the mediating culture reveals its own points of view and aesthetic criteria. Most of the 19th-century Spanish translations of Robinson Crusoe are secondhand translations from French and inherit the didactic and moralizing interpretation that the French makes of Robinson Crusoe. But the reading of Defoe’s work as juvenile or children’s literature is not only the result of the mediator system; it is also a consequence of the literary tradition to which the text is attached. When this work was imported there was an established tradition of Robinsonades that influenced its reading and interpretation and had created a particular set of expectations in the reader. This study also tries to analyze the different strategies used by Spanish translators in order to adapt Defoe’s novel to the poetic and ideological expectations of its potential readers and to the new function assigned to the text in the new cultural context.
The Remnant Word
Authors: Waldinger Albert
Published: September 2007

This article deals with the meaning of contemporary Yiddish poetry and its translation into several non-Jewish languages — French, German and English — stressing the perfected realization of this meaning through educated insight into a completely different culture and language. Also discussed are the contributions of Hasidism, Expressionism and Yiddish Introspectivism as well as the fact that both poetry and language are in the process of disappearing and thus require special care.
Translating Irony in Popular Fiction
Authors: Linder Daniel
Published: September 2007

Raymond Chandler published his first novel, The Big Sleep, in 1939. There are two Spanish translations of the novel, both titled El sueño eterno, one published in 1958 by Aguilar (Madrid) and the other in 1972 by Barral (Barcelona). This study analyzes irony in the two Spanish translations and concludes that both translations fail to reflect the degree of irony present in Chandler’s original, especially with respect to the translation of two key words, cute and giggle, and the dramatic effect of the novel’s climax is dampened as a consequence. Also, it is demonstrated that the 1972 version is, if not an outright plagiarism of the earlier 1958 version, at the very least a version which does not meet the criteria for originality.
Functional-Communicative Grammar (Spanish-German) for Translators and/or Interpreters
Authors: Sánchez Karin Vilar
Published: September 2007

In the present research project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Culture we are working on the elaboration of a contrastive functional-communicative grammar (Spanish-German) for translators and/or interpreters on CD Rom which is considered a valuable working tool for this group.

It is well-known that one does not translate words and structures but tekst or discourse. In order to do so, the translator/interpreter must understand the communicative intention of the original tekst or discourse and reproduce it in the target tekst. That means, not only does he/she need a solid idiomatic knowledge (knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, phonology, suprasegmental and extralinguistic elements)in both languages but also a good knowledge of the expressive aspect of all these linguistic resources (i.e. which resources are used to express which function in what kind of situation or tekst and with what effect).

However, the existing grammar books do not help him/her in an effective way because none of them offer him/her easily accessible information about the resources (lexical, grammatical, phonological, orthographic, suprasegmental, extralinguistic) that exist in each language for the expression of specific functions (e.g. “make a request”), determined by the type of tekst or discourse and adding information about the frequency of use and the pragmatic connotations of each linguistic form.
Títulos de Sangre Azul, Títulos de Sangre Roja
Authors: Moya Virgilio
Published: September 2007

Abstract

The article concerns the alteration imposed on aristocratic titles when translated from English into Spanish. The study is based on what is achieved conventionally in our media when dealing with one of those titles.

Therefore, we examined both translated texts and untranslated ones, or else texts written by Spanish authors. This gives some validity to the imitation by the translator since such authors, when writing, do not think in terms of translation, but rather of the approval of their solutions in their own culture.

However, we do not wish this study to become a guide for solutions, but to serve as a tool for solving numerous problems which arise, being fully aware that every text is a unique one.

Résumé

L’article traite des transformations que subissent les titres nobiliaires lorsqu íls sont traduits de la langue anglaise vers la langue espagnole. L’tude se base sur ce que réalisent conventionnellement les médias écrits lorsqu íls sont confrontés à l’un de ces titres.

Ainsi nous avons tenu compte tant des textes traduits que de ceux qui n ónt pas été traduits ou bien de textes par des auteurs espagnols. Ceci offre une certaine validité à l’imitation de la part du traducteur étant donné que ces auteurs — lorsqu íls écrivent — ne pensent pas à la traduction, mais plutôt à l ápprobation de leurs solutions dans leur propre culture.

Cependant, nous ne souhaitons pas que cette étude serve de guide pour imposer des solutions, mais bien pour aider à résoudre de nombreux problémes posés étant bien conscients de ce que chaque texte est unique.

Sumario

Las páginas que vienen a continuación tratan de las transformaciones que sufren los títulos nobiliarios en su paso del inglés al español. El trabajo se basa en lo que convencionalmente viene haciendo los medios informativos escritos cuando se enfrentan a uno de estos títulos. Así, pues, hemos tenido en cuenta tanto textos traducidos como no traducidos, o sea, propios de autores españoles. Lo cual da validez a la imitación por parte del traductor, ya que estos autores cuando escriben no están pensando en la traducción, sino en la aceptabilidad de sus soluciones dentro de su propia cultura. No obstante,no queremos que el trabajo sirva de guía para imponer soluciones,pero sí para ayudar a resolver muchos de los problemas que susciten,siendo conscientes como somos de que cada texto es único.
Finding the Elusive Equivalents in Chinese/English Legal Translation
Authors: Cao Deborah
Published: September 2007

This paper investigates one aspect of legal translation between English and Chinese, the lexical equivalence and non-equivalence that often present special challenges to Chinese/English translators. It identifies three lexical features and discusses the meanings, equivalents and translation strategies associated with them.

The paper suggests the essential requirements for translational competence of a legal translator and argues that, in legal translation, it is essential to consider the contextual factors and pragmatic effects of legal usage in both the SL and TL and to strive to achieve the optimal communicative results given the relative nature of equivalence and the difficulties in cross-cultural and cross-jurisdictional communication.

This may also have implications for the training of legal translators in basic knowledge of the relevant legal systems and legal languages, apart from the general translation skills required.
Yiddish/Hebrew Poetic Bilingualism
Authors: Waldinger Albert
Published: September 2007

The above essay embraces the modern phenomenon of Yiddish-Hebrew bilingualism in poetry through an examination both of its origins and its current form. It begins with Bialik and his writings in Yiddish, undertaken as a way of reaching the people, not in order to replace Hebrew with Yiddish. The former was, after all, the heart and soul of Bialik’s poetic career. It was, likewise, extremely important for Aaron Zeitlin, who was a translator of Bialik’s Yiddish work into Hebrew while remaining an influential Yiddish poet himself. Also, it was the lifeblood of Uri Zvi Greenberg, formerly an Expressionist Yiddish poet and finally a renewer of the Hebrew language. The article examines the literary motivations and linguistic and social environments of these three poets as “translators of themselves” — “autotranslators”— and renderers of their tradition.
Rosalía de Castro's Galician poems
Authors: Rodrigues Louis J.
Published: September 2007

Abstract

Two Galician poems (one from each of two collections: Cantares Gallegos and Follas novas) by Spain’s most renowned poetess are examined in this critical essay, which includes translations into English, Spanish and Catalan together with an analysis of both poems and a commentary on each with a discussion of such technicalities as metre, rhyme, imagery, lexis and syntax insofar as they aff ect the end-product in each case. The essay discusses the linguistic features of Galician as a preliminary to the appreciation of the poems, draws attention to Rosalia’s statements on her art and works, and concludes with a review of the pertinent aspects of poetry in translation — its theory and practice.

Résumé

Deux poèmes galiciens (tires de chacune des deux collections: Cantares Gallegos et Follas novas) de la poétesse la plus célèbre d’Espagne, sont étudiés dans cet essai critique qui comprend des traductions en anglais, en espagnol et en catalan, ainsi qu’une analyse des deux poèmes et un commentaire de chacun, avec une discussion sur certains points techniques comme la metre, le rythme, l’imagerie, le lexique et la syntaxe, dans la mesure ou ils affectent, dans chaque cas, le product fini. L’essai traite des caractéristiques linguistiques du galicien, avant de passer à l’évaluation des poèmes. Il attire l’attention sur les déclarations de Rosalia à propos de son art et de ses oeuvres et conclut en passant en revue les aspects pertinents de la poésie en traduction — sa théorie et sa pratique.
Translation of English idioms into Arabic
Authors: Abu-Ssaydeh Abdul-Fattah
Published: September 2007

Abstract

This paper consists of three parts; the first part examines the definition of “idiom” as a technical term, primarily from a translational perspective, and the strategies usually employed by Arab translators when translating English idioms. The second part analyses the Arabic translations given in a sample of two hundred and fifty-three English idioms in terms of strategies and the significance of their frequency. This analysis reveals four important things:

1. Statistically, the most common strategy applied is paraphrasing, followed closely by literal translations and semantic equivalence, with omission, compensation and other strategies being of significantly less importance;
2. Literal translation has allowed certain English idioms to become part of Arabic lexis;
3. A disproportionately large number of the translations are literal and, therefore, sound “foreign” or are deemed void of sense to the Arab reader,
4. Literal (and therefore erroneous) translations in the target language arise primarily from the failure of the translator to decipher the meaning of the idiom in question. The last part revisits literal translation in order to understand its nature, reasons for its prevalence, its effect on the translated text and its impact on the Arabic language.

Résumé

Cet article comprend trois parties. La première partie examine la définition de «l’idiome » comme terme technique, essentiellement du point de vue de la traduction, et les stratégies généralement utilisées par les traducteurs arabes quand ils traduisent des idiomes anglais. La seconde partie analyse les traductions arabes données dans un échantillon de deux cent cinquante-trois idiomes anglais, en fonction des stratégies et de la signification de leur fréquence. Cette analyse révèle quatre éléments importants:

1. Statistiquement, la stratégie la plus couramment utilisée est la paraphrase, suivie de près par les traductions littérales et l’équivalence sémantique, l’omission, la compensation et autres stratégies étant d’une importance moins significative.

2. La traduction littérale a permis à certains idiomes anglais d’entrer dans le lexique arabe.

3. Un nombre disproportionné de traductions sont littérales et, par conséquent, elles ont une consonance «étrangère» ou elles sont jugées vides de sens par le lecteur arabe.

4. Les traductions littérales (et donc erronées) dans la langue cible viennent principalement de l’incapacité du traducteur à déchiffrer la signification de l’idiome en question.La dernière partie réexamine la traduction littérale afin de comprendre sa nature, les raisons de sa fréquence, son effet sur le texte traduit et son impact sur la langue arabe.