bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FemSMA Corpus Workbench. Ein Werkzeug zur Unterstützung der qualitativen und quantitativen Analyse von textuellen Daten
Authors: Krenn Brigitte
Published: March 2021

In various areas of (linguistic) research, there is a need to analyse larger amounts of textual data. Digitisation and the availability of computational linguistics tools offer substantial support in qualitatively and quantitatively analysing those data sets. Keeping, maintaining and presenting data and their metadata within one system facilitate data inspection and browsing. Quick assessment of data sets for the presence or absence of specific textual characteristics is supported by the possibility to manually annotate segments of text with theory-driven meta-information in combination with automatic analysis employing computational linguistics tools and computerized search.
In the present contribution, the FemSMA Corpus Workbench CWB is introduced. CWB is a computational linguistics tool for manual and automatic annotation and analysis of text documents. CWB supports storage and maintenance of, and annotation and search in textual data and related metadata. CWB is a client-server application with a web interface as frontend for data inspection and manual annotation. Data storage and automatic processing is done at server side. Automatically annotated are word-level features such as parts of speech; general word features such as capitalisation, character reduplication, abbreviation; swear words and emotion words. Due to its modular system architecture, CWB can be flexibly extended, which, however, requires the involvement of computational linguists to adapt and extend CWB’s automatic analysis and search functionalities, and represent the new functionality in the web interface.
Pour un enseignement systématique des marqueurs discursifs à l’aide de corpus en classe de FLE : l’exemple des marqueurs de reformulation
Authors: Tran Thi Thu Hoai , Tutin Agnès , Cavalla Cristelle
Published: March 2021

This article focuses on the role of corpus in language classroom, a tool that allows to identify syntactic and semantic properties of discourse markers that are not discussed in traditional grammar books. The use of the corpus could assist French Foreign Language learners to be familiar with a new kind of academic writing. This raises questions about the methodology of teaching/learning of discourse markers that we try to address in this paper.
Sprachbewusstheit – Sprachreflexion – Sprachkritik – Sprachpraxis – Sprachspiel: Didaktische Perspektiven auf die Auseinandersetzung von Kindern mit tradierten sprachlichen Formen
Authors: Andresen Helga
Published: March 2021

Children enjoy playing with language, even when they are as young as four years of age. Their playful practice can be seen as dealing with linguistic rules and conventions critically. Therefore didactic language criticism should be aware of children’s motivation for language play and their experiences in this field. The article describes several forms of language play – spontaneous speech play, jokes and riddles – and relates them to language acquisition, language awareness and acquisition of written language. Finally, impacts on teaching language criticism at school are considered.
Zur Rolle von Stereotypisierungen bei Assimilations- und Akkommodationsprozessen
Authors: Roche Jörg
Published: March 2021

Meaning is widely understood as being a mental construct generated and negociated by means of viabalisation processes. It constantly develops and changes through processes of assimilation and accommodation. How then can stereotypes develop in such a dynamic system of knowledge management where language is a decisive tool in information transfer? The information transfer based on established parameters contributes to a stabilization of meaning and, as a consequence, serves as a point of reference for further thinking, speaking and doing. Linguistic relativity models have shown how this can in turn promote the dynamics of perception/thinking or, equally well, determine or inhibit it. The aim of the present paper is to show how intercultural language teaching can be conceived as a means to foster dynamic perception and mental construction processes of “the other” while leading to the cultural state of ‘transdifference’ (as opposed to a mere binary contrast of “self” and “other”). Owing to recent and ongoing political events the topic of ‚violence and resistance’ has been chosen to illustrate the approach.
Fremdsprachendidaktik anhand von Literatur: Reflexion über Stereotype
Authors: Singer Gesa
Published: March 2021

Stereotypes are often based on concepts of mentalities and ‘images of the self’ and the ‘other’. This is the way they appear in language. In modern didactics of foreign language the focus is mostly set on cultural contrast. Meanwhile a more profound analysis and reflexion on stereotypes is lacking. This piece of work intends to illustrate, based on practical examples (in German as a foreign language), how the use of literature can contribute to a critical and productive work and discussion on stereotypes. Recent research on intercultural didactics of foreign languages as well as empirical studies are applied in this part of a model concept of teaching literature through dialogue and interaction. Students learn to comment thoughtfully on ‘self’ and ‘foreign’ imagery. It is, from here on, a didactical proposal for different intercultural settings.
Sexy Danes, Tipsy Germans: The Use of Positive Cultural Stereotypes in Nation Branding Efforts
Authors: Allen Julie K.
Published: March 2021

While nation-branding campaigns have become a popular means for governments to attempt to improve their country’s standing on international indexes, such as the Anholt-Gfk Roper Nation Brand Index (NBI), the generally static ranking on such indexes suggests that national brands cannot simply be shaped by clever marketing campaigns. Instead, national brands rest on deeply rooted perceptions of a country’s character and identity, which often have much in common with popular stereotypes about the country. This article analyzes how several advertising campaigns in Germany and Denmark, sponsored by both governmental entities and private corporations, explicitly engage with and manipulate positive national stereotypes in order to shape public narratives about what their countries have to offer the world.
Der Däne[NGr Nom] ist[Vfin] gemütlich[ADJGr] Nationale Stereotype aus dem SMiK-Projekt und Kritische Grammatik im Deutschunterricht
Authors: Kilian Jörg
Published: March 2021

One of the most frequently used grammatical structures to express national stereotypes in German is the sentence pattern X [NGr Nom] ist [Vfin] Y [ADJGr]. Within the framework of linguistic research on stereotypes this structure has been described in great detail so that its syntactic, semantic, and socio-pragmatic dimensions are known rather well. Results of the SMiK-project confirm the important role this pattern plays in expressing stereotypes. As to grammar teaching at school, however, this grammatical structure is rarely discussed in textbooks and, assumingly, in classrooms. This paper presents an approach to make this structure a subject of classroom discussion. The approach is based on a didactic concept of “critical grammar” in German lessons and aims at making school students aware that explicit knowledge about grammatical structures is not only (if at all) knowledge about linguistic categories for the purpose of filing language into scientific regulations or rules but an instrument to discover and to elucidate “pictures in our heads”.
Can Hatred Speak? On the Linguistic Dimensions of Hate Crime
Authors: Posselt Gerald
Published: March 2021

Starting from the pressing issue of hate crime and hate speech, as addressed by several EU Framework Decisions and recently by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the article focuses on the complex and often contested relation of language and violence. Whereas recent accounts are usually concerned with the violent dimension of speech and language, the article approaches the question from a different methodological angle and asks in which way hatred and violence might be understood as a form of speaking and address. This approach is based on the more general thesis that it is possible neither to gain an adequate understanding of speech and language without considering their violent force, nor to gain an adequate account of interpersonal violence without considering its linguistic dimension. In order to support this view, it will be argued that it is precisely the symbolic-linguistic character of hate crime that is responsible for its particular injurious force as well as for its dehumanizing effects. Moreover, hate crimes are not only linguistically in character, they are also directed against the possibility of language and speech itself, insofar as they aim at making us speechless, depriving us of the possibility of speaking out and being heard. This leads to an account of hate crime as a form of multi-addressed violence that not only calls for a strong concept of responsibility, but also requires a differentiated response by all social institutions and authorities.
Von „Parasiten“ und anderen „Schädlingen“. Feinddiskreditierung rechtspopulistischer und rechtsextremer Bewegungen in Deutschland
Authors: Mathias Alexa
Published: March 2021

The essay focusses on metaphors as linguistic representations of symbolic violence and their argumentative function in respect of group specific social practice. By the means of a corpuslinguistic study on two text corpora containing texts by right-wing extremist authors on one hand and by members of a populist movement on the other hand it will be shown, how the speakers of these groups conceptualize outgroups as non-human entities and as such refer on them linguistically. Furthermore, it will be highlighted how this kind of language use contributes to the speakers’ communities’ argumentation “against the enemy” and what kind of potential consequences on social practice this might have.
Nebensätze in freien schriftlichen Produktionen kroatischer DaF-Lernender
Authors: Pon Leonard , Varga Melita Aleksa
Published: March 2021

The present paper looks into grammar competence of Croatian learners of German as a foreign language. More precisely, it deals with syntactic knowledge that learners need to activate in order to understand and produce complex sentences containing various types of subordinate clauses. Croatian learners of German as a foreign language spend a considerable amount of time during their German classes dealing with syntax – both explicitly and implicitly. In order to understand as well as convey complex ideas, thoughts, and plans in German properly, learners need to activate their syntactic knowledge. Applied linguists investigating the acquisition of grammar knowledge in SLA contexts have defined the order in which some grammar rules are acquired. They could observe that this order cannot be altered. The present paper discusses the results obtained in an analysis of students’ written essays. The objective of the analysis was to identify and describe the subordinate clauses learners use in their essays. The analysis shows which aspects of syntactic knowledge the learners in question possess. It also enables us to compare the curriculum and the syntactic knowledge actually displayed by the learners.
Linguistic landscapes in der Innerschweiz: Dialekt, Toponyme und heraldische Zeichen als Ausdruck von Raumzugehörigkeit
Authors: Petkova Marina
Published: March 2021

This article explores the linguistic landscapes of four towns in Central Switzerland. The analysis focuses on linguistic features such as words written in dialect or toponyms and on some features from other semiotic codes like heraldic signs or arrangements in shop windows which include language, pictures, flags etc. The main interest lies in the way the mental concepts of “space” and “place” are displayed in the linguistic landscape. Which geographical categories are relevant? Which features tend to express a sense of belonging? The analysis shows that the linguistic landscape of the four towns contains features that represent several different mental concepts of “space” and “place”. The most significant ones are those that represent the close environment, i. e. the part of the world that tends to be felt as being a “place”. Thus, the linguistic landscape also reflects the effects of “place-making”-activities and at the same time visualizes the relationship between physical localities, mental concepts of “space” or “place” and human activities.
“So now I’m panic attack free!”: Response stories in a peer-to-peer online advice forum on pregnancy and parenting
Authors: Lindholm Loukia
Published: March 2021

This paper examines the functions of stories in an online peer-to-peer advice forum on pregnancy and parenting, particularly drawing attention to how parents as advice-givers use stories in health-related discussions. The analysis shows that stories are multi-functional, serving to establish rapport with advice-seekers, give and support advice, express and substantiate agreement or disagreement. The results add to the current scholarship by showing that response stories can be used to give etiological (causal) assessments of others’ health issues, thus delivering a diagnostic opinion.
Having faith in the online voice. Exploring contemporary issues of trust, language and advice in the context of e-health
Authors: Sillence Elizabeth
Published: March 2021

The increasing volume of Internet based health resources means that decisions about how to trust information and advice encountered online become ever more complicated. As peer-to-peer experiences become a source of health information, lay people are required to evaluate the trustworthiness of such online personal accounts. In this paper, we present two contemporary studies of the negotiation of trust in e-health. The first study explores how people come to select a trustworthy voice from a community of online peers whilst the second explores how video bloggers use the medium to present a credible account of their health experiences. Drawing on data from interviews with community members, video transcripts and viewers’ comments, we examine issues of trust, language and advice from the perspective of those presenting the authentic voice as well as those seeking to evaluate the voice. The paper highlights the importance of similarity matching, motivation and interactivity to the portrayal and recognition of trustworthy accounts online.
Mental health and Islamic religion online: An intertextual analysis
Authors: Al Zidjaly Najma
Published: March 2021

In this article, the discursive construction of mental health and the role religion plays in its representation are examined using four psychological consultations collected in fall 2016 from Islamweb.net, the largest network for Islamic information. Using computer mediated discourse analysis (Herring 2004), intertextuality was identified as a communicative strategy psychologists draw upon to turn mental health consultations into platforms to perpetuate Islamic authoritative discourses (e. g. submission to God, prayer, and collectivity). Mental illnesses were also constructed within the Islamic context as supernatural and cured by religion, rather than as conditions treated through medical and psychological intervention. Intertextually, the authoritative discourses are evoked overtly through direct quotations from the books of Islam and covertly through referencing certain ritualistic discourses (words, themes, and practices) in the opening, main, and closing sections of the consultations. Permeating consultations with religious discourse, and cementing them with the speech acts of warning, scolding, and advice to not think or act otherwise, create religious authority in the context of health online. These actions also maintain Islamic authoritative discourses, and reaffirm Islamic cultural identity, while blurring the lines between medicine and religion online.
Prominence, Accent and Information Structure
Authors: Hinterhölzl Roland
Published: March 2021

The paper discusses the tenets of the complex interaction between syntax, prosody and information structure in German. A prominence-based approach to the interface is proposed in an account that crucially extends the object of syntax from the sentence level to the discourse level. The latter move allows to reconcile formal approaches and functional approaches to grammar and solves an old problem posed by the parallel impact of information structural categories on the phonological and semantic interpretation of the clause in generative grammar.
On the rise of domain adverbials in Italian: the history of the -mente parlando construction
Authors: Grübl Klaus
Published: March 2021

This paper investigates the history of -mente parlando, a construction that can be used in modern Italian either as a style disjunct (e. g. rigorosamente parlando ‘strictly speaking’) or as a domain adverbial (e. g. economicamente parlando ‘economically speaking’). This functional difference will be accounted for synchronically as a case of constructional polysemy, with different semantic types of adjectives (mainly relational vs non-relational) occurring in the -mente slot leading to a different reading of the whole construction. Diachronically, the constructional polysemy appears to be the result of a metonymic shift from the older STYLE reading to the newer DOMAIN interpretation. A corpus-based investigation will analyze the syntactic, pragmatic and discursive conditions from which the different uses arose. While both variants are attested from the 14th century on, a massive expansion of domain adverbials formed by -mente parlando is observed only in the first half of the 19th century, a tendency which can be explained as a new fashion for “rationalist” discourse organization and which corresponds to similar evolutions described for 19th-century English, French and Spanish.
Romance sentence adverbs in -mente: Epistemic mitigation in synchrony and diachrony
Authors: Hummel Martin
Published: March 2021

In Romance, epistemic sentence adverbs expressing certainty often reduce the truth value of the proposition. Examples such as Fr. sûrement and Sp. seguramente convey probability and even doubt rather than certainty. This phenomenon, called epistemic mitigation, is the topic of this paper. It will be shown that the intuitive first glance impression of epistemic mitigation masks a bundle of other factors: subjectivization, inferential mitigation, politeness, “better language”, and style. Italian is shown to keep to baseline subjectivization, while French, Portuguese, and Spanish tend to develop further inferential mitigation. The paper presents “ten facts” that explain the interplay of these factors at the levels of function and culture, and in both synchrony and diachrony. The paper thereby proposes a complex synthesis. Further empirical investigation will be required to test the facts and arguments presented.
Sensibly and appropriately the judge considered… A corpus-based study of sentence adverbs in judicial language
Authors: Pontrandolfo Gianluca
Published: March 2021

The paper presents a contrastive corpus-assisted discourse study of sentence adverbs in Italian, English and Spanish judicial discourse.The hypothesis guiding the study is that, although judges’ attitude is supposed to be impartial, as they represent the so-called “bouche de la loi”, their opinion is present in the texts and sentence adverbs are one of the pragmatic vehicles used to express their stance.The corpus used for the analysis is a trilingual subcorpus of COSPE (Pontrandolfo 2016) that has been POS-tagged (194,000 tokens for each language). The focus has then been placed exclusively on adverbs ending in -mente and -ly for being those that more than others contribute to express evaluative nuances in judicial discourse.Results demonstrate that quantitatively adverbs in -mente/-ly do not account for a significant percentage, which is in line with Biber et al.’s (1999) findings in other registers (conversation, academic prose). However, qualitatively and discursively, these adverbs play a pivotal role at a pragmatic level, since they contribute to judicial argumentation (cf., among others, Mazzi 2014).
Does pragmatic beat syntax? Evidence from focus accent placement in the semi-spontaneous speech of Italian learners of German
Authors: Vogt Barbara , Paschke Peter
Published: March 2021

In this paper, we investigate the prosodic marking of information structure by Italian L1 learners of German. We analyze two different contexts with non-final focus accents, i. e. narrow and broad focus contexts, mainly on sentence level while most studies discussing post-focal de-accentuation are restricted to noun phrases. For Italian learners, non-final placement of focus accents is likely to cause problems, given that in their L1, phonetic prominence is normally as-signed to the last constituent in the verbal phrase. Our initial hypothesis was that the hypothetical "cognitive universal" requiring de-accentuation of given elements might probably guide the learners in realizing the correct pitch contour in contexts with a non-final narrow focus (and pragmatic de-accentuation of the final given constituent). By contrast, the de-accentuation of phrase-final lexical verbs in broad focus contexts was expected to cause more problems given that this typologically marked syntactic structure does not exist in Italian. However, in a previous study based on read speech, de-accentuation of final given elements was managed by inter-mediate Italian learners of German L2 only slightly better than realizing a non-final focus accent in all new contexts on the argument in OV structures (success rate of 55% vs. 48%, with no statistically significant difference). In other words, both types of non-final focus accents seem to be balanced at this intermediate stage of acquisition. In this contribution, our goal is to discover whether in semi-spontaneous speech one can find the same distributional patterns of non-final focus accents in this learner variety of Italian learners of German. To this end, we analyzed recordings of oral exams from the same 10 Italian university students that had taken part in the previous study. The analysis shows that in semi-spontaneous speech production too, there is evidence for the hypothesis that pragmatics does not "beat" syntax in prosodic acquisition. Besides, when the two different data types were compared, a very high intra-speaker correlation emerged between read and semi-spontaneous speech.
Kesesuaian budidaya keramba jaring apung (KJA) ikan kerapu di perairan Teluk Sabang Pulau Weh, Aceh
Authors: Anhar T. Faizul , Widigdo Bambang , Sutrisno Dewayany
Published: March 2021

Weh Island is one of the coastal region that has high prospect in fisheries, one of it is floating net cage. Unfortunately, the unavailability of the classification zone for fish net culture and the oceanographic conditions of the coastal water become the main issues of the success of the fish net cage (KJA) culture activities.  The aim of this study is analyze suitability of floating net cage culture for grouper in Sabang Bay. The method use in this research is Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) method. There were 10 water quality variabels measured, such as protection, bathimetry, water transparency, current velocity, temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate and phosphate. Area suitability divided into three suitability criteria, i.e very suitable, suitable and not suitable were used to determine the suitability of floating net cage. The result of the analysis are obtained show that the area for grouper culture Sabang Bay covering 11.3 % or 9.08 Ha of Sabang Bay were classified as very suitable (S1), suitable class (S2) covering an area of 39.8 % or 32.08 Ha of Sabang Bay, and not suitable class (N) covering 49 % or 39.54 Ha of Sabang Bay. Based on this percentage can be concluded that some of the coastal of the Sabang Bay can be utilized as a floating net cage culture of grouper fish activities.Keywords: Grouper culture, GIS, Suitability, Sabang Bay, Aceh Province ABSTRAKPulau Weh merupakan salah satu wilayah yang memiliki potensi perikanan yang cukup besar. Akan tetapi dengan belum tersedianya penentuan lokasi budidaya keramba jaring apung serta data kondisi perairan yang tersedia menjadi kendala utama dalam peningkatan keberhasilan dan pengembangan budidaya keramba jaring apung (KJA). Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis luasan kesesuaian perairan budidaya keramba jaring apung ikan kerapu di perairan Teluk Sabang. Metode yang digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah metode Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW). Terdapat sepuluh parameter yang diukur, yaitu keterlindungan, kedalaman, kecerahan, kecepatan arus, suhu, salinitas, pH, oksigen terlarut, nitrat dan fosfat. Tingkat kesesuaian perairan dibagi menjadi 3 (tiga) kelas kesesuaian, yaitu sangat sesuai, sesuai dan tidak sesuai. Hasil analisis yang didapat menunjukkan bahwa luasan untuk budidaya ikan kerapu Teluk Sabang sangat sesuai (S1) seluas 9,08 % atau 11,3 Ha dari Teluk Sabang, kelas sesuai (S2) seluas 39,8 % atau 32,08 Ha dari Teluk Sabang, dan kelas tidak sesuai (N) seluas 49 % atau 39,54 Ha dari Teluk Sabang. Berdasarkan persentase tersebut dapat diambil kesimpulan bahwa sebagian perairan Teluk Sabang dapat dimanfaatkan sebagai usaha budidaya keramba jaring apung ikan kerapu.Kata kunci: Budidaya ikan kerapu, SIG, Kesesuaian perairan, Teluk Sabang, Provinsi Aceh
Efficient InGaAsP MQW-based polarization controller without active-passive integration
Authors: Ito Maiko , Okawa Kosuke , Suganuma Takahiro , Fukui Taichiro , Kato Eisaku , Tanemura Takuo , Nakano Yoshiaki
Published: March 2021

Carrier-injection-based efficient polarization controller with a strained InGaAsP multiple-quantum-well (MQW) layer is demonstrated on a regrowth-free InP platform. We employ a straight-line device configuration by cascading an asymmetric polarization rotator (PR) to provide a fixed polarization conversion and a polarization-dependent phase shifter (PD-PS) to enable tunable polarization rotation. Based on a novel design concept, both the PR and PD-PS sections are integrated monolithically without active-passive integration. Using the fabricated device, we experimentally demonstrate efficient polarization conversion over the entire Poincaré sphere with a total current of less than 40 mA. With the capability of monolithically integrating other InP-based active components, the demonstrated scheme should be attractive for various applications, such-as low-cost coherent communication, microwave photonics, and quantum key distribution.
Aluminium, gold-tin and titanium-tungsten alloys for mid-infrared plasmonic gratings
Authors: Spettel Jasmin , Stocker Gerald , Dao Thang Duy , Jannesari Reyhaneh , Tortschanoff Andreas , Saeidi Parviz , Pühringer Gerald , Dubois Florian , Fleury Clement , Consani Cristina , Grille Thomas , Aschauer Elmar , Moridi Mohssen , Jakoby Bernhard
Published: March 2021

The field of mid-infrared (MIR) plasmonics has shown great potential applications in spectroscopic sensing, infrared light sources and detectors. MIR plasmonic materials that are compatible with common fabrication processes may enable cost-effective and reliable plasmonic device platforms. In this work, we examined aluminium metal (Al), gold-tin (AuSn) and titanium-tungsten (TiW) alloys regarding their usability for surface plasmon polariton (SPP) excitation in the MIR regime using a grating configuration. The angle dependence and the influence of varying depths of gratings were numerically and experimentally studied for the chosen materials. The structures were fabricated on eight-inch silicon (Si) substrates and characterized with a free-beam reflection measurement setup in the MIR regime. The fabricated gratings show narrow resonance dips, which are in good agreement with the simulations, revealing that Al, AuSn and TiW alloys are reliable plasmonic materials for MIR plasmonic devices.
Ultrahigh-aspect-ratio light cages: fabrication limits and tolerances of free-standing 3D nanoprinted waveguides
Authors: Bürger Johannes , Kim Jisoo , Jang Bumjoon , Gargiulo Julián , Schmidt Markus A. , Maier Stefan A.
Published: March 2021

Three-dimensional laser nanoprinting represents a unique approach for implementing on-chip hollow-core waveguides. Here we discuss the fabrication characteristics of the light cage geometry arising from the used two-photon polymerization lithography. We reveal the current limits of achievable waveguide length (3 cm), single strand aspect ratio (8200) and modal attenuation. Very high reproducibility for light cages on the same chip is found, while different conditions in fabrication cycles impose chip-to-chip variations. We also highlight the relevance of including reinforcement rings to prevent structural collapse. The results presented uncover key issues that result from nanoprinting light cages and can be transferred to other nanoprinted waveguides.
Switchable digital metasurface based on phase change material in the terahertz region
Authors: Pan Wei-Mang , Li Jiu-Sheng , Zhou Chen
Published: March 2021

We report a new approach for making a reconfigurable terahertz digital metasurface that is created with vanadium dioxide (VO2) integrated metasurface unit cells. Such a metasurface achieves terahertz wave beam splitting and switching functionalities for the terahertz wave normal incidence by inducing VO2 conductivity change under a different external temperature. The three-dimensional (3D) far-field scattering patterns and normalized electric field distribution obtained by using full-wave numerical simulations verify the behavior of the terahertz waves in each of the cases and illustrate our general theoretical predictions. This scheme provides a new effective method for the design of terahertz multifunctional devices.
Phase error analysis and compensation for motion in high-speed phase measurement profilometry
Authors: Li Xuexing , Zhang Wenhui
Published: March 2021

High-speed three-dimensional (3D) measurement is increasingly important in many fields. Phase measurement profilometry (PMP) based on the binary defocusing technique has been applied to the high-speed 3D measurement scene for its higher measurement resolution and precision, and breaking the speed limitations of projector. However, because the PMP needs three phase-shifting (3-PS) patterns, motion error is inevitable to measuring dynamic objects. In this research, we construct a complete high-speed 3-PS PMP system, and re-derive two clearer motion error models than those in Weise’s research [Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) (IEEE, 2007), pp. 110.1109/CVPR.2007.383291]. Then, we theoretically analyze the effects of the truncation error on the model accuracy, especially when the motion error is higher. To this end, a polynominal-based motion error model by fitting coefficient matrix of pre-simulation is proposed. Meanwhile, its corresponding error compensation method based on local domain estimation of the Nelder-Mead algorithm is developed. Finally, both simulations and quantitative and qualitative experiments verify the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method, as well as demonstrate the proposed method has improvements compared with the Weise’s research.
Expansion microscopy provides new insights into the cytoskeleton of malaria parasites including the conservation of a conoid
Authors: Bertiaux Eloïse , Balestra Aurélia C. , Bournonville Lorène , Louvel Vincent , Maco Bohumil , Soldati-Favre Dominique , Brochet Mathieu , Guichard Paul , Hamel Virginie
Published: March 2021

Malaria is caused by unicellularPlasmodiumparasites.Plasmodiumrelies on diverse microtubule cytoskeletal structures for its reproduction, multiplication, and dissemination. Due to the small size of this parasite, its cytoskeleton has been primarily observable by electron microscopy (EM). Here, we demonstrate that the nanoscale cytoskeleton organisation is within reach using ultrastructure expansion microscopy (U-ExM). In developing microgametocytes, U-ExM allows monitoring the dynamic assembly of axonemes and concomitant tubulin polyglutamylation in whole cells. In the invasive merozoite and ookinete forms, U-ExM unveils the diversity acrossPlasmodiumstages and species of the subpellicular microtubule arrays that confer cell rigidity. In ookinetes, we additionally identify an apical tubulin ring (ATR) that colocalises with markers of the conoid in related apicomplexan parasites. This tubulin-containing structure was presumed to be lost inPlasmodiumdespite its crucial role in motility and invasion in other apicomplexans. Here, U-ExM reveals that a divergent and considerably reduced form of the conoid is actually conserved inPlasmodiumspecies.
Molecular characterization of the conoid complex in Toxoplasma reveals its conservation in all apicomplexans, including Plasmodium species
Authors: Koreny Ludek , Zeeshan Mohammad , Barylyuk Konstantin , Tromer Eelco C. , van Hooff Jolien J. E. , Brady Declan , Ke Huiling , Chelaghma Sara , Ferguson David J. P. , Eme Laura , Tewari Rita , Waller Ross F.
Published: March 2021

The apical complex is the instrument of invasion used by apicomplexan parasites, and the conoid is a conspicuous feature of this apparatus found throughout this phylum. The conoid, however, is believed to be heavily reduced or missing fromPlasmodiumspecies and other members of the class Aconoidasida. Relatively few conoid proteins have previously been identified, making it difficult to address how conserved this feature is throughout the phylum, and whether it is genuinely missing from some major groups. Moreover, parasites such asPlasmodiumspecies cycle through 3 invasive forms, and there is the possibility of differential presence of the conoid between these stages. We have applied spatial proteomics and high-resolution microscopy to develop a more complete molecular inventory and understanding of the organisation of conoid-associated proteins in the model apicomplexanToxoplasma gondii. These data revealed molecular conservation of all conoid substructures throughout Apicomplexa, includingPlasmodium, and even in allied Myzozoa such asChromeraand dinoflagellates. We reporter-tagged and observed the expression and location of several conoid complex proteins in the malaria modelP.bergheiand revealed equivalent structures in all of its zoite forms, as well as evidence of molecular differentiation between blood-stage merozoites and the ookinetes and sporozoites of the mosquito vector. Collectively, we show that the conoid is a conserved apicomplexan element at the heart of the invasion mechanisms of these highly successful and often devastating parasites.
Excitatory-inhibitory tone shapes decision strategies in a hierarchical neural network model of multi-attribute choice
Authors: Pettine Warren Woodrich , Louie Kenway , Murray John D. , Wang Xiao-Jing
Published: March 2021

We are constantly faced with decisions between alternatives defined by multiple attributes, necessitating an evaluation and integration of different information sources. Time-varying signals in multiple brain areas are implicated in decision-making; but we lack a rigorous biophysical description of how basic circuit properties, such as excitatory-inhibitory (E/I) tone and cascading nonlinearities, shape attribute processing and choice behavior. Furthermore, how such properties govern choice performance under varying levels of environmental uncertainty is unknown. We investigated two-attribute, two-alternative decision-making in a dynamical, cascading nonlinear neural network with three layers: an input layer encoding choice alternative attribute values; an intermediate layer of modules processing separate attributes; and a final layer producing the decision. Depending on intermediate layer E/I tone, the network displays distinct regimes characterized by linear (I), convex (II) or concave (III) choice indifference curves. In regimes I and II, each option’s attribute information is additively integrated. In regime III, time-varying nonlinear operations amplify the separation between offer distributions by selectively attending to the attribute with the larger differences in input values. At low environmental uncertainty, a linear combination most consistently selects higher valued alternatives. However, at high environmental uncertainty, regime III is more likely than a linear operation to select alternatives with higher value. Furthermore, there are conditions where readout from the intermediate layer could be experimentally indistinguishable from the final layer. Finally, these principles are used to examine multi-attribute decisions in systems with reduced inhibitory tone, leading to predictions of different choice patterns and overall performance between those with restrictions on inhibitory tone and neurotypicals.
Transcriptional rewiring of the GcrA/CcrM bacterial epigenetic regulatory system in closely related bacteria
Authors: Adhikari Satish , Erill Ivan , Curtis Patrick D.
Published: March 2021

Transcriptional rewiring is the regulation of different target genes by orthologous regulators in different organisms. While this phenomenon has been observed, it has not been extensively studied, particularly in core regulatory systems. Several global cell cycle regulators are conserved in the Alphaproteobacteria, providing an excellent model to study this phenomenon. First characterized in Caulobacter crescentus, GcrA and CcrM compose a DNA methylation-based regulatory system that helps coordinate the complex life cycle of this organism. These regulators are well-conserved across Alphaproteobacteria, but the extent to which their regulatory targets are conserved is not known. In this study, the regulatory targets of GcrA and CcrM were analyzed by SMRT-seq, RNA-seq, and ChIP-seq technologies in the Alphaproteobacterium Brevundimonas subvibrioides, and then compared to those of its close relative C. crescentus that inhabits the same environment. Although the regulators themselves are highly conserved, the genes they regulate are vastly different. GcrA directly regulates 204 genes in C. crescentus, and though B. subvibrioides has orthologs to 147 of those genes, only 48 genes retained GcrA binding in their promoter regions. Additionally, only 12 of those 48 genes demonstrated significant transcriptional change in a gcrA mutant, suggesting extensive transcriptional rewiring between these organisms. Similarly, out of hundreds of genes CcrM regulates in each of these organisms, only 2 genes were found in common. When multiple Alphaproteobacterial genomes were analyzed bioinformatically for potential GcrA regulatory targets, the regulation of genes involved in DNA replication and cell division was well conserved across the Caulobacterales but not outside this order. This work suggests that significant transcriptional rewiring can occur in cell cycle regulatory systems even over short evolutionary distances.
Climatic and socio-economic factors supporting the co-circulation of dengue, Zika and chikungunya in three different ecosystems in Colombia
Authors: Morgan Jasmine , Strode Clare , Salcedo-Sora J. Enrique
Published: March 2021

Dengue, Zika and chikungunya are diseases of global health significance caused by arboviruses and transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti, which is of worldwide circulation. The arrival of the Zika and chikungunya viruses to South America increased the complexity of transmission and morbidity caused by these viruses co-circulating in the same vector mosquito species. Here we present an integrated analysis of the reported arbovirus cases between 2007 and 2017 and local climate and socio-economic profiles of three distinct Colombian municipalities (Bello, Cúcuta and Moniquirá). These locations were confirmed as three different ecosystems given their contrasted geographic, climatic and socio-economic profiles. Correlational analyses were conducted with both generalised linear models and generalised additive models for the geographical data. Average temperature, minimum temperature and wind speed were strongly correlated with disease incidence. The transmission of Zika during the 2016 epidemic appeared to decrease circulation of dengue in Cúcuta, an area of sustained high incidence of dengue. Socio-economic factors such as barriers to health and childhood services, inadequate sanitation and poor water supply suggested an unfavourable impact on the transmission of dengue, Zika and chikungunya in all three ecosystems. Socio-demographic influencers were also discussed including the influx of people to Cúcuta, fleeing political and economic instability from neighbouring Venezuela. Aedes aegypti is expanding its range and increasing the global threat of these diseases. It is therefore vital that we learn from the epidemiology of these arboviruses and translate it into an actionable local knowledge base. This is even more acute given the recent historical high of dengue cases in the Americas in 2019, preceding the COVID-19 pandemic, which is itself hampering mosquito control efforts.
Lipid profiles and differential lipids in serum related to severity of community-acquired pneumonia: A pilot study
Authors: Chen Li , Zheng Yali , Zhao Lili , Zhang Ying , Yin Lu , He Yukun , Ma Xinqian , Xu Yu , Gao Zhancheng
Published: March 2021

This study aimed to characterize the lipidomic responses to community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and provide new insight into the underlying mechanisms of pathogenesis and potential avenues for diagnostic and therapeutic treatments. This study was performed from January 2017 to October 2018. Lipidomic profiles were generated using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) platform. Spearman’s rank correlation test and multiple linear regression analysis were applied to explore the correlation between changes in the relative abundance of lipids and clinical parameters. Kaplan–Meier methods were used to build 30-day survival curves. From the UHPLC-MS/MS results, a total of 509 and 195 lipid species were detected in the positive and negative ionization mode respectively. Positive ionization covered six lipid classes (glycerol-phospholipids, glycerolipids, sphingolipids, sterol-lipids, prenol-lipids, and fatty acid), whilst negative ionization covered three (glycerol-phospholipids, sphingolipids, fatty acid). Four lipids were selected as targets: PC (16:0_18:1), PC (18:2_20:4), PC (36:4), and PC (38:6). The relative increase of the areas under the curves for all four lipids were superior to the pneumonia severity index and CURB-65 (confusion, urea, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and age ≥65 years old) for discriminating severe CAP from CAP. Decreasing relative levels of PC (18:2_20:4), PC (38:6), and PC (36:4) were negatively related to fraction of inspiration O2; Changes in the relative abundance of PC (16:0_18:1) and PC (18:2_20:4) had significantly linear relationship with procalcitonin. Patients with an elevated level of PC (16:0_18:1) had significantly longer duration of hospital stays. As the relative abundance of PC (18:2_20:4), PC (36:4), and PC (38:6) decreased, the length of hospitalization days and 30-day mortality rate increased significantly (all log-rank p<0.05). Therefore, using the UHPLC-MS/MS platform’s serum lipidomic approach can help reveal changes in lipid abundance during CAP and establish lipid profiles related to disease severity.
Rhabdomyolysis related to acute recreational drug toxicity—A Euro-DEN study
Authors: Waldman Wojciech , Kabata Piotr M. , Dines Alison M. , Wood David M. , Yates Christopher , Heyerdahl Fridtjof , Hovda Knut Erik , Giraudon Isabelle ,   Euro-DEN Research Group, Dargan Paul I. , Sein Anand Jacek
Published: March 2021

Background

This study was conducted to retrospectively assess the relationships between: rhabdomyolysis (quantified by creatine kinase (CK) activity) and kidney injury (quantified by serum creatinine concentration), sex, age, body temperature on admission, presence of seizures, and agitation or aggression in patients presenting to the Emergency Department with acute recreational drug toxicity. We also investigated the association with the substances ingested.

Methods

All presentations to the 16 sentinel Euro-DEN centres in 10 European countries with acute recreational drug toxicity during the first year of the Euro-DEN study (October 2013 to September 2014) were considered. Cases that had abnormal CK activity recorded as part of routine clinical care were divided into 3 cohorts depending on peak CK activity. Cases with normal CK activity were included as a control group (4th cohort).

Results

Only 1,015 (18.4%) of the 5,529 Euro-DEN presentations had CK activity concentration recorded. Of this group 353 (34.8%) had also creatinine concentration measured. There were 375 (36.9%) with minor rhabdomyolysis, 69 (6.8%) with moderate rhabdomyolysis, and 24 (2.4%) with severe rhabdomyolysis; 547 (53.9%) were included in the control group. There was a positive correlation between CK activity and creatinine concentration (correlation coefficient r = 0.71, p<0.0001). There was no correlation between CK activity and body temperature at the time of presentation to the ED (correlation coefficient r = 0.07, p = 0.03). There was a positive correlation between CK activity and length of stay in the hospital (r = 0.31, p<0.001). There was no association between CK activity and the presence of seizures (p = 0.33) or agitation/aggression (p = 0.45), patients age (p = 0.4) or sex (p = 0.25). The 5 most common agents amongst patients presenting with rhabdomyolysis were: cocaine (n = 107; 22.9% presentations), amphetamine (76; 16.2%), cannabis (74; 15.8%), GHB/GBL (72; 15.4%) and heroin (67; 14.3%). The distribution of rhabdomyolysis in 5 most common drugs was (drug; patients with rhabdomyolysis, patients without rhabdomyolysis): cocaine (107, 122), cannabis (74, 117), GHB/GBL (72, 81), amphetamine (76, 66), heroin (67, 70).

Conclusions

Abnormal values of CK activity occurred in almost half (46.1%) of presentations to the Emergency Department with acute recreational drug toxicity in whom CK activity was measured; however, severe rhabdomyolysis is seen in only a small minority (2.4%). Those with rhabdomyolysis are at significantly higher risk of kidney injury and have a longer length of hospital stay.
Anlotinib-containing regimen for advanced small-cell lung cancer: A protocol of meta-analysis
Authors: Yu Guocan , Cai Qingshan , Xu Xudong , Shen Yanqin , Xu Kan
Published: March 2021

Background

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a highly malignant lung cancer with a very poor prognosis. Clinical treatment options for SCLC are still limited, especially for patients who have failed first or second line therapy. Anlotinib is a potentially beneficial new treatment option for SCLC. The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anlotinib-containing regimen for the treatment of SCLC.

Methods

We will search SinoMed, Wanfang Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Embase, Cochrane Library, and PubMed for relevant articles that may meet the criteria published before March 31, 2021. We will perform a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of anlotinib-containing regimen for the treatment of SCLC. Clinical randomized controlled trials comparing anlotinib-containing regimens with other treatment regimens for advanced SCLC will be included in this study. The risk of bias will be evaluated for each included study using the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. We will use RevMan 5.3 software for statistical analysis of the data.

Results

The results of this study will provide evidence of anlotinib-containing regimens for advanced SCLC, and provide clinicians and patients with another convenient and effective treatment regimen for SCLC. This meta-analysis will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis will provide clinical evidence of anlotinib-containing regimens for advanced SCLC, which may or may not be found for anlotinib use.

Systematic review registration

INPLASY202110034.