bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Analyse multicomponentielle de la combinaison Voilà pour en français moderne
Authors: Porhiel Sylvie
Published: August 2013

The aim of this paper is to analyse the combination Voilà pour in modern French. In order to deal with this linguistic item our analysis combines four components: a morphosyntactic component, a lexical component, an enunciative and pragmatic component and a textual component. By doing so, we established that voilà pour X can be interpreted on a deictic or on a textual level. In the first case pour introduces an addressee and in the second, pour is a thematic introducer. Voilà pour is then used at the end of a thematic development and is semantically dependent from a previous textual portion.
Intensité et délocutivité dans les adverbes en -ment
Authors: Rouanne Laurence
Published: August 2013

The diachronic study of a series of adverbs derived from what seems to be a noun — diablement, bigrement, fichtrement, among others — provides the basis for positing the delocutive origin of these adverbs. The study illustrates how their high degree value is developed from a specific enunciative strategy, used by the speaker of the corresponding interjections: Diable !, Bigre !, Fichtre !, etc. The article highlights various syntactical, relational criteria which characterise this type of adverb, contrasting them with others such as drôlement or prodigieusement, which also denote intensity. Finally, the adverbs in question are included in the category of “markers of enunciative attitude”.
Monologue à plusieurs voix
Authors: Toftgaard Anders
Published: August 2013

Noting that both the earliest readers of Montaigne’s Essais and their modern counterparts have likened them to a dialogue with a friend, this article seeks to explore the work’s dialogic characteristics. The humanist dialogue is an obvious precursor to the Essais, and even though Montaigne voiced dissatisfaction with Plato’s dialogues, he aspired to match Plato’s style, not least in achieving a conversational tone. Three different elements of dialogue are analysed : the “Dialogue of One” between the different parts of Montaigne’s mind, the dialogue between the author and the writers quoted and paraphrased, and the use of direct address to the reader to invite or provoke the reader to enter into dialogue with the author. This essay is concerned to show how Montaigne uses the dialogue to create an entirely new genre, poised between monologue and dialogue.
Una ciudad dilatada por la luz
Authors: Lauge Hansen Hans
Published: August 2013

The purpose of this article is to analyze the function of art in the narrative of Antonio Muñoz Molina. Through the interpretation of the narrative function of paintings by renowned artists like Cézanne, Rembrandt, Velázquez and Mark Rothko in four works, The Winter in Lisbon, The Polish Rider, Sefarad and The Windows of Manhattan, I will pursue the hypothesis that the works of art play the role of identity giving metaphors for the characters. At the same time the painting play the role of “entelechies” in the narrative structure, as well for the characters as for the reader, because it is only through the interpretation of the paintings that each narrative obtains coherence and plenitude.
Lexique et point de vue : l’angle syntagmatique
Authors: Veniard Marie
Published: August 2013

This article tackles the question of point of view carried by lexicon. Whereas this subject is often considered from a paradigmatic perspective, this article proposes to describe it from a syntagmatic perspective. The word guerre (war) and the three syntagms la guerre (de X) avec Y, la guerre (de X) contre Y or la guerre entre X et Y are described in a press corpus. It appears that these syntagms configure a way of seeing the conflict relation (as reciprocal or not). Whereas at a paradigmatic level, the locutor is often considered as an explanatory factor for point of view, this study of point of view at a syntagmatic level points out different factors regulating occurrences: at a linguistic level, the characteristics of the prepositions, from which depend how far away X is from Y, and at a mixed textual and referential level, the salience of the event.
Modales ambiguos
Authors: Borgonovo Claudia
Published: August 2013

This article explores the interaction of Tense, Aspect and Modality in French, Italian and Spanish, languages in which Modals are inflected as main verbs. Imperfective modals are a-averidical, as modals are expected to be, but when they appear in a perfective tense, unexpected entailments and implicatures appear. For example, the following example is three-way ambiguous in Spanish; the corresponding example is two way-ambiguous in Italian and French:

P. may have won, could have won, managed to win the race

The three readings, epistemic, counterfactual and implicative, are derived from the alternative orderings of three heads, Tense, Aspect and Modal; any ordering in which Modal scopes over Tense is out on semantic grounds; these leaves three possible orderings which result in the three readings. In the epistemic construal, Modal has scope over Tense and Aspect, which are read on the infinitive. As a result, Modal Evaluation Time is at Utterance Time and the lower infinitive is Past and Perfective. There is no interaction between Modal and the other two heads and averidicality is the result. In the counterfactual reading,Tense scopes over Modal, which in turn scopes over Aspect: the result is a past Modal Evaluation; Perfective Aspect makes the interval in which verifying instances of the lower event are sought bounded, which contributes settledness. These are the crucial ingredients for counterfactuality. When Tense and Aspect are both read on the modal, the lower event is entailed and an implicative reading ensues. Italian and French do not have the counterfactual reading because their only surviving perfective past is a morphological perfect which, since it involves a resulting state, is incompatible with counterfactuality. Spanish perfecto also lacks this reading.
La désignation exemplaire dans Les Nouvelles françaises de Segrais
Authors: Gollut Jean-Daniel , Zufferey Joël
Published: August 2013

In the Nouvelles françaises, the designation of characters is remarkable for its high frequency of indefinite expressions. Many occurrences of such expressions are non-standard, insofar as they aim at referents which have already been identified and named. On the basis of the semantic implications inherent to indefinite descriptions, our study aims at understanding the discursive effect produced by these turns of phrase and at accounting for their choice within the frame of the literary genre used by Segrais.
Come et ses propositions subordonnées en italien contemporain
Authors: Mazzoleni Marco , Scampa Paolo
Published: August 2013

This paper describes the syntactic behaviour, the different possible semantic values and some pragma-textual functions of dependent clauses introduced by come in contemporary Italian. These clauses may occur as arguments of a predicative element (a verb, or a relational noun or adverbial element) or as sentence margins — i.e. adverbial clauses, in traditional terms: in the first case they are embedded as objective/subjective clauses or indirect wh-questions, with a modal meaning ; in the second case the subordinating conjunction come expresses an inter-clausal link between the two connected propositions, with a modal or “analogy” comparative meaning, but it may be also inferentially interpreted in a range of other values. Finally, at the discourse level these clauses may be used by the speaker to comment upon his/her utterance, and assume an inter- or intra(meta)-textual function.
Désadjectivaux formés par conversion et double catégorisation
Authors: Lecolle Michelle
Published: August 2013

This article deals with adjective-to-noun conversion in French, namely the case of -aire derived lexemes. It is argued here that the intermediate and hybrid status of certain bi-categorial adjective/noun items can be viewed as an intermediate theoretical step on the way to actual conversion; we call this general process “transcategorisation” rather than “conversion”. After describing the two main types of -aire derivation, and the corpus constituted by adjectives and bi-categorial -aire items, we suggest two adjective-to-noun “transcategorisation” models according to the two types of -aire derived lexemes: a model “A”, where the fundamental nominal value is abstract and refers to a generic or collective notion, such as l’alimentaire “alimentary stuff”; and a model “B”, involving ellipsis, where the nominal value is concrete and refers to a class of human individuals or objects.
Quand la routine s’installe
Authors: Aurnague Michel
Published: August 2013

The use of the preposition à ‘at’ involving ‘social routines’ gave rise to less attention than its locative use in the linguistic literature on space. In this paper, we highlight the main properties of this use of the preposition –‘functional’ expression of an activity or state, neutrality to number, possible lack of reference to a landmark/ground entity– by successively examining landmark nouns that refer to ‘objects’ and to ‘locations’. On this basis, we then sketch out the semantic mechanism which, according to us, seems to underlie this interpretation of the preposition à. Finally, we parallel this semantic functioning with that of bare singular nouns and incorporated nominals as recently described in the literature.
Un análisis cognitivo-funcional de la concordancia verbal con construcciones (pseudo)partitivas del tipo [N1 + de + N2]
Authors: Verveckken Katrien , Cornillie Bert
Published: August 2013

In this paper we present a corpus-based, cognitive-linguistic account of the singular/plural agreement alternation with binominal constructions belonging to the [N1singular + de + N2plural]-type. From a syntagmatic point of view, plural agreement reflects a shift from N1 as the head of the Noun Phrase towards N1 being a quantifier to N2. This view is in line with grammaticalization theory and holds for many examples, yet there are important counterexamples where we find a singular verb despite N1 being used as a quantifier. The Hispanic linguistic literature mentions several factors that would favor plural agreement with N2 such as an indefinite article, the distance between the verb and the subject, the position of the subject and pseudopartitive rather than partitive use. The corpus analysis will show that these factors are not conclusive. Our alternative account has recourse to the concept of lexical persistence and shows to what extent the quantifier use of N1 retains semantic features associated with the head use of N1. We argue that verbal agreement phenomena can be motivated by the interaction between lexical persistence and the morpho-syntactic and semantic criteria listed in literature. Lexical persistence is thus not a side effect of the grammaticalization process, but a crucial dimension of binominal constructions in that it allows us to explain quantifier uses of N1 with a singular verb.
Tu lui les as donnés ?
Authors: Violin-Wigent Anne
Published: August 2013

Tuaillon (1983) claims that variation in the order of third-person multiple object pronouns is a “clear regionalism” from the lower Rhone valley. To investigate this phenomenon in Briançon, a small town in southeastern France, 41 participants from this area filled out an acceptability judgment questionnaire, evaluating sentences with such pronouns in different orders. The results of statistical tests show that, even though participants prefer the standard French order, they also accept the reversed order (standard ‘le lui’ vs. reversed ‘lui le’). The analysis also suggests a change in apparent time (which seems to coincide with economic and social changes in the region since WWII) as well as age grading.
El humo dormido, de Gabriel Miró
Authors: Corona Guillermo Laín
Published: August 2013

From the beginning of his literary career, Gabriel Miró (Alicante, 1879 — Madrid, 1930) has been considered a poet in prose, a lyricist or even a stylist. Of course, one cannot ignore that Miró’s work is highly poetic, as for the beauty of his language and landscapes or for some themes easily associated with Romantic lyrical commonplaces. But this is just a superficial screen behind which other narrative qualities are hidden. Indeed, Miró seems to use lyricism to deliberately conceal the narration, somewhat as a form of subliming it. This can be best seen when analysing El humo dormido (1919), for it is one of his books that has most often been praised as lyrical, but, although not exactly a novel, it hides a strong narrative structure of apprenticeship with an allegorical political meaning.
Poétique de la rupture spectrale
Authors: Barnett R.-L. Etienne
Published: August 2013

Sociologists and historians of genealogical filiations invoke modernity as the dissolution of traditional communities that formerly, albeit oft tacitly, bound descendants to ancestors. So as to invent oneself spontaneously and without restraint, the modern figure breaks with the strictures of the past, forging a path toward liberation. This newly-minted “emancipation” gives way to a sense of discomfortable culpability among contemporary “scribes.” In quest of remedy, they fashion a space, at once disturbing yet inviting to the ghosts and spectres of primogenitors, a space that both supports and distorts the words of heir(s). In such an optic, Sylvie Germain (1954) and Jean Rouaud (1952), Gérard Macé (1946), Pierre Michon (1945) and Pierre Bergounioux (1949) are powerfully haunted writers. As beneficiaries/successors, their gestures recall past lives and their words replicate their parents’ inflections and manner of verbal discourse. They are, as such, dispossessed of a familial past that represents little but ruin and grief, yet possessed by those absent beings who intrude obsessively on their consciousness and speech. They are heirs torn apart by a melancholy that extends to the grave of their “predecessors.” Contemporary literature vies with this spectral theme to analyze the ambivalence occasioned by such haunting refrains: artistic victims, orphans and parricidal vestiges of a family past, significantly impacted by the unconscious and linguistic upheavals that accompany such compelling loss.
À propos de l’écriture catholicisante dans l’œuvre de Strindberg
Authors: Cedergren Mickaëlle
Published: August 2013

After his years of exile in France, Strindberg displayed a renewed interest in theatre and demonstrated a genuine sympathy towards the Catholic religion which he had come to know through fin de siècle French literature. In adopting an Catholicising writing, Strindberg assimilated these cultural borrowings, resemanticizing them in accordance with his personal past and social context. This paper takes as its starting point a hermeneutic reflection upon the value of cultural transfers, drawing on concepts provided by imagology and the notion of cultural transfers developed by Bourdieu and Espagne. Through his practice of rewriting, Strindberg displays his adherence to several national cultural spaces. In this paper, I will shed light on Strindberg’s writing’s hybrid nature and its innovative strength.
Les Souffrances du jeune Werther de Goethe comme réponse à La Nouvelle Héloïse de Rousseau
Authors: Alharbi Sarah
Published: August 2013

This article pursues the analysis of Hans Robert Jauss’s conception of “Aesthetic Experience”, as developed in Ästhetische Erfahrung und literarische Hermeneutik. The critical implication of hermeneutics in literary analysis is still considered problematic. In his book, Jauss goes beyond disciplinary limits and asserts that a hermeneutical methodology is in fact relevant in postmodern literary theory. He then provides the principles of this approach : historical consciousness and dialectical hermeneutics are here considered to be the main events involved in the act of interpretation, for they broaden one’s understanding of the text. This study, divided into two parts — theoretical and literary —, examines first the conceptual nature of “Aesthetic Experience”. It then presents an example of one of Jauss’s most important hermeneutical essays : a comparative reading of The Sorrows of Young Werther and The New Héloïse. We wish to prove the relevance of literary hermeneutics and the significance of its application, a process that understands the author “better than he understood himself”.
Manière de faire et manière d’être
Authors: Moline Estelle
Published: August 2013

This article aims to describe the differences between à la mode de (SN) ‘in the fashion of’ and à la mode ‘fashionable’. These two constructions are characterised by the fact that in the first one, the noun mode must be modified by a prepositional phrase, an adjective or a relative clause, whereas in the second one, modification is impossible. In contemporary French, these constructions appear in different syntactic contexts : à la mode de (SN) works both as an adjectival or a verbal modifier, whereas à la mode behaves as an adjectival modifier only. Though à la mode first appears as an ellipsis of à la mode de (SN), the noun mode has different meanings in these two constructions : it must be understood with its ancient meaning of ‘manner’ in the first case, but with a more recent meaning of ‘fashion’ in the second one.
Sparing Fish Oil with Beef Tallow in Feeds for Rainbow Trout: Effects of Inclusion Rates and Finishing on Production Performance and Tissue Fatty Acid Composition
Authors: Gause Brian R , Trushenski Jesse T
Published: August 2013

Sparing fish oil with alternative lipids in aquafeeds generally results in the loss of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) from farmed fish tissues; however, finishing feeds can be used to augment LC-PUFA levels prior to harvest. We reared Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (initial weight, 47.0 ± 0.2 g [mean ± SE]) in a recirculation aquaculture system (190-L tanks; 16.1 ± 0.0°C water temperature) on grow-out diets containing fish oil (FO; 100% FO), beef tallow (BT; 100% BT), or blends of these lipids (50% BT, 75% BT) in combination with 4, 8, or 12 weeks of finishing with the 100% FO feed (three replicate tanks per feeding regimen; N = 3). After 31 weeks, production performance was unaffected by feeding regimen: weight gain = 1,151 ± 30%, feed conversion ratio = 1.50 ± 0.03, specific growth rate = 1.15 ± 0.01% body weight/d, and feed intake = 2.19 ± 0.02% body weight/d. Replacing fish oil with beef tallow altered tissues in favor of tallow-associated monounsaturated fatty acids at the expense of fish-oil-associated LC-PUFAs. Finishing had a corrective effect on these distortions, with longer finishing periods resulting in more comprehensive restoration. The extent of profile distortion and plasticity of the fillet, liver, intraperitoneal fat, eye, gill, and brain tissues appeared to be a function of physiological demand for certain fatty acids, lipid class composition, and tissue turnover rates; however, for all tissues, profile similarity between the control (fish fed the 100% FO feed exclusively) and experimental regimens varied with cumulative fish oil intake. Our results indicate fish oil sparing with beef tallow is an effective approach to reduce the costs of Rainbow Trout production and, if combined with finishing to augment the LC-PUFA content of the edible tissues, produce more nutritious seafood while minimizing the reliance on fish oil as a feedstuff.
Crop Insurance Adjusted Panel Data Envelopment Analysis Efficiency Measures
Authors: Shaik Saleem
Published: August 2013

The Swamy‐Arora panel data envelopment analysis model is used to estimate crop insurance adjusted efficiency based on an alternative two‐way random effect panel estimator. An empirical application using data from 48 U.S. states from 1960 to 2004 indicate the crop insurance adjusted panel model underestimates (overestimates) efficiency in 35 (13) states relative to the pool model. A comparison of efficiency over three time periods—1960 to 1979, 1980 to 1995, and 1996 to 2004—suggests differential trends. The crop insurance adjusted panel model underestimates (overestimates) efficiency in 32 (16) states relative to the model without crop insurance.
Structural insights into VirB-DNA complexes reveal mechanism of transcriptional activation of virulence genes
Authors: Gao Xiaopan , Zou Tingting , Mu Zhixia , Qin Bo , Yang Jian , Waltersperger Sandro , Wang Meitian , Cui Sheng , Jin Qi
Published: August 2013

VirB activates transcription of virulence genes in Shigella flexneri by alleviating heat-stable nucleoid-structuring protein-mediated promoter repression. VirB is unrelated to the conventional transcriptional regulators, but homologous to the plasmid partitioning proteins. We determined the crystal structures of VirB HTH domain bound by the cis-acting site containing the inverted repeat, revealing that the VirB-DNA complex is related to ParB-ParS-like complexes, presenting an example that a ParB-like protein acts exclusively in transcriptional regulation. The HTH domain of VirB docks DNA major groove and provides multiple contacts to backbone and bases, in which the only specific base readout is mediated by R167. VirB only recognizes one half site of the inverted repeats containing the most matches to the consensus for VirB binding. The binding of VirB induces DNA conformational changes and introduces a bend at an invariant A-tract segment in the cis-acting site, suggesting a role of DNA remodeling. VirB exhibits positive cooperativity in DNA binding that is contributed by the C-terminal domain facilitating VirB oligomerization. The isolated HTH domain only confers partial DNA specificity. Additional determinants for sequence specificity may reside in N- or C-terminal domains. Collectively, our findings support and extend a previously proposed model for relieving heat-stable nucleoid-structuring protein-mediated repression by VirB.
Three-dimensional lubrication theory in viscoelastic short-bearing
Authors: Celasun Şule
Published: August 2013

Purpose

– The advent of powerful digital computers has seen interest in non-Newtonian fluid mechanics moving towards the solution of complex flow problems for highly elastic liquids in situations of practical importance. Attention must be focussed on the possibility of three-dimensional flow characteristics occurring in seemingly two-dimensional flows. That is the case of the viscoelastic short-bearing. The planar Newtonian case was first studied, but because of the inlet and outlet boundary conditions it was necessary to consider the three-dimensional Newtonian case. There, due to computational difficulties and lack of certitude, it was assumed that the pressure is zero, due to cavitation, over the segment π<<2π. This is an unrealistic assumption. Last investigations proved that, in normal conditions, the cavitation effect is not dominant in journal bearings. The viscoelastic case is even more complicated, and so far it was not possible to tackle the problem in hand in its whole generality. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– Encouraged by the new opportunities above mentioned, the paper ventured to tackle this difficult problem, in the most general conditions, that is without setting any restriction or making limiting assumptions, by the use of three-dimensional numerical methods. As the analytical methods, including the perturbation techniques, are quite inadequate to solve complex flow problems, the paper were compelled to use numerical methods, being meant to choose the treated numerical case typical and of broad application range, thus fitting into overall parameter space of the problem.

Findings

– The results were satisfactory.

Originality/value

– The paper determined that the shear-thinning is considerable, and despite the necessary torque remains the same as considered in the previous theoretical analyses, the lifting force is twice its anticipated value, the latter being an important and conclusive proof.
Mechanical and metallurgical properties of AlTiN-coated HSS materials
Authors: Sahin Mumin , Dinç Murat , Misirli Cenk
Published: August 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine mechanical and metallurgical properties of AlTiN coating HSS materials in detail.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this study, high-speed steel (HSS) parts were processed by the way of machining and were coated with AlTiN on physical vapour deposition (PVD) workbench at approximately 650°C for 4 h. Tensile strength, fatigue strength and hardness tests for AlTiN coated HSS samples were performed. Samples were also analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results were compared with uncoated HSS components.

Findings

– It was found that an amorphous aluminium-oxide layer emerges on surface of parts by AlTiN coating. This layer prevents further oxide formations. The coating thickness of AlTiN-coated sample is between 1,530 and 1,558 μm. Compared to uncoated HSS, AlTiN coated HSS gives higher performance.

Research limitations/implications

– It would be interesting to search different coatings for cutting tools. It could be the good idea for future work concentrated wear properties on tool materials using different coatings.

Originality/value

– This paper provides information on mechanical and metallurgical behaviour of AlTiN coated HSS materials and offers practical help for the researchers and scientists working in the coating area.
Investigations of constant-flow valves for hydrostatic bearings
Authors: Kang Yuan , Peng De-Xing , Lee Hsing-Han , Hu Sheng-Yan , Chang Yeon-Pun
Published: August 2013

Purpose

– Constant flow valves have been presented in industrial applications or academic studies, which compensate pressures of bearing recesses as load fluctuates. The flow rate of constant-flow valves (CFVs) can be constant in spite of the pressure changes in recesses. However, specific condition of design parameters must be satisfied. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper utilizes analytical method to study the static characteristics of CFVs, three types belong to traditional design of CFV are reviewed afresh. Moreover, an innovative design for constant flow is presented and studied.

Findings

– The review and study results reveal that appropriate relationships among design parameters for these types of CFVs.

Originality/value

– The numerical simulation is used to investigate the influence of design parameters on the change of flow rate when pressure ratio of recess is changed.
Study of soybean lecithin as multifunctional lubricating additives
Authors: Li Weimin , Wu Yanxia , Wang Xiaobo , Liu Weimin
Published: August 2013

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study the antirust, tribological performance and anti-wear (AW) mechanism of the of soybean lecithin (SL) as a kind of multifunctional lubricant additive.

Design/methodology/approach

– As a kind of multifunctional lubricant additive, the antirust performance of SL was tested according to ASTM D 665, and meanwhile, its tribological performances were also evaluated by Optimol SRV-I oscillating reciprocating friction and wear tester and four ball tester. The worn steel surfaces were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

Findings

– The results showed that the SL exhibited excellent antirust properties in different base stock, and could effectively improve the AW and extreme pressure (EP) performances. The results of SEM and XPS indicated that a protective film was formed between steel-steel friction pair during the tribological test.

Originality/value

– This paper first investigated the antirust properties and the tribological mechanism of the SL as a kind of multifunctional lubricant additive, which can be very useful and will promote the application of SL in lubricant industry.
Is there a pan-European perspective on evidence-based practice in child welfare? A critical reflection
Authors: Grietens Hans
Published: August 2013

Purpose

– This paper is about the implementation of the evidence-based practice paradigm in child welfare in Europe. Our main question is whether there is a pan-European perspective on evidence-based working in this area, and if so, how it can be characterised.

Design/methodology/approach

– We try to answer this question by means of a theoretical analysis, which is focusing on three issues: the construct “Europe”, recent evolutions in child welfare on the continent and the implementation of the evidence-based practice paradigm in child welfare.

Findings

– Europe is a patchwork of regions, cultures and laws. This impacts practice. Since more than a decade now, the evidence-based practice paradigm conquered child welfare. This evolution was preceded by a movement towards children's rights and quality of care. The way the paradigm is interpreted and put into practice in Europe is largely influenced by regional policies and local view points, which means there is no pan-European perspective on evidence-based working in child welfare.

Originality/value

– The lack of a pan-European perspective may be a strength, because it helps to blend evidence-based working with the need for an inclusive and culturally sensitive child welfare practice.
Legal process outsourcing: the provider landscape
Authors: Lacity Mary C. , Willcocks Leslie P.
Published: August 2013

Purpose

Nearly all legal firms and in‐house counsels will have to consider the opportunities and risks afforded by the rapidly changing legal process outsourcing (LPO) market, estimated to be worth $2.4bn globally, and growing rapidly. The purpose of this Industry Insight is to assess the current LPO provider landscape by analyzing data on 27 LPO providers.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors analyzed LPO provider data collected in 2011 by Orbys, a leading sourcing and transformation advisory firm based in Europe. The 27 providers in the sample include specialist LPO providers, full service LPO providers, and global BPO providers that offer LPO services. The authors assessed LPO provider services, provider competencies, geographic location, pricing, team composition, and staff turnover rates.

Findings

The LPO providers in the sample provide a variety of services, including litigation, intellectual property, corporate, compliance, procurement, employment, property, and consulting services. LPO providers allocated most of their human resources to litigation (26 percent), intellectual property (14 percent) and corporate/compliance (12 percent) services. LPO providers balance team composition – the percentage of onshore resources located close to the client versus offshore resources in low‐cost locations – to reduce client costs while still delivering quality services. The average team composition average was 22 percent of resources onshore and 78 percent of resources offshore, mostly in India. The authors also analyzed LPO prices by skill level and location. For example, the average daily rate for a fully qualified lawyer based in India was $248. LPO provider turnover rates ranged from 3 percent to 34 percent, with an average turnover of 15 percent.

Practical implications

This research on the LPO provider landscape helps to inform potential clients about LPO services and the global LPO landscape. The authors also identify three practices to help clients achieve success with LPO engagements. First, consider overall value, not just price. Second, mediate the effects of high LPO provider turnover. Third, assess and develop client‐retained capabilities, because outsourcing legal services is not about abdicating responsibility, but about learning to manage legal services in a different way.

Originality/value

Legal process outsourcing is the next evolution in the provision of services. Because the LPO market is less mature than the information technology outsourcing (ITO) and business process outsourcing (BPO) markets, very little research has been done on LPO in general or on LPO provider capabilities specifically. This Industry Insight helps to bridge the knowledge gap.
Relationship between γ‐interferon gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to brucellosis infection
Authors: Eskandari‐Nasab Ebrahim , Moghadampour Mehdi , Hasani Seyed‐Shahaboddin , Hadadi‐fishani Mehdi , Mirghanizadeh‐Bafghi Seyyed‐Ali , Asadi‐Saghandi Abolghasem , Zare Fateme , Sadeghi‐Kalani Behrooz , Ghazali‐bina Mehran
Published: August 2013

Interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ) is a pro‐inflammatory cytokine that plays a pivotal role in the defense mechanism against Brucella infection. It was hypothesized that the IFN‐γ in (+874 A/T in intron 1) TT and +5644 T/A, TT genotypes, which are reportedly associated with high IFN production, are associated with susceptibility to brucellosis in Iranian subjects. Genotyping of these IFN‐γ variants by an allele‐specific polymerase chain reaction method was performed in 281 subjects, comprising 153 patients with active brucellosis and 128 healthy controls. It was found that the +874 minor allele (A) and homozygote genotype (AA) were significantly more frequently present in brucellosis patients than in controls (OR = 2.588; 95% CI, 1.313–5.104;P = 0.006 for the AA genotype; OR = 1.575; 95% CI, 1.124–2.216;P = 0.010 for the A allele). However, the allelic and genotypic distribution of the IFN‐γ polymorphism at position UTR5644 A>T did not differ significantly between patients and controls (P > 0.05). The distribution of haplotypes in this study suggests that the T/A haplotype (+874/UTR5644), which was present more frequently in controls than in patients, may protect subjects against Brucella infection. It is suggested that IFN‐γ +874 AA genotype and A allele are risk factors for developing brucellosis infection in Iranian subjects.
A genetic algorithm for filter design to enhance features in seismic images
Authors: Orozco‐del‐Castillo M.G. , Ortiz‐Alemán C. , Urrutia‐Fucugauchi J. , Martin R. , Rodriguez‐Castellanos A. , Villaseñor‐Rojas P.E.
Published: August 2013

We present a novel method to enhance seismic data for manual and automatic interpretation. We use a genetic algorithm to optimize a kernel that, when convolved with the seismic image, appears to enhance the internal characteristics of salt bodies and the sub‐salt stratigraphy. The performance of the genetic algorithm was validated by the use of test images prior to its application on the seismic data. We present the evolution of the resulting kernel and its convolved image. This image was analysed by a seismic interpreter, highlighting possible advantages over the original one. The effects of the kernel were also subject to an automatic interpretation technique based on principal component analysis. Statistical comparison of these results with those from the original image, by means of the Mann‐Whitney U‐test, proved the convolved image to be more appropriate for automatic interpretation.
Surface L‐type Ca2+ channel expression levels are increased in aged hippocampus
Authors: Núñez‐Santana Félix Luis , Oh Myongsoo Matthew , Antion Marcia Diana , Lee Amy , Hell Johannes Wilhelm , Disterhoft John Francis
Published: August 2013

Age‐related increase in L‐type Ca2+ channel (LTCC) expression in hippocampal pyramidal neurons has been hypothesized to underlie the increased Ca2+ influx and subsequent reduced intrinsic neuronal excitability of these neurons that lead to age‐related cognitive deficits. Here, using specific antibodies against Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 subunits of LTCCs, we systematically re‐examined the expression of these proteins in the hippocampus from young (3 to 4 month old) and aged (30 to 32 month old) F344xBN rats. Western blot analysis of the total expression levels revealed significant reductions in both Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 subunits from all three major hippocampal regions of aged rats. Despite the decreases in total expression levels, surface biotinylation experiments revealed significantly higher proportion of expression on the plasma membrane of Cav1.2 in the CA1 and CA3 regions and of Cav1.3 in the CA3 region from aged rats. Furthermore, the surface biotinylation results were supported by immunohistochemical analysis that revealed significant increases in Cav1.2 immunoreactivity in the CA1 and CA3 regions of aged hippocampal pyramidal neurons. In addition, we found a significant increase in the level of phosphorylated Cav1.2 on the plasma membrane in the dentate gyrus of aged rats. Taken together, our present findings strongly suggest that age‐related cognitive deficits cannot be attributed to a global change in L‐type channel expression nor to the level of phosphorylation of Cav1.2 on the plasma membrane of hippocampal neurons. Rather, increased expression and density of LTCCs on the plasma membrane may underlie the age‐related increase in L‐type Ca2+ channel activity in CA1 pyramidal neurons.
Trichoscopic findings in alopecia areata and their relation to disease activity, severity and clinical subtype in Turkish patients
Authors: Kibar Melike , Aktan Şebnem , Lebe Banu , Bilgin Muzaffer
Published: August 2013

Background/Objective

Trichoscopic studies of alopecia areata are helpful in the non‐invasive diagnosis and prediction of the course of the disease. The objective was to determine the relationship of trichoscopic findings in alopecia areata with disease activity, severity and clinical subtype in Turkish patients.

Methods

Trichoscopic examinations of 39 patients with alopecia areata were compared with 309 alopecia patients including psoriasis (n = 31), seborrhoeic dermatitis (n = 112), female androgenetic alopecia (n = 138), male androgenetic alopecia (n = 63), female androgenetic alopecia of male pattern (n = 5), telogen effluvium (n = 22) and trichotillomania (n = 4). A χ2 test and logistic regression analysis were used for the statistical analysis. The odds ratios were calculated by cross tabulation.

Results

There was no relationship between the alopecia areata subtype and trichoscopic findings. On the other hand, a honeycomb hyperpigmentation pattern, cumulus‐like clustered white dots, white dots and black dotted pigmentation related to severe disease, while exclamation mark hairs related to mild disease. Exclamation mark hairs were found to be related to active disease while atypical red vessels and white dots were negatively related to disease activity.

Conclusion

In our study, further characteristic trichoscopic findings were detected in alopecia areata such as clustered white dots, multi‐hair follicular unit, hidden hairs and black dotted pigmentation, in addition to previous findings. Hence, it is concluded that the identification and prediction of alopecia areata might be straightforward with the help of these new signs such as activation and severity findings.
Heterogeneity of alleles encoding high‐ and low‐prevalence red blood cell antigens across Africa: useful data to facilitate transfusion in African patients
Authors: Silvy Monique , Beley Sophie , Granier Thomas , Ba Alhassane , Chiaroni Jacques , Bailly Pascal
Published: August 2013

Ethnic variations in red blood cell (RBC) antigens can be a source of alloimmunization, especially in migrant populations. To improve transfusion safety in continental Africa and countries with African migrants, we performed RBC genotyping to determine allele frequencies coding for high‐ and low‐prevalence antigens. A total of 481 blood samples were collected in ethnic groups from West, Central and East Africa. Molecular typing was performed using a polymerase chain reaction – reverse sequence specific oligonucleotide method. Results demonstrated no DI*1, DI*3, YT*2, SC*2, LW*7, KN*2 alleles in any sample and the CO*2 allele was rare. The frequency of LU*1 was comparable to that of European‐Caucasians (2%) except in Biaka pygmies (8%). The frequency of CROM*−1 was high in Mbuti pygmies (13%). High frequency of KN*7 and KN*6 may reflect selection pressure in the countries investigated. Analysis of Dombrock allele patterns confirmed uneven distribution of the DO*1 and DO*2 alleles with high frequencies of DO*−4 and DO*−5 in all groups. Altogether, findings demonstrated extensive allele‐frequency heterogeneity across Africa and suggested that knowledge of patient ethnicity gives information about the high‐prevalence antigens that may be lacking. These data are medically useful to support transfusion care of African migrants living in countries where the majority of the population is from a different ethnical background.
Increased L‐DOPA‐derived dopamine following selective MAO‐A or ‐B inhibition in rat striatum depleted of dopaminergic and serotonergic innervation
Authors: Sader‐Mazbar O , Loboda Y , Rabey M J , Finberg J P M
Published: August 2013

Background and Purpose

Selective MAO type B (MAO‐B) inhibitors are effective in potentiation of the clinical effect of L‐DOPA in Parkinson's disease, but dopamine (DA) is deaminated mainly by MAO type A (MAO‐A) in rat brain. We sought to clarify the roles of MAO‐A and MAO‐B in deamination of DA formed from exogenous L‐DOPA in rat striatum depleted of dopaminergic, or both dopaminergic and serotonergic innervations. We also studied the effect of organic cation transporter‐3 (OCT‐3) inhibition by decinium‐22 on extracellular DA levels following L‐DOPA.

Experimental Approach

Striatal dopaminergic and/or serotonergic neuronal innervations were lesioned by 6‐hydroxydopamine or 5,7‐dihydroxytryptamine respectively. Microdialysate DA levels after systemic L‐DOPA were measured after inhibition of MAO‐A or MAO‐B by clorgyline or rasagiline respectively. MAO subtype localization in the striatum was determined by immunofluorescence.

Key Results

Rasagiline increased DA extracellular levels following L‐DOPA to a greater extent in double‐ than in single‐lesioned rats (2.8‐ and 1.8‐fold increase, respectively, relative to saline treatment); however, clorgyline elevated DA levels in both models over 10‐fold. MAO‐A was strongly expressed in medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in intact and lesioned striata, while MAO‐B was localized in glia and to a small extent in MSNs. Inhibition of OCT‐3 increased DA levels in the double‐ more than the single‐lesion animals.

Conclusions and Implications

In striatum devoid of dopaminergic and serotonergic inputs, most deamination of L‐DOPA‐derived DA is mediated by MAO‐A in MSN and a smaller amount by MAO‐B in both MSN and glia. OCT‐3 plays a significant role in uptake of DA from extracellular space. Inhibitors of OCT‐3 are potential future targets for anti‐Parkinsonian treatments.
The serine‐threonine kinase p90RSK is a new target of enzastaurin in follicular lymphoma cells
Authors: Kheirallah S , Fruchon S , Ysebaert L , Blanc A , Capilla F , Marrot A , AlSaati T , Frenois F X , Benhadji K A , Fournié J J , Laurent G , Bezombes C
Published: August 2013

Background and Purpose

Follicular lymphoma is the second most common non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma and, despite the introduction of rituximab for its treatment, this disease is still considered incurable. Besides genetic alterations involving Bcl‐2, Bcl‐6 or c‐Myc, follicular lymphoma cells often display altered B‐cell receptor signalling pathways including overactive PKC and PI3K/Akt systems.

Experimental Approach

The effect of enzastaurin, an inhibitor of PKC, was evaluated both in vitro on follicular lymphoma cell lines and in vivo on a xenograft murine model. Using pharmacological inhibitors and siRNA transfection, we determined the different signalling pathways after enzastaurin treatment.

Key Results

Enzastaurin inhibited the serine‐threonine kinase p90RSK which has downstream effects on GSK3β. Bad and p70S6K. These signalling proteins control follicular lymphoma cell survival and apoptosis; which accounted for the inhibition by enzastaurin of cell survival and its induction of apoptosis of follicular lymphoma cell lines in vitro. Importantly, these results were replicated in vivo where enzastaurin inhibited the growth of follicular lymphoma xenografts in mice.

Conclusions and Implications

The targeting of p90RSK by enzastaurin represents a new therapeutic option for the treatment of follicular lymphoma.
Endogenous PYY and GLP‐1 mediate l‐glutamine responses in intestinal mucosa
Authors: Joshi S , Tough I R , Cox H M
Published: August 2013

Background and Purpose

l‐glutamine (Gln) is an energy source for gastrointestinal (GI) epithelia and can stimulate glucagon‐like peptide 1 (GLP‐1) release from isolated enteroendocrine L‐cells. GLP‐1 and peptide YY (PYY) are co‐secreted postprandially and both peptides have functional roles in glucose homeostasis and energy balance. The primary aim of this project was to establish the endogenous mechanisms underpinning Gln responses within intact GI mucosae using selective receptor antagonists.

Experimental Approach

Mouse mucosae from different GI regions were voltage‐clamped and short‐circuit current (Isc) was recorded to Gln added to either surface in the absence or presence of antagonists, using wild‐type (WT) or PYY‐/‐ tissues. The glucose sensitivity of Gln responses was also investigated by replacement with mannitol.

Key Results

Colonic apical and basolateral Gln responses (at 0.1 and 1 mM) were biphasic; initial increases in Isc were predominantly GLP‐1 mediated. GLP‐1 receptor antagonism significantly reduced the initial Gln response in the PYY‐/‐ colon. The slower reductions in Isc to Gln were PYY‐Y1 mediated as they were absent from the PYY‐/‐ colon and were blocked selectively in WT tissue by a Y1 receptor antagonist. In jejunum mucosa, Gln stimulated monophasic Isc reductions that were PYY‐Y1 receptor mediated. Gln effects were partially glucose sensitive, and Calhex 231 inhibition indicated that the calcium‐sensing receptor (CaSR) was involved.

Conclusion and Implications

Gln stimulates the co‐release of endogenous GLP‐1 and PYY from mucosal L‐cells resulting in paracrine GLP‐1 and Y1 receptor‐mediated electrogenic epithelial responses. This glucose‐sensitive mechanism appears to be CaSR mediated and could provide a significant therapeutic strategy releasing two endogenous peptides better known for their glucose‐lowering and satiating effects.
Structure and function of midkine as the basis of its pharmacological effects
Authors: Muramatsu T
Published: August 2013

Midkine (MK) is a heparin‐binding growth factor or cytokine and forms a small protein family, the other member of which is pleiotrophin.MKenhances survival, migration, cytokine expression, differentiation and other activities of target cells.MKis involved in various physiological processes, such as development, reproduction and repair, and also plays important roles in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and malignant diseases.MKis largely composed of two domains, namely a moreN‐terminally locatedN‐domain and a moreC‐terminally locatedC‐domain. Both domains are basically composed of three antiparallel β‐sheets. In addition, there are short tails in theN‐terminal andC‐terminal sides and a hinge connecting the two domains. Several membrane proteins have been identified asMKreceptors: receptor protein tyrosine phosphataseZ1 (PTPζ), low‐density lipoprotein receptor‐related protein, integrins, neuroglycanC, anaplastic lymphoma kinase andNotch‐2. Among them, the most established one isPTPζ. It is a transmembrane tyrosine phophatase with chondroitin sulfate, which is essential for high‐affinity binding withMK.PI3KandMAPKplay important roles in the downstream signalling system ofMK, while transcription factors affected byMKsignalling includeNF‐κB,Hes‐1 andSTATs. Because of the involvement ofMKin various physiological and pathological processes,MKitself as well as pharmaceuticals targetingMKand its signalling system are expected to be valuable for the treatment of numerous diseases.

Linked Articles

This article is part of a themed section on Midkine. To view the other articles in this section visithttp://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2014.171.issue‐4