bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cryptochrome 1 in Retinal Cone Photoreceptors Suggests a Novel Functional Role in Mammals
Authors: Nießner Christine , Denzau Susanne , Malkemper Erich Pascal , Gross Julia Christina , Burda Hynek , Winklhofer Michael , Peichl Leo
Published: February 2016

Cryptochromes are a ubiquitous group of blue-light absorbing flavoproteins that in the mammalian retina have an important role in the circadian clock. In birds, cryptochrome 1a (Cry1a), localized in the UV/violet-sensitive S1 cone photoreceptors, is proposed to be the retinal receptor molecule of the light-dependent magnetic compass. The retinal localization of mammalian Cry1, homologue to avian Cry1a, is unknown and it is open whether mammalian Cry1 is also involved in magnetic field sensing. To constrain the possible role of retinal Cry1, we immunohistochemically analysed 90 mammalian species across 48 families in 16 orders, using an antiserum against the Cry1 C-terminus that in birds labels only the photo-activated conformation. In the Carnivora families Canidae, Mustelidae and Ursidae and in some Primates, Cry1 was consistently labeled in the outer segment of the shortwave-sensitive S1 cones. This finding would be compatible with a magnetoreceptive function of Cry1 in these taxa. In all other taxa, Cry1 was not detected by the antiserum that likely also in mammals labels the photo-activated conformation, although Western blots showed Cry1 in mouse retinal cell nuclei. We speculate that in the mouse and the other negative-tested mammals Cry1 is involved in circadian functions as a non-light-responsive protein.
Akt attenuates apoptotic death through phosphorylation of H2A under hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in PC12 cells and hippocampal neurons
Authors: Park Ji Hye , Kim Chung Kwon , Lee Sang Bae , Lee Kyung-Hoon , Cho Sung-Woo , Ahn Jee-Yin
Published: February 2016

Although the essential role of protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt in cell survival signaling has been clearly established, the mechanism by which Akt mediates the cellular response to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress remains unclear. We demonstrated that Akt attenuated neuronal apoptosis through direct association with histone 2A (H2A) and phosphorylation of H2A at threonine 17. At early time points during H2O2 exposure of PC12 cells and primary hippocampal neurons, when the cells can tolerate the level of DNA damage, Akt was activated and phosphorylated H2A, leading to inhibition of apoptotic death. At later time points, Akt delivered the NAD+-dependent protein deacetylase Sirtuin 2 (Sirt 2) to the vicinity of phosphorylated H2A in response to irreversible DNA damage, thereby inducing H2A deacetylation and subsequently leading to apoptotic death. Ectopically expressed T17A-substituted H2A minimally interacted with Akt and failed to prevent apoptosis under oxidative stress. Thus Akt-mediated H2A phosphorylation has an anti-apoptotic function in conditions of H2O2-induced oxidative stress in neurons and PC12 cells.
Novel cocrystals of gliclazide: characterization and evaluation
Authors: Chadha Renu , Rani Dimpy , Goyal Parnika
Published: February 2016

Cocrystallization opens the door for the formulation and development of poorly soluble drugs. Exploiting this technique, novel cocrystals of gliclazide were formed, displaying a noteworthy improvement in solubility, IDR and efficacy in comparison to GL.
Continuous polycrystalline silicon layers on glass grown from tin solutions
Authors: Bansen R. , Ehlers C. , Teubner Th. , Markurt T. , Schmidtbauer J. , Boeck T.
Published: February 2016

Polycrystalline silicon on glass for photovoltaic applications is grown at low temperatures in a two-step process.
Magnetic nanoparticle-supported phosphine gold(i) complex: a highly efficient and recyclable catalyst for the direct reductive amination of aldehydes and ketones
Authors: Yang Weisen , Wei Li , Yi Feiyan , Cai Mingzhong
Published: February 2016

The direct reductive amination of aldehydes and ketones has been achieved with excellent yields using recyclable magnetic nanoparticle-supported gold(i) catalyst.
Insertion and C–C coupling processes in reactions of the unsaturated hydride [W2Cp2(H)(μ-PCy2)(CO)2] with alkynes
Authors: Alvarez M. Angeles , García M. Esther , García-Vivó Daniel , Ruiz Miguel A. , Vega M. Fernanda
Published: February 2016

Alkyne insertion into the W–H bond invariably occurs in the title reactions, to give alkenyl complexes which may undergo further alkyne addition to yield hydrocarbyl-bridged derivatives generated from alkenyl–alkyne coupling.
Cadmium metal–organic frameworks: Ln3+ ion functionalized assembly, fluorescence tuning and polymer film preparation
Authors: Weng Han , Yan Bing
Published: February 2016

We obtain size-reduced Cd-MOFs with the assistance of sodium acetate, with the use of it, luminescent and transparent polymer films are prepared for further application.
Photophysical and photochemical studies of tricarbonyl rhenium(i) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes containing azide and triazolate ligands
Authors: Simpson Peter V. , Skelton Brian W. , Raiteri Paolo , Massi Massimiliano
Published: February 2016

Rhenium NHC complexes bound to azide anions readily react with alkynes to form the corresponding triazolate complexes, a new class of photochemically active species.
A novel polymer as a functional dielectric layer for OTFTs to improve the grain size of the pentacene semiconductor
Authors: Li Yao , Wang He , Wang Xuesong , Shi Zuosen , Yan Donghang , Cui Zhanchen
Published: February 2016

A series of novel polymers as functional dielectric layers for pentacene thin-film transistors was synthesized and investigated to explore the relationship between the grain size and the charge carrier mobility with a single variable.
Giant enhancement of upconversion emission in NaYF4:Er3+@NaYF4:Yb3+ active-core/active-shell nanoparticles
Authors: Wang Xiangfu , Xu Tongtong , Bu Yanyan , Yan Xiaohong
Published: February 2016

An effective method to enhance greatly infrared-visible upconversion emissions of Er3+ ions is demonstrated through coating an optimized active NaYF4:Yb3+ shell around the NaYF4:Er3+ core nanoparticles.
Palladium-catalyzed regioselective C-2 arylation of 7-azaindoles, indoles, and pyrroles with arenes
Authors: Laha Joydev K. , Bhimpuria Rohan A. , Prajapati Dilip V. , Dayal Neetu , Sharma Shubhra
Published: February 2016

A palladium-catalyzed regioselective C-2 arylation of 7-azaindoles, indoles, and pyrroles with arenes has been developed, which features substrate dependent acid concentration.
Ionic liquid decorated mesoporous silica nanoparticles: a new high-performance hybrid electrolyte for lithium batteries
Authors: Li Yang , Wong Ka-Wai , Ng Ka-Ming
Published: February 2016

We report a novel hybrid electrolyte based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles decorated with an ionic liquid, which exhibits a superior lithium ion transference number of >0.8, and an excellent electrochemical window of >5 V with attractive ionic conductivity.
Two microporous metal–organic frameworks constructed from trinuclear cobalt(ii) and cadmium(ii) cluster subunits
Authors: Li Xingjun , Jiang Feilong , Chen Lian , Wu Mingyan , Lu Shan , Pang Jiandong , Zhou Kang , Chen Xueyuan , Hong Maochun
Published: February 2016

This work presents two novel microporous metal–organic frameworks which are constructed from a tetracarboxylate ligand and trinuclear cobalt(ii) and cadmium(ii) cluster subunits.
Exposing elusive cationic magnesium–chloro aggregates in aluminate complexes through donor control
Authors: Brouillet Etienne V. , Kennedy Alan R. , Koszinowski Konrad , McLellan Ross , Mulvey Robert E. , Robertson Stuart D.
Published: February 2016

Judicious choice of Lewis donor provides control over the aggregation state of the [MgxCl2x−1]+ cation in a series of Mg battery relevant magnesium aluminates.
A low-cost spiro[fluorene-9,9′-xanthene]-based hole transport material for highly efficient solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells and perovskite solar cells
Authors: Xu Bo , Bi Dongqin , Hua Yong , Liu Peng , Cheng Ming , Grätzel Michael , Kloo Lars , Hagfeldt Anders , Sun Licheng
Published: February 2016

A low-cost spiro[fluorene-9,9′-xanthene]-based HTM termed X60 showed high PCEs of 7.30% in ssDSCs and 19.84% in PSCs under one sun, respectively.
Light-triggered assembly–disassembly of an ordered donor–acceptor π-stack using a photoresponsive dimethyldihydropyrene π-switch
Authors: Krishna V. Siva Rama , Samanta Mousumi , Pal Suman , Anurag N. P. , Bandyopadhyay Subhajit
Published: February 2016

A dimethyldihydropyrene based photochromic π-switch in its closed state forms donor–acceptor stacks with 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride. The stacks collapse in the photoisomeric open form.
Interactions of 1-hydroxypyrene with bovine serum albumin: insights from multi-spectroscopy, docking and molecular dynamics simulation methods
Authors: Zhang Jing , Chen Weixiao , Tang Bowen , Zhang Wei , Chen Linfeng , Duan Ying , Zhu Yuxiu , Zhu Yaxian , Zhang Yong
Published: February 2016

Combining multi-spectroscopy, docking with MD simulations, the interactions of 1-hydroxypyrene with BSA and the adverse effects on BSA were investigated.
Photovoltaic poly(rod-coil) polymers based on benzodithiophene-centred A–D–A type conjugated segments and dicarboxylate-linked alkyl non-conjugated segments
Authors: Xiang Xuan , Shao Wei , Liang Long , Chen Xue-Qiang , Zhao Fu-Gang , Lu Zhengquan , Wang Wenwu , Li Jingjing , Li Wei-Shi
Published: February 2016

Different from the well-studied photovoltaic conjugated polymers and small molecular compounds, poly(rod-coil) polymers are emerging as a new class of photovoltaic materials.
A straightforward sequence to alkyl 1H-pyrrole-2,5-dicarboxylates starting from acylhydrazono esters and alkyl 2-aroyl-1-chlorocyclopropanecarboxylates
Authors: Huang Zhimei , Gong Yuefa
Published: February 2016

A domino reaction between alkyl 2-aroyl-1-chlorocyclopropanecarboxylates 1 and acylhydrazono esters 2 proceeded readily in the presence of Cs2CO3 to afford 2,3,5-trifunctionalized pyrroles in good to excellent yields.
Fluorescent lactose-derived catanionic aggregates: synthesis, characterisation and potential use as antibacterial agents
Authors: Bettoschi Alexandre , Brisson Alain , Caltagirone Claudia , Falchi Angela M. , Isaia Francesco , Lippolis Vito , Loi Giovanni , Loi Monica , Murgia Sergio , Pilia Roberta , Serra Corrado , Tan Sisareuth
Published: February 2016

The antibacterial properties of catanionic surfactants based on fluorescent lactose-derivative organic salts using low-cost starting materials were investigated towards multi-drug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria.
Finite cohesion due to chain entanglement in polymer melts
Authors: Cheng Shiwang , Lu Yuyuan , Liu Gengxin , Wang Shi-Qing
Published: February 2016

Qualitative differences between experiments and theories suggest a finite cohesion that prevents free chain retraction in entangled polymer melts.
Competitive adsorption of amylopectin and amylose on cationic nanoparticles: a study on the aggregation mechanism
Authors: Iselau Frida , Phan Xuan Tuan , Matic Aleksandar , Persson Michael , Holmberg Krister , Bordes Romain
Published: February 2016

In this study we investigate the interactions between cationic nanoparticles and anionic starch, where the starch was composed of 20 wt% of amylose, a linear polymer, and 80 wt% of amylopectin, a branched polymer.
Colour image demosaicking via joint intra and inter channel information
Authors: Yu Tingzhao , Hu Wenrui , Xue Wei , Zhang Wensheng
Published: February 2016

A novel algorithm exploiting joint intra channel colour correlation and inter channel colour difference is presented for interpolating colour filter array data. Experiments on standard database and comparisons with other state‐of‐the‐art methods demonstrate that the joint intra and inter information is effective and comparable.
Reducing the number of elements in a pattern reconfigurable antenna array by the multi‐task learning
Authors: Longjun Li , Wang Buhong
Published: February 2016

The synthesis of pattern reconfigurable antenna array with as few elements as possible can find wide applications in radar tracking, biomedical imaging, satellite and ground communications, and remote sensing applications. In this study, an efficient method for multi‐task learning (MTL) is exploited to the design of sparse pattern reconfigurable antenna array. Toward this end, the design of sparse and pattern reconfigurable antenna array is reformulated as an equivalent problem of multi‐matrices linear regression and iterative shrinkage threshold method for MTL is utilised to obtain jointly optimal design of positions and the excitations of the radiating elements for multi‐pattern synthesis, in which compromise between the array sparseness and pattern matching is achieved. Some numerical simulations are presented to assess the efficiency of the proposed method and the synthesis performance comparisons with matrix pencil method and genetic algorithm are also performed to demonstrate the superiority of the proposed algorithm over traditional algorithm in this literature.
Computationally efficient concentration‐based model for accurate evaluation of T ‐junction inlet staggered herringbone micromixers
Authors: Vasilakis Nikolaos , Moschou Despina , Prodromakis Themistoklis
Published: February 2016

Micromixers are microfluidic components of critical importance in complex lab‐on‐chip devices. Passive devices in particular have attracted much attention over active ones due to their fabrication and operation simplicity. Staggered herringbone micromixers seem to be dominating the area of passive micromixers, and hence a lot of studies have been published on their optimisation, in terms of mixing efficiency (ME) and pressure drop. However, numerical simulations leveraging concentration‐based models have not been convincingly accurate, owing to computational limitations and erroneous assumptions on diffusion coefficients that often are higher than those of large biomolecules in aqueous solutions. Accurate concentration‐based models are a prerequisite in biochemical reaction studies. This work quantitatively shows how increasing mesh density increases solution accuracy, applying concentration‐based modelling for biochemically realistic diffusivity. A numerical simulation methodology for obtaining less numerically diffusive results without further increasing mesh size is also given, leveraging quadratic discretisation and appropriate consistency stabilisation methods. They demonstrate that with the proposed approach, it is possible to obtain more accurate ME and pressure drop estimations for two different staggered herringbone micromixer variations, while at the same time limiting the usage of computational resources to a practical level.
Vapour–liquid–solid‐assisted growth of cadmium telluride nanowires and their field emission properties
Authors: Bagal Vivekanand S. , Patil Girish P. , Suryawanshi Sachin R. , More Mahendra A. , Chavan Padmakar G.
Published: February 2016

Cadmium telluride (CdTe) nanowires were grown on silicon substrate (100) by thermal evaporation method. The synthesised CdTe nanowires were characterised by X‐ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, energy‐dispersive analysis of X‐ray, and photoluminescence techniques. The field emission characteristics have been investigated at room temperature. The J–E and I–t characteristics were measured in a planar diode configuration at the base pressure of 1 × 10−8 mbar. Turn‐on field defined for the emission current density of 0.1 µA/cm2 has been found to be 2.2 V/µm and on the application of high applied electric field of 7.8 V/µm maximum current density of 210 µA/cm2 has been achieved. The I–t measurement has been studied at the preset of 1 µA emission current for the duration of 3 h. Overall nature of emission current has been seen to stable for duration of the measurement. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is a first report on field emission study of CdTe nanowires.
Effect of ultrasonic irradiation on the preparation of Ag3PO4 particles
Authors: Yang Yang , Yang Hua , Li Ruishan , Wang Xiangxian
Published: February 2016

Herein is investigated the effect of ultrasonic irradiation on the preparation of Ag3PO4 particles based on the ion‐exchange method. X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, diffuse reflectance spectrum and photoluminescence were used to characterise the products. It is found that the application of ultrasonic irradiation at a frequency of 40 kHz leads to the production of uniform spherical particles with an average size of ∼300 nm. However, at a higher ultrasonic frequency of 60 kHz, the prepared sample presents polyhedron‐shaped particles in the size range of 6–8 μm, which are constructed from small grains with a size of several hundred nanometres. Without the aid of ultrasonic irradiation, the samples prepared at room temperature or under 50 °C water‐bath condition are composed of spherical particles and large‐sized agglomerative particles. The photocatalytic activity of Ag3PO4 samples was evaluated by degrading rhodamine B (RhB) under simulated sunlight irradiation. Among these samples, the one prepared at 40 kHz exhibits the highest photocatalytic activity, where the degradation percentage of RhB reaches 96% after irradiation for 60 min.
Ripples near edge terminals in MoS2 few layers and pyramid nanostructures
Authors: Mills Adam , Yu Yifei , Chen Chuanhui , Huang Bevin , Cao Linyou , Tao Chenggang
Published: February 2016

Atomically thin transition-metal dichalcogenides are of great interest due to their intriguing physical properties and potential applications. Here, we report our findings from scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy investigations on molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) mono- to few-layers and pyramid nanostructures synthesized through chemical vapor deposition. On the few-layered MoS2 nanoplatelets grown on gallium nitride (GaN) and pyramid nanostructures on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite, we observed an intriguing curved region near the edge terminals. The measured band gap on these curved regions is 1.96 ± 0.10 eV, consistent with the value of the direct band gap in MoS2 monolayers. The curved features near the edge terminals and the associated electronic properties may contribute to the catalytic behaviors of MoS2 nanostructures and have potential applications in future electronic devices and energy-related products based on MoS2 nanostructures.
Thermochromic light scattering from particulate VO2 layers
Authors: Montero José , Ji Yu-Xia , Granqvist Claes G. , Niklasson Gunnar A.
Published: February 2016

Particulate layers of thermochromic (TC) VO2 were made by reactive DC magnetron sputtering of vanadium onto In2O3:Sn-coated glass. The deposits were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Specular and diffuse optical transmittance and reflectance were recorded in the 300–2500-nm wavelength range and displayed pronounced TC effects. These properties could be reconciled with a semi-quantitative model based on Lorentz–Mie theory applied to the distribution of particle sizes and accounting for particle shapes by the Grenfell–Warren approach with equal-volume-to-area spheres.
Tunable electronic structure of black phosphorus/blue phosphorus van der Waals p-n heterostructure
Authors: Huang Le , Li Jingbo
Published: February 2016

First principles calculations are used to explore the structural and electronic properties of black phosphorus/blue phosphorus (black-p/blue-p) van der Waals (vdW) p-n heterostructure. An intrinsic type-II band alignment with a direct band gap at Γ point is demonstrated. The spatial separation of the lowest energy electron-hole pairs can be realized and make black-p/blue-p heterostructure a good candidate for applications in optoelectronics. Black-p/blue-p heterostructure exhibits modulation of its band gap and band edges by applied perpendicular electric field (E⊥). This system undergoes a transition from semiconductor to metal when subjected to a strong external E⊥. The variation of band edges and quasi-Fermi level as a function of E⊥ provides further insight to the linear variation of the band gap. Our calculation results pave the way for experimental research and indicate the great application potential of black-p/blue-p vdW heterostructure in future optoelectronics.
AlInAsSb/GaSb staircase avalanche photodiode
Authors: Ren Min , Maddox Scott , Chen Yaojia , Woodson Madison , Campbell Joe C. , Bank Seth
Published: February 2016

Over 30 years ago, Capasso and co-workers [IEEE Trans. Electron Devices 30, 381 (1982)] proposed the staircase avalanche photodetector (APD) as a solid-state analog of the photomultiplier tube. In this structure, electron multiplication occurs deterministically at steps in the conduction band profile, which function as the dynodes of a photomultiplier tube, leading to low excess multiplication noise. Unlike traditional APDs, the origin of staircase gain is band engineering rather than large applied electric fields. Unfortunately, the materials available at the time, principally AlxGa1−xAs/GaAs, did not offer sufficiently large conduction band offsets and energy separations between the direct and indirect valleys to realize the full potential of the staircase gain mechanism. Here, we report a true staircase APD operation using alloys of a rather underexplored material, AlxIn1−xAsySb1−y, lattice-matched to GaSb. Single step “staircase” devices exhibited a constant gain of ∼2×, over a broad range of applied bias, operating temperature, and excitation wavelengths/intensities, consistent with Monte Carlo calculations.
Evaluation of hydration in a water-soluble polymer by terahertz spectroscopy
Authors: Kawabe Shunsuke , Seki Munetoshi , Tabata Hitoshi
Published: February 2016

In this study, we have evaluated the hydration properties of water-soluble polymers by terahertz spectroscopy. In particular, we focused on polyvinylpyrrolidone which has potential use for a wide range of applications as a biomaterial. The dielectric loss of samples obtained by the terahertz spectroscopy was found to strongly depend on the molecular weight of the polymers and the density of the solution. We revealed that the hydration number per monomer depends on the molecular weight of the polymer. It is also deduced that the hydration number is affected by the conformation of the polymer in the solution.
Resistance noise in epitaxial thin films of ferromagnetic topological insulators
Authors: Bhattacharyya Semonti , Kandala Abhinav , Richardella Anthony , Islam Saurav , Samarth Nitin , Ghosh Arindam
Published: February 2016

We report detailed temperature and gate-voltage dependence of 1/f resistance noise in magnetically doped topological insulators (TI) Crx(Bi,Sb)2−xTe3. The noise is remarkably sensitive to the gate voltage, increasing rapidly as the chemical potential is moved towards the charge neutrality point. Unlike in identically prepared (Bi,Sb)2Te3 films, where mobility-fluctuations in the surface states is the dominant mechanism, the noise in the magnetic Crx(Bi,Sb)2−xTe3 originates from transport in the localized band tail of the bulk valence band. A strong increase in noise with decreasing temperature supports this scenario. At higher temperature (≥10 K), we observed large noise peaks at gate voltage-dependent characteristic temperature scales. In line with similar observations in other non-magnetic TI systems, we attribute these peaks to generation-recombination in the Cr-impurity band.
Ballistic thermal transport in monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides: Role of atomic mass
Authors: Ma Jinlong , Li Wu , Luo Xiaobing
Published: February 2016

We investigate the ballistic thermal transport of monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), which is crucial for the thermal management of their potential applications in nanoelectronics. We find the thermal conductance is mainly affected by the atomic masses of TMDs. As a consequence, the temperature dependences of thermal conductances of different TMDs cross: At low temperatures below ∼50 K, the thermal conductance increases with the atomic mass, while it exhibits the opposite trend at high temperatures. The crossing behavior of temperature dependent thermal conductance is characteristic of the atomic mass effect, and TMDs provide a model system demonstrating that the thermal conductance can be effectively manipulated via the atomic mass by selecting appropriate atom. In addition, we clarify that in any two dimensional system such as monolayer TMDs and graphene, due to quadratic dispersion of the out-of-plane modes, the thermal conductance and specific heat in the low temperature limit are proportional to T3∕2 and T, respectively. Mainly because of much smaller group velocities of in-plane acoustic phonons, the high temperature thermal conductances of monolayer TMDs are much smaller than graphene. However, due to comparable group velocities of out-of-plane acoustic phonons, below 100 K thermal conductances of monolayer TMDs are rather comparable to graphene if taking the same layer thickness for comparison.
Predicting substrate resonance mode frequency shifts using conductive, through-substrate vias
Authors: Murray Conal E. , Abraham D. W.
Published: February 2016

Through-substrate-vias (TSVs) provide conduction paths to allow for three-dimensional integration of microelectronic structures. It is also known that metallic TSVs can be used to suppress resonance modes within dielectric substrates by altering the propagation of electromagnetic waves. Numerical analyses of transmission through substrates containing metallic TSVs revealed that although resonance modes of the composite structure are shifted to higher frequencies, these frequencies are not solely dictated by the TSV periodicity. Simulations show that hybrid modes are formed through a convolution of the original substrate modes and a long-wavelength mode analogous to that found in a two-dimensional photonic crystal. An analytical formula is proposed that provides a simple relation between the intrinsic substrate mode frequencies and the long-wavelength mode that scales with the ratio of TSV radius to its periodicity.
Characterising visual context effects
Authors: Knoeferle Pia
Published: February 2016

In this chapter, I will review recent research on visually situated language comprehension, and in doing so identify key characteristics of situated language comprehension. More specifically I will argue that both active visual context effects and the temporally coordinated interplay between visual attention and language comprehension are characteristic of situated comprehension, and are robust across a broad range of comprehension situations, spanning (a) different comprehension modalities (reading and spoken comprehension) and situations in which language is (versus isn’t) in accord with visual context; (b) different kinds of visual contexts (clipart depictions, photographs, and real-world objects and events); (c) speaker-based information such as eye-gaze and gestures; and (d) both concrete and abstract language. Because of their broad coverage ((a)–(d)), situated language comprehension paradigms are, in principle, well suited for developing a relatively comprehensive theory of situated language comprehension. One challenge in further specifying model predictions is the development of more detailed linking hypotheses between comprehension processes and one of the key measures used to examine situated comprehension (visual attention to objects across time).
Defining Sillan interpreters in first-millennium East Asian exchanges
Authors: Lung Rachel
Published: February 2016

Interpreting officials are rarely documented in standard histories of imperial
China; civilian interpreters are even harder to trace. Surprisingly, however,
Japanese monk Ennin’s (794‒864) diary of his China sojourn (838–847) contains
thirty-eight references to Sillan interpreters. It is a significant firsthand
archive that throws light on Sillan interpreters and interpreting in first-millennium
East Asia. Based on a close reading of this diary, I attempt to clarify
the idiosyncratic title of “Sillan interpreters.” Using quantitative and qualitative
analyses, I outline finer categories of these interpreters, which in turn address
questions pertaining to their identities and roles. This chapter demonstrates the
value of textual analysis in empirically pursuing the definitions of “interpreter”
at a particular place and time.
Interpreting for the Inquisition
Authors: Sarmiento Pérez Marcos
Published: February 2016

One of the singularities of the Spanish Inquisition was its multilingualism. This
chapter looks at mediation in this institution, which carried out its activities
throughout practically the whole of the Spanish Empire over three and a half
centuries (1478–1834). After the initial delimitation of the historical, geographical
and social areas in which it was active, the most common situations in which
interpreters were needed are presented, together with the most relevant aspects
of their work, including references to the regulations that governed their interventions.
Although this is a first approach to this area of the history of linguistic
mediation, we can conclude that the Inquisition involved a considerable amount
of interpreting, most of which was of a legal nature.
Nagasaki Tsūji in historical novels by Yoshimura Akira
Authors: Torikai Kumiko
Published: February 2016

This chapter attempts to illustrate the significance of studying the history of
interpreting through novels, focusing on Yoshimura Akira who portrayed
pre-modern interpreters within socio-political contexts of the time. Four
of Yoshimura’s novels will be analyzed: (1) Fuyu no Taka (1974), describing
the translation of a medical book in Dutch into Japanese; (2) Von Siebold no
Musume (1978), offering an insight into the role of interpreters; (3) Umi no
Sairei (1989) illustrating how Ranald MacDonald taught English in Japan; and
(4) Kurofune (1978), depicting interpreters at the time when American battleships
came. Yoshimura’s works testify the potential of historical novels as an
alternative way of studying past interpreters to help us understand how they
lived and how they worked.
At the dawn of simultaneous interpreting in the USSR
Authors: Chernov Sergei
Published: February 2016

This chapter provides new evidence on the invention of simultaneous interpreting
(SI) in the 1920s using records from Russian archives discovered by this
author. SI was first implemented in the USSR in 1928, which coincided with the first full-scale
use of SI at the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Geneva. Language
problems of the era due to the declining use of French and waste of
time associated with consecutive interpreting (CI) required a new solution,
which was SI, proposed by E. Filene in the West and Dr. Epshtein in the USSR.
Epshtein’s three-interpreter method was perfected by engineer Goron and
implemented at the 6th Comintern Congress in 1928. Finally, interpreters/
translators’ profiles and working conditions in the 1930s are described briefly.
Cyclical change continued
Authors: van Gelderen Elly
Published: February 2016

This introductory chapter outlines what a cycle is, what kinds of cycles are generally accepted, and how the contributions in this book fit the various cycles. Uncontroversial cycles are the negative, future, modal, and determiner cycles; these will be referred to as micro-cycles. More controversial are macro-cycles, i.e. cycles that shift a language from analytic to synthetic and from synthetic to analytic. These cycles are controversial partly because of the use of the terms analytic and synthetic, which will be discussed briefly. The introduction also includes a section on recent work, issues of debate, and on future directions.
Is radical analyticity normal
Authors: McWhorter John H.
Published: February 2016

It is assumed among linguists that radical analyticity is a typological state that a language might develop into as the result of ordinary stepwise grammatical change. It is well-known that extensive second-language acquisition tends to make languages more, or even completely, analytic. Contact, however, is thought to be an alternate pathway towards analyticity. Diachronic theory has identified no mechanism via which a grammar would become completely analytic. While some affixes are worn away by phonetic erosion, inexorable processes of reconstitution operate at the same time, such as grammaticalization. The commonly cited case of Egyptian’s inflectional “cycle” described by Hodge (1970) did not depict the language reaching anything approaching a completely analytic state. There is a growing awareness that the “natural” state of language, uninterrupted by adult acquisition, is one of heavy morphological complexity, while large-scale population movements often condition languages of a more moderate morphological complexity (McWhorter 2007; Trudgill 2011). Under this assumption, radically analytic languages are diachronically anomalous. In this presentation, I will propose a contact account for the radical analyticity of a certain few west African Niger-Congo languages and for the languages of Southeast Asia.
An analytic-synthetic spiral in the history of English
Authors: Szmrecsanyi Benedikt
Published: February 2016

Drawing on techniques familiar from quantitative morphological typology (Greenberg 1960), this contribution marshals usage- and frequency-based, aggregative measures of grammatical analyticity and syntheticity to profile the history of grammatical marking in English between circa AD 1100 and AD 1900, tapping into the Penn Parsed Corpora of Historical English series. Results indicate that the post-Old English period is clearly not characterized by a linear drift towards more analyticity and less syntheticity. Instead, analyticity was on the rise until the end of the Early Modern English period, but declined subsequently; the reverse is true for syntheticity. In terms of typological analyticity-syntheticity coordinates, 20th century English texts are actually fairly similar to 12th and 13th century English texts. I suggest that this historical pattern can be interpreted in terms of a Gabelentz-type spiral.
The interaction between the French subject and object cycles
Authors: Bahtchevanova Mariana , van Gelderen Elly
Published: February 2016

In Colloquial French, first and second person preverbal subject pronouns function as agreement markers on the finite verb because they are obligatory and adjacent to the finite verb (e.g. von Wartburg 1943). In other spoken varieties of French, third person pronouns are also agreement markers, having lost gender and number (Fonseca-Greber 2000 for Swiss French). This paper adds new data on third person subjects for Colloquial French, namely third person emphatic pronouns being used on their own, and shows how these data fit the subject cycle. Because, like subject markers, object pronouns are preverbal, they ‘interfere’ with the preverbal subject agreement markers. Our hypothesis was therefore that preverbal object clitics would be replaced by postverbal pronouns (cf. van Gelderen 2011: 52) or would be deleted, as Lambrecht et al. (1996) had already observed. We investigated postverbal placement of object pronouns and found some evidence of this but, more interestingly, we found that object markers were reinterpreted as agreement markers. The important insights for cyclical change this paper provides are that different person markings can be at different stages, that some stages can be skipped, and that one cycle can influence another.
The negative existential cycle viewed through the lens of comparative data
Authors: Veselinova Ljuba N.
Published: February 2016

In this paper a family-based sample is used in order to test the model of evolution of standard negation markers from negative existentials suggested by Croft (1991) and known as the Negative Existential Cycle (NEC). The comparative data collected here were analyzed and classified following the definitions of type/stages suggested in the original model. The data collected here were also analyzed from a diachronic perspective and whenever possible also supplied with historical information. It is found that the stages with variation are dominant in the families under study. Consequently they are considered to be far more important for this cycle than the stages without variation. Furthermore, the stages with variation are not only synchronically frequent, they are also diachronically stable as they can be demonstrated to last for very long periods of time. The data collected here also suggest that the NEC is rarely completed within a time span for reasonable reconstruction. This is attributed to the importance of the distinction between negation of actions and negation of existence and its contant renewal in human languages.
Mayan negation cycles
Authors: Pye Clifton
Published: February 2016

The Jespersen Cycle (1917) remains the definitive example of the linguistic cycle. A reconstruction of the history of negation marking in the Mayan languages shows that while some Mayan languages exhibit the beginning of a typical Jespersen Cycle, the majority of Mayan languages evidence different types of negation cycles. Differences in the domain of negation strengthening and the absence of postverbal negation strengthening provide evidence of the unique structure of Mayan languages. This evidence suggests that constraints on negation cycles are just as important as the cycles themselves in examining cross-linguistic variation in the structure of negation.
Chapter 1. Perspectivization as a link between narrative micro- and macro-structure
Authors: Zeman Sonja
Published: February 2016

This chapter holds that the basic principle of narrative discourse structure can be deduced from cognitive-linguistic principles of perspectivization, which are manifested on different levels of linguistic structure in a recursive manner. This is shown in an analysis of point of view in grammar, on the sentential level as well as on the level of narrative discourse. In this connection, it is argued that the grammatical distinction between ‘speaker’ vs. ‘observer’ pervades the whole discourse and is reflected in the narratological differentiation between ‘narrator’ vs. ‘character’. Furthermore, it is argued against a background of ‘theory of mind’ that phenomena of focalization ought to be analyzed analogously to recursive embedding of epistemological levels of intentionality, i.e. hierarchical relations of propositional attitudes. As a consequence, it is the cognitive principle of perspectivization that can offer a tertium comparationis for an alignment of grammatical and textual levels and, thus, of narrative micro- and macro-structure. This line of analysis is illustrated in a final step by examining the perspectivization of Humbert Humbert’s reality in Nabokov’s Lolita.
Chapter 6. Seeing or meaning?
Authors: Böhm Elisabeth
Published: February 2016

Manfred Pfister’s classic concept of perspective within drama (Pfister 1993 [1977]) defined perspective as the relation between the knowledge and/or intention of figures on stage on one hand and the knowledge and/or intention of the author on the other. This implies that the whole of the text has a certain meaning and that characters function to represent that meaning and to make it clear to both audiences and readers. In this chapter, it will be argued that this concept needs to be modified: the underlying notion of perspectivization makes it possible to describe the dynamic relation between different levels of dramatic text that can link action, structure, and the aesthetic concept of a drama. The chapter initially summarizes Pfister’s concept and then discusses different forms of perspective and perspectivization within drama in order to show the importance of re-thinking ‘perspective’ as an essential term within a systematic approach to analyzing dramatic texts.
Discursive Self in Microblogging
Authors: Dayter Daria
Published: February 2016

This volume examines the language of microblogs drawing on the example of a group of eleven users who are united by their interest in ballet as a physical activity and an art form. The book reports on a three and a half year study which complemented a 20,000 word corpus of tweets with semi-structured interviews and participant observation. It deals with two main questions: how users exploit the linguistic resources at their disposal to build a certain identity, and how the community boundaries are performed discursively. The focus is on the speech acts of self-praise and complaint, and on the storytelling practices of microbloggers. The comprehensive treatment of the speech act theory and the social psychological approaches to self-disclosure provides a stepping stone to the analysis of identity work, for which the users draw on two distinctive interpretive repertoires – affiliative and self-promoting.
A cognitive and conceptual approach to tense and aspect markers
Authors: Desclés Jean-Pierre
Published: February 2016

This article aims to present the most specific concepts of linguistic temporality (aspectuality and temporal relations) called upon seven intricate notions: (i) the construal of enunciative temporal reference frames associated with any dialogic enunciative act; (ii) aspectualization of a predicative relation (state, event, or process); (iii) conceptualization of the enunciative act through the “enunciator’s present” in the temporal frame of reference; (iv) segmenting a verbalized situation into different phases (Aktionsarten); (v) combining the various temporal reference frames (enunciative, external time, non-actualized situations, reported discourse, hypothetical situations) with the enunciative reference frame; (vi) introducing temporal relations (concomitance, anteriority, posteriority) which provide temporal coordinates for the verbalized situation so as to locate it in relation to a temporal frame of reference; (vii) introducing relations of “disconnection” or synchronization between the various temporal frames of reference.
Tense, aspect and mood in Nêlêmwa (New Caledonia)
Authors: Bril Isabelle
Published: February 2016

Nêlêmwa is an Aspect-Mood oriented language; verbs are unmarked for tense, time reference is expressed by chronology and time adverbs. Aspect hinges on three notions: events (in the aorist), states, and processes. One focus is the contrast between the perfect and the aorist. Bare aorist verb forms refer to events or to sequences of events with no reference to their internal phases. The perfect expresses internal relations between processes and clauses (anteriority, backgrounding, causal relations); it refers to transitional processes that have reached or not their final instant, expressing changes of states and resulting states. In future reference frames, the perfect expresses imminent change of states, or imminent completion of a process, and the speaker’s certainty about their projected occurrence.
On the tense-aspect system of standard Thai*
Authors: Gsell René
Published: February 2016

This article deals with the rich inventory of forms expressing various aspectual and temporal meanings in Standard Thai (or Siamese). The author examines a range of postverb auxiliaries which express the aspectuality (Aktionsart + aspect). As to tense markers, they are rather “temporal-modals” and therefore belong to the preverbal domain. It is argued that in Thai the grammatical tense is non-linear and that the aspectuality concerns either the duration or non duration of the process or its completion or incompletion with respect to the time of utterance.
Dravidian conceptual basis for the Badaga “tenses”
Authors: Pilot-Raichoor Christiane
Published: February 2016

Based on a detailed analysis of the uses of the Tense morphemes in Badaga, a minority South-Dravidian language, this article argues that ‘tense’, usually retained as a dominant category in Dravidian, does not fit to account for the range of actual uses. The Tense morphemes, which play a major role in the morphology of the finite and non-finite verb forms, encode values which cannot be reduced to a single category either tense, aspect or mood. A deeper analysis draws attention to the third term of the Dravidian reconstructed system of the so called ‘Tense’ morphemes: Past/Non-Past/Negative and gives evidence of an original cumulative encoding of tense-aspect-mood-polarity in these morphemes. The explanation comes from the historical grammaticalisation of Time into the verb.
Tense and aspect in the verbal system of Wolof*
Authors: Robert Stéphane
Published: February 2016

Perfective aspect is the unmarked form of the Wolof verbal system. It is analyzed here as an aspectual by-product of the conjugation’s core meaning, induced by three different configurations: resulting state (Perfect), temporal presupposition (focusing conjugations), and a comprehensive view of the process (Null tense and Presentative). The primary conjugations enter into secondary oppositions by means of aspectual and temporal suffixes. Alongside the expected aspectual and temporal effects for the imperfective suffix, the Wolof aspectual system reveals a remarkable shift, conditioned by Aktionsarten, from a temporal to a modal meaning. The imperfective suffix has a predicative variant. These two variants are used to produce two distinct future tenses. They also combine to form imperfective compound conjugations referring to occasional events.
Tense and aspect in Langi*
Authors: Dunham Margaret
Published: February 2016

Langi, a Bantu language spoken in central Tanzania, has an intensely rich TAM system, combining both inherited Bantu and borrowed Bantu and non-Bantu structures. There are two main mechanisms called into play to express TAM. The first is agglutinating in nature, with inflected verbs which can contain up to 7 distinct elements, each with its own phonological, morphological, and cross-referencing specificities. The second is fragmenting in nature, with necessary argument and TAM markers being distributed over several elements. Moreover there is a wide array of possible combinations of and between the two, with word order, reduplication, tone and even intonation interacting. This article further seeks to demonstrate the importance of anchoring the study of TAM in texts.
Aspect in Sikuani
Authors: Queixalós Francesc
Published: February 2016

In Sikuani (Guahiban, Orinoco) the only explicitly marked tense is future. Present and past are lumped together as a default subproduct of realis mood. As usual, future entails modal meaning. But space and aspect contribute much more to the elaboration of modal distinctions.The paper will unveil the intricate links between space, aspect, tense and modality.
Aspect-tense relations in East Greenlandic
Authors: Mennecier Philippe
Published: February 2016

In an agglutinative language, it is difficult to make a clear separation between lexemes and grammatical morphemes, but the ordering of these elements provides a shining example of the distinction between aspect and time in language. In Inuit, the time belongs to a limited inventory of necessary verbal morphemes, which are carriers of the person and number markers. The kind of action and the aspect are expressed by a flexible combination of numerous affixes. In the East-Greenlandic dialect, that which is grammaticalized is not a perfective vs. imperfective, or a complete vs. incomplete, opposition, but an effective vs. ineffective one (action with or without the desired result) whose effect partially overlaps with that of the other two.