bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interrelationships Between Sclerostin, Secondary Hyperparathyroidism, and Bone Metabolism in Patients on Hemodialysis
Authors: Nakagawa Yosuke , Komaba Hirotaka , Hamano Naoto , Tanaka Hisae , Wada Takehiko , Ishida Hiroaki , Nakamura Michio , Takahashi Hiroo , Takahashi Yuichiro , Hyodo Toru , Hida Miho , Suga Takao , Kakuta Takatoshi , Fukagawa Masafumi
Published: August 2021

Context

Sclerostin is an osteocyte-derived inhibitor of bone formation and is increased in kidney failure, but its role in the pathogenesis of renal bone disease remains unknown.

Objective

We aimed to explore the association of serum sclerostin with bone metabolism in patients undergoing hemodialysis, with a particular focus on parathyroid hormone (PTH)-dependent and PTH-independent pathways.

Methods

This cross-sectional and prospective cohort study included 654 patients undergoing hemodialysis at 10 facilities in Japan. We employed multivariable linear regression to explore whether sclerostin levels were associated with metacarpal bone mineral density (BMD), intact PTH, bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b (TRACP-5b). We employed mediation analyses to explore whether and to what extent the association of PTH with bone turnover markers is mediated by sclerostin. We also compared sclerostin levels between patients with and without previous or incident fractures.

Results

The median sclerostin level in hemodialysis patients was 3- to 4-fold higher than that in healthy individuals. Higher sclerostin levels were associated with higher metacarpal BMD and lower levels of intact PTH, BAP, and TRACP-5b. However, the relationships of sclerostin with bone turnover markers were substantially attenuated after adjustment for PTH. Mediation analysis suggested that the effects of PTH on bone turnover markers were mainly direct rather than mediated by sclerostin. Sclerostin levels were not associated with previous or incident fractures.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that in patients undergoing dialysis, sclerostin has only a limited role in bone metabolism and may not mediate the effect of PTH on bone turnover.
Safe Transitions and Congregate Living in the Age of COVID‐19: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Boyle Christopher A , Ravichandran Urmila , Hankamp Valerie , Ilbawi Nadim , Conway‐Svec Coleen , Shifley Diane , Hensing Thomas , Kim Susan , Halasyamani Lakshmi
Published: August 2021

BACKGROUND

COVID‐19 represents a grave risk to residents in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether establishment of an appropriate‐use committee was associated with a reduction in SNF utilization.

DESIGNS, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Retrospective cohort study at NorthShore University HealthSystem, a multihospital integrated health system in northern Illinois. Participants were patients hospitalized from March 19, 2019, to July 16, 2020.

INTERVENTION

Creation of a multidisciplinary committee to assess appropriateness of discharge to SNF following hospitalization.

MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES

Primary outcome was total discharges to SNFs. Secondary outcomes were new discharges to SNFs, readmissions, length of stay (LOS), and COVID‐19 incidence following discharge.

RESULTS

Matched populations pre and post intervention were each 4424 patients. Post intervention, there was a relative reduction in total SNF discharges of 49.7% (odds ratio [OR], 0.42; 95% CI, 0.38‐0.47) and in new SNF discharges of 66.9% (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.25‐0.34). Differences in readmissions and LOS were not statistically significant. For patients discharged to a SNF, 2.99% (95% CI, 1.59%‐4.39%) developed COVID‐19 within 30 days., compared with 0.26% (95% CI, 0.29%‐0.93%) of patients discharged to other settings (P < .001).

CONCLUSION

Implementing a review committee to assess for appropriateness of SNF use after a hospitalization during the COVID‐19 pandemic is highly effective. There was no negative impact on safety or efficiency of hospital care, and reduced SNF use likely prevented several cases of COVID‐19. This model could serve as a template for other hospitals to reduce the risks of COVID‐19 in SNFs and as part of a value‐based care strategy.
Defining Potential Overutilization of Physical Therapy Consults on Hospital Medicine Services
Authors: Martinez Maylyn , Cerasale Matthew , Baig Mahnoor , Dugan Claire , Robinson Marla , Sweis Meghan , Prochaska Micah , Schram Andrew , Meltzer David , Arora Vineet M
Published: August 2021

Appropriate use of inpatient physical therapy services is important for preventing hospital‐associated disability (HAD). We assessed potential overutilization of physical therapy consults on hospital medicine services using the Activity Measure‐Post Acute Care (AM‐PAC) score. Our sample included 3592 unique admissions (mean age, 66 years; 48% women) at a large academic medical center. Based on an AM‐PAC cutoff of >43.63 (raw score, 18) in patients who were discharged to home, 38% of physical therapy consults were considered “potential overutilization.”

Combined with age <65 years, 18% of consults remained “potential overutilization.” After adjustment for age, sex, and length of stay, patients admitted with high mobility scores were 5.38 times more likely to be discharged to home (95% CI, 4.36‐2.89) compared with those with low mobility scores. Being more judicious with physical therapy consults and reserving skilled therapy for at‐risk patients could help prevent HAD while also having a positive impact on healthcare systems.
Internalization of Advertising Services: Testing a Theory of the Firm
Authors: Wernerfelt Birger , Silk Alvin , Yu Shuyi
Published: August 2021

In 1956, a group of trade associations representing publishers and independent advertising agencies signed a consent decree aimed at ending a set of trade practices that for half a century effectively precluded advertisers from owning and operating in-house agencies. Since then, large firms have internalized more and more of the services formerly performed by external agencies, perhaps as many as half. We use this phenomenon to test a theory of the firm, thereby simultaneously offering an explanation for it. The theory suggests that firms should internalize activities for which their competitive position implies (1) that it is more important for human capital to be firm specific as opposed to function specific and (2) that frequent modifications are desirable. It also predicts (3) that these two effects reinforce each other. This is the first paper to report on a test of the specialization hypothesis, and we find that it is robustly significant in a cross-sectional data set covering nine different agency activities in 79 firms. In addition to the cross-sectional test, we informally present some time-series data suggesting that both specialization and frequency have grown over time along with the level of internalization.
RESISTÊNCIAS, RESILIÊNCIAS E AFETOS: DIÁLOGOS ENTRE HISTÓRIA E LITERATURA AFRICANAS
Authors: De Souza Correa Silvio Marcus
Published: August 2021

As resistências ao colonialismo foram estudadas sob diferentes abordagens desde os meados do século XX. Em geral, resistência, nativismo e nacionalismo foram articulados em modelos interpretativos sobre as independências africanas. Desde então, a história nacional africana nem sempre esteve afinada às narrativas pós-coloniais da literatura. O cotejo da história e da literatura, através de novas leituras sobre resistências, resiliência e afeto, pode contribuir para um melhor entendimento das sociedades coloniais e pós-coloniais. Sem perder-se na senda bifurcada da historiografia das resistências africanas, o presente artigo propõe uma história entrelaçada em que razão e emoção, afetos e desafetos sejam considerados no estudo das particularidades drama humano em situação colonial e pós-colonial.
Estética animista: memória e (re)existência na narrativa de Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa
Authors: Massingue Salomão António , Massingue Salomão António , Fornos José José
Published: August 2021

O artigo analisa as manifestações da estética animista na sua intercessão com a memória oral como prática de (re)existência na narrativa de Ungulani Ba Ka Khosa. A década 50 do século XX é um importante marco na produção literária em países africanos de língua portuguesa. Escritores assumem o protagonismo na reinvenção das suas sociedades, historicamente subjugadas pelo sistema colonial, num processo pautado pelo questionamento dos cânones literários ocidentais, e pela (re) busca de um passado cultural ancestral e sua incorporação na literatura. Contudo, ainda se reduzia essa produção a categorias desfasadas do conteúdo narrado. A estética animista irrompe como um paradigma de análise mais consentâneo com os universos simbólico e cultural representados nessa produção, concretamente na narrativa. É nessa corrente em que se insere este estudo para a fundamentação do qual se baseou, fundamentalmente, em Garuba, 2003, 2012.
DUPLAS LINGUAGENS ANGOLANAS: resiliência e resistência de um preso político na narrativa A vida verdadeira de Domingos Xavier (1961), de Luandino Vieira, e no filme Sambizanga (1973), de Sarah Maldoror
Authors: - Denise Rocha
Published: August 2021

Crítico da ditadura de Salazar, Luandino Vieira, membro do Partido Comunista Angolano e militante do Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA), foi preso em 1961, época do início da guerra em prol da libertação de seu país. Encarcerado, inicialmente, em Luanda, o ativista político, permaneceu, depois de 1964, cerca de oito anos no campo de concentração de Tarrafal, em Cabo Verde. O tema da luta pela independência angolana aparece na novela A vida verdadeira de Domingos Xavier (1961), que aborda a trajetória de um motorista negro, combatente do jugo colonial português. O objetivo do estudo, que reflete a faceta de resiliência e resistência do escritor e de seu protagonista, é analisar a referida narrativa e sua adaptação cinematográfica em Sambizanga (1973), segundo Hutcheon (2006), bem como o engajamento do intelectual, conforme Sartre (1947).
CORPO E ANCESTRALIDADE: NOTAS SOBRE A RESISTÊNCIA FILOSÓFICA E POLÍTICA AFRICANA
Authors: Santana José Diêgo Leite , Carvalho Lage Allene , Carvalho Lage Allene , Carvalho Lage Allene , Carvalho Lage Allene
Published: August 2021

Este artigo é resultado de uma dissertação de mestrado que debateu o corpo a partir das agências africanas. O propósito desta pesquisa foi discutir proposições filosóficas e políticas africanas que potencializem os processos de resistência ao poder colonial operado nos corpos. Trata-se de uma investigação qualitativa que apresenta uma revisão teórica sobre o corpo e os processos de constituição do Ser que se distanciam de uma lógica racional-instrumental. Pensar o corpo desse modo é um enfrentamento ao poder que disciplina corpos e que constrói realidades e sujeitos(as) hierarquizados.
The post-diagnosis sleep quality of patients with Parkinson's disease
Authors: Fujii Chieko
Published: August 2021

Background:

Addressing the complex factors associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) requires patient interventions to be implemented by nurses and caregivers that consider personality traits and their relationship to sleep quality.

Aims:

To assess the sleep quality and personality traits of patients with PD pre- and post-diagnosis and determine how these factors affect patients' quality of life.

Methods:

The authors mailed a self-reporting questionnaire survey to all 822 members of the Japanese PD Association of Tokyo in January 2017. The overall response rate was 48.4%, and the effective response rate was 34.3%. A total of 282 participants (136 men and 146 women) were enrolled. Each patient responded to questions regarding their sex, age and primary symptoms. Participants also provided responses to questions about the hours slept per night and hours spent napping, as well as the number of toilet visits during sleep and outcomes of Type A behavioural tests.

Findings:

Patients with PD reported a post-diagnosis decrease in sleep time and an increase in napping time. The study subjects also reported becoming tense easily, but they did not report feeling irritated or angry. The subjective assessment indicated a post-diagnosis worsening of sleep quality in patients with PD.

Conclusions:

Although the underlying mechanisms of PD are not yet fully understood, patients with PD require comprehensive strategies for care that should include actions such as encouragement of patients with PD to participate in society and to perform appropriate activities that enhance sleep quality.
Understanding dementia in South Asian populations: an exploration of knowledge and awareness
Authors: Poole Chloe , Harrison Joanna , Hill James
Published: August 2021

Given the higher prevalence of risk factors for dementia within the South Asian population, the lived experiences of people with dementia from this group are of interest. This article evaluates and summarises a qualitative synethesis of culturally specific barriers and facilitators to formal dementia care.
Compression neuropathies of the forearm: anatomy, clinical features and management
Authors: Scarborough Alexander , MacFarlane Robert J , Klontzas Michail , Zhou Rui , Waseem Mohammad
Published: August 2021

The upper limb consists of four major parts: a girdle formed by the clavicle and scapula, the arm, the forearm and the hand. Peripheral nerve lesions of the upper limb are divided into lesions of the brachial plexus or the nerves arising from it. Lesions of the nerves arising from the brachial plexus are further divided into upper (proximal) or lower (distal) lesions based on their location.

Peripheral nerves in the forearm can be compressed in various locations and by a wide range of pathologies. A thorough understanding of the anatomy and clinical presentations of these compression neuropathies can lead to prompt diagnosis and management, preventing possible permanent damage. This article discusses the aetiology, anatomy, clinical presentation and surgical management of compressive neuropathies of the upper limb.
Optimising educational opportunities for trainees during the pandemic
Authors: Netto Manju , Evans Frances
Published: August 2021

Trainees around the world have experienced significant challenges to their personal life and training as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have felt the psychological and physical impacts of working during the COVID-19 pandemic. Training-specific challenges have included redeployment, cancellation of operative lists, cancellation of educational opportunities and loss of exposure to training as a result of shielding. This article describes the impact of infection with COVID-19 on psychological wellbeing and training. It discusses general measures the trainee can take to mitigate the challenges this has caused, categorised into personal, planning and educational resources, and measures focussed on certain challenges. Finally, the vital importance of support for trainees is described, including peer support, departmental resources and the growing array of online material.
Cultivar Coefficient Estimator for the Cropping System Model Based on Time-Series Data: A Case Study for Soybean
Authors: Memic Emir , Graeff Simone , Boote Kenneth J. , Hensel Oliver , Hoogenboom Gerrit
Published: August 2021

Highlights

Software was developed for estimation of DSSAT CSM-CROPGRO-Soybean cultivar coefficients.

Phenology-related coefficients were estimated based on observed phenological events.

Growth-related cultivar coefficients were estimated based on time-series observations.

Cultivar coefficients were optimized based on single- and multiple-experiment data sets.

Abstract. The Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) is one of the most popular software solutions for predicting crop growth and yield while capturing the effects of management practices and interactions between the crop and the environment. Accurate estimation of the crop cultivar coefficients that govern in-season growth and development is critical for correct yield estimates. The manual cultivar coefficient estimation process is time-consuming and results in user-dependent, subjective optimums that are difficult to reproduce. Typically, end-of-season observations (point-based) are used for estimating dynamic in-season biomass accumulation rates. The objective of this study was to develop a time-series estimator (TSE) capable of using multiple in-season observations for estimating the coefficients that define in-season growth and biomass partitioning. Using the TSE, cultivar coefficients were estimated based on multiple in-season observations of leaf area index (LAI) and shoot, leaf, and grain dry matter weights. The cultivar coefficients were estimated from single- and multiple-treatment (seasons and locations) in-season observations. This was done for two cultivars for six management × environment combinations. Estimated multiple-treatment based cultivar coefficients were evaluated with an independent data set and compared to DSSAT standard (manual) coefficients and the cultivar coefficients estimated with the GLUE method. The average normalized root mean squared error (nRSME) for LAI and shoot, leaf, and grain weights was 26% lower for one cultivar and about the same for the other cultivar when compared to the DSSAT standard. Because GLUE uses end-of-season point-based cultivar coefficient estimation, the grain weight over time was underestimated in earlier phases and more accurate toward harvest. The TSE-estimated cultivar coefficients based on 346 in-season observations across multiple target variables and six experiments more accurately reflected in-season growth and grain weight without compromising final grain weight predictions. Keywords: . CROPGRO-Soybean, DSSAT, Genetic coefficients, Normalized root mean square error minimization, Time-seris observations.
Evaluation of the Mechanical and Physical Properties of Insulation Fiberboard with Cellulose Nanofibers
Authors: Kojima Yoichi , Makino Tetsuya , Ota Kazuaki , Murayama Kazushige , Kobori Hikaru , Aoki Kenji , Suzuki Shigehiko , Ito Hirokazu
Published: August 2021

The objective of this study was to investigate the lab-scale manufacturing process of insulation fiberboard (IFB) with cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) and evaluate the effects of CNFs on the mechanical and physical properties of the IFB. Because the fabricated IFBs with CNFs had a homogeneous appearance, it was assumed that CNFs can be easily dispersed within IFB by adding them during the mixing stage of the wet process of wood-based board production. The results for the IFBs with CNFs revealed that the density and bending properties increased, while the thickness decreased with an increase in the CNF addition ratio. Furthermore, after the water absorption test, the weight change rates of the IFBs decreased, and the thickness swelling rates increased. Although the size of the specimens was different from the size in JIS A 5905 (Japan Standards Association 2014), the modulus of rupture (MOR) values of IFBs with a target density more than or equal to 0.20 g/cm3 were higher than the value of A-class IFB in the standard for all CNF addition ratios. In addition, lower thermal conductivity may be realized under similar MOR values by adding CNFs to IFB. On the other hand, to produce CNF-reinforced IFBs with target density/thickness, it is necessary to develop a method for decreasing the cohesive force derived from CNF aggregation and the compressive force originating from the water surface tension caused by the high water retention of CNFs.
Adressatenspezifisches Lernstrategientraining im DaF-Unterricht. Eine empirische Untersuchung
Authors: Schlak Torsten
Published: August 2021

Auf Basis ethnographischer Daten wird der Frage nachgegangen, ob und wie sich grammatikbezogene Lernstrategien im Wirtschaftsdeutschunterricht an der Universität von Hawai'i vermitteln lassen. Der Unterricht in zwei Deutschkursen wurde mehrere Monate beobachtet, die Kursteilnehmer und -veranstalter interviewt und relevante Dokumente ausgewertet. Es wird gezeigt, wie forschungsinteressierte Lehrende adressatenspezifische Unterrichtskonzepte empirisch fundieren können. Based on ethnographic data, I will discuss how learning strategies can be taught in the context of a Business German class at a North American university. Two German classes were observed for one semester, students and instuctors were interviewed, and relevant documents collected and analysed. I show how teachers can develop culture-sensitive classroom methodologies.
Ehefrau Vreni haucht ihm ins Ohr... Untersuchung zur geschlechtergerechten Sprache und zur Darstellung von Frauen in Deutschschweizer Tageszeitungen
Authors: Bühlmann Regula
Published: August 2021

It will be discussed in what way the language of Swiss newspapers written in German is gender-sensitive and what types of sexism can be found still. Six randomly chosen articles from six issues of each the 'Tagesanzeiger', the 'NZZ' and the 'Blick' are analyzed. On the one hand, the usage of non-sexist alternatives to the generic masculinum is examined in respect to personal references and, on the other hand, it is shown how men and women are treated in linguistically different ways. The data proves that sexism has, to a large extent, disappeared from Swiss-German newspapers. Sexist thinking, however, is still present in the sub-conscious and also manifests itself in the texts of the newspapers.
Es wird die Frage diskutiert, inwiefern die Sprache Deutschschweizer Tageszeitungen geschlechtergerecht ist und welche sexistischen Züge sie nach wie vor aufweist. Dazu werden zufällig ausgewählte Artikel von je sechs Ausgaben der Zeitungen Tages-Anzeiger, Neue Zürcher Zeitung und Blick ausgewertet. Einerseits wird in diesen Texten die Verwendung geschlechtergerechter Alternativen zum generischen Maskulinum bei Personenbezeichnungen untersucht, andererseits wird an ausgewählten Beispielen aufgezeigt, wie Frauen und Männer sprachlich unterschiedlich behandelt werden. Das untersuchte Material belegt, dass Sexismus in Deutschschweizer Tageszeitungen zwar weitgehend von der Oberfläche verschwunden ist, dass aber sexistisches Denken nach wie vor im Unterbewusstsein vorhanden ist und sich auch in Zeitungstexten manifestiert.
La sociolingüística de los medios de comunicación
Authors: López González Antonio María
Published: August 2021

This article shows the different kinds of approaches to the mass media from the sociolinguistics, and the meaning of these studies for the society itself. A variety of points of view and topics studied by authors throughout the world conform the sociolinguistic works on mass media. Several topics are discussed about press, radio and television: sociolinguistic prestige, linguistic uses in the media, production, product, reception, linguistic interaction, standardization, interaction between media and audience, media manipulation, didactic applications of the media, etc. The author presents a wide review of the works published in the last years on this issue. The article is accompanied by a long, comprehensive bibliographic chapter which indicates the studies of the sociolinguistics of mass media.
Niederländisch toch und Deutsch doch: Gleich oder doch nicht ganz?
Authors: Foolen Ad
Published: August 2021

In this paper, a semantic analysis is presented of the Dutch particle toch and its German cognate doch. On the formal level they may appear as either adverb, conjunction or interjection, and they also occur in different sentence types. It is argued that the core meaning of both particles is the same. The range of uses differs, however, between the two languages. For example, German doch can be used as an 'answering particle' in reaction to a negative statement or question. This is not possible in Dutch. The core meaning of the particles can be explicated in terms of three steps: the utterance with toch/doch represents a positive step. This step is preceded (implicitly or explicitly) by a negative step, which is in turn preceded by a positive step wich is identical to the actual positive step. For certain uses of toch and doch, however, we have to assume a modification of this general schema. A Dutch novel (by Maarten 't Hart, 1983) and its German translation was used as a corpus. The original text contained 270 occurrences of toch, and the translation 230 doch's.
Oralität, Prozess und Struktur
Authors: Kabatek Johannes
Published: August 2021

In an article published in 1981 together with Brigitte Schlieben-Lange, Harald Weydt emphasized the compatibility of structuralist methods and theory with facts of linguistic variation. The present paper tries to demonstrate, based on some remarks on linguistic history, how a structuralist view on linguistic variation is adequate, but limited to certain aspects. The paper tries to show that differences beyond linguistic structures can be as important as structural differences for speakers when they are trying to classify linguistic varieties. Furthermore, a combination of a description of phonological processes, common in generative phonology, and of a structuralist view is proposed, claiming that both are not contradictory, but compatible.
Sprachgeographische Aspekte der Morphologie und Verschriftung in schweizerdeutschen Chats
Authors: Siebenhaar Beat
Published: August 2021

The regional chat-rooms in Switzerland show an extremely high portion of dialectal contributions (up to 90%). This non-standardized spontaneous writing of a dialectal language still reflects the geolinguistic distribution described in the linguistic atlas of German speaking Switzerland SDS (1962-1997) based on recordings of the 1940s and 1950s.
This paper shows some reflexes of this geolinguistic distribution in four chat-rooms. The graphemic representation of the ending vowel of infinitives clearly confirms the traditional structure. Deviating e-graphemes in chat-rooms of alpine regions can be rated as common Swiss German variants for centralized vowels. On the other hand ä-graphemes in chat-rooms of the Swiss midlands are to be rated as marking of the phonetic deviation from the standard German pronunciation. This variation is not only found in inherited words, but also in neologisms with an almost identical distribution. The SDS illustrates a distribution for the use of t-endings in the 2nd and 3rd singular of sein 'to be'. These t-flexives cannot be found anymore in midland chat-rooms. They appear only in alpine chat-rooms, and there they become morphologized in a new way. The dialectal writing of neologisms confirms the validity of the principles for the Standard German writing.
Passiv in deutschsprachigen Chats. Eine Korpusanalyse.
Authors: Vogel Petra M.
Published: August 2021

In this paper I will investigate some passive phenomena in German chat communication including personal and impersonal passive, passive-like constructions and the use of the "dummy" pronoun es. Furthermore, I will compare the results of this study with other empirical works on passive in contemporary German (Brinker 1971 and Schoenthal 1976) thereby discussing whether chat language can be categorized as "spoken German".
Die Bedienung des Automatens durch den Mensch. Deklination der schwachen Maskulina als Zweifelsfall
Authors: Thieroff Rolf
Published: August 2021

In New High German the following five declension classes of the noun are distinguished: 1) the feminine declension class (comprising all feminine nouns), 2) the so-called s-class (with masculine and neuter nouns), 3), the class of strong nouns (masculine and neuter nouns), 4) the mixed class (masculine and neuter nouns) and 5) the class of weak nouns (masculine nouns only). In the spoken register and sometimes even in the written register, speakers of German tend to inflect certain weak nouns according to the mixed or even to the strong class. The present paper consists of two major parts. In the first part, I give an account of how the inflection of weak nouns is treated in two dictionaries giving advice to readers being in doubt about the correct form. In the second part, I investigate possible reasons for the transition of nouns from the weak to the mixed or to the strong class. I argue that the weak declension differs considerably from all other declension classes in that the accusative and the dative of the singular are marked by a case suffix (absent in all other classes), that only in this class the genitive of the singular is not marked by the suffix -s and that only in the weak class there are two different forms for the accusative and the dative singular, depending on the syntactic context. Accordingly, speakers' doubts about the correct inflection of weak nouns are explained by the deviance of the weak class from all other declension classes of Modern German.
Computer-Assisted Language Learning and the Revolution in Computational Linguistics
Authors: Ten Hacken Pius
Published: August 2021

For a long period, Computational Linguistics (CL) and Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) have developed almost entirely independently of each other. A brief historical survey shows that the main reason for this state of affairs was the long preoccupation in CL with the general problem of Natural Language Understanding (NLU). As a consequence, much effort was directed to fields such as Machine Translation (MT), which were perceived as incorporating and testing NLU. CALL does not fit this model very well so that it was hardly considered worth pursuing in CL. In the 1990s the realization that products could not live up to expectations, even in the domain of MT, led to a crisis. After this crisis the dominant approach to CL has become much more problem-oriented. From this perspective, many of the earlier differences disadvantaging CALL with respect to MT have now disappeared. Therefore the revolution in CL offers promising perspectives for CALL.
The Puzzle of Translation Skills. Towards an Integration of E-Learning and Special Concepts of Computational Linguistics into the Training of Future Translators
Authors: Jekat Susanne J. J. , Massey Gary
Published: August 2021

The objective of this paper is to promote new methods in the computational training of translation students. We will show that the process of translation is more complex than often supposed but can be successfully supported by electronic tools. The acquisition of advanced skills in the combination of these fields is facilitated by the use of new teaching methods like e-learning and the introduction of special concepts in Computational Linguistics such as evaluation.
Learning Document Similarity Using Natural Language Processing
Authors: Merlo Paola , Henderson James , Schneider Gerold , Wehrli Eric
Published: August 2021

The recent considerable growth in the amount of easily available on-line text has brought to the foreground the need for large-scale natural language processing tools for text data mining. In this paper we address the problem of organizing documents into meaningful groups according to their content and to visualize a text collection, providing an overview of the range of documents and of their relationships, so that they can be browsed more easily. We use Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs) (Kohonen 1984). Great efficiency challenges arise in creating these maps. We study linguistically-motivated ways of reducing the representation of a document to increase efficiency and ways to disambiguate the words in the documents.
Disambiguierung deutschsprachiger Diskursmarker: Eine Pilot-Studie
Authors: Bayerl Petra Saskia
Published: August 2021

Discourse markers such as German aber, wohl or obwohl can be regarded as valuable information for a wide range of text-linguistic applications, since they provide important cues for the interpretation of texts or text segments. Unfortunately, many of them are highly ambiguous. Thus, for their use in applications like automatic text summarizations a reliable disambiguation of discourse markers is needed. This should be done automatically, since manual disambiguation is feasible only for small amounts of data.
The aim of this pilot study, therefore, was to investigate methodological requirements of automatic disambiguation of German discourse markers. Two different methods known from word-sense disambiguation, Naive-Bayes and decisionlists, were used for the highly ambiguous marker wenn. A statistical approach was taken to compare the two approaches and different feature combinations.
The Language Question in Cameroon
Authors: Echu George
Published: August 2021

In multilingual Cameroon, 247 indigenous languages live side by side with English and French (the two official languages) and Cameroon Pidgin English (the main lingua franca). While the two official languages of colonial heritage dominate public life in the areas of education, administration, politics, mass media, publicity and literature, both the indigenous languages and Cameroon Pidgin English are relegated to the background.
This paper is a critique of language policy in Cameroon revealing that mother tongue education in the early years of primary education remains a distant cry, as the possible introduction of an indigenous language in the school system is not only considered unwanted by educational authorities but equally combated against by parents who believe that the future of their children lies in the mastery of the official languages. This persistent disregard of indigenous languages does not only alienate the Cameroonian child culturally, but further alienates the vast majority of Cameroonians who are illiterate (in English and French) since important State business is carried out in the official languages. As regards the implementation of the policy of official language bilingualism, there is clear imbalance in the use of the two official languages as French continues to be the dominant official language while English is relegated to a second place within the State. The frustration that ensues within the Anglophone community has led in recent years to the birth of Anglophone nationalism, a situation that seems to be widening the rift between the two main components of the society (Anglophones and Francophones), thereby compromising national unity.
The paper is divided into five major parts. After a brief presentation of the country, the author dwells on multilingualism and language policy since the colonial period. The third, fourth and last parts of the paper focus on the critique of language policy in Cameroon with emphasis first on the policy of official language bilingualism and bilingual education, then on the place of indigenous languages, and finally on the national language debate.
The native-speaker fever in English language teaching (ELT): Pitting pedagogical competence against historical origin
Authors: Anchimbe Eric A.
Published: August 2021

This paper discusses English language teaching (ELT) around the world, and argues that as a profession, it should emphasise pedagogical competence rather than native-speaker requirement in the recruitment of teachers in English as a foreign language (EFL) and English as a second language (ESL) contexts. It establishes that being a native speaker does not make one automatically a competent speaker or, of that matter, a competent teacher of the language. It observes that on many grounds, including physical, sociocultural, technological and economic changes in the world as well as the status of English as official and national language in many post-colonial regions, the distinction between native and non-native speakers is no longer valid.
Possessive pour in the French Lexicon of the Ivory Coast and Language Contact
Authors: Akissi Boutin Béatrice
Published: August 2021

Any variationist study of Ivory Coast French needs to take into account sociolinguistic considerations and systemic features of other contact languages. For instance, there is a specific usage of pour against which the interference hypothesis can easily be tested:
FI: Le kaki que je porte présentement, c'est pour un bachelier qui me l'a laissé avant de partir en fac, cadeau. (Lafage 2003: 676).
Avant de te moquer du linge de ta voisine, regarde si pour toi est propre..
In Ivory Coast French, pour (N/Pro) can display a variety of functions: it can be part of associative predications, it can stand for genitive phrases in an anaphoric construction, make reference to an object in relation with another and participate in various idiomatic expressions.
This paper has a twofold objective. First, I argue that pour (N/Pro) constructions has to be analysed as an empty headed "associative" noun phrase. Second, I will show the relevance of extra- AND intersystemic factors in accounting for language variation. Incidentally, the use of pour (N/Pro) constructions seems to be conditioned by the availability of similar constructions in other Ivory Coast languages on the one hand, such as baoule (o liε) or dioula (à tá), and, cultural needs on the other.
The Development of Conceptual Fluency and Metaphorical Competence in L2 Learners
Authors: Hashemian Mahmood , Talebi Nezhad Mohammad Reza
Published: August 2021

Conceptual Fluency (CF) and Metaphorical Competence (MC) have piqued the interest of a number of L2 researchers. Leading the front are Danesi (1992; 1995; 2003) and Johnson and Rosano (1993) who contend that metaphorical language cannot afford to be ignored by L2 curricula anymore. Their push is to instill in L2 learners a more functional communicative competence over a traditional formal competence. This article reports on a study carried out to scrutinize the development of CF and MC in Persian students of English. First, a group of language students (95 freshmen, 92 sophomores, 139 juniors, and 90 seniors) were tested to see whether they were conceptually and metaphorically competent, and the results showed they were almost bereft of such a competence, and the analysis of their written discourse uncovered a very low level of metaphorical density. The findings were in line with what Danesi (1992) has averred: L2 learners do not necessarily develop CF and MC after several years of study. Then, the juniors partook in the study for a six-month period in which they were exposed to and taught about the metaphorical language of English. The posttest results were indicative that they had developed their CF and MC to a large extent and that their written discourse was almost as metaphorically dense as that of native speakers. That is, the findings revealed that it is possible to develop CF and MC in a classroom setting. Finally, the data indicated that there is a relationship between CF and MC.
"Er zog sich die 'neue Sprache' des 'Dritten Reiches' über wie ein Kleidungsstück": Communities of Practice and Performativity in National Socialist Discourse
Authors: Horan Geraldine
Published: August 2021

This article aims to provide new insights into the characteristics and use of National Socialist discourse. It discusses the methodological problems underlying the analysis of the topic and shows how previous research has resulted in a falsely polarised portrayal of the discourse and its creators and recipients. Applying the concepts of the 'community of practice' and 'performativity', taken from the study of language and gender, the article argues that discourse was not created by National Socialist ideologues and imposed upon the population, but instead was co-created and shaped by members of formal and informal groupings (communities of practice). Participation in these communities of practice enabled or coerced individuals to 'perform' their National Socialist identity to varying degrees and resulted in a discourse which was stylistically and communicatively adaptable and malleable.
Traduire l'ironie. L'exemple d'une œuvre romanesque de N. Kazantzaki et ses traductions française et anglaise
Authors: Constantinou Maria
Published: August 2021

This paper sets out to study the ironical effects related to morphological, rhetorical and macro-structural cues of the novel by N. Kazantzakis's Ο τελευταίος πειρασμός (1951), and then to examine the degree of their transposition in the French and English translations, carried out by Saunier (1959 La dernière tentation du Christ) and by Bien (1960 The Last Temptation of Christ) respectively.
Initially, from a theoretical point of view some definitions of irony as a thought and rhetorical figure are reviewed, while a particular attention is drawn to the theoretical insights of literary irony, in relation to Kazantzakis's work and life. From an analytical, enunciative perspective, this article will endeavour to locate, classify and analyze some techniques of ironization brought into play by Kazantzakis, with a view to comparing them with their transposition in the translated texts. The study privileges a pragmatico-textual approach, which embraces the theoretical background of enunciative polyphony.
Werkstattbericht über das Projekt "Die Südtiroler SchülerInnen und die Zweitsprache: eine linguistische und sozialpsychologische Untersuchung"
Authors: Abel Andrea
Published: August 2021

The aim of the project "South-Tyrolean pupils and their second language: a linguistic and socio-psychological investigation", which was originated in the collaboration between the EURAC and the University of Trento, is to analyze the second language competence of South-Tyrolean pupils and to contextualize the results of such an investigation by commenting on crucial sociolinguistic and psychosocial aspects that influence it. In this paper some preliminary results of the project's preparatory study, i.e. an interview study as well as focus groups, are presented.
Hochdeutsch im Kindergarten
Authors: Gyger Mathilde
Published: August 2021

According to the results of the Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) the linguistic competencies of Swiss students need to be improved. Currently, there is a strong tendency to ban local Swiss-German dialects from Swiss schools, including nursery-schools, and to replace them by Standard High-German more or less completely.
Since parts of the Swiss-German speaking population have strong reservations about High-German or at least the use of High-German in nursery-schools, school authorities look for scientific support. Indeed linguistic research has shown favourable results for the pre-school use of High-German: German speaking children are encouraged to use High-German freely and spontaneously. Migrant children benefit regarding fluency and proficiency in German as a second language.
The following article comments on some steps taken by school-authorities and summarizes the current discussions on the part of educational and linguistic research in Switzerland.
Fehlende Sprachloyalität? Tatsachen und Anmerkungen zur jüngsten Entwicklung des öffentlichen Sprachbewusstseins in Deutschland
Authors: Klein Wolf Peter
Published: August 2021

"Sprachloyalität" ist ein Terminus, mit dem der Umstand bezeichnet wird, dass Sprecher trotz eines gewissen Drucks ihre eigene (Mutter-)Sprache nicht zugunsten einer anderen aufgeben. Dies gilt besonders in Sprachkontaktsituationen. Vor diesem Hintergrund müssen "die Deutschen", so eine soziolinguistische These der Gegenwart, als sprachilloyal gelten: Sie vernachlässigen ihre Sprache in verschiedenen Dimensionen und werden so dazu beitragen, dass die Attraktivität ihrer Muttersprache auch im Ausland zusehends abnehmen wird.
Im Blick auf derzeitige öffentliche Sprachdebatten wird diese These von der deutschen Sprachilloyalität einer Prüfung unterzogen. Als Ergebnis der vorläufigen Betrachtungen ist zu resümieren, dass mittlerweile zumindest einige gegenläufige Tendenzen festgemacht werden können. Es gibt Hinweise darauf, dass die Loyalität der Deutschen zu ihrer Sprache entweder gar nicht so unterentwickelt ist, wie vordem befürchtet, oder aber in den letzten Jahren gewachsen sein könnte. Methodologische Überlegungen zu Untersuchungsperspektiven, aus denen sich präzisere Befunde zum Themenfeld erarbeiten ließen, sowie einige Reflexionen zur linguistischen Charakterisierung des Begriffspaars Sprachloyalität/Sprachilloyalität beschließen den Aufsatz.
Multi-Gaussian correlated Hankel–Bessel beam properties in anisotropic oceanic turbulence
Authors: Wang Xinguang , Wang Le , Zhao Shengmei
Published: August 2021

We introduce the model of a multi-Gaussian correlated Hankel–Bessel (MGCHB) beam generated by a multi-Gaussian Shell-model source and investigate the properties of the beam in anisotropic oceanic turbulence. Under Rytov approximation, the detection probability of the MGCHB beam and the channel capacity with MGCHB beams are derived; both the influence of oceanic turbulence and initial beam parameters on them are discussed by numerical simulations. The results show that the increase of the dissipation rate of kinetic energy per unit mass of fluid, the anisotropic coefficient, and the inner scale factor, as well as the decrease of the dissipation rate of mean-squared temperature and the temperature–salinity contribution ratio, can significantly improve the detection probability and the channel capacity. The results also indicate that the MGCHB beam is a better candidate than an Airy vortex beam for mitigating the influence of oceanic turbulence. Furthermore, smaller topological charge and larger orbital angular momentum modes number are beneficial to improve the detection probability and channel capacity, respectively. Moreover, the performance of the MGCHB beam with longer wavelength, smaller beam index, and larger transverse coherence width is conducive to enhancing the transmission quality through oceanic turbulence.
Microwave photonic radar for distance and velocity measurement based on optical mixing and compressive sensing
Authors: Ding Yujiao , Guo Shuxu , Zhou Weinan , Dong Wei
Published: August 2021

We propose a microwave photonic compressive sensing radar for distance and velocity measurement. First, a de-chirped signal that carries distance or velocity information is extracted between the transmitted and received signals in the proposed system. Then it is mixed with a pseudo-random bit sequence in the optical domain using a Mach–Zehnder modulator. After that, the de-chirped signal can be acquired by a photodetector and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) at a sub-Nyquist sampling rate. Finally, a reconstruction algorithm can be used to recover the de-chirped signal. In our test, the bandwidth of ADC can be shortened from 2 GHz to 500 MHz, leading to a compression factor of four. A series of frequencies from 1.043 GHz to 1.875 GHz can be compressed with a 500-MHz ADC and recovered using a reconstruction algorithm. For a moving target, the Doppler frequency shift can be calculated, and the direction of the moving target can be distinguished. The maximum relative error of distance measurement is 0.21%. The maximum relative error of velocity measurement is 2.6%. The signal-to-noise ratio can be developed from

∼

15

d
B

to

∼

30

d
B

. This microwave photonic compressive sensing radar can achieve distance and velocity measurements using few samples. Also, it provides a large bandwidth of system operation and reduces data processing and storage pressure.
Theoretical and experimental research on crosstalk in spectral beam combining of a laser diode bar with a high fill factor
Authors: Ma Haojie , Xiao Yu , Hu Cong , Song Yuyan , Tang Xiahui
Published: August 2021

Spectral beam combining is an important way to improve the brightness of semiconductor laser beams. For a spectral beam combining system, crosstalk between different emitters would cause the deterioration of beam quality and the reduction of beam combining efficiency, especially for the laser diode bar with a high fill factor. In this paper, an analysis model of the spectral beam combining system with crosstalk is established. The most important advantage of this model is that it can analyze the spectral distribution of the combined beam and also give a relatively good estimation for the beam quality parameters, such as beam size and far-field divergence angle. This model is verified by the experimental results. Furthermore, based on the theoretical model, a method for eliminating crosstalk is developed. By introducing a spatial filter inside the grating external cavity, the crosstalk between different emitters is blocked in the far field, and the beam quality is improved. In the experiment of beam combining of five emitters, after crosstalk is eliminated, the divergence angle of the combined laser beam is reduced from 10.09 to 4.73 mrad, the beam parameter product is reduced from 2.95 to 0.91 mm

⋅

mrad, and the power of the main lobe is improved from 1.77 to 2 W.