bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
English Aspiration and Flapping Revisited
Authors: Picard Marc
Published: February 2018

In Kahn (1976), one finds a syllable-based reanalysis of certain well-known phonological rules of English. Prominent among these are aspiration and flapping. Given that the belated recognition of the syllable by generative phonologists has generally yielded very interesting and positive results, this reinterpretation of the facts must be seen as a welcome development in that respect.

On the other hand, however, Kahn’s decision to base his syllable-oriented generalizations on the concept of ambisyllabicity must be seriously questioned since the phonological evidence for such a phenomenon is so tenuous, and also because this concept is virtually unfalsifiable as it is not known to have any physical-acoustic or articulatory-correlates whatsoever.

Also, over and above Kahn’s recourse to such an unsubstantiated mechanism, there is the additional problem that the two rules he proposes simply do not correctly account for all the data. A later attempt by Kiparsky (1979) to replace Kahn’s ambisyllabic treatment of these two rules by a metrical analysis involving the foot runs into exactly the same kind of trouble.
Le genre grammatical des emprunts anglais en français: la perspective diachronique
Authors: Surridge Marie E.
Published: February 2018

Malgré l’existence d’un nombre considérable d’études portant sur les mots d’emprunt dans les langues romanes, l’intégration grammaticale de ces emprunts a reçu relativement peu d’attention. Correa-Zoli (1973) s’est adressé à l’attribution du genre aux emprunts anglais en italien américain. Un seul article est consacré entièrement au genre des emprunts anglais en français: celui de Haden et Joliat (1940) qui concerne l’intégration des noms anglais en français canadien. Plus de trente ans plus tard, dansCahiers de LexicologieHumbley (1974:67) fait remarquer (sans spécifier la source ni la date des exemples) que près de 90% des inanimés empruntés à l’anglais dont le genre est explicite, ont été attribués au masculin en français. Dans un article récent, Poplack et ses collaborateurs étudient l’attribution du genre grammatical aux emprunts anglais en espagnol américain et en français canadien (Poplack et al 1982). Ces linguistes constatent d’une part que le genre, une fois attribué, est stable, et d’autre part que seul le genre naturel du référent constitue un facteur catégorique dans l’attribution du genre grammatical, Ils concluent que les facteurs déterminant le genre sont spécifiques à une langue et que les emprunts sont gouvernés, en ce qui concerne le genre, par les mêmes processus et les mêmes contraintes que les autres mots du lexique.
Cultural Attitudes in Discourse Analysis
Authors: Harder Bernhard D.
Published: February 2018

Complex communication difficulties involving stylistics, logic and clarity in the discourse structures of advanced English compositions by writers from another language and culture cannot be explained as merely insufficient knowledge of English grammar, diction or idiom. Such problems do not only involve linguistic differences in the native (NL) and target language (TL) but encompass different stylistic habits, different ways of thinking, and different cultural values. Robert Kaplan has frequently argued that the rhetoric and logic in ESL English compositions vary according to the native language and culture of the writer. In one of his early essays he states:

I have tried to demonstrate on the basis of the Arabic language and on the basis of my single example, that rhetoric, the method of organising syntactic units into larger patterns, is as much a culturally coded phenomenon as the syntactic units themselves are (Kaplan 1967:15).
A Piagetian Alternative?
Authors: Lightfoot David
Published: February 2018

O’Grady (1983) complains that in arguing for task-specific genetic principles the transformational-generative enterprise has not given proper consideration to the alternative Piagetian view that there are no genetic principles specific to language, but that the relevant principles hold for all cognitive domains (he does not specify what the “cognitive domains” are). Although he notes judiciously that “the current research program in linguistics cannot be undermined by simple reference to possible alternate analyses for one or two phenomena” (168), he nonetheless sketches alternatives to two analyses given inThe Language Lottery(Lightfoot 1982), claiming that his alternatives do not require appeal to task-specific innate principles and are thus consistent with a Piagetian view of the mind.
Syntaxe et sémantique de quelques quantificateurs en franco-québécois
Authors: Leard Jean-Marcel
Published: February 2018

Nous voudrions examiner, dans son ensemble, le processus de grammémisation (Pottier 1974:68) ou passage du lexème au morphème grammatical en québécois. Il y a là un vide à combler, car le sujet n’a guère fait l’objet d’une étude large. Il convient cependant de signaler que, dans un champ lexical particulier, Thibault et Vincent (1981) ont déjà constaté le passage des lexèmes ayant un dénoté de caractère religieux et sacré au statut de sacres (jurons) puis de quantificateurs ou de modalisateurs (modalisateurs assertifs ou qualificatifs).
Thematic Dependency and Semantic Interpretation
Authors: O’Grady William
Published: February 2018

This paper is concerned with the formulation of a constraint on the set of NPs which can serve as “antecedent” for PRO and floated quantifiers. I will begin by showing that a principle formulated in terms of c-command encounters problems distinguishing between two classes of NPs occurring within PPs. I will then propose that a more comprehensive and successful constraint can be formulated in terms of thematic dependency, a relation holding between an NP and the lexical category which determines its thematic role.
Reflexives and the Dependency Relation “R”
Authors: Carroll Susanne
Published: February 2018

The purpose of this paper is to present a complete syntactic analysis of the reflexives of English. Most of the work in this area, particularly work in the Government-Binding theory, has focused on one type of reflexive, what has come to be called the “anaphor” reflexive. Thus Koster (1984), in describing reflexives (among other things), postulates a number of essential properties characteristic of a core dependency relation between constituents. This relation, labelled “R”, is illustrated in (1). Its properties are listed in (2).
Some Issues in CV Phonology With Reference to the History of Chinese
Authors: Pulleyblank Edwin G.
Published: February 2018

My starting point is the theory of CV phonology as developed by Clements and Keyser (1981, 1983) which, in turn, is one of a number of theories of syllable structure that have been proposed during the past decade to replace the earlier linear concept of generative phonology. These theories have in common that the syllable is recognized as a hierarchical unit in phonological representation and not just a concatenation of segments. Kahn (1976), whose dissertation on English first persuaded generative linguists of the need to depart from the linear model, proposed a tier of syllable nodes (here symbolized as $) linked directly to the segments — consonants and vowels — of the traditional analysis, as in the representation of the word Jennifer in (1) (taken from Clements and Keyser 1983:3).
Genre grammatical et dérivation lexicale en français
Authors: Surridge Marie E.
Published: February 2018

Dans un article précédant (Surridge, 1985) nous avons examiné la relation entre le genre grammatical des composés en français et leur terminaison phonétique. Nous avons démontré que le genre grammatical des composés est attribué selon certaines règles relativement simples. Ces règles dépendent soit directement soit indirectement de la structure morpho-syntaxique du composé en conjonction, pour certains types de composés, avec des critères sémantiques étroitement liés à la structure du nom. La “micro-syntaxe” de la composition (nous empruntons le terme employé par Benveniste 1967:15) inclut une formule pour déterminer le genre grammatical des noms produits par ce mécanisme, formule qui est en large mesure indépendante de la terminaison phonétique du composé. Nous nous proposons maintenant d’examiner le rôle dans l’attribution du genre grammatical d’une autre “micro-syntaxe”, celle de la nominalisation suffixale, et d’un phénomène associé: la nominalisation par conversion grammaticale.
The Audibility of / + /
Authors: Hill Archibald A.
Published: February 2018

The recent article in The Journal of the Canadian Linguistic Association by Professors Robinson, Theall, and Wevers represents a pleasant and fruitful discussion of issues on which it is important to increase communication and understanding. I believe that it may also increase understanding if I point out that there was an unfortunate error in Introduction to Linguistic Structures, and that on the basis of my own statements I am quite properly taken to task for presenting ‘plus juncture’ as an inaudible “ghost phoneme”.

On p. 12 of their article, Messrs. Robinson, Theall, and Wevers quote my statement (ILS p. 26 fn. 7) “A / + / is often so short as to be below the duration (five centiseconds) which the human ear can hear. Under these circumstances what we actually do hear is the effect on the surrounding sounds.”
Sign and sound in the study of written texts
Authors: Revell E. J.
Published: February 2018

The increased interest in speech brought about by the development of modern Linguistics has resulted in a corresponding diminution of regard for written texts as a manifestation of language. In fact a majority of linguists, at least in North America, appear to regard only speech as “real language,” and writing as an incompetent attempt to record it, giving “an imperfect and incomplete picture of actual speech.” The purpose of this paper is to show that this attitude reflects a distorted view of the relation of speech and writing, and has had a pernicious effect on the grammatical study of written texts.
Loan words and abstract phonotactic constraints
Authors: Kaye Jonathan , Nykiel Barbara
Published: February 2018

In this paper we will discuss several cases of the phonology of loan words. We will show that loan words are adapted phonologically to meet certain constraints on possible words or morphemes imposed on them by the borrowing language. Most significantly, such constraints are defined on the level of lexical representation. To our knowledge so-called “surface phonetic constraints” (henceforth SPC’s) play no role in the phonology of loan words, nor indeed in any other part of phonology. Our examples show that deep phonotactic constraints, constraints not necessarily reflected on the surface, are the drums to which loan words must march. This is not to say that all aspects of loan word phonological behaviour are now understood. Many mysterious facts still remain unexplained. We do claim that substantial aspects of this phenomenon may be understood by assuming that the systematic phonemic level of generative phonology is the level on which the constraints controlling loan word phonological behaviour are defined.
The syllable boundary in generative phonology
Authors: Picard Marc
Published: February 2018

In Natural Generative Phonology (NGP), the only phonological rules are those which describe alternations that take place in environments that can be specified in purely phonetic terms. As indicated by Hooper, these “‘phonetic terms’ refer to phonological features (that have intrinsic phonetic content) and phonological boundaries (that have a necessary and consistent phonetic manifestation)” (1976:14). Any rule which changes phonological features in an environment described in morphosyntactic or lexical terms is not phonological but morphophonemic. Since by definition a phonological rule cannot contain non-phonetic information, this entails, among other things, the exclusion of any boundary that is not determined by phonetic means. In other words, the syllable ($) and the pause (| |) are the only boundaries which can appear in a phonological rule in NGP. The word boundary (# and ##) and the morpheme boundary (+), which are determined by syntactic and semantic means, can only appear in a morphophonemic rule.
‘Backsliding’ in English Dialects
Authors: Bollard John K.
Published: February 2018

Drawing on evidence found in the Survey of English Dialects (SED), in Joseph Wright’s English Dialect Grammar (1905) and elsewhere, J. Lawrence Mitchell (1979) suggests that the development of Middle English [x] into [θ], [f], [s] and ø in such terms as trough, plough and sigh is the result of a systematic phonological process which he terms ‘sliding.’ This sliding, he maintains, takes place along a consonantal strength scale which determines the order of change as [x] → [θ] → [f] → [s]. The purpose of the present paper is to bring forward some evidence for. [f] → [θ], which runs counter to his theory.

In the Merriam-Webster file of transcriptions, which now numbers over 272,000 slips, attention was first drawn to the substitution of [θ] for [f] in 1955 by a citation for aphis consistently pronounced [eθis] by a resident of western Massachusetts. We also have the testimony of a college-educated native English speaker from eastern New England (Waltham, Mass.) that he grew up saying Philadel[θ]ia and epita[θ]. He reports, in addition, that this pronunciation of the Pennsylvania city was used by a college friend from northeastern New England, a usage which was the butt of remarks by other classmates.
Degrees of Transparency in Word Formation
Authors: Cutler Anne
Published: February 2018

New words can be formed by adding suffixes to other words. Derived words formed in this way may be phonologically transparent with respect to their base word, or they may be opaque; monstrous is preserved in monstrous#ness but not in monstro+sity. The juncture between suffix and stem is either a word boundary (#) or a formative boundary (+), and while word boundary derivations are always transparent, formative boundary derivations usually result in stress shifting to a syllable other than the syllable which is stressed in the base word, vowel quality changing, etc.
Old French Epenthesis Revisited
Authors: Walker Douglas C.
Published: February 2018

It is always gratifying when one’s research elicits a response, particularly the detailed discussions by Singh (1980) and Morin (1980) of Walker (1978). It is also clear that both of these authors have contributed to our understanding of the process of epen-thesis in Old French, although I am not convinced that we may yet be confident of having dealt with the process in a fully satisfactory way. The following comments on Singh’s and Morin’s proposals may illustrate certain of the difficulties which remain.
Trois principes de description sémantique d’une unité lexicale dans un dictionnaire explicatif et combinatoire
Authors: Mel’čuk Igor , Iordanskaja Lidija , Arbatchewsky-Jumarie Nadia , Lessard Adèle
Published: February 2018

Le but du présent article est de présenter, sous une forme explicite, et d’illustrer trois des principes de base qui régissent la description sémantique des unités lexicales dans un dictionnaire explicatif et combinatoire (DEC). Il s’agit des principes suivants: principe d’adéquation, principe de pont sémantique, et principe d’uniformité. Le premier principe concerne un lexeme isolé; le deuxième, tous les lexemes appartenant à un vocable; et le troisième, les vocables différents qui sont sémantiquement apparentés.

Il convient de souligner que les principes énoncés sont depuis longtemps bien connus en lexicographie. Ce que nous revendiquons comme originalité, c’est le caractère formel et précis de leur formulation et, beaucoup plus important encore, le caractère strict et systématique de leur application.
Chilcotin Flattening
Authors: Cook Eung-Do
Published: February 2018

In Chilcotin, an Athapaskan language of northern British Columbia, surface alternations of vowels are determined by a process called “flattening” (Krauss 1975, Cook 1976a). So far, the process of flattening, and indeed almost all other aspects of Chilcotin phonology, remain virtually unknown to phonologists in general. In this article, I provide a descriptive introduction to Chilcotin flattening. The first two sections describe the vowel and consonant systems, respectively, in terms of autonomous phonology, and the third section describes the flattening process and introduces some of the theoretical issues associated with it.
La Spirantisation Du [ž]
Authors: Charbonneau l'abbé René
Published: February 2018

1. Une prononciation tout à fait singulière et maintes fois entendue dans le milieu étudiant au collège classique de l'Assomption, ville située à quelque 25 milles au nord de Montréal, nous fournit l'occasion d'analyser expérimentalement sa structure et d'établir ses principales caractéristiques.

Tous les gens de cette agglomération dont le parler est le français emploient, à quelques exceptions près, la fricative palato-alvéolaire /ž/ de façon distincte et constante. Cependant, l'observateur quelque peu exercé entendra chez certains individus toute une gamme de variantes du phonème mentionné. Dans des mots comme agi, japper, à jeun, la fricative sonore peut se realiser comme [H], soit [aHi], [Hape], [aHœ], ces réalisations variant également, pour un même individu, selon le contexte phonétique ou suivant des variations individuelles : [aHi], [ahi], [axi].
The French Element in Newfoundland Place Names
Authors: Seary E. R.
Published: February 2018

Newfoundland place names derive from several linguistic bases — Portuguese, French, English, Basque, Breton, Micmac Indian, Gaelic and perhaps Scandinavian — with English and French names far out-numbering the rest. My study of the French element is still far from complete but, if it were, the limits of this paper would, of course, not admit of my treating it exhaustively. What I propose to do, then, is simply to give a short sketch of the history of the recording of the names and of their variety in the land of their adoption.

If for our present purpose we omit any reference to names which may have been given previously by the indigenous Indians or by early Scandinavian explorers, about which there is some conjecture but little evidence, the first names imposed in Newfoundland were Portuguese, which occur in maps produced within a few years of the discovery of the island in 1497.
The Place of Linguistics in English Studies
Authors: Seary E. R.
Published: February 2018

When I first began to put my ideas on this subject in some sort of order, I did not realize that I had hit on a topic such as many an aspirant to the degree of Master or Doctor of Education, driven to writing dreary theses on ‘A Comparison of the Vocabulary Assimilation of Monoglot and Bilingual Children of Schoolgoing Age, and an Examination of certain Findings of Some Welsh Investigators on the Problem of Bilingualism, with special reference to South African Conditions,’ or, more briefly, ‘Analysis of Chemistry Text Books, 1935,’ must have searched for in vain. But how beautifully it shapes itself: Preface, with modest and grateful acknowledgments to the Director of Studies; Pre-History; the Antiquarians of the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; The Germanic Invasion; Anglo-Saxon v. Latin and Greek; Eng. Lang, and Lit; The Cambridge Rebellion; The Problem Today; The Problem with special reference to Canada, South Africa, or wherever it may be; Notes; Bibliography!
VARIETAL IDENTIFICATION IN HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS: RESULTS FROM THREE HOUSEHOLD-BASED METHODS AGAINST THE BENCHMARK OF DNA FINGERPRINTING IN SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA
Authors: KOSMOWSKI FRÉDÉRIC , ARAGAW ABIYOT , KILIAN ANDRZEJ , AMBEL ALEMAYEHU , ILUKOR JOHN , YIGEZU BIRATU , STEVENSON JAMES
Published: February 2018

Accurate crop varietal identification is the backbone of any high-quality assessment of outcomes and impacts. Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) varieties have important nutritional differences, and there is a strong interest to identify nutritionally superior varieties for dissemination. In agricultural household surveys, such information is often collected based on the farmer's self-report. In this article, we present the results of a data capture experiment on sweet potato varietal identification in southern Ethiopia. Three household-based methods of identifying varietal adoption are tested against the benchmark of DNA fingerprinting: (A) Elicitation from farmers with basic questions for the most widely planted variety; (B) Farmer elicitation on five sweet potato phenotypic attributes by showing a visual-aid protocol; and (C) Enumerator recording observations on five sweet potato phenotypic attributes using a visual-aid protocol and visiting the field. In total, 20% of farmers identified a variety as improved when in fact it was local and 19% identified a variety as local when it was in fact improved. The variety names given by farmers delivered inconsistent and inaccurate varietal identities. Visual-aid protocols employed in methods B and C were better than those in method A, but greatly underestimated the adoption estimates given by the DNA fingerprinting method. Our results suggest that estimating the adoption of improved varieties with methods based on farmer self-reports is questionable and point towards a wider use of DNA fingerprinting in adoption and impact assessments.
Use of mycorrhizal inoculum under low fertilizer application: effects on forage yield, milk production, and energetic and economic efficiency
Authors: Uzun P. , Masucci F. , Serrapica F. , Varricchio M. L. , Pacelli C. , Claps S. , Di Francia A.
Published: February 2018

Two studies were carried out to assess the effects of seed inoculation by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) coupled to a reduced fertilizer supply on yield, economic benefit and energy balance of maize and sorghum forage cropping. The effect of dietary inclusion of mycorrhizal forages on milk yield was also examined. The control treatments (control maize and control sorghum) were non-mycorrhizal seeds fertilized with recommended doses of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). The inoculated treatments (inoculated maize and inoculated sorghum) were the mycorrhizal seeds fertilized with a half dose of N. For each treatment, two plots, 1.5 ha each, were used. The forages were ensiled and fed to lactating buffaloes (maize) and dairy cows (sorghum). Plant traits and yield parameters were generally found to be higher in inoculated compared to the control plants. Inoculation positively influenced the chemical composition of sorghum silage that resulted in less fibre and more protein and presented higher dry matter degradability. No differences between the control and inoculated maize silages were found. For both inoculated crops, higher profitability (+670 and 732€ for maize and sorghum, respectively), as well as an increment of net energy (+0.24 and 0.60, respectively), and energy use efficiency (+0.53 and 0.85, respectively) were observed. The use of the inoculated silages did not affect milk yield. Results suggest that seed inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi combined with the low rate of fertilizers could be a viable solution to increase the eco-efficiency and profitability in forage production without affecting forage quality and lactating cow productivity.
Correlates and Predictors of New Mothers’ Responses to Postpartum Thoughts of Accidental and Intentional Harm and Obsessive Compulsive Symptoms
Authors: Fairbrother Nichole , Thordarson Dana S. , Challacombe Fiona L. , Sakaluk John K.
Published: February 2018

Background: Unwanted, intrusive thoughts of infant-related harm are a normal, albeit distressing experience for most new mothers. The occurrence of these thoughts can represent a risk factor for the development of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). As the early postpartum period represents a time of increased risk for OCD development, the transition to parenthood provides a unique opportunity to better understand OCD development. Aims: The purpose of this study was to assess components of cognitive behavioural conceptualizations of postpartum OCD in relation to new mothers’ thoughts of infant-related harm. Method: English-speaking pregnant women (n = 100) participated. Questionnaires were completed at approximately 36 weeks of gestation, and at 4 and 12 weeks postpartum. An interview to assess postpartum harm thoughts was administered at 4 and 12 weeks postpartum. Questionnaires assessed OC symptoms, OC-related beliefs, fatigue, sleep difficulties and negative mood. Results: Prenatal OC-related beliefs predicted postpartum OC symptoms, as well as harm thought characteristics and behavioural responses to harm thoughts. The severity of behavioural responses to early postpartum harm thoughts did not predict later postpartum OC symptoms, but did predict frequency and time occupation of accidental harm thoughts, and interference in parenting by intentional harm thoughts. Strong relationships between OC symptoms and harm thought characteristics, and concurrent sleep difficulties, negative mood and fatigue were also found. Conclusions: Findings provide support for cognitive behavioural conceptualizations of postpartum OCD and emphasize the importance of maternal sleep, fatigue and negative mood in the relationship between OC-related beliefs and maternal cognitive and behavioural responses to postpartum harm thoughts.
Polysyllabic shortening in speakers exposed to two languages
Authors: GIBSON TODD A. , SUMMERS CONNIE
Published: February 2018

Polysyllabic shortening is used to maintain stress-timed rhythm in English, but used negligibly in Spanish. It is unknown how polysyllabic shortening is influenced when individuals are exposed to one language that employs it and one that does not. We calculated polysyllabic shortening for 35 functionally monolingual English-speaking adults and 19 relatively balanced Spanish–English bilingual peers who repeated English and Spanish nonwords. Results showed that speech motor patterns learned early in life might be sufficient to block cross-linguistic transfer of polysyllabic shortening despite limited language proficiency, and bilingual speakers appear to signal membership in the majority language by increasing polysyllabic shortening.
Socio-economic differences in the change of fruit and vegetable intakes among Dutch adults between 2004 and 2011: the GLOBE study
Authors: Dijkstra S Coosje , Neter Judith E , Brouwer Ingeborg A , Huisman Martijn , Visser Marjolein , van Lenthe Frank J , Kamphuis Carlijn BM
Published: February 2018

Objective

To investigate socio-economic differences in changes in fruit and vegetable intake between 2004 and 2011 and explore the mediating role of financial barriers in this change.

Design

Respondents completed a self-reported questionnaire in 2004 and 2011, including questions on fruit and vegetable intake (frequency per week), indicators of socio-economic position (education, income) and perceived financial barriers (fruits/vegetables are expensive, financial distress). Associations were analysed using ordinal logistic regression. The mediating role of financial barriers in the association between socio-economic position and change in fruit and vegetable intake was studied with the Baron and Kenny approach.

Setting

Longitudinal GLOBE study.

Subjects

A total of 2978 Dutch adults aged 25–75 years.

Results

Respondents with the lowest income in 2004 were more likely to report a decrease in intake of cooked vegetables (P-trend<0·001) and raw vegetables (P-trend<0·001) between 2004 and 2011, compared with those with the highest income level. Respondents with the lowest education level in 2004 were more likely to report a decrease in intake of fruits (P-trend=0·021), cooked vegetables (P-trend=0·033), raw vegetables (P-trend<0·001) and fruit juice (P-trend=0·027) between 2004 and 2011, compared with those with the highest education level. Financial barriers partially mediated the association between income and education and the decrease in fruit and cooked vegetable intake between 2004 and 2011.

Conclusions

These results show a widening of relative income and educational differences in fruit and vegetable intake between 2004 and 2011. Financial barriers explained a small part of this widening.
Dietary energy density is positively associated with body composition of adults in Southwest China
Authors: Yin Jun , Xue Hong-mei , Chen Yuan-yuan , Zhang Xiao , Quan Li-ming , Gong Yun-hui , Cheng Guo
Published: February 2018

Objective

Dietary energy density (ED) might have influences on body composition. We therefore examined whether ED is associated with body composition among Chinese adults.

Design

We collected dietary data through validated two-day 24 h recalls. ED, defined as the amount of energy per unit weight of food consumed, was calculated based on five methods. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to explore the associations between ED and body composition parameters, including BMI, fat mass index (FMI), fat-free mass index (FFMI), percentage body fat (%BF) and waist circumference (WC).

Setting

Southwest China.

Subjects

Chinese adults (n 1933) in 2013.

Results

After adjusting the covariates, all ED definitions were positively associated with BMI, FMI, FFMI, %BF and WC among women (P<0·01). In men, however, ED with foods only was positively associated with BMI, FMI, FFMI and %BF (P<0·05), but not with WC (P=0·07); we also found null associations between ED with foods and all beverages and body composition among men. Additionally, ED contributed to higher increases of body composition in women than in men (P<0·01).

Conclusions

The present study supports the positive association between ED and body composition among adults in Southwest China, in which beverages may play an important role.
Farm service agency employee intentions to use weather and climate data in professional services
Authors: Schattman Rachel E. , Roesch-McNally Gabrielle , Wiener Sarah , Niles Meredith T. , Hollinger David Y.
Published: February 2018

Agricultural service providers often work closely with producers, and are well positioned to include weather and climate change information in the services they provide. By doing so, they can help producers reduce risks due to climate variability and change. A national survey of United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (FSA) field staff (n = 4621) was conducted in 2016. The survey was designed to assess FSA employees’ use of climate and weather-related data and explore their perspectives on climate change, attitudes toward adaptation and concerns regarding climate- and weather-driven risks. Two structural equation models were developed to explore relationships between these factors, and to predict respondents’ willingness to integrate climate and weather data into their professional services in the future. The two models were compared with assess the relative influence of respondents’ current use of weather and climate information. Findings suggest that respondents’ perceptions of weather-related risk in combination with their personal observations of weather variability help predict whether an individual intends to use weather and climate information in the future. Importantly, climate change belief is not a significant predictor of this intention; however, the belief that producers will have to adapt to climate change in order to remain viable is. Surprisingly, whether or not an individual currently uses weather and climate information is not a good predictor of whether they intend to in the future. This suggests that there are opportunities to increase employee exposure and proficiency with weather and climate information to meet the needs of American farmers by helping them to reduce risk.
Aktuelles zur Therapie mit GLP-1-Rezeptoragonisten bei Patienten mit Diabetes mellitus Typ 2
Authors: Fischli Stefan , Henzen Christoph
Published: February 2018

Zusammenfassung. GLP-1-Rezeptoragonisten (GLP-1-RA) sind eine neuere Therapieoption zur Behandlung des Diabetes mellitus Typ 2. Diese Substanzen besitzen eine analoge Struktur zum menschlichen glukagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), einem für die Glukosehomöostase zentralen Inkretin, das unter anderem für die postprandiale Insulinsekretion verantwortlich ist. GLP-1-RA führen glukoseabhängig zur Stimulation der Insulin- und Hemmung der Glukagon-Sekretion. Sie besitzen kein intrinsisches Hypoglykämierisiko und bewirken eine Gewichtsabnahme. In kardiovaskulären Endpunktstudien konnte für mehrere Substanzen (Liraglutid, Semaglutid) eine Reduktion der kardiovaskulären Endpunkte gezeigt werden. Die häufigsten Nebenwirkungen der GLP-1-RA sind gastrointestinaler Natur (Nausea, Erbrechen und Diarrhö) und Ausdruck der Wirkung an zentralem Nervensystem und Gastrointestinaltrakt. GLP-1-RA sind die teuersten Diabetesmedikamente, die Applikation erfolgt subkutan und es existieren zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt noch ungenügende Daten zur längerfristigen Wirksamkeit und Dauerhaftigkeit der Behandlung. Die Auswahl der Patienten, die für eine Behandlung mit GLP-1-RA qualifizieren, muss sorgfältig geschehen. Die Substanzen können mit oralen Antidiabetika, aber auch mit Insulin, kombiniert werden. Dieser Artikel fasst Grundlagen zur Wirkung und klinischen Wirksamkeit, Nebenwirkungsprofil und Einsatzmöglichkeiten dieser Medikamente im klinischen Alltag zusammen.
Blutzuckerselbstkontrollen bei Diabetes mellitus – was ist sinnvoll?
Authors: Minder Anna
Published: February 2018

Zusammenfassung. Aufgrund der stark schwankenden Blutzucker(BZ)-Werte sind BZ-Messungen bei Patienten mit Diabetes mellitus Typ 1 ein unverzichtbarer Bestandteil der Therapie, da es diese dem gut geschulten Patienten ermöglichen, wichtige Therapieanpassungen vorzunehmen. Bei kapillären Messungen ist eine Frequenz von mindestens viermal täglichen Messungen sinnvoll (jeweils präprandial und vor Nachtruhe) und mit einer besseren Diabeteskontrolle assoziiert. Die Anwendung von Sensoren bietet den Patienten die Möglichkeit noch häufiger korrigierend einzugreifen. Bei Diabetes mellitus Typ 2, welcher nicht mit Insulin behandelt wird, ist die Blutzuckerselbstkontrolle primär ein Instrument der Schulung für den Patienten. Dieser muss also sowohl über die Bedeutung und Einflussfaktoren der BZ-Werte, als auch über die daraus folgenden Rückschlüsse informiert sein. Ansonsten ist eine BZ-Messung bei diesen Patienten weniger sinnvoll, wie verschiedene Studien gezeigt haben. Die Frequenz der BZ-Messungen richtet sich hier nach der eingesetzten Therapie und reicht von keiner Messung bis zu einer mehrfach täglichen Messung, je nach individuellen Therapiezielen und Intensität der Behandlung. Zentral für die Bedeutung der BZ-Messung ist neben der Schulung des Patienten auch die interaktive Betrachtung und Diskussion der Werte mit entsprechendem Feedback durch den Arzt oder das Behandlungsteam.
Diabetiker werden immer älter – was hat das für Konsequenzen für die Behandlung?
Authors: Keller Ulrich
Published: February 2018

Zusammenfassung. Diabetes wird mit zunehmendem Alter immer häufiger, und die Anzahl Betroffener nimmt weltweit massiv zu. Es handelt sich meist um Diabetes Typ 2, wobei auch bei älteren Personen ein Diabetes Typ 1 vorhanden sein oder auftreten kann. „Normale“ Alterungsprozesse und häufige Pathologien im Alter haben Wechselwirkungen mit Diabetes. Besonders betont werden muss das Hypoglykämierisiko, das im Alter zunimmt. Hypoglykämien können bei älteren Personen besonders gravierende Konsequenzen haben (Stürze, Unfälle, Herzrhythmusstörungen, evtl. Abnahme der kognitiven Fähigkeiten). Die Therapie des Diabetes fokussiert tendenziell weniger auf eine „normoglykämische“ Blutzuckereinstellung als auf eine Therapie, die keine Entgleisungen nach unten, aber auch nach oben, zulassen. Besonders besprochen wird der Zusammenhang zwischen Diabetes und Demenz. Auch Demenz ist eine Alterskrankheit – das Vorhandensein von Diabetes erhöht das Demenzrisiko um ca. 50 %. Es wird in der Praxis noch zu wenig auf demenzielle Symptome geachtet oder nach Demenz gescreent. Diabetiker mit demenziellen Symptomen benötigen eine Anpassung der Therapie (u. a. Vereinfachung) und eine noch striktere Strategie der Hypoglykämievermeidung. Einerseits ist es wahrscheinlich, dass gehäufte Hypoglykämien das Demenzrisiko steigern, andererseits haben Personen mit Demenz gehäuft schwere Hypoglykämien infolge von Therapiefehlern.
Diagnostik von Lesestörungen bei Mehrsprachigkeit
Authors: Lenhard Wolfgang , Lenhard Alexandra
Published: February 2018

Zusammenfassung. Die Konfundierung von schulischer Leistung und Sprachbeherrschung erschwert bei mehrsprachig aufwachsenden Kindern die Diagnose einer Lernstörung. Wir verglichen Ergebnisse im ELFE II-Leseverständnistest von monolingual deutschsprachigen Kindern (n = 2060) mit Kindern, die zuhause überhaupt nicht Deutsch (n = 132) oder nur zum Teil Deutsch sprechen (n = 612). Kinder mit nicht-deutscher Muttersprache erhielten trotz im Schnitt niedrigerer Leistungen erheblich seltener die Diagnose einer Lesestörung. Unterschiede zwischen Wort-, Satz- und Textverständnis traten bei diesen Kindern nicht häufiger auf als bei monolingual deutschen Kindern. Wir schlagen auf der Basis dieser Ergebnisse einen praktisch gangbaren Weg zur verbesserten Diagnose von Lesestörung bei mehrsprachig aufwachsenden Kindern unter Verwendung adaptierter Testnormen und dem Einbezug differenzialdiagnostischer Informationen vor.
Amygdala hyper-connectivity in a mouse model of unpredictable early life stress
Authors: Johnson Frances K. , Delpech Jean-Christophe , Thompson Garth J. , Wei Lan , Hao Jin , Herman Peter , Hyder Fahmeed , Kaffman Arie
Published: February 2018

Childhood maltreatment is associated with a wide range of psychopathologies including anxiety that emerge in childhood and in many cases persist in adulthood. Increased amygdala activation in response to threat and abnormal amygdala connectivity with frontolimbic brain regions, such as the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, are some of the most consistent findings seen in individuals exposed to childhood maltreatment. The underlying mechanisms responsible for these changes are difficult to study in humans but can be elucidated using animal models of early-life stress. Such studies are especially powerful in the mouse where precise control of the genetic background and the stress paradigm can be coupled with resting-state fMRI (rsfMRI) to map abnormal connectivity in circuits that regulate anxiety. To address this issue we first compared the effects of two models of early-life stress, limited bedding (LB) and unpredictable postnatal stress (UPS), on anxiety-like behavior in juvenile and adult mice. We found that UPS, but not LB, causes a robust increase in anxiety in juvenile and adult male mice. Next, we used rsfMRI to compare frontolimbic connectivity in control and UPS adult male mice. We found increased amygdala–prefrontal cortex and amygdala–hippocampus connectivity in UPS. The strength of the amygdala–hippocampal and amygdala–prefrontal cortex connectivity was highly correlated with anxiety-like behavior in the open-field test and elevated plus maze. These findings are the first to link hyperconnectivity in frontolimbic circuits and increased anxiety in a mouse model of early-life stress, allowing for more mechanistic understanding of parallel findings in humans.
Hypoxia-inducible factor 2-alpha-dependent induction of amphiregulin dampens myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury
Authors: Koeppen Michael , Lee Jae W. , Seo Seong-Wook , Brodsky Kelley S. , Kreth Simone , Yang Ivana V. , Buttrick Peter M. , Eckle Tobias , Eltzschig Holger K.
Published: February 2018

Myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI) leads to the stabilization of the transcription factors hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF1-alpha) and hypoxia-inducible factor 2-alpha (HIF2-alpha). While previous studies implicate HIF1-alpha in cardioprotection, the role of HIF2-alpha remains elusive. Here we show that HIF2-alpha induces the epithelial growth factor amphiregulin (AREG) to elicit cardioprotection in myocardial IRI. Comparing mice with inducible deletion of Hif1a or Hif2a in cardiac myocytes, we show that loss of Hif2-alpha increases infarct sizes. Microarray studies in genetic models or cultured human cardiac myocytes implicate HIF2-alpha in the myocardial induction of AREG. Likewise, AREG increases in myocardial tissues from patients with ischemic heart disease. Areg deficiency increases myocardial IRI, as does pharmacologic inhibition of Areg signaling. In contrast, treatment with recombinant Areg provides cardioprotection and reconstitutes mice with Hif2a deletion. These studies indicate that HIF2-alpha induces myocardial AREG expression in cardiac myocytes, which increases myocardial ischemia tolerance.
Reconstruction of complex single-cell trajectories using CellRouter
Authors: Lummertz da Rocha Edroaldo , Rowe R. Grant , Lundin Vanessa , Malleshaiah Mohan , Jha Deepak Kumar , Rambo Carlos R. , Li Hu , North Trista E. , Collins James J. , Daley George Q.
Published: February 2018

A better understanding of the cell-fate transitions that occur in complex cellular ecosystems in normal development and disease could inform cell engineering efforts and lead to improved therapies. However, a major challenge is to simultaneously identify new cell states, and their transitions, to elucidate the gene expression dynamics governing cell-type diversification. Here, we present CellRouter, a multifaceted single-cell analysis platform that identifies complex cell-state transition trajectories by using flow networks to explore the subpopulation structure of multi-dimensional, single-cell omics data. We demonstrate its versatility by applying CellRouter to single-cell RNA sequencing data sets to reconstruct cell-state transition trajectories during hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) differentiation to the erythroid, myeloid and lymphoid lineages, as well as during re-specification of cell identity by cellular reprogramming of monocytes and B-cells to HSPCs. CellRouter opens previously undescribed paths for in-depth characterization of complex cellular ecosystems and establishment of enhanced cell engineering approaches.
Spatiotemporal regulation of Aurora B recruitment ensures release of cohesion during C. elegans oocyte meiosis
Authors: Ferrandiz Nuria , Barroso Consuelo , Telecan Oana , Shao Nan , Kim Hyun-Min , Testori Sarah , Faull Peter , Cutillas Pedro , Snijders Ambrosius P. , Colaiácovo Monica P. , Martinez-Perez Enrique
Published: February 2018

The formation of haploid gametes from diploid germ cells requires the regulated two-step release of sister chromatid cohesion (SCC) during the meiotic divisions. Here, we show that phosphorylation of cohesin subunit REC-8 by Aurora B promotes SCC release at anaphase I onset in C. elegans oocytes. Aurora B loading to chromatin displaying Haspin-mediated H3 T3 phosphorylation induces spatially restricted REC-8 phosphorylation, preventing full SCC release during anaphase I. H3 T3 phosphorylation is locally antagonized by protein phosphatase 1, which is recruited to chromosomes by HTP-1/2 and LAB-1. Mutating the N terminus of HTP-1 causes ectopic H3 T3 phosphorylation, triggering precocious SCC release without impairing earlier HTP-1 roles in homolog pairing and recombination. CDK-1 exerts temporal regulation of Aurora B recruitment, coupling REC-8 phosphorylation to oocyte maturation. Our findings elucidate a complex regulatory network that uses chromosome axis components, H3 T3 phosphorylation, and cell cycle regulators to ensure accurate chromosome segregation during oogenesis.
An olfactory virtual reality system for mice
Authors: Radvansky Brad A. , Dombeck Daniel A.
Published: February 2018

All motile organisms use spatially distributed chemical features of their surroundings to guide their behaviors, but the neural mechanisms underlying such behaviors in mammals have been difficult to study, largely due to the technical challenges of controlling chemical concentrations in space and time during behavioral experiments. To overcome these challenges, we introduce a system to control and maintain an olfactory virtual landscape. This system uses rapid flow controllers and an online predictive algorithm to deliver precise odorant distributions to head-fixed mice as they explore a virtual environment. We establish an odor-guided virtual navigation behavior that engages hippocampal CA1 “place cells” that exhibit similar properties to those previously reported for real and visual virtual environments, demonstrating that navigation based on different sensory modalities recruits a similar cognitive map. This method opens new possibilities for studying the neural mechanisms of olfactory-driven behaviors, multisensory integration, innate valence, and low-dimensional sensory-spatial processing.
Conserved roles of C. elegans and human MANFs in sulfatide binding and cytoprotection
Authors: Bai Meirong , Vozdek Roman , Hnízda Aleš , Jiang Chenxiao , Wang Bingying , Kuchar Ladislav , Li Tiejun , Zhang Yuefan , Wood Chase , Feng Liang , Dang Yongjun , Ma Dengke K.
Published: February 2018

Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) protein that can be secreted and protects dopamine neurons and cardiomyocytes from ER stress and apoptosis. The mechanism of action of extracellular MANF has long been elusive. From a genetic screen for mutants with abnormal ER stress response, we identified the gene Y54G2A.23 as the evolutionarily conserved C. elegans MANF orthologue. We find that MANF binds to the lipid sulfatide, also known as 3-O-sulfogalactosylceramide present in serum and outer-cell membrane leaflets, directly in isolated forms and in reconstituted lipid micelles. Sulfatide binding promotes cellular MANF uptake and cytoprotection from hypoxia-induced cell death. Heightened ER stress responses of MANF-null C. elegans mutants and mammalian cells are alleviated by human MANF in a sulfatide-dependent manner. Our results demonstrate conserved roles of MANF in sulfatide binding and ER stress response, supporting sulfatide as a long-sought lipid mediator of MANF’s cytoprotection.
Publisher Correction: Evolutionary adaptations to new environments generally reverse plastic phenotypic changes
Authors: Ho Wei-Chin , Zhang Jianzhi
Published: February 2018

The originally published HTML version of this Article contained errors in the three equations in the Methods sub-section ‘Metabolic network analysis’, whereby the Greek letter eta (η) was inadvertently used in place of beta (β) during the production process. These errors have now been corrected in the HTML version of the Article; the PDF was correct at the time of publication.