bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigating cognitive deficits and symptomatology across pre-morbid adjustment patterns in first-episode psychosis
Authors: Béchard-Evans L. , Iyer S. , Lepage M. , Joober R. , Malla A.
Published: September 2009

Background

Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia are well established and are known to be present during the first episode of a psychotic disorder. In addition, consistent heterogeneity within these impairments remains unexplained. One potential source of variability may be the level of pre-morbid adjustment prior to the onset of first-episode psychosis (FEP).

Method

Ninety-four FEP patients and 32 healthy controls were assessed at baseline on several neuropsychological tests comprising six cognitive domains (verbal memory, visual memory, working memory, processing speed, reasoning/problem-solving and attention) and an abbreviated version of the full IQ. A global neurocognitive domain was also computed. Pre-morbid adjustment patterns were divided into three distinct groups: stable-poor, stable-good and deteriorating course.

Results

Based on a cut-off of 0.8 for effect size, the stable-poor pre-morbid adjustment group was significantly more impaired on most cognitive domains and full IQ compared to the deteriorating group, who were more severely impaired on all measures compared to the stable-good group. The type of cognitive deficit within each subgroup did not differ and the results indicate that a global neurocognition measure may reliably reflect the severity of cognitive impairment within each subgroup.

Conclusions

Pre-morbid adjustment patterns prior to onset of psychosis are associated with severity but not type of cognitive impairment. Patients in the stable-poor group are generally more impaired compared to the deteriorating group, who are, in turn, more impaired than the stable-good group.
Childhood adversities and adult psychopathology in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) III: Associations with functional impairment related to DSM-IV disorders
Authors: McLaughlin K. A. , Green J. G. , Gruber M. J. , Sampson N. A. , Zaslavsky A. M. , Kessler R. C.
Published: September 2009

Background

Despite evidence that childhood adversities (CAs) are associated with increased risk of mental disorders, little is known about their associations with disorder-related impairment. We report the associations between CAs and functional impairment associated with 12-month DSM-IV disorders in a national sample.

Method

We used data from the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Respondents completed diagnostic interviews that assessed 12-month DSM-IV disorder prevalence and impairment. Associations of 12 retrospectively reported CAs with impairment among cases (n=2242) were assessed using multiple regression analysis. Impairment measures included a dichotomous measure of classification in the severe range of impairment on the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) and a measure of self-reported number of days out of role due to emotional problems in the past 12 months.

Results

CAs were positively and significantly associated with impairment. Predictive effects of CAs on the SDS were particularly pronounced for anxiety disorders and were significant in predicting increased days out of role associated with mood, anxiety and disruptive behavior disorders. Predictive effects persisted throughout the life course and were not accounted for by disorder co-morbidity. CAs associated with maladaptive family functioning (MFF; parental mental illness, substance disorder, criminality, family violence, abuse, neglect) were more consistently associated with impairment than other CAs. The joint effects of co-morbid MFF CAs were significantly subadditive. Simulations suggest that CAs account for 19.6% of severely impairing disorders and 17.4% of days out of role.

Conclusions

CAs predict greater disorder-related impairment, highlighting the ongoing clinical significance of CAs at every stage of the life course.
The genetic and environmental relationship between major depression and the five-factor model of personality
Authors: Kendler K. S. , Myers J.
Published: September 2009

Background

Certain personality traits have long been suspected to reflect an enduring vulnerability to major depression (MD) in part because of shared genetic risk factors. Although many have agreed that normative personality is well captured by the ‘Big-Five’ personality traits of Openness (O), Conscientiousness (C), Extraversion (E), Agreeableness (A) and Neuroticism (N), to date genetically informative studies have only examined the relationship between MD and N and E.

Method

Questionnaires were completed on a website, yielding a sample of 44 112 subjects including both members of 542 same-sex twin pairs. Personality was measured by the Big Five Inventory. Structural modeling was performed by Mx.

Results

Three of the big-five personality traits – O, E and A – had small phenotypic associations with risk for MD and small genetic correlations. Two traits – N and C – had stronger phenotypic associations (positive for N and negative for C) with the following estimates of the genetic correlation with MD: +0.43 for N and −0.36 for C. N and C were moderately negatively correlated. Controlling for N reduced the genetic correlation between C and MD more than controlling for C reduced the genetic correlation between N and MD.

Conclusions

A large proportion of the genetic risk for MD that is expressed via personality is captured by N, with a modest amount due to C, and small amounts from O, E and A.
Complexity provides a better explanation than probability for confidence in syllogistic inferences
Authors: Halford Graeme S.
Published: September 2009

Bayesian rationality is an important contribution to syllogistic inference, but it has limitations. The claim that confidence in a conclusion is a function of informativeness of the max-premise is anomalous because this is the least probable premise. A more plausible account is that confidence is inversely related to complexity. Bayesian rationality should be supplemented with principles based on cognitive complexity.
Cone exchange transformations and boundedness of orbits
Authors: ASHWIN PETER , GOETZ AREK
Published: September 2009

We introduce a class of two-dimensional piecewise isometries on the plane that we refer to as cone exchange transformations (CETs). These are generalizations of interval exchange transformations (IETs) to 2D unbounded domains. We show for a typical CET that boundedness of orbits is determined by ergodic properties of an associated IET and a quantity we refer to as the ‘flux at infinity’. In particular we show, under an assumption of unique ergodicity of the associated IET, that a positive flux at infinity implies unboundedness of almost all orbits outside some bounded region, while a negative flux at infinity implies boundedness of all orbits. We also discuss some examples of CETs for which the flux is zero and/or we do not have unique ergodicity of the associated IET; in these cases (which are of great interest from the point of view of applications such as dual billiards) it remains an outstanding problem to find computable necessary and sufficient conditions for boundedness of orbits.
Small-step and big-step semantics for call-by-need
Authors: NAKATA KEIKO , HASEGAWA MASAHITO
Published: September 2009

We present natural semantics for acyclic as well as cyclic call-by-need lambda calculi, which are proved equivalent to the reduction semantics given by Ariola and Felleisen (J. Funct. Program., vol. 7, no. 3, 1997). The natural semantics are big-step and use global heaps, where evaluation is suspended and memorized. The reduction semantics are small-step, and evaluation is suspended and memorized locally in let-bindings. Thus two styles of formalization describe the call-by-need strategy from different angles. The natural semantics for the acyclic calculus is revised from the previous presentation by Maraist et al. (J. Funct. Program., vol. 8, no. 3, 1998), and its adequacy is ascribed to its correspondence with the reduction semantics, which has been proved equivalent to call-by-name by Ariola and Felleisen. The natural semantics for the cyclic calculus is inspired by that of Launchbury (1993) and Sestoft (1997), and we state its adequacy using a denotational semantics in the style of Launchbury; adequacy of the reduction semantics for the cyclic calculus is in turn ascribed to its correspondence with the natural semantics.
A domain-specific language for experimental game theory
Authors: WALKINGSHAW ERIC , ERWIG MARTIN
Published: September 2009

Experimental game theory is increasingly important for research in many fields. Unfortunately, it is poorly supported by computer tools. We have created Hagl, a domain-specific language embedded in Haskell, to reduce the development time of game-theoretic experiments and make the definition and exploration of games and strategies simple and fun.
A machine learning approach to textual entailment recognition
Authors: ZANZOTTO FABIO MASSIMO , PENNACCHIOTTI MARCO , MOSCHITTI ALESSANDRO
Published: September 2009

Designing models for learning textual entailment recognizers from annotated examples is not an easy task, as it requires modeling the semantic relations and interactions involved between two pairs of text fragments. In this paper, we approach the problem by first introducing the class of pair feature spaces, which allow supervised machine learning algorithms to derive first-order rewrite rules from annotated examples. In particular, we propose syntactic and shallow semantic feature spaces, and compare them to standard ones. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our proposed spaces learn first-order derivations, while standard ones are not expressive enough to do so.
Getting to the Heart of Clinical Supervision: A Theoretical Review of the Role of Emotions in Professional Development – CORRIGENDUM
Authors: Lombardo Chiara , Milne Derek , Proctor Rachael
Published: September 2009

The spelling of the third author was printed incorrectly on p. 207 in the above publication (Lombardo et al., 2009). The correct spelling is given below.

Rachel Procter
Can we intervene in human ageing?
Authors: Faragher Richard G.A. , Sheerin Angela N. , Ostler Elizabeth L.
Published: September 2009

Ageing is a progressive failure of defence and repair processes that produces physiological frailty (the loss of organ reserve with age), loss of homeostasis and eventual death. Over the past ten years exceptional progress has been made in understanding both why the ageing process happens and the mechanisms that are responsible for it. The study of natural mutants that accelerate some, but not all, of the features of the human ageing process has now progressed to a degree that drug trials are either taking place or can be envisaged. Simultaneously, a series of mutations have been identified in different species that confer extended healthy life, indicating that the ageing process is much more malleable than might have been expected and that single interventions have the potential to delay the onset of multiple age-associated conditions. Data generated using these organisms have led to the formulation of a powerful new hypothesis, the ‘green theory’ of ageing. This proposes that a finite capacity to carry out broad-spectrum detoxification and recycling is the primary mechanistic limit on organismal lifespan. This is turn suggests important new experimental approaches and potential interventions designed to increase healthy lifespan.
The Anglican Imagination of Matthew Arnold
Authors: LaGrone Matthew
Published: September 2009

This essay is an attempt to write Matthew Arnold into the narrative of Anglican thought in the nineteenth century. Overviews of general religious thought in the Victorian era give an appropriate nod to Arnold, but the institutional histories of the Anglican Church have not acknowledged his contributions to defining Anglican identity. In many ways, this is quite understandable: Arnold broke with much of traditional Christian doctrine. But, and just as significant, he never left the Church of England, and in fact he was an apologist for the Church at a time when even part of the clergy seemed alienated. He sought to expand the parameters of permitted religious opinion to include the largest number of English Christians in the warm embrace of the national Church. The essay concludes that the religious reflections of Arnold must be anchored in an Anglican context.
How can demography inform health policy?
Authors: Leone Tiziana
Published: September 2009

Demography’s contribution to health policy debates comes from the study of population dynamics relating to fertility, mortality and migration. The aim of this article is to stress how vital a correct understanding of population dynamics is for health policy and planning. The article first highlights some of the major contributions demographers have made to debates about health, particularly where they have helped to overcome misconceptions. It then discusses two prominent issues: population ageing in the developed world and population growth in developing countries.
Access and choice – competition under the roof of solidarity in German health care: an analysis of health policy reforms since 2004
Authors: Lisac Melanie , Reimers Lutz , Henke Klaus-Dirk , Schlette Sophia
Published: September 2009

This paper analyses the influence of recent German health care reforms, the Statutory Health Insurance Modernization Act 2004 and the Statutory Health Insurance Competition Strengthening Act 2007, on different dimensions of access and choice. More specifically, we look at and discuss the effects of these policies on the availability, reachability and affordability of health care as well as on their impact on consumers’ choice of insurers and providers. Generally, patients in Germany enjoy a high degree of free access and a lot of freedom to choose, partly leading to over- and misuse of health services. Concerning choice of insurers, one result of our analysis is that in the statutory health insurance system, the introduction of a greater variety of benefit packages will develop into an additional parameter of choice. In contrast to that, insurees more and more accept certain restrictions of choice and direct access to providers by enrolling into new forms of care (such as gatekeeping-, disease management- and integrated care programmes). However, they might benefit from better quality of care and more options for products and services that best fit their needs.
Interaction between the trigger meander of the Kuroshio and the abyssal anticyclone over Koshu Seamount as seen in the reanalysis data
Authors: Endoh Takahiro , Hibiya Toshiyuki
Published: September 2009

The JCOPE (Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment) reanalysis data is analyzed to examine the transition from the non‐large meander path to the large meander path of the Kuroshio that occurred in 2004. It was preceded by the generation of “trigger meander” off the southeastern coast of Kyushu, which then propagated eastward. After passing Cape Shiono‐misaki, the trigger meander amplified rapidly over Koshu Seamount (located about 200 km to the south of Cape Shiono‐misaki) where the accompanying abyssal anticyclone was significantly enhanced. Strong downwelling occurred upstream of the meander trough where the abyssal anticyclone crossed the Kuroshio, causing the vertical vortex stretching (shrinking) in the upper (lower) ocean; the resulting enhanced abyssal anticyclone further amplified the meander trough in the upper ocean. All of these features agree well with the model results suggesting the importance of baroclinic instability over Koshu Seamount in the formation of the large meander path.
Systems Biology Graphical Notation: Activity Flow language Level 1
Authors: Mi Huaiyu , Schreiber Falk , Le Novére Nicolas , Moodie Stuart , Sorokin Anatoly
Published: September 2009

Standard graphical representations have played a crucial role in science and engineering throughout the last century. Without electrical symbolism, it is very likely that our industrial society would not have evolved at the same pace. Similarly, specialized notations such as the Feynmann notation or the process flow diagrams did a lot for the adoption of concepts in their own fields. With the advent of Systems Biology, and more recently of Synthetic Biology, the need for precise and unambiguous descriptions of biochemical interactions has become more pressing. While some ideas have been advanced over the last decade, with a few detailed proposals, no actual community standard has emerged. The Systems Biology Graphical Notation (SBGN) is a graphical representation crafted over several years by a community of biochemists, modellers and computer scientists. Three orthogonal and complementary languages have been created, the Process Descriptions, the Entity Relationships and the Activity Flows. Using these three idioms a scientist can represent any network of biochemical interactions, which can then be interpreted in an unambiguous way. The set of symbols used is limited, and the grammar quite simple, to allow its usage ranging from textbooks and teaching in high schools to peer reviewed articles in scientific journals. The first level of the SBGN Activity Flow language has been publicly released. Shared by the communities of biochemists, genomic scientists, theoreticians and computational biologists, SBGN languages will foster efficient storage, exchange and reuse of information on signaling pathways, metabolic networks and gene regulatory maps.
Technical Comments on “Greater Transportation Energy and GHG Offsets from BioelectricityThan Ethanol”
Authors: Zhang Y-H Percival , Rollin Joe
Published: September 2009

Campbell et al. [Report in Science 2009 (May 22), 324, 1055] analyzed two scenarios where bioenergy crops were used for transportation – (1) cellulosic ethanol production by biorefineries for internal combustion engines and (2) bioelectricity generation by power stations for electric motors. Their study suggests the latter approach offers more efficient energy utilization than the former. We argue that the evaluation of a transportation system must be based on complicated metrics rather than only one or two factors. We suggest another out-of-the-box solution biomass carbohydrate-to-hydrogen-to-electricity as a key component of the future transportation sector.
Disruption of ceramide synthesis by CerS2 down-regulation leads to autophagy and the unfolded protein response
Authors: Spassieva Stefka D. , Mullen Thomas D. , Townsend Danyelle M. , Obeid Lina M.
Published: September 2009

Ceramide metabolism has come under recent scrutiny because of its role in cellular stress responses. CerS2 (ceramide synthase 2) is one of the six mammalian isoforms of ceramide synthase and is responsible for the synthesis of VLC (very-long-chain) ceramides, e.g. C24, C24:1. To study the role of CerS2 in ceramide metabolism and cellular homoeostasis, we down-regulated CerS2 using siRNA (small interfering RNA) and examined several aspects of sphingolipid metabolism and cell stress responses. CerS2 down-regulation had a broad effect on ceramide homoeostasis, not just on VLC ceramides. Surprisingly, CerS2 down-regulation resulted in significantly increased LC (long-chain) ceramides, e.g. C14, C16, and our results suggested that the increase was due to a ceramide synthase-independent mechanism. CerS2-down-regulation-induced LC ceramide accumulation resulted in growth arrest which was not accompanied by apoptotic cell death. Instead, cells remained viable, showing induction of autophagy and activation of PERK [PKR (double-stranded-RNA-dependent protein kinase)-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase] and IRE1 (inositol-requiring 1) pathways [the latter indicating activation of the UPR (unfolded protein response)].
Aedes aegypti cadherin serves as a putative receptor of the Cry11Aa toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis
Authors: Chen Jianwu , Aimanova Karlygash G. , Fernandez Luisa E. , Bravo Alejandra , Soberon Mario , Gill Sarjeet S.
Published: September 2009

Cry11Aa of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis is the most active toxin to Aedes aegypti in this strain. We previously reported that, in addition to a 65 kDa GPI (glycosylphosphatidylinositol)-anchored ALP (alkaline phosphatase), the toxin also binds a 250 kDa membrane protein. Since this protein is the same size as cadherin, which in lepidopteran insects is an important Cry toxin receptor, we developed an anti-AaeCad antibody. This antibody detects a 250 kDa protein in immunoblots of larval BBMVs (brush border membrane vesicles). The antibody inhibits Cry11Aa toxin binding to BBMVs and immunolocalizes the cadherin protein to apical membranes of distal and proximal caecae and posterior midgut epithelial cells. This localization is consistent with areas to which Cry11Aa toxin binds and causes pathogenicity. Therefore, the full-length Aedes cadherin cDNA was isolated from Aedes larvae and partial overlapping fragments that covered the entire protein were expressed in Escherichia coli. Using toxin overlay assays, we showed that one cadherin fragment, which contains CR7–11 (cadherin repeats 7–11), bound Cry11Aa and this binding was primarily through toxin domain II loops α8 and 2. Cadherin repeats CR8–11 but not CR7 bound Cry11Aa under non-denaturing conditions. Cry11Aa bound the cadherin fragment with high affinity with an apparent Kd of 16.7 nM. Finally we showed that this Cry11Aa-binding site could also be competed by Cry11Ba and Cry4Aa but not Cry4Ba. These results indicate that Aedes cadherin is possibly a receptor for Cry11A and, together with its ability to bind an ALP, suggest a similar mechanism of toxin action as previously proposed for lepidopteran insects.
Rapid affinity-purification and physicochemical characterization of pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) phloem exudate lectin
Authors: Narahari Akkaladevi , Swamy Musti J.
Published: September 2009

The chito-oligosaccharide-specific lectin from pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima) phloem exudate has been purified to homogeneity by affinity chromatography on chitin. After SDS/PAGE in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol, the pumpkin phloem lectin yielded a single band corresponding to a molecular mass of 23.7 kDa, whereas ESI-MS (electrospray ionization MS) gave the molecular masses of the subunit as 24645 Da. Analysis of the CD spectrum of the protein indicated that the secondary structure of the lectin consists of 9.7% α-helix, 35.8% β-sheet, 22.5% β-turn and 32.3% unordered structure. Saccharide binding did not significantly affect the secondary and tertiary structures of the protein. The haemagglutinating activity of pumpkin phloem lectin was mostly unaffected in the temperature range 4–70 °C, but a sharp decrease was seen between 75 and 85 °C. Differential scanning calorimetric and CD spectroscopic studies suggest that the lectin undergoes a co-operative thermal unfolding process centred at approx. 81.5 °C, indicating that it is a relatively stable protein.
Intrastriatal grafts of mesenchymal stem cells in adult intact rats can elevate tyrosine hydroxylase expression and dopamine levels
Authors: Jin Guang‐Zhen , Cho Su‐Jin , Lee Young‐S , Kim Myeong‐Ok , Cho Dong‐Woo , Kong Il‐Keun
Published: September 2009

MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells) derived from the bone marrow have shown to be a promising source of stem cells in a therapeutic strategy of neurodegenerative disorder. Also, MSCs can enhance the TH (tyrosine hydroxylase) expression and DA (dopamine) content in catecholaminergic cells by in vitro co‐culture system. In the present study, we investigated the effect of intrastriatal grafts of MSCs on TH protein and gene levels and DA content in adult intact rats. When MSCs were transplanted into the striatum of normal rats, the grafted striatum not only had significantly higher TH protein and mRNA levels, but also significantly higher DA content than the untransplanted striatum. Meanwhile, the grafted MSCs differentiated into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes; however, TH‐positive cells could not be detected in our study. These experimental results offer further evidence that MSCs are a promising candidate for treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease.
Sacrificial grazing of wheat crops: identifying tactics and opportunities in Western Australia's grainbelt using simulation approaches
Authors: Bell Lindsay W. , Hargreaves John N. G. , Lawes Roger A. , Robertson Michael J.
Published: September 2009

Failing grain crops are sometimes sacrificed for grazing by mixed farmers, a decision involving a complex range of factors. This simulation study used two APSIM (Agricultural Production Systems Simulator)-based approaches to investigate the circumstances under which more revenue might be obtained by sacrificing a wheat crop for grazing rather than harvesting it for grain in Western Australia’s grainbelt. First, we developed a simple partial budget calculation to estimate and compare revenue from grain or grazing alternatives using data for grain yield and standing biomass at flowering. This was simulated for a factorial of soil types and locations varying in mean annual rainfall. We then simulated wheat quality and livestock production on spring wheat grazed at different stages of crop development and at a range of stocking rates. Dynamic simulations of grazing showed that livestock production increased as grazing was delayed; stocking rate had little impact at this time. Grazing earlier necessitated lighter stocking rates but surprisingly had little benefit for animal performance. Partial budgets showed that under average commodity prices, grazing a wheat crop could be more profitable 40–75% of the time on poorer soil types in lower rainfall environments. In these situations, by tactically grazing when grain yield is below a critical level economic returns could be increased by more than A$50/ha in 30–40% of years and over the long term average revenues could be increased by A$30/ha.year. This critical grain yield ranged from 1.3 to 1.7 t/ha on shallow gravel soil and 1.9 to 2.2 t/ha on a deep sand. In higher rainfall environments and on better soil types grazing was rarely a better option unless livestock prices were high relative to grain. This approach, combining crop simulation with partial budgets, was useful for developing simple management rules for a complex system. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that making tactical use of a wheat crop for forage in situations with low grain yield prospects is a major opportunity to increase profitability and help respond to climate variability in mixed farms in many areas of the Western Australian wheatbelt.
Function of IRE1 alpha in the placenta is essential for placental development and embryonic viability
Authors: Iwawaki Takao , Akai Ryoko , Yamanaka Shinya , Kohno Kenji
Published: September 2009

Inositol requiring enzyme-1 (IRE1), a protein located on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, is highly conserved from yeast to humans. This protein is activated during ER stress and induces cellular adaptive responses to the stress. In mice, IRE1α inactivation results in widespread developmental defects, leading to embryonic death after 12.5 days of gestation. However, the cause of this embryonic lethality is not fully understood. Here, by using in vivo imaging analysis and conventional knockout mice, respectively, we showed that IRE1α was activated predominantly in the placenta and that loss of IRE1α led to reduction in vascular endothelial growth factor-A and severe dysfunction of the labyrinth in the placenta, a highly developed tissue of blood vessels. We also used a conditional knockout strategy to demonstrate that
IRE1
α-deficient embryos supplied with functionally normal placentas can be born alive. Fetal liver hypoplasia thought to be responsible for the embryonic lethality of
IRE1
α-null mice was virtually absent in rescued
IRE1
α-null pups. These findings reveal that IRE1α plays an essential function in extraembryonic tissues and highlight the relationship of physiological ER stress and angiogenesis in the placenta during pregnancy in mammals.
Raising from NP in Malagasy
Authors: Keenan Edward L. , Ralalaoherivony Baholisoa Simone
Published: September 2009

We begin this paper with a detailed study of Possessor Raising in Malagasy. Possessor Raising is shown to be exceptionally productive; moreover it largely conforms to the generalizations offered by Relational Grammar for Possessor Raising in general. But the incorporation it triggers is not of the same sort as studied in Baker (1996). Then we argue that Possessive Raising is a special case of a more general syntactic/semantic relation we call Raising from NP. This more general operation violates some tenets of Relational Grammar and appears to be a new type of derivational relation within generative grammar.
A linguistic test battery for support verb constructions
Authors: Langer Stefan
Published: September 2009

Semi-compositional verb–noun constructions have been investigated under various labels in the different linguistic traditions. In this article we start from the quite well defined notion of support verb construction to present a battery of linguistic tests to distinguish truly semi-compositional constructions from semantically compositional verb–noun combinations on the one hand and from idiomatic constructions on the other. The tests are not genuinely designed by the author but collected from various linguistic investigations on such constructions. As the concept of support verb construction spans across a wide variety of languages, most tests can be applied to several languages. In the article, examples are given for French, English and German. It will be shown that most of the tests that cover the grammaticality of syntactic or semantic transformations of verb–noun constructions only present an approximation of underlying semantic properties and that to almost each alleged property exceptions can be found. However, taken as a whole, the test battery seems to be suitable to delineate support verb constructions from superficially similar linguistic expressions.
Types et degrés de verbes supports en italien
Authors: Jezek Elisabetta
Published: September 2009

This paper addresses the problem of isolating light verb constructions (LVC) and classifying them according to semantic-syntactic parameters. LVC are firstly classified as a subtype of collocation. This step is important since it places the study of these constructions within a theoretical framework and defines the tests that are valid for their identification. Subsequently, on the basis of the reduction test (nominalization of the LVC and deletion of the verb), a boundary is traced between causative and non causative LVC on the one side and between base and extended LVC on the other side. Ultimately, a grid of semantic/aspectual criteria is proposed in order to distinguish different types of extended LVC. The application of this grid to Italian data allows a semantic classification of LVC based on a semantic decompositional analysis. This classification shows how it is possible to isolate different degrees in the function played by the verb in a LVC, according to its contribution to the semantic interpretation of the construction.
Les noms épistémiques et leurs verbes supports
Authors: Giry-Schneider Jacqueline
Published: September 2009

This article aims at clarifying the notion of “cognitive nouns” (noms “épistémiques”), as it relates to cognitive mental phenomenons, for instance in sentences such as Max a une idée claire du problème (Max has a clear idea of the problem), or Max a une vision déformée du monde (Max has a twisted idea of the world). The syntactic analysis is essentially based upon the theory of support verbs. A semantic class of nouns describing the various aspects of mental activity, such as judgement and representation, was thus defined.
Les verbes supports métaphoriques
Authors: de Pontonx Sophie
Published: September 2009

This paper deals with a particular type of support verb : metaphorical support verbs. This subject raises the question of the range of the notion ‘support verb’ and the question of the semantic role of support verbs. We can register a lot of these metaphorical support verbs : about 100 in French : e.g. nourrir une haine viscérale, bombarder de conseils, la révolte couve, etc. We can speak about a metaphor when a verb appropriate to a class is used to actualize another class :

nourrir , <êtres animés : humains, animaux>,

→ nourrir

= nourrir une haine viscérale contre N

Metaphorical support verbs have the particularity of enriching and completing the sense of the nominal predicate, which moreover they have to actualize. This explains why they cannot be deleted without losing any information. In this article we present the main methodological principles for an analysis of this kind of verbs applied to the support verbs nourrir “haine” and esquisser “mouvement, description”. This study will allow us to know the syntactic specificities of these verbs better.
Verbes supports et intensité en grec moderne
Authors: Gavriilidou Zoé
Published: September 2009

This paper deals with support verbs acting as intensifiers in Greek, for instance πλημμυρίζω από χαρά, ξεσκίζομαι στο χορό, μαίνονται οι εχθροπραξίες. It is based on the assumption that the semantic nature of different classes of nominal predicates controls the presence of different kinds of intensifying support verbs and that support verbs intensify a different parameter when they actualize an action, a state or a fact. The theoretical model of classes of objects, the theory of Sense-Text and the model of cognitive metaphor will allow us to analyze our data.
Spécificités morpho-syntaxiques des constructions à verbe support en allemand
Authors: Heid Ulrich
Published: September 2009

In this article, we give evidence for a detailed morpho-syntactic description of support verb constructions (SVCs); we claim that SVCs must be described at the same level of detail as single word items. We give examples from French and German, concerning both, morphosyntactic specificities of the nominal and of the verbal element of a SVC.

Furthermore we show that methods of corpus analysis are well suited or the extraction of such data form large amounts of text; the corpus-based aproach is all the more necessary, as most morphosyntactic phenomena within SVCs are preferences rather than categorical features. We describe a range of extraction methods, and we argue for a robust syntactic analysis as a basis for extraction. The article ends with a small case study on preferences of German support verbs with respect to active vs. passive.
L’alternance si / aussi dans l’expression du comparatif d’égalité
Authors: Combettes Bernard
Published: September 2009

This article focuses on the diachronic study of equative constructions in Middle French. We concentrate particularly on distinct evolutions of two functional elements : the parameter marker (si / aussi alternation) and the standard marker (que / comme alternation). We try to determine relevant factors of change, observing especially semantic types of predication (actualized vs non actualized predicates)
Co-text of use of forty English nominal premodifiers
Authors: Gesuato Sara
Published: September 2009

This paper examines the co-text of use of the singular and plural variants of 40 nouns used as modifiers in compounds with two lexical bases on the basis of over 6,000 compounds collected from a general corpus of English. The data shows that, for the lexemes considered, plural premodification contributes significantly to compound formation, although singular premodification is favoured, and that both groups of compounds occur in similar lexical, semantic and syntactic environments (e.g. the same types of semantic categories are represented in the heads of both groups; the same combinations of typographic, semantic and syntactic features signal the presence of micro semantic-syntactic units within larger nominal units). However, it appears that features marking the distinctiveness of the non-head material in the compounds occur more frequently, especially in combinations, when plural premodification is instantiated. This suggests that plural premodification may be favoured by the co-presence of multiple co-textual conditions, but also that the occurrence of unithood features — which mark the distinctiveness of the non-head material or of the larger phrases containing the compounds — may also be favoured by specific lexemes.
The phenomenon of lexical repulsion in text
Authors: Renouf Antoinette , Banerjee Jayeeta
Published: September 2009

The advances in computing technology which made possible the study of electronic text in large quantities opened the door to the study of lexis, and crucially of significant word collocation. The type and strength of preference or ‘attraction’ which obtains between two or more words has been the raw material out of which we have long been extracting secondary language resources by means of automated systems (e.g. A. Renouf, 1996; M. Pacey et al, 1998). Now, we turn to our vast data repositories once again, this time to try to find evidence for the existence of another ‘force’ in textual organisation, one which operates contrary to word ‘attraction’, and which we refer to as ‘repulsion’. Like attraction, repulsion is a universal phenomenon and we have an expectation that it will be discovered to be alive and well in language. By ‘repulsion’, we mean the rare or non co-occurrence of two words as neighbours. Since this is the case for the majority of words in the vocabulary, we begin with a focus on synonymous word pairs which, by virtue of their shared meanings, can be expected to provide more surprising, focussed and easily interpretable results. In this paper, we tentatively interpret from our results some of the ways in which repulsion seems to operate in text and to what extent it is proving to be amenable to objective measurement.
An Accidental Serb
Authors: Arsenijević Vladimir , Pisac Andrea
Published: September 2009

Andrea Pisac talks to novelist Vladimir Arsenijević on the use and abuse of free speech
Nihil’s Dream
Authors: Arsenijević Vladimir , Hawkesworth Celia
Published: September 2009

Everything changed for the Baksi family when the secret police came calling . . . An exclusive extract from Vladimir Arsenijević’s new novel
Triumph of the West
Authors: Schulze Ingo , Brownjohn John
Published: September 2009

The collapse of East Germany does not mean that West Germans have won the argument, says novelist Ingo Schulze. It’s time for a new debate
Managing the breakup
Authors: Leslie Mitch
Published: September 2009

How cells set the where and when of cytokinesis
Pds5 is required for homologue pairing and inhibits synapsis of sister chromatids during yeast meiosis
Authors: Jin Hui , Guacci Vincent , Yu Hong-Guo
Published: September 2009

During meiosis, homologues become juxtaposed and synapsed along their entire length. Mutations in the cohesin complex disrupt not only sister chromatid cohesion but also homologue pairing and synaptonemal complex formation. In this study, we report that Pds5, a cohesin-associated protein known to regulate sister chromatid cohesion, is required for homologue pairing and synapsis in budding yeast. Pds5 colocalizes with cohesin along the length of meiotic chromosomes. In the absence of Pds5, the meiotic cohesin subunit Rec8 remains bound to chromosomes with only minor defects in sister chromatid cohesion, but sister chromatids synapse instead of homologues. Double-strand breaks (DSBs) are formed but are not repaired efficiently. In addition, meiotic chromosomes undergo hypercondensation. When the mitotic cohesin subunit Mcd1 is substituted for Rec8 in Pds5-depleted cells, chromosomes still hypercondense, but synapsis of sister chromatids is abolished. These data suggest that Pds5 modulates the Rec8 activity to facilitate chromosome morphological changes required for homologue synapsis, DSB repair, and meiotic chromosome segregation.
Translational control by RGS2
Authors: Nguyen Chau H. , Ming Hong , Zhao Peishen , Hugendubler Lynne , Gros Robert , Kimball Scot R. , Chidiac Peter
Published: September 2009

The regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins are a family of guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase)–accelerating proteins. We have discovered a novel function for RGS2 in the control of protein synthesis. RGS2 was found to bind to eIF2Bε (eukaryotic initiation factor 2B ε subunit) and inhibit the translation of messenger RNA (mRNA) into new protein. This effect was not observed for other RGS proteins tested. This novel function of RGS2 is distinct from its ability to regulate G protein–mediated signals and maps to a stretch of 37 amino acid residues within its conserved RGS domain. Moreover, RGS2 was capable of interfering with the eIF2–eIF2B GTPase cycle, which is a requisite step for the initiation of mRNA translation. Collectively, this study has identified a novel role for RGS2 in the control of protein synthesis that is independent of its established RGS domain function.
Human Fbh1 helicase contributes to genome maintenance via pro- and anti-recombinase activities
Authors: Fugger Kasper , Mistrik Martin , Danielsen Jannie Rendtlew , Dinant Christoffel , Falck Jacob , Bartek Jiri , Lukas Jiri , Mailand Niels
Published: September 2009

Homologous recombination (HR) is essential for faithful repair of DNA lesions yet must be kept in check, as unrestrained HR may compromise genome integrity and lead to premature aging or cancer. To limit unscheduled HR, cells possess DNA helicases capable of preventing excessive recombination. In this study, we show that the human Fbh1 (hFbh1) helicase accumulates at sites of DNA damage or replication stress in a manner dependent fully on its helicase activity and partially on its conserved F box. hFbh1 interacted with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), the formation of which was required for hFbh1 recruitment to DNA lesions. Conversely, depletion of endogenous Fbh1 or ectopic expression of helicase-deficient hFbh1 attenuated ssDNA production after replication block. Although elevated levels of hFbh1 impaired Rad51 recruitment to ssDNA and suppressed HR, its small interfering RNA–mediated depletion increased the levels of chromatin-associated Rad51 and caused unscheduled sister chromatid exchange. Thus, by possessing both pro- and anti-recombinogenic potential, hFbh1 may cooperate with other DNA helicases in tightly controlling cellular HR activity.
Interplay of Oct4 with Sox2 and Sox17: a molecular switch from stem cell pluripotency to specifying a cardiac fate
Authors: Stefanovic Sonia , Abboud Nesrine , Désilets Stéphanie , Nury David , Cowan Chad , Pucéat Michel
Published: September 2009

Oct4 exerts a dose-dependent dual action, as both a gatekeeper for stem cell pluripotency and in driving cells toward specific lineages. Here, we identify the molecular mechanism underlying this dual function. BMP2- or transgene-induced Oct4 up-regulation drives human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells to become cardiac progenitors. When embryonic stem cell pluripotency is achieved, Oct4 switches from the Sox2 to the Sox17 promoter. This switch allows the cells to turn off the pluripotency Oct4-Sox2 loop and to turn on the Sox17 promoter. This powerful process generates a subset of endoderm-expressing Sox17 and Hex, both regulators of paracrine signals for cardiogenesis (i.e., Wnt, BMP2) released into the medium surrounding colonies of embryonic stem cells. Our data thus reveal a novel molecular Oct4- and Sox17-mediated mechanism that disrupts the stem cell microenvironment favoring pluripotency to provide a novel paracrine endodermal environment in which cell lineage is determined and commits the cells to a cardiogenic fate.
Proper timing of cytokinesis is regulated by Schizosaccharomyces pombe Etd1
Authors: García-Cortés Juan Carlos , McCollum Dannel
Published: September 2009

Cytokinesis must be initiated only after chromosomes have been segregated in anaphase and must be terminated once cleavage is completed. We show that the fission yeast protein Etd1 plays a central role in both of these processes. Etd1 activates the guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) Spg1 to trigger signaling through the septum initiation network (SIN) pathway and onset of cytokinesis. Spg1 is activated in late anaphase when spindle elongation brings spindle pole body (SPB)–localized Spg1 into proximity with its activator Etd1 at cell tips, ensuring that cytokinesis is only initiated when the spindle is fully elongated. Spg1 is active at just one of the two SPBs during cytokinesis. When the actomyosin ring finishes constriction, the SIN triggers disappearance of Etd1 from the half of the cell with active Spg1, which then triggers Spg1 inactivation. Asymmetric activation of Spg1 is crucial for timely inactivation of the SIN. Together, these results suggest a mechanism whereby cell asymmetry is used to monitor cytoplasmic partitioning to turn off cytokinesis signaling.
Identification of a novel, widespread, and functionally important PCNA-binding motif
Authors: Gilljam Karin M. , Feyzi Emadoldin , Aas Per A. , Sousa Mirta M.L. , Müller Rebekka , Vågbø Cathrine B. , Catterall Tara C. , Liabakk Nina B. , Slupphaug Geir , Drabløs Finn , Krokan Hans E. , Otterlei Marit
Published: September 2009

Numerous proteins, many essential for the DNA replication machinery, interact with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) through the PCNA-interacting peptide (PIP) sequence called the PIP box. We have previously shown that the oxidative demethylase human AlkB homologue 2 (hABH2) colocalizes with PCNA in replication foci. In this study, we show that hABH2 interacts with a posttranslationally modified PCNA via a novel PCNA-interacting motif, which we term AlkB homologue 2 PCNA-interacting motif (APIM). We identify APIM in >200 other proteins involved in DNA maintenance, transcription, and cell cycle regulation, and verify a functional APIM in five of these. Expression of an APIM peptide increases the cellular sensitivity to several cytostatic agents not accounted for by perturbing only the hABH2–PCNA interaction. Thus, APIM is likely to mediate PCNA binding in many proteins involved in DNA repair and cell cycle control during genotoxic stress.
Transmission of Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Among Persons Exposed in a Medical Examiner's Office, New York
Authors: Ussery Xilla T. , Bierman Jennifer A. , Valway Sarah E. , Seitz Teresa A. , DiFerdinando George T. , Ostroff Stephen M.
Published: September 2009

Objective:

To determine the prevalence of and risk factors for having a positive tuberculin skin test (TST) result among employees at a medical examiner's office (MEO).

Design:

Cohort study, environmental investigation.

Setting:

Several employees at a medical examiner's office were found to have positive TST results after autopsies were performed on persons with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).

Participants:

Employees of the MEO.

Results:

Of 18 MEO employees, 5 (28%) had a positive TST result; 2 of these 5 had TST conversions. We observed a trend between TST conversion and participation in autopsies on persons with MDR-TB (2 of 2 converters versus 3 of 13 employees with negative TST; relative risk=4.3; 95% confidence interval 1.61 to 11.69; P=0.l0). The environmental investigation revealed that the autopsy room was at positive pressure relative to the rest of the MEO and that air from the autopsy room mixed throughout the facility.

Conclusions:

A systematic approach to preventing transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in autopsy suites should include effective environmental controls and routine tuberculin skin testing of employees.
Emergence of High-Level Mupirocin Resistance in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolated From Brazilian University Hospitals
Authors: Santos Kátia Regina Netto dos , Souza Fonseca Leila de , Gontijo Filho Paulo Pinto
Published: September 2009

Surveillance for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was implemented in Rio de Janeiro and Uberlândia University Hospitals, which had different policies on use of mupirocin. One hundred fourteen multiresistant MRSA strains were isolated from 62 patients. Mupirocin resistance was observed in 63% of strains in Rio de Janeiro, where there was extensive use of topical mupirocin, and 6.1% in Uberlândia, where its use was rare.