bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Permeation of the three aromatic dipeptides through lipid bilayers: Experimental and computational study
Authors: Lee Brent L. , Kuczera Krzysztof , Middaugh C. Russell , Jas Gouri S.
Published: June 2016

The time-resolved parallel artificial membrane permeability assay with fluorescence detection and comprehensive computer simulations are used to study the passive permeation of three aromatic dipeptides—N-acetyl-phenylalanineamide (NAFA), N-acetyltyrosineamide (NAYA), and N-acetyl-tryptophanamide (NATA) through a 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospocholine (DOPC) lipid bilayer. Measured permeation times and permeability coefficients show fastest translocation for NAFA, slowest for NAYA, and intermediate for NATA under physiological temperature and pH. Computationally, we perform umbrella sampling simulations to model the structure, dynamics, and interactions of the peptides as a function of z, the distance from lipid bilayer. The calculated profiles of the potential of mean force show two strong effects—preferential binding of each of the three peptides to the lipid interface and large free energy barriers in the membrane center. We use several approaches to calculate the position-dependent translational diffusion coefficients D(z), including one based on numerical solution the Smoluchowski equation. Surprisingly, computed D(z) values change very little with reaction coordinate and are also quite similar for the three peptides studied. In contrast, calculated values of sidechain rotational correlation times τrot(z) show extremely large changes with peptide membrane insertion—values become 100 times larger in the headgroup region and 10 times larger at interface and in membrane center, relative to solution. The peptides’ conformational freedom becomes systematically more restricted as they enter the membrane, sampling α and β and C7eq basins in solution, α and C7eq at the interface, and C7eq only in the center. Residual waters of solvation remain around the peptides even in the membrane center. Overall, our study provides an improved microscopic understanding of passive peptide permeation through membranes, especially on the sensitivity of rotational diffusion to position relative to the bilayer.
Auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo calculations of the molybdenum dimer
Authors: Purwanto Wirawan , Zhang Shiwei , Krakauer Henry
Published: June 2016

Chemical accuracy is difficult to achieve for systems with transition metal atoms. Third row transition metal atoms are particularly challenging due to strong electron-electron correlation in localized d-orbitals. The Cr2 molecule is an outstanding example, which we previously treated with highly accurate auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo (AFQMC) calculations [W. Purwanto et al., J. Chem. Phys. 142, 064302 (2015)]. Somewhat surprisingly, computational description of the isoelectronic Mo2 dimer has also, to date, been scattered and less than satisfactory. We present high-level theoretical benchmarks of the Mo2 singlet ground state (X1Σg+) and first triplet excited state (a3Σu+), using the phaseless AFQMC calculations. Extrapolation to the complete basis set limit is performed. Excellent agreement with experimental spectroscopic constants is obtained. We also present a comparison of the correlation effects in Cr2 and Mo2.
Atmospheric-pressure glow plasma synthesis of plasmonic and photoluminescent zinc oxide nanocrystals
Authors: Bilik N. , Greenberg B. L. , Yang J. , Aydil E. S. , Kortshagen U. R.
Published: June 2016

In this paper, we present a large-volume (non-micro) atmospheric pressure glow plasma capable of rapid, large-scale zinc oxide nanocrystal synthesis and deposition (up to 400 μg/min), whereas in the majority of the literature, nanoparticles are synthesized using micro-scale or filamentary plasmas. The reactor is an RF dielectric barrier discharge with a non-uniform gap spacing. This design encourages pre-ionization during the plasma breakdown, making the discharge uniform over a large volume. The produced zinc oxide nanocrystals typically have diameters ranging from 4 to 15 nm and exhibit photoluminescence at ≈550 nm and localized surface plasmon resonance at ≈1900 cm−1 due to oxygen vacancies. The particle size can be tuned to a degree by varying the gas temperature and the precursor mixing ratio.
Poiseuille flow-induced vibrations of two tandem circular cylinders with different mass ratios
Authors: Jiang Ren-Jie , Lin Jian-Zhong
Published: June 2016

Flow-induced vibrations of two tandem circular cylinders with different mass ratios confined between two parallel walls are numerically studied via a lattice Boltzmann method. With fixed Reynolds number Re = 100 and blockage ratio β = 1/4, the effects of mass ratio m* = [0.0625, 16] and streamwise separation between two cylinders S/D = [1.125, 10] on the cylinder motions and vortex wake modes are investigated. A variety of distinct cylinder motion regimes involving the symmetric periodic vibration, biased quasi-periodic vibration, beating vibration, and steady regimes, with the corresponding wake structures, e.g., two rows of alternately rotating vortices, a single row of same-sign vortices, and steady wake, are observed. For each current case, the cylinder motion type is exclusive and in the binary oscillation regime, both cylinders always vibrate at a common primary frequency. The lighter cylinder usually oscillates at a larger amplitude than the heavier one, while the heavier cylinder undergoes larger lift force than the lighter one. The lift force and cylinder displacement always behave as an out-of-phase state. In the gap-interference region, large-amplitude oscillations could be produced extensively and in the wake-interference region, the cylinder motions and fluid flows are mainly dependent on the upstream cylinder. When the separation is large enough, both cylinders behave as two isolated ones. The mechanisms for the excitations of cylinder vibrations have also been analysed.
A rapid excitation-emission matrix fluorometer utilizing supercontinuum white light and acousto-optic tunable filters
Authors: Wang Wenbo , Wu Zhenguo , Zhao Jianhua , Lui Harvey , Zeng Haishan
Published: June 2016

Scanning speed and coupling efficiency of excitation light to optic fibres are two major technical challenges that limit the potential of fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectrometer for on-line applications and in vivo studies. In this paper, a novel EEM system, utilizing a supercontinuum white light source and acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTFs), was introduced and evaluated. The supercontinuum white light, generated by pumping a nonlinear photonic crystal fiber with an 800 nm femtosecond laser, was efficiently coupled into a bifurcated optic fiber bundle. High speed EEM spectral scanning was achieved using AOTFs both for selecting excitation wavelength and scanning emission spectra. Using calibration lamps (neon and mercury argon), wavelength deviations were determined to vary from 0.18 nm to −0.70 nm within the spectral range of 500–850 nm. Spectral bandwidth for filtered excitation light broadened by twofold compared to that measured with monochromatic light between 650 nm and 750 nm. The EEM spectra for methanol solutions of laser dyes were successfully acquired with this rapid fluorometer using an integration time of 5 s.
Pulse generator with intermediate inductive storage as a lightning simulator
Authors: Kovalchuk B. M. , Kharlov A. V. , Zherlytsyn A. A. , Kumpyak E. V. , Tsoy N. V.
Published: June 2016

Compact transportable generators are required for simulating a lightning current pulse for electrical apparatus testing. A bi-exponential current pulse has to be formed by such a generator (with a current rise time of about two orders of magnitude faster than the damping time). The objective of this study was to develop and investigate a compact pulse generator with intermediate inductive storage and a fuse opening switch as a simulator of lightning discharge. A Marx generator (six stages) with a capacitance of 1 μF and an output voltage of 240 kV was employed as primary storage. In each of the stages, two IK–50/3 (50 kV, 3 μF) capacitors are connected in parallel. The generator inductance is 2 μH. A test bed for the investigations was assembled with this generator. The generator operates without SF6 and without oil in atmospheric air, which is very important in practice. Straight copper wires with adjustable lengths and diameters were used for the electro-explosive opening switch. Tests were made with active-inductive loads (up to 0.1 Ω and up to 6.3 μH). The current rise time is lower than 1200 ns, and the damping time can be varied from 35 to 125 μs, following the definition of standard lightning current pulse in the IEC standard. Moreover, 1D MHD calculations of the fuse explosion were carried out self-consistently with the electric circuit equations, in order to calculate more accurately the load pulse parameters. The calculations agree fairly well with the tests. On the basis of the obtained results, the design of a transportable generator was developed for a lightning simulator with current of 50 kA and a pulse shape corresponding to the IEEE standard.
Enhancing electron mobility in La-doped BaSnO3 thin films by thermal strain to annihilate extended defects
Authors: Yu Sangbae , Yoon Daseob , Son Junwoo
Published: June 2016

We report the enhancement of room-temperature electron mobility in La-doped BaSnO3 (LBSO) thin films with thermal strain induced by high temperature nitrogen (N2) annealing. Simple annealing under an N2 environment consistently doubled the electron mobility of the LBSO films on the SrTiO3 (STO) substrates to as high as 78 cm2 V−1 s−1 at a carrier concentration of 4.0 × 1020 cm−3. This enhancement is mainly attributed to annihilation of extended defects as a consequence of compressive strain induced by the difference in the thermal expansion coefficients of LBSO and STO. Our study suggests that thermal strain can be exploited to reduce extended defects and to facilitate electron transport in transparent oxide semiconductors.
Intra-pulse transition between ion acceleration mechanisms in intense laser-foil interactions
Authors: Padda H. , King M. , Gray R. J. , Powell H. W. , Gonzalez-Izquierdo B. , Stockhausen L. C. , Wilson R. , Carroll D. C. , Dance R. J. , MacLellan D. A. , Yuan X. H. , Butler N. M. H. , Capdessus R. , Borghesi M. , Neely D. , McKenna P.
Published: June 2016

Multiple ion acceleration mechanisms can occur when an ultrathin foil is irradiated with an intense laser pulse, with the dominant mechanism changing over the course of the interaction. Measurement of the spatial-intensity distribution of the beam of energetic protons is used to investigate the transition from radiation pressure acceleration to transparency-driven processes. It is shown numerically that radiation pressure drives an increased expansion of the target ions within the spatial extent of the laser focal spot, which induces a radial deflection of relatively low energy sheath-accelerated protons to form an annular distribution. Through variation of the target foil thickness, the opening angle of the ring is shown to be correlated to the point in time transparency occurs during the interaction and is maximized when it occurs at the peak of the laser intensity profile. Corresponding experimental measurements of the ring size variation with target thickness exhibit the same trends and provide insight into the intra-pulse laser-plasma evolution.
Lattice damage and compositional changes in Xe ion irradiated InxGa1-xN (x = 0.32−1.0) single crystals
Authors: Zhang Limin , Jiang Weilin , Dissanayake Amila , Peng Jinxin , Ai Wensi , Zhang Jiandong , Zhu Zihua , Wang Tieshan , Shutthanandan Vaithiyalingam
Published: June 2016

Lattice disorder and compositional changes in InxGa1-xN (x = 0.32, 0.47, 0.7, 0.8, and 1.0) films on GaN/Al2O3 substrates, induced by room-temperature irradiation of 5 MeV Xe ions, have been investigated using both Rutherford backscattering spectrometry under ion-channeling conditions and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. The results show that for a fluence of 3 × 1013 cm−2, the relative level of lattice disorder in InxGa1-xN increases monotonically from 59% to 90% with increasing indium concentration x from 0.32 to 0.7; a further increase in x up to 1.0 leads to little increase in the disorder level. In contrast to Ga-rich InxGa1-xN (x = 0.32 and 0.47), significant volume swelling of up to ∼25% accompanied with oxidation in In-rich InxGa1-xN (x = 0.7, 0.8, and 1.0) is observed. In addition, irradiation-induced atomic mixing occurs at the interface of In-rich InxGa1-xN and GaN. The results from this study indicate an extreme susceptibility of the high In-content InxGa1-xN to heavy-ion irradiation, and suggest that cautions must be exercised in applying ion-implantation techniques to these materials at room temperature. Further studies of the irradiation behavior at elevated temperatures are warranted.
Note: A simple sample transfer alignment for ultra-high vacuum systems
Authors: Tamtögl A. , Carter E. A. , Ward D. J. , Avidor N. , Kole P. R. , Jardine A. P. , Allison W.
Published: June 2016

The alignment of ultra-high-vacuum sample transfer systems can be problematic when there is no direct line of sight to assist the user. We present the design of a simple and cheap system which greatly simplifies the alignment of sample transfer devices. Our method is based on the adaptation of a commercial digital camera which provides live views from within the vacuum chamber. The images of the camera are further processed using an image recognition and processing code which determines any misalignments and reports them to the user. Installation has proven to be extremely useful in order to align the sample with respect to the transfer mechanism. Furthermore, the alignment software can be easily adapted for other systems.
Dynamic behavior of Ni80Fe20 nanowires with controlled periodic width modulation
Authors: Xiong L. L. , Adeyeye A. O.
Published: June 2016

The magnetization reversal and dynamic behaviors of Ni80Fe20 nanowires (NWs) with controlled periodic width modulation on single and double sides of the wires have been systematically investigated using magneto-optical Kerr effect and broadband ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy. In contrast with the single resonance mode observed in the homogeneous NWs, the NWs with periodic width modulation display two distinct resonance modes (the fundamental mode at lower frequency and the high frequency mode which is localized in the modulated regions) due to the non-uniform demagnetizing field. An enhancement of the coercive field is observed for the width modulated NWs when compared with homogeneous NWs. We also observed that the high frequency mode and the frequency difference between the two distinct modes are very sensitive to the modulation profile and film thickness. The results obtained from our experimental results agree well with the micromagnetic simulations. The results have potential implications in the design of tunable magnonic filters.
Long carrier lifetimes in large-grain polycrystalline CdTe without CdCl2
Authors: Jensen S. A. , Burst J. M. , Duenow J. N. , Guthrey H. L. , Moseley J. , Moutinho H. R. , Johnston S. W. , Kanevce A. , Al-Jassim M. M. , Metzger W. K.
Published: June 2016

For decades, polycrystalline CdTe thin films for solar applications have been restricted to grain sizes of microns or less whereas other semiconductors such as silicon and perovskites have produced devices with grains ranging from less than a micron to more than 1 mm. Because the lifetimes in as-deposited polycrystalline CdTe films are typically limited to less than a few hundred picoseconds, a CdCl2 treatment is generally used to improve the lifetime; but this treatment may limit the achievable hole density by compensation. Here, we establish methods to produce CdTe films with grain sizes ranging from hundreds of nanometers to several hundred microns by close-spaced sublimation at industrial manufacturing growth rates. Two-photon excitation photoluminescence spectroscopy shows a positive correlation of lifetime with grain size. Large-grain, as-deposited CdTe exhibits lifetimes exceeding 10 ns without Cl, S, O, or Cu. This uncompensated material allows dopants such as P to achieve a hole density of 1016 cm−3, which is an order of magnitude higher than standard CdCl2-treated devices, without compromising the lifetime.
Optically pumped lasing in single crystals of organometal halide perovskites prepared by cast-capping method
Authors: Nguyen Van-Cao , Katsuki Hiroyuki , Sasaki Fumio , Yanagi Hisao
Published: June 2016

A simple “cast-capping” method is adopted to prepare single-crystal perovskites of methyl ammonium lead bromide (CH3NH3PbBr3). By capping a CH3NH3PbBr3 solution casted on one substrate with another substrate such as glass, mica, and distributed Bragg reflector (DBR), the slow evaporation of solvent enables large-size cubic crystals to grow between the two substrates. Under optical pumping, edge-emitting lasing is observed based on Fabry–Pérot resonation between parallel side facets of a strip-shaped crystal typically with a lateral cavity length of a few tens of μm. On the other hand, vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasing (VCSEL) is obtained from a planar crystal grown between two DBRs with a cavity thickness of a few μm. Simultaneous detection of those edge- and surface-emissions reveals that the threshold excitation fluence of VCSEL is higher than that of the edge-emitting lasing due to thickness gradient in the planar crystal.
Enhanced copper micro/nano-particle mixed paste sintered at low temperature for 3D interconnects
Authors: Dai Y. Y. , Ng M. Z. , Anantha P. , Lin Y. D. , Li Z. G. , Gan C. L. , Tan C. S.
Published: June 2016

An enhanced copper paste, formulated by copper micro- and nano-particles mixture, is reported to prevent paste cracking and obtain an improved packing density. The particle mixture of two different sizes enables reduction in porosity of the micro-paste and resolves the cracking issue in the nano-paste. In-situ temperature and resistance measurements indicate that the mixed paste has a lower densification temperature. Electrical study also shows a ∼12× lower sheet resistance of 0.27 Ω/sq. In addition, scanning electron microscope image analysis confirms a ∼50% lower porosity, which is consistent with the thermal and electrical results. The 3:1 (micro:nano, wt. %) mixed paste is found to have the strongest synergistic effect. This phenomenon is discussed further. Consequently, the mixed paste is a promising material for potential low temperature 3D interconnects fabrication.
Effects of interfacial alignments on the stability of graphene on Ru(0001) substrate
Authors: Gao Lei , Liu Yanmin , Ma Tianbao , Shi Ruoyu , Hu Yuanzhong , Luo Jianbin
Published: June 2016

Structure and electronic properties of two-dimensional materials could be tuned by interfacial misfit or orientation angles. However, graphene grown on Ru(0001) substrate usually shows stable moiré superlattice with a periodicity of 3.0 nm indicating an aligned geometry. The reason for the absence of misaligned structure is still unknown. We have performed first-principles calculation to investigate the microstructure and morphology of graphene on Ru(0001) substrate in both aligned and misaligned geometries with rotation angles of 0°, 7.6°, and 23.4°, respectively. Our results indicate that both the graphene corrugation and moiré superlattice periodicity decrease as the rotation angle increases. Meanwhile the interaction energy between graphene and Ru(0001) substrate also becomes weakened with the rotation angle, as the decrease and discretization of intense charge transfer sites at the graphene/Ru interface, which is closely related to the interface stacking structure. Counterintuitively, the strain energy in graphene also increases anomalously with the rotation angle, which is attributed to the highly distorted local deformation of graphene due to the strong but discrete covalent bonding with Ru substrate. The simultaneous increase in both the interaction energy and strain energy in graphene/Ru(0001) heterostructure with rotation angle contributes to the preferred configuration in the aligned state.
Use of the agricultural practice of pasture termination in reducing soil N2O emissions in high-rainfall cropping systems of south-eastern Australia
Authors: Belyaeva Oxana N. , Officer Sally J. , Armstrong Roger D. , Harris Rob H. , Wallace Ashley , Partington Debra L. , Fogarty Kirsten , Phelan Andrew J.
Published: June 2016

Conversion of long-term pasture to cropping was investigated for its effects on nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in a 2-year field experiment in the high-rainfall zone of south-western Victoria. Early termination (pasture terminated 6 months before sowing) followed by winter (ETw) and spring (ETs) crops and late termination (pasture terminated 1 month before sowing) followed by a winter crop (LTw) were compared with continuous, mown pasture (MP). Emissions of N2O were measured with an automated gas sampling and analysing system. Emissions from MP were the lowest throughout the study, resulting in annual losses of 0.13kg N2O-N ha–1 in the first and the second years of the experiment. N2O-N loss was 0.6kgha–1 from treatments without fallow in both years (LTw in 2013 and ETs in 2014). In the first year, annual losses from previous fallow in ETw and ETs plots were 7.1 and 3.6kg N2O-N ha–1, respectively. Higher annual N2O losses from treatments with fallow periods continued in the second year of the study and were 2.0 and 1.3kg N2O-N ha–1 from ETw and LTw treatments, respectively. High emissions were associated with N mineralisation and the accumulation of NO3-N in the soil during the extensive fallow period after early pasture termination or wheat harvest. Soil water content was a key factor influencing the temporal fluctuations in N2O emissions. Low emissions occurred when water-filled pore space was <30%, whereas high emissions occurred when it was >65%, suggesting that denitrification was the major source of N2O emission. Crop grain yield was not affected by the duration of fallow (and therefore timing of pasture termination) in the first year, but was lower (P<0.05) in the treatment without fallow in the second year. Terminating pasture late rather than early, thus reducing the length of the fallow period, is a practical way of reducing N2O emissions from mixed pasture–cropping systems.
Septins guide microtubule protrusions induced by actin-depolymerizing toxins like
Clostridium difficile
transferase (CDT)
Authors: Nölke Thilo , Schwan Carsten , Lehmann Friederike , Østevold Kristine , Pertz Olivier , Aktories Klaus
Published: June 2016

Significance

The bacterial toxin
Clostridium difficile
transferase (CDT) depolymerizes actin and forms microtubule-based cell protrusions suggested to be involved in cell adherence of bacteria. Here we report that GTP-binding septin proteins initiate protrusion formation. Accumulation of septins at sites of protrusion initiation depends on the small GTPase Cdc42 (cell division control protein 42) and its effector Borg (binder of Rho GTPases). CDT-induced septin accumulations at the cell membrane guide microtubules to form cell protrusions. Septins directly interact with the microtubule plus-end tracking protein EB1. Thus, the toxin exploits septin-dependent regulation of microtubules to form cell protrusions.
Hydrogen peroxide detoxification is a key mechanism for growth of ammonia-oxidizing archaea
Authors: Kim Jong-Geol , Park Soo-Je , Sinninghe Damsté Jaap S. , Schouten Stefan , Rijpstra W. Irene C. , Jung Man-Young , Kim So-Jeong , Gwak Joo-Han , Hong Heeji , Si Ok-Ja , Lee SangHoon , Madsen Eugene L. , Rhee Sung-Keun
Published: June 2016

Significance

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are major players in global nitrogen cycling, but the AOA carbon-nutrition paradigm is poorly understood. Once considered strict autotrophs, AOA also have been reported to assimilate organic carbon. We used a marine AOA isolate to test hypotheses about the role of fixed carbon in AOA nutrition. Results were confirmed with tests with four additional marine and terrestrial AOA. We discovered that α-keto acids (pyruvate, oxaloacetate) were not directly incorporated into AOA cells. Instead, the α-keto acids functioned as chemical scavengers that detoxified intracellularly produced H
2
O
2
during ammonia oxidation. H
2
O
2
toxicity was also counteracted by co-inoculating the AOA with bacteria harboring catalases. Thus, H
2
O
2
toxicity in AOA may be an evolutionary force controlling AOA communities and global ammonia cycling.
Dopamine D2 receptor availability is linked to hippocampal–caudate functional connectivity and episodic memory
Authors: Nyberg Lars , Karalija Nina , Salami Alireza , Andersson Micael , Wåhlin Anders , Kaboovand Neda , Köhncke Ylva , Axelsson Jan , Rieckmann Anna , Papenberg Goran , Garrett Douglas D. , Riklund Katrine , Lövdén Martin , Lindenberger Ulman , Bäckman Lars
Published: June 2016

Significance

Cognitive functioning depends in part on dopamine neurotransmission in the brain. Research implicates the dopamine D1 receptor family in cognitive functions linked to the prefrontal cortex, such as working memory. The dopamine D2 receptor family has also been linked to cognition, but it remains unclear to which cognitive functions it is specifically related. We examined the relation of D2 receptors to episodic memory, working memory, and speed of processing. D2 receptors in the caudate and hippocampus were related to episodic memory and modulated caudate–hippocampal functional connections. These findings link the dopamine D2 system to hippocampus-based cognitive functions.
Transcriptome, genetic editing, and microRNA divergence substantiate sympatric speciation of blind mole rat,
Spalax
Authors: Li Kexin , Wang Liuyang , Knisbacher Binyamin A. , Xu Qinqin , Levanon Erez Y. , Wang Huihua , Frenkel-Morgenstern Milana , Tagore Satabdi , Fang Xiaodong , Bazak Lily , Buchumenski Ilana , Zhao Yang , Lövy Matěj , Li Xiangfeng , Han Lijuan , Frenkel Zeev , Beiles Avigdor , Cao Yi Bin , Wang Zhen Long , Nevo Eviatar
Published: June 2016

Significance

Speciation is the basis of the origin of biodiversity in nature. Sympatric speciation (SS) is still a controversial model of the origin of new species, since first proposed by Darwin in 1859. Here, we complement earlier genomic evidence with new analyses of transcriptome profiling, DNA editing, and microRNA, examined in the blind subterranean rodent,
Spalax galili
, in the Galilee Mountains, Israel, all substantiating SS with gene flow. Gene ontology enrichment of differentially expressed genes, in the abutting soil populations, highlights evolving reproductive isolation, despite a few interpopulation recombinants. Because sharply divergent geological, edaphic, climatic, and biotic interfaces abound in nature, we conclude that SS may be a common model of the origin of new species, as envisaged by Darwin.
Rape is rape (except when it’s not)
Authors: Attenborough Frederick
Published: June 2016

This chapter contributes to a body of research in which media reports of violence against women are analyzed for the ways they gloss precisely what it is that constitutes ‘violence against women’ in the event under report. To catch this glossing in flight, as it were, mediated reports of violence are conceptualised as recontextualisations; that is, reports that may differ in rhetorically consequential ways from those provided by victims of, or witnesses to, that violence. A mediated stylistic analysis of press reportage of the charges of rape made against Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, in 2010, subsequently shows that and how Assange’s allegedly violent actions were recontextualised such that their status as violent was readably downgraded, mitigated or even deleted. The chapter ends by calling for more attention to be paid to the various techniques of recontextualisation via which reports of violence against women are presented in the media.
The linguistic representation of gender violence in (written) media discourse
Authors: Santaemilia-Ruiz José , Maruenda-Bataller Sergio
Published: June 2016

‘Woman’ is a key social actor, and a central conceptualization, in the construction of media discourses of gender-based violence. Scholarly research at the turn of the 21st century (Bengoechea 2000; Lledó 2002; Fernández Díaz 2003; Jorge 2004) showed that in the Spanish press, media discourses had a tendency to naturalize male aggression not as violence but as part of the (private) sexual arrangement between the sexes. In this chapter we explore the treatment of the phrase mujer maltratada (EN ‘battered woman’) in intimate partner violence newspaper articles from 2005 to 2010. Our aims are: (i) to account for the discursive representation of violence against women (VAW) in Spanish contemporary media discourse in recent years; and (ii) to unveil the expectations about gender, sexuality and power implicit in public discourses about VAW, given their apparent objectivity. In doing so, we draw on the evaluation framework for the analysis of news reports proposed by White (2004, 2006) and on Corpus Linguistics tools.
Recent developments and open questions in the field of semantic roles
Authors: Kittilä Seppo , Zúñiga Fernando
Published: June 2016

This introductory chapter briefly introduces a few milestones in the voluminous previous literature on semantic roles, and charts the territory in which the chapters of this volume aim to make a contribution. This territory is characterized by fairly disparate conceptualizations of semantic roles and their status in theories of grammar and the lexicon, as well as by diverse and probably complementary ways of deriving or identifying them based on linguistic data. Particular attention is given to the question of how selected roles appear to relate to each other, and we preliminarily address the issue of how roles, subroles, and role complexes are best thought of in general.
Exploring a diachronic (re)cycle of roles
Authors: Fedriani Chiara , Prandi Michele
Published: June 2016

In this chapter we explore the struggle between the use of the Dative case and the competing strategy featuring the preposition ad ‘to’ and the Accusative from Latin to Early Romance. Unlike the Dative, the prepositional strategy is semantically transparent, since ad ‘to’ has a clear allative meaning. We first consider the diachronic development of the roles involved in the Dative-marked complex within a chronological span ranging from Plautus to the Vulgate and show that competing manifestations featuring ad are conditioned by semantic factors, since the extension of the prepositional strategy can be better explained in terms of metaphoric and metonymic processes. We discuss the gradual expansion of the prepositional turn in Early Romance with a view to exploring the paths along which it gradually took over the functions traditionally associated with the Dative complex. Building on these data, the chapter assesses the theoretical implications for a better understanding of competing multifunctional devices that encode role complexes from a diachronic perspective and shows how a pool of synchronic variation can trigger and constrain linguistic change.
Functive phrases in typological and diachronic perspective
Authors: Creissels Denis
Published: June 2016

This chapter is concerned with a particular semantic type of noun phrases in secondary predicate function, illustrated by as a negotiator in He was sent as a negotiator. It explores the cross-linguistic regularities in the polysemy patterns characteristic of the markers and constructions having the expression of this meaning as one of their possible uses, and discusses the grammaticalization paths in which they are involved.
Governing governments?
Authors: Hong Sun-Ha , Allard-Huver François
Published: June 2016

In a world of controversy and suspicion, transparency promises a ‘virtuous
chain’ of informed citizens, rational deliberation and democratic participation.
In contrast, this essay conceptualises transparency as a Foucauldian dispositif:
a network of discourse, tactics, institutional processes and local subjectivities
which articulates what kinds of actions and statements are admissible and tactically
profitable. Notably, transparency discourse mobilises individual citizens
to audit the state – to govern governments. This becomes the basis upon which
the state and other institutions may legitimise and delegitimise one another
through strategic uses of transparency discourse. We illustrate these processes
through an examination of the ‘Séralini Affair’: a prominent controversy over
GMO, scientific expertise and transparency in France. We analyse transparency
discourse invoked by major stakeholders in the Affair, drawing tools from critical
discourse analysis and French discourse analysis.
Dialogue and governmentality-in-action
Authors: Starbæk Bager Ann , Jørgensen Kenneth Mølbjerg , Raudaskoski Pirkko
Published: June 2016

We explore how dialogue as governmentality-in-action was both overtly
challenged and unintentionally employed in an interdisciplinary leadership
development forum held at a university. We study the forum as a site to explore
Foucault’s understanding of the conduct of conduct combined with Agamben’s
and Deleuze’s proposals to advance and nuance the concept of dispositif. We
compare dispositif with Bakhtin’s and Linell’s notions of dialogicality and
dialogism as sites of centripetal and centrifugal forces with heteroglossia and
orientation to third parties. This methodological move makes it possible to
study dialogue and dispositif as related concepts that are lived out in situated
practices. We employ membership categorisation analysis (MCA) to complement
a multimodal conversation analysis of the opening lecture of the forum to
show the taken-for-granted nature of the setting as a dispositif.
Exploring the intersections between governmentality studies and critical discourse analysis
Authors: Colombo Monica , Quassoli Fabio
Published: June 2016

In our chapter, we explore how the intersection of governmentality studies with
critical discourse analysis (CDA) enables an empirical and analytical examination
of the ways in which discursive and non-discursive practices contribute to
the rationalities (episteme) and apparatus (techne) of governmentality. To this
end, we examine urban security policies and discourses in Milan over the past
decade. Drawing on archival data, official statistics and research reports, we
analyse the general policy framework that has emerged and consolidated in the
period considered. Special attention is paid to a new frame for urban policies
inaugurated in 2005 with the stipulation of “Local Pacts for Urban Security”.
Effects of degree of accentedness in lecturers’ Dutch-English pronunciation on Dutch students’ attitudes and perceptions of comprehensibility
Authors: Hendriks Berna , van Meurs Frank , Hogervorst Nanette
Published: June 2016

Few studies on evaluations of non-native English (NNE) accents by non-native listeners have taken into account degrees of accentedness. This study investigated the perception of moderately and slightly accented English by NNE in an educational context. Eight male speakers recorded two fragments of a lecture in English or Dutch. Experts determined the degree of accentedness of the speakers (moderate, slight, native). In an online questionnaire, 163 Dutch students evaluated the fragments. The moderately accented instructors were evaluated as less comprehensible than slightly accented and native instructors. The Dutch and English fragments were considered equally comprehensible. The moderately accented instructors were regarded less positively than the slightly accented and native English instructors. Slightly accented instructors were evaluated as more likeable than the native English instructors and the instructors in the native Dutch fragments. In conclusion, degrees of accentedness in English influence NNE listeners’ attitudinal evaluations.
Paradigms at the interface of a lexeme’s syntax and semantics with its inflectional morphology
Authors: Stump Gregory T.
Published: June 2016

The interface of a language’s syntax and semantics with its inflectional morphology is quite constrained: canonically, the morphosyntactic property set that determines a word form’s use and interpretation in a particular syntactic context also determines its inflectional shape in that context. There are, however, frequent deviations from this canonical congruence. Deviations of this sort favor a theory of morphology in which the definition of a word form’s syntactico-semantic content is in principle separate from that of its morphological realization. Such a theory necessitates the postulation of two sorts of paradigms: content paradigms constitute the interface of word forms’ inflectional morphology with their syntax and semantics; form paradigms determine the definition of word forms’ morphological realizations. In a theory of this sort, a language’s inflectional morphology must not only define patterns of inflectional exponence; it must also define the linkage between the cells of a lexeme’s content paradigm and the cells of the form paradigm through whose mediation they are realized morphologically. The Old English conjugational system provides a rich basis for exemplifying a theory of this sort.
Spans and words
Authors: Svenonius Peter
Published: June 2016

1. The problem: Words are a pervasive unit of syntax and yet the dominant theory of them, the X0 theory, is problematic, predicting more parallels between phrasal and head movement than are observed. Phrasal movement approaches to word formation fare even worse on that score. Mirror Theory (MT) also has shortcomings, for example in relying on an unmotivated notion of specifier.

2. The solution: A theory of how syntactic structures are mapped onto functional and lexical words, positing syntactic features w for lexical access points and @ for linearization points. The theory draws on the late insertion of DM, the cycles of phase theory, the direct linearization principles of MT, and the non-terminal spell-out of Nanosyntax, separating word formation from linearization and appealing to spans (head-complement sequences) as the units of cyclic lexical access and storage.
Chapter 4. Transforming readings
Authors: Peplow David
Published: June 2016

In this chapter, book group discourse is analyzed, with the view of considering how literary interpretation happens across short extracts of talk. The book group is seen as a learning environment, a community of practice in which the ‘private’ readings that readers bring to meetings can be transformed through discussing the text with others. Readings are analysed in terms of Allan Bell’s interpretative arc, as this model sees the incremental nature of literary interpretation. Extracts from one particular reading group meeting are considered and the transcript data is approached in a sociolinguistic fashion. Analysis demonstrates that interpretation in this context is more than the sum of its parts, so that what is produced in the talk is group reading rather than isolated, individual action.
Chapter 6. Empirical stylistics in an EFL teaching context
Authors: Chesnokova Anna
Published: June 2016

This chapter examines how Ukrainian EFL students respond to a canonical piece of poetry – in a conventional academic setting or online. Five groups (135 participants) read Dickinson’s “A slash of Blue” (1961, p. 95) and reported their response to the verse. Groups 1–3 read the poem during their classes, whereas Group 4 did it as a Facebook survey. Group 5 listened to the text on YouTube. Results reveal differences between the responses of the groups. The findings point out that readers’ responses to poetry do depend on how and where learners are exposed to the text, and this offers empirical evidence for some of the technological and contextual implications involved in literary reading.
Chapter 13. Point and CLiC
Authors: Mahlberg Michaela , Stockwell Peter
Published: June 2016

This chapter looks at the corpus tool CLiC, a web application specifically designed for the study of literary texts. It allows students to run concordances or generate keywords, for instance. It gives students the opportunity to work with a corpus of Dickens novels, but also with novels by other nineteenth century authors. Unlike more general corpus tools, CLiC enables searches that help to address research questions particular to literary texts. We investigate the question as to what kind of corpus exercises can be designed to help students understand the variety of opportunities that corpus approaches to literary texts offer. We deal with issues of frequency, but also with links between concepts in literary linguistics and corpus linguistics, specifically characterization and mind-modelling. We focus on examples from Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist for an illustrative case-study.
The two-level tonal system of Lataddi Narua
Authors: Dobbs Roselle , Mingqing La
Published: June 2016

Lataddi Narua is the first reported variety of a Naish language having only two tonal levels; all other Naish languages described to date have three. The language uses a system in which level tones are primary, and tones are associated to lexical items rather than to individual syllables. Four tone categories are identified for nouns and adjectives, and six for verbs. Processes of tonal interaction across word boundaries are discussed, from tonal morphology to observations about syntactic and semantic factors influencing the placement of tone group boundaries within a sentence.
On-line processing of verb-argument constructions
Authors: Ellis Nick C.
Published: June 2016

Ellis, O’Donnell, and Römer (2014) used free-association tasks to investigate knowledge of Verb-Argument Constructions (VACs). They demonstrated that English speakers have independent implicit knowledge of (i) verb frequency in the VAC, (ii) VAC-verb contingency, and (iii) verb prototypicality in terms of centrality within the VAC semantic network. They concluded that VAC processing involves rich associations, tuned by verb type and token frequencies and their contingencies of usage, which interface syntax, lexis, and semantics. However, the tasks they used, where respondents had a minute to think of the verbs that fitted in VAC frames like ‘he __ across the….’, ‘it __ of the….’, etc., were quite conscious and explicit. The current experiments therefore investigate the effects of these factors in on-line processing for recognition and naming. Experiment 1 tested the recognition of VAC exemplars from very brief, masked, visual presentations. Recognition threshold was affected by overall verb frequency in the language, by the frequency with which verbs appear in the VAC, and by VAC-verb contingency (ΔPcw). Experiment 2 had participants successively name VAC arguments as quickly as possible: first the VAC and then the preposition. Preposition naming latency was a function of verb frequency in the VAC. We consider the implications for the representation and processing of VACs.
Lethal Stomach Content Collection Methods Reduce Detection of Zooplankton Prey of Juvenile Largemouth Bass Compared with Nonlethal Methods
Authors: Nannini Michael , Schermerhorn Daniel , Wahl David
Published: June 2016

The study of fish diets is an integral part of many fisheries research and management programs. Several studies have evaluated the effectiveness of nonlethal stomach content collection methods but none have considered the effectiveness of lethal methods that may also be biased by continued prey digestion. We compared one nonlethal and two lethal methods of stomach content collection and preservation for juvenile Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides ranging in size from 51–68 mm TL. Macroinvertebrates and zooplankton from stomachs of juvenile Largemouth Bass were collected using three methods, including gastric lavage (stomach contents immediately preserved), removing and preserving stomachs from fresh fish (whole stomach preserved after 3 h on ice), and removing and preserving stomachs after the fish had been frozen whole (stomach preserved after whole fish was frozen for 3 weeks at −20°C in a freezer). There were significant differences in total biomass of zooplankton and the total number of individual diet items for zooplankton among the three methods. Both cladocerans and copepods significantly differed among methods for total numbers and total biomass. In contrast, there were no differences between the different diet collection methods for any of the macroinvertebrate groups we were able to analyze (Ephemeroptera, Odonata, Diptera, and Coleoptera). These results suggest that prey in stomachs of fish continues to be digested after collection and that prey size and prey type are important factors. Our results suggest that gastric lavage yielded more accurate results of diet of juvenile Largemouth Bass than lethal methods.

Received November 6, 2015; accepted March 9, 2016 Published online June 27, 2016
Rethinking ‘expert sense’ in international development: the case of Sierra Leone’s housing policy
Authors: Rogers Steven Nabieu
Published: June 2016

Experts have come to dominate global economic policies under certain institutional ideological discourse. But what happens when most of the policy players in developing countries do not belong to globalised institutions? This article interrogates the role of national officials in reinforcing Western institutional hegemony. A review of housing policies in Sierra Leone since independence, and interviews with housing sector officials, show that the current manifestation of such superstructure and its reinforcing nature also mask new economic interests. The review shows that local national officials, who are often presented as passive objects of power, actually have enormous interpretive agency, and the aggressive articulation of their exclusionary approach demonstrates specific actionable interventions which enable them to create space and advantage for themselves. The lack of a new articulative strategy means that commitment to local content remains only as paper plans and symbolic gestures.
Micro–adhesion rings surrounding TCR microclusters are essential for T cell activation
Authors: Hashimoto-Tane Akiko , Sakuma Machie , Ike Hiroshi , Yokosuka Tadashi , Kimura Yayoi , Ohara Osamu , Saito Takashi
Published: June 2016

The immunological synapse (IS) formed at the interface between T cells and antigen-presenting cells represents a hallmark of initiation of acquired immunity. T cell activation is initiated at T cell receptor (TCR) microclusters (MCs), in which TCRs and signaling molecules assemble at the interface before IS formation. We found that each TCR-MC was transiently bordered by a ring structure made of integrin and focal adhesion molecules in the early phase of activation, which is similar in structure to the IS in microscale. The micro–adhesion ring is composed of LFA-1, focal adhesion molecules paxillin and Pyk2, and myosin II (MyoII) and is supported by F-actin core and MyoII activity through LFA-1 outside-in signals. The formation of the micro–adhesion ring was transient but especially sustained upon weak TCR stimulation to recruit linker for activation of T cells (LAT) and SLP76. Perturbation of the micro–adhesion ring induced impairment of TCR-MC development and resulted in impaired cellular signaling and cell functions. Thus, the synapse-like structure composed of the core TCR-MC and surrounding micro–adhesion ring is a critical structure for initial T cell activation through integrin outside-in signals.