bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MicroRNAs and Drinking: Association between the Pre-miR-27a rs895819 Polymorphism and Alcohol Consumption in a Mediterranean Population
Authors: Barragán Rocío , Coltell Oscar , Asensio Eva , Francés Francesc , Sorlí José , Estruch Ramon , Salas-Huetos Albert , Ordovas Jose , Corella Dolores
Published: August 2016

Recently, microRNAs (miRNA) have been proposed as regulators in the different processes involved in alcohol intake, and differences have been found in the miRNA expression profile in alcoholics. However, no study has focused on analyzing polymorphisms in genes encoding miRNAs and daily alcohol consumption at the population level. Our aim was to investigate the association between a functional polymorphism in the pre-miR-27a (rs895819 A>G) gene and alcohol consumption in an elderly population. We undertook a cross-sectional study of PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea (PREDIMED)-Valencia participants (n = 1007, including men and women aged 67 ± 7 years) and measured their alcohol consumption (total and alcoholic beverages) through a validated questionnaire. We found a strong association between the pre-miR-27a polymorphism and total alcohol intake, this being higher in GG subjects (5.2 ± 0.4 in AA, 5.9 ± 0.5 in AG and 9.1 ± 1.8 g/day in GG; padjusted = 0.019). We also found a statistically-significant association of the pre-miR-27a polymorphism with the risk of having a high alcohol intake (>2 drinks/day in men and >1 in women): 5.9% in AA versus 17.5% in GG; padjusted < 0.001. In the sensitivity analysis, this association was homogeneous for sex, obesity and Mediterranean diet adherence. In conclusion, we report for the first time a significant association between a miRNA polymorphism (rs895819) and daily alcohol consumption.
The Role of α1-Adrenoceptor Antagonists in the Treatment of Prostate and Other Cancers
Authors: Batty Mallory , Pugh Rachel , Rathinam Ilampirai , Simmonds Joshua , Walker Edwin , Forbes Amanda , Anoopkumar-Dukie Shailendra , McDermott Catherine , Spencer Briohny , Christie David , Chess-Williams Russ
Published: August 2016

This review evaluates the role of α-adrenoceptor antagonists as a potential treatment of prostate cancer (PCa). Cochrane, Google Scholar and Pubmed were accessed to retrieve sixty-two articles for analysis. In vitro studies demonstrate that doxazosin, prazosin and terazosin (quinazoline α-antagonists) induce apoptosis, decrease cell growth, and proliferation in PC-3, LNCaP and DU-145 cell lines. Similarly, the piperazine based naftopidil induced cell cycle arrest and death in LNCaP-E9 cell lines. In contrast, sulphonamide based tamsulosin did not exhibit these effects. In vivo data was consistent with in vitro findings as the quinazoline based α-antagonists prevented angiogenesis and decreased tumour mass in mice models of PCa. Mechanistically the cytotoxic and antitumor effects of the α-antagonists appear largely independent of α 1-blockade. The proposed targets include: VEGF, EGFR, HER2/Neu, caspase 8/3, topoisomerase 1 and other mitochondrial apoptotic inducing factors. These cytotoxic effects could not be evaluated in human studies as prospective trial data is lacking. However, retrospective studies show a decreased incidence of PCa in males exposed to α-antagonists. As human data evaluating the use of α-antagonists as treatments are lacking; well designed, prospective clinical trials are needed to conclusively demonstrate the anticancer properties of quinazoline based α-antagonists in PCa and other cancers.
TLR4 Endogenous Ligand S100A8/A9 Levels in Adult-Onset Still’s Disease and Their Association with Disease Activity and Clinical Manifestations
Authors: Kim Hyoun-Ah , Han Jae , Kim Woo-Jung , Noh Hyun , An Jeong-Mi , Yim Hyunee , Jung Ju-Yang , Kim You-Sun , Suh Chang-Hee
Published: August 2016

S100A8/A9 has been suggested as a marker of disease activity in patients with adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD). We evaluated the clinical significance of S100A8/A9 as a biomarker and its pathogenic role in AOSD. Blood samples were collected prospectively from 20 AOSD patients and 20 healthy controls (HCs). Furthermore, skin and lymph node biopsy specimens of AOSD patients were investigated for S100A8/A9 expression levels via immunohistochemistry. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of active AOSD patients and HCs were investigated for S100A8/A9 cell signals. S100A8/A9, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels in active AOSD patients were higher than those of HCs. S100A8/A9 levels correlated positively with IL-1β, TNF-α and C-reactive protein. The inflammatory cells expressing S100A8/A9 were graded from one to three in skin and lymph node biopsies of AOSD patients. The grading for S100A8/A9 was more intense in the skin lesions with karyorrhexis, mucin deposition, and neutrophil infiltration. Like lipopolysaccharide (LPS), S100A8/A9 induced phosphorylation of p38 and c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) in PBMCs, suggesting that S100A8/A9 activates Toll-like receptor 4 signaling pathways. These findings suggest that S100A8/A9 may be involved in the inflammatory response with induction of proinflammatory cytokines and may serve as a clinicopathological marker for disease activity in AOSD.
Nature of the Electrochemical Properties of Sulphur Substituted LiMn2O4 Spinel Cathode Material Studied by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy
Authors: Bakierska Monika , Świętosławski Michał , Dziembaj Roman , Molenda Marcin
Published: August 2016

In this work, nanostructured LiMn2O4 (LMO) and LiMn2O3.99S0.01 (LMOS1) spinel cathode materials were comprehensively investigated in terms of electrochemical properties. For this purpose, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements as a function of state of charge (SOC) were conducted on a representative charge and discharge cycle. The changes in the electrochemical performance of the stoichiometric and sulphur-substituted lithium manganese oxide spinels were examined, and suggested explanations for the observed dependencies were given. A strong influence of sulphur introduction into the spinel structure on the chemical stability and electrochemical characteristic was observed. It was demonstrated that the significant improvement in coulombic efficiency and capacity retention of lithium cell with LMOS1 active material arises from a more stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. Based on EIS studies, the Li ion diffusion coefficients in the cathodes were estimated, and the influence of sulphur on Li+ diffusivity in the spinel structure was established. The obtained results support the assumption that sulphur substitution is an effective way to promote chemical stability and the electrochemical performance of LiMn2O4 cathode material.
Fatigue Property of Open-Hole Steel Plates Influenced by Bolted Clamp-up and Hole Fabrication Methods
Authors: Wang Zhi-Yu , Li Lihui , Liu Yong-Jie , Wang Qing-Yuan
Published: August 2016

Steel plates with open holes are commonly used in structural assemblies. The fatigue properties of such details are influenced by bolted clamp-up and hole fabrication methods. The fracture surface, stiffness degradation and fatigue life of test specimens are investigated in detail and compared with the contemporary test data. The analysis results show that the presence of draglines greatly influences the fatigue crack initiation at the open-hole cut by laser. The bolted clamp-up condition greatly enhances the stiffness and the fatigue life of the open-hole details. A discussion is also made from a comparison with the referred fatigue life of hole fabrication details, such as the influence of plate thickness and plasma cutting, drilling and oxy-fuel gas cutting, with the details studied herein. This work could enhance the understanding of the fatigue property and design of such details.
Rapid Isolation and Determination of Flavones in Biological Samples Using Zinc Complexation Coupled with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography
Authors: Sun Chenghe , Wang Hecheng , Wang Yingping , Xiao Shengyuan
Published: August 2016

Chlorophyll-type contaminants are commonly encountered in the isolation and determination of flavones of plant aerial plant parts. Heme is also a difficult background substance in whole blood analysis. Both chlorophyll and heme are porphyrin type compounds. In this study, a rapid method for isolating flavones with 5-hydroxyl or ortho-hydroxyl groups from biological samples was developed based on the different solubilities of porphyrin-metal and flavone-metal complexes. It is important that other background substances, e.g., proteins and lipids, are also removed from flavones without an additional processing. The recoveries of scutellarin, baicalin, baicalein, wogonoside and wogonin, which are the primary constituents of Scutellaria baicalensis (skullcaps) were 99.65% ± 1.02%, 98.98% ± 0.73%, 99.65% ± 0.03%, 97.59% ± 0.09% and 95.19% ± 0.47%, respectively. As a sample pretreatment procedure, this method was coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with good separation, sensitivity and linearity and was applied to determine the flavone content in different aerial parts of S. baicalensis and in dried blood spot samples.
N-Alkoxyphenylhydroxynaphthalenecarboxamides and Their Antimycobacterial Activity
Authors: Gonec Tomas , Pospisilova Sarka , Kauerova Tereza , Kos Jiri , Dohanosova Jana , Oravec Michal , Kollar Peter , Coffey Aidan , Liptaj Tibor , Cizek Alois , Jampilek Josef
Published: August 2016

A series of nineteen N-(alkoxyphenyl)-2-hydroxynaphthalene-1-carboxamides and a series of their nineteen positional isomers N-(alkoxyphenyl)-1-hydroxynaphthalene-2-carboxamides were prepared and characterized. Primary in vitro screening of all the synthesized compounds was performed against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra, M. kansasii and M. smegmatis. Screening of the cytotoxicity of the compounds was performed using human monocytic leukemia THP-1 cells. Some of the tested compounds showed antimycobacterial activity comparable with or higher than that of rifampicin. For example, 2-hydroxy-N-(4-propoxyphenyl)-naphthalene-1-carboxamide showed the highest activity (MIC = 12 µM) against M. tuberculosis with insignificant cytotoxicity. N-[3-(But-2-yloxy)phenyl]- and N-[4-(but-2-yloxy)phenyl]-2-hydroxy-naphthalene-1-carboxamide demonstrated high activity against all tested mycobacterial strains and insignificant cytotoxicity. N-(Alkoxyphenyl)-1-hydroxynaphthalene-2-carboxamides demonstrated rather high effect against M. smegmatis and M. kansasii and strong antiproliferative effect against the human THP-1 cell line. Lipophilicity was found as the main physicochemical parameter influencing the activity. A significant decrease of mycobacterial cell metabolism (viability of M. tuberculosis H37Ra) was observed using MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide) assay. Structure-activity relationships are discussed.
Phytochemical Profile and Evaluation of the Biological Activities of Essential Oils Derived from the Greek Aromatic Plant Species Ocimum basilicum, Mentha spicata, Pimpinella anisum and Fortunella margarita
Authors: Fitsiou Eleni , Mitropoulou Gregoria , Spyridopoulou Katerina , Tiptiri-Kourpeti Angeliki , Vamvakias Manolis , Bardouki Haido , Panayiotidis Mihalis , Galanis Alex , Kourkoutas Yiannis , Chlichlia Katerina , Pappa Aglaia
Published: August 2016

Natural products, known for their medicinal properties since antiquity, are continuously being studied for their biological properties. In the present study, we analyzed the composition of the volatile preparations of essential oils of the Greek plants Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil), Mentha spicata (spearmint), Pimpinella anisum (anise) and Fortunella margarita (kumquat). GC/MS analyses revealed that the major components in the essential oil fractions, were carvone (85.4%) in spearmint, methyl chavicol (74.9%) in sweet basil, trans-anethole (88.1%) in anise, and limonene (93.8%) in kumquat. We further explored their biological potential by studying their antimicrobial, antioxidant and antiproliferative activities. Only the essential oils from spearmint and sweet basil demonstrated cytotoxicity against common foodborne bacteria, while all preparations were active against the fungi Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Aspergillus niger. Antioxidant evaluation by DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity assays revealed a variable degree of antioxidant potency. Finally, their antiproliferative potential was tested against a panel of human cancer cell lines and evaluated by using the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. All essential oil preparations exhibited a variable degree of antiproliferative activity, depending on the cancer model used, with the most potent one being sweet basil against an in vitro model of human colon carcinoma.
Flexible Textile-Based Organic Transistors Using Graphene/Ag Nanoparticle Electrode
Authors: Kim Youn , Kwon Yeon , Lee Kang , Oh Youngseok , Um Moon-Kwang , Seong Dong , Lee Jea
Published: August 2016

Highly flexible and electrically-conductive multifunctional textiles are desirable for use in wearable electronic applications. In this study, we fabricated multifunctional textile composites by vacuum filtration and wet-transfer of graphene oxide films on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) textile in association with embedding Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) to improve the electrical conductivity. A flexible organic transistor can be developed by direct transfer of a dielectric/semiconducting double layer on the graphene/AgNP textile composite, where the textile composite was used as both flexible substrate and conductive gate electrode. The thermal treatment of a textile-based transistor enhanced the electrical performance (mobility = 7.2 cm2·V−1·s−1, on/off current ratio = 4 × 105, and threshold voltage = −1.1 V) due to the improvement of interfacial properties between the conductive textile electrode and the ion-gel dielectric layer. Furthermore, the textile transistors exhibited highly stable device performance under extended bending conditions (with a bending radius down to 3 mm and repeated tests over 1000 cycles). We believe that our simple methods for the fabrication of graphene/AgNP textile composite for use in textile-type transistors can potentially be applied to the development of flexible large-area electronic clothes.
A Comparison by Milk Feeding Method of the Nutrient Intake of a Cohort of Australian Toddlers
Authors: Scott Jane , Davey Kristina , Ahwong Ellen , Devenish Gemma , Ha Diep , Do Loc
Published: August 2016

Breastfeeding is recommended beyond 12 months of age, but little is known about the contribution of breastmilk and infant formula to the nutritional intake of toddlers as they transition to a family diet in the second year of life. This study is a cross-sectional analysis of data collected from a birth cohort study in Adelaide, Australia. Dietary intake data were collected when children were approximately 1 year of age by an interviewer-administered multi-pass 24 h recall and a mother-completed 2 days food diary. Children were categorized according to their milk feeding method, i.e., breastmilk, infant formula, combination or other, and their nutrient intakes compared with recommended nutrient reference values. Complete data were available for 832 children, of which 714 had plausible energy intakes. Breastmilk and formula made a substantial contribution to the nutrient intake of those toddlers, contributing 28% and 34% of total energy, and 16% and 26% of protein intake, respectively when not drunk in combination. In general, Australian toddlers transitioning to the family diet consumed nutritionally adequate diets, although almost one quarter of all children and half of breastfed children with plausible intakes had iron intakes below the estimated average requirement, placing them at risk of iron deficiency.
Interdisciplinary Approaches towards Materials with Enhanced Properties for Electrical Engineering
Authors: Wiesbrock Frank
Published: August 2016

The internationally growing demand for electrical energy is one of the most prominent triggers stimulating research these days.[...]
Correction: Study of n-Butyl Acrylate Self-Initiation Reaction Experimentally and via Macroscopic Mechanistic Modeling Processes 2016, 4, 15
Authors: Shamsabadi Ahmad , Moghadam Nazanin , Srinivasan Sriraj , Corcoran Patrick , Grady Michael , Rappe Andrew , Soroush Masoud
Published: August 2016

We wish to correct Table 5 of the published paper in Processes [1].[...]
Buddhist Ritual from Syntax to Cognition: Insight Meditation and Homa
Authors: Payne Richard
Published: August 2016

The concept of “ritual syntax” is developed by relating it to cognitive studies of ritual, providing a fuller theoretical basis. Developing theoretical grounding requires differentiating between the members of five pairs of concepts: production is not the same as analysis, syntax is not the same as semantics, ritual is not the same as the mental, cognition is not the same as the mental, and syntax is not the same as language. These distinctions help avoid overly strong interpretations of the analogy between ritual and language. A discussion of “ritual” suggests that it is best conceptualized in terms of multiple scalar characteristics with degrees of ritualization. Two Buddhist practices, insight meditation and homa, are introduced as instances for the cognitive study of ritual. Syntax involves not simply ordering of elements, but also hierarchical organization of those elements. While syntax allows sentential elements to move within a sentence, ritual tends toward invariance. Invariance seems to contradict the claim that ritual is syntactically organized. However, rituals are often modeled on ordinary activities, producing a kind of “semantic” motivation for invariance.
Auto-Scaling of Geo-Based Image Processing in an OpenStack Cloud Computing Environment
Authors: Kang Sanggoo , Lee Kiwon
Published: August 2016

Cloud computing is a base platform for the distribution of large volumes of data and high-performance image processing on the Web. Despite wide applications in Web-based services and their many benefits, geo-spatial applications based on cloud computing technology are still developing. Auto-scaling realizes automatic scalability, i.e., the scale-out and scale-in processing of virtual servers in a cloud computing environment. This study investigates the applicability of auto-scaling to geo-based image processing algorithms by comparing the performance of a single virtual server and multiple auto-scaled virtual servers under identical experimental conditions. In this study, the cloud computing environment is built with OpenStack, and four algorithms from the Orfeo toolbox are used for practical geo-based image processing experiments. The auto-scaling results from all experimental performance tests demonstrate applicable significance with respect to cloud utilization concerning response time. Auto-scaling contributes to the development of web-based satellite image application services using cloud-based technologies.
Utility of Ochrobactrum anthropi YC152 in a Microbial Fuel Cell as an Early Warning Device for Hexavalent Chromium Determination
Authors: Wang Guey-Horng , Cheng Chiu-Yu , Liu Man-Hai , Chen Tzu-Yu , Hsieh Min-Chi , Chung Ying-Chien
Published: August 2016

Fast hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) determination is important for environmental risk and health-related considerations. We used a microbial fuel cell-based biosensor inoculated with a facultatively anaerobic, Cr(VI)-reducing, and exoelectrogenic Ochrobactrum anthropi YC152 to determine the Cr(VI) concentration in water. The results indicated that O. anthropi YC152 exhibited high adaptability to pH, temperature, salinity, and water quality under anaerobic conditions. The stable performance of the microbial fuel cell (MFC)-based biosensor indicated its potential as a reliable biosensor system. The MFC voltage decreased as the Cr(VI) concentration in the MFC increased. Two satisfactory linear relationships were observed between the Cr(VI) concentration and voltage output for various Cr(VI) concentration ranges (0.0125–0.3 mg/L and 0.3–5 mg/L). The MFC biosensor is a simple device that can accurately measure Cr(VI) concentrations in drinking water, groundwater, and electroplating wastewater in 45 min with low deviations (<10%). The use of the biosensor can help in preventing the violation of effluent regulations and the maximum allowable concentration of Cr(VI) in water. Thus, the developed MFC biosensor has potential as an early warning detection device for Cr(VI) determination even if O. anthropi YC152 is a possible opportunistic pathogen.
Time Domain Strain/Stress Reconstruction Based on Empirical Mode Decomposition: Numerical Study and Experimental Validation
Authors: He Jingjing , Zhou Yibin , Guan Xuefei , Zhang Wei , Zhang Weifang , Liu Yongming
Published: August 2016

Structural health monitoring has been studied by a number of researchers as well as various industries to keep up with the increasing demand for preventive maintenance routines. This work presents a novel method for reconstruct prompt, informed strain/stress responses at the hot spots of the structures based on strain measurements at remote locations. The structural responses measured from usage monitoring system at available locations are decomposed into modal responses using empirical mode decomposition. Transformation equations based on finite element modeling are derived to extrapolate the modal responses from the measured locations to critical locations where direct sensor measurements are not available. Then, two numerical examples (a two-span beam and a 19956-degree of freedom simplified airfoil) are used to demonstrate the overall reconstruction method. Finally, the present work investigates the effectiveness and accuracy of the method through a set of experiments conducted on an aluminium alloy cantilever beam commonly used in air vehicle and spacecraft. The experiments collect the vibration strain signals of the beam via optical fiber sensors. Reconstruction results are compared with theoretical solutions and a detailed error analysis is also provided.
On Event-Triggered Adaptive Architectures for Decentralized and Distributed Control of Large-Scale Modular Systems
Authors: Albattat Ali , Gruenwald Benjamin , Yucelen Tansel
Published: August 2016

The last decade has witnessed an increased interest in physical systems controlled over wireless networks (networked control systems). These systems allow the computation of control signals via processors that are not attached to the physical systems, and the feedback loops are closed over wireless networks. The contribution of this paper is to design and analyze event-triggered decentralized and distributed adaptive control architectures for uncertain networked large-scale modular systems; that is, systems consist of physically-interconnected modules controlled over wireless networks. Specifically, the proposed adaptive architectures guarantee overall system stability while reducing wireless network utilization and achieving a given system performance in the presence of system uncertainties that can result from modeling and degraded modes of operation of the modules and their interconnections between each other. In addition to the theoretical findings including rigorous system stability and the boundedness analysis of the closed-loop dynamical system, as well as the characterization of the effect of user-defined event-triggering thresholds and the design parameters of the proposed adaptive architectures on the overall system performance, an illustrative numerical example is further provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed decentralized and distributed control approaches.
An Anonymous User Authentication and Key Agreement Scheme Based on a Symmetric Cryptosystem in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Jung Jaewook , Kim Jiye , Choi Younsung , Won Dongho
Published: August 2016

In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), a registered user can login to the network and use a user authentication protocol to access data collected from the sensor nodes. Since WSNs are typically deployed in unattended environments and sensor nodes have limited resources, many researchers have made considerable efforts to design a secure and efficient user authentication process. Recently, Chen et al. proposed a secure user authentication scheme using symmetric key techniques for WSNs. They claim that their scheme assures high efficiency and security against different types of attacks. After careful analysis, however, we find that Chen et al.’s scheme is still vulnerable to smart card loss attack and is susceptible to denial of service attack, since it is invalid for verification to simply compare an entered ID and a stored ID in smart card. In addition, we also observe that their scheme cannot preserve user anonymity. Furthermore, their scheme cannot quickly detect an incorrect password during login phase, and this flaw wastes both communication and computational overheads. In this paper, we describe how these attacks work, and propose an enhanced anonymous user authentication and key agreement scheme based on a symmetric cryptosystem in WSNs to address all of the aforementioned vulnerabilities in Chen et al.’s scheme. Our analysis shows that the proposed scheme improves the level of security, and is also more efficient relative to other related schemes.
Conditional Random Field-Based Offline Map Matching for Indoor Environments
Authors: Bataineh Safaa , Bahillo Alfonso , Díez Luis , Onieva Enrique , Bataineh Ikram
Published: August 2016

In this paper, we present an offline map matching technique designed for indoor localization systems based on conditional random fields (CRF). The proposed algorithm can refine the results of existing indoor localization systems and match them with the map, using loose coupling between the existing localization system and the proposed map matching technique. The purpose of this research is to investigate the efficiency of using the CRF technique in offline map matching problems for different scenarios and parameters. The algorithm was applied to several real and simulated trajectories of different lengths. The results were then refined and matched with the map using the CRF algorithm.
Researching and Working for Transgender Youth: Contexts, Problems and Solutions
Authors: Jones Tiffany
Published: August 2016

In May 2016, two events epitomized the complexities of working for global transgender youth rights. First, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) hosted a ministerial event in which education ministers from around the world released a call to action for protection of students on the basis of their gender identity and expression in schools. Second, the United Nations (UN) hosted an event celebrating the family, attended by conservative ministers and activists who mobilized family protectionist discourse against transgender students. This article contemplates, in light of transgender activist Raewyn Connell’s Southern Theory contributions, the complexity of global research and work for transgender youth. It considers key informant interviews with 50 stakeholders in the global push for transgender student rights in education, including members of government and non-government organisations, and academics from Northern and Southern countries. Problems in aiding transgender youth at the global level included safety concerns, the impacts of conservative advocates and media backlash (within family and national protectionist discourses), cultural complexities hampering engagement and translation, dissemination hindrances pertaining to established publishing biases, and financial and collaboration barriers. Solutions including virtual work; multi-level leadership; alliance-building; representation; visibility of transgender youth citizenship and family membership; and legal, financial and capacity-building aid are considered.
Antifungal and Antiaflatoxigenic Methylenedioxy-Containing Compounds and Piperine-Like Synthetic Compounds
Authors: Moon Young-Sun , Choi Won-Sik , Park Eun-Sil , Bae In , Choi Sung-Deuk , Paek Ockjin , Kim Sheen-Hee , Chun Hyang , Lee Sung-Eun
Published: August 2016

Twelve methylenedioxy-containing compounds including piperine and 10 piperine-like synthetic compounds were assessed to determine their antifungal and antiaflatoxigenic activities against Aspergillus flavus ATCC 22546 in terms of their structure–activity relationships. Piperonal and 1,3-benzodioxole had inhibitory effects against A. flavus mycelial growth and aflatoxin B1 production up to a concentration of 1000 μg/mL. Ten piperine-like synthetic compounds were synthesized that differed in terms of the carbon length in the hydrocarbon backbone and the presence of the methylenedioxy moiety. In particular, 1-(2-methylpiperidin-1-yl)-3-phenylprop-2-en-1-one had potent antifungal and antiaflatoxigenic effects against A. flavus up to a concentration of 1 μg/mL. This synthetic compound was remarkable because the positive control thiabendazole had no inhibitory effect at this concentration. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis showed that five genes involved in aflatoxin biosynthesis pathways were down-regulated in A. flavus, i.e., aflD, aflK, aflQ, aflR, and aflS; therefore, the synthetic compound inhibited aflatoxin production by down-regulating these genes.
Cat Mammary Tumors: Genetic Models for the Human Counterpart
Authors: Adega Filomena , Borges Ana , Chaves Raquel
Published: August 2016

The records are not clear, but Man has been sheltering the cat inside his home for over 12,000 years. The close proximity of this companion animal, however, goes beyond sharing the same roof; it extends to the great similarity found at the cellular and molecular levels. Researchers have found a striking resemblance between subtypes of feline mammary tumors and their human counterparts that goes from the genes to the pathways involved in cancer initiation and progression. Spontaneous cat mammary pre-invasive intraepithelial lesions (hyperplasias and neoplasias) and malignant lesions seem to share a wide repertoire of molecular features with their human counterparts. In the present review, we tried to compile all the genetics aspects published (i.e., chromosomal alterations, critical cancer genes and their expression) regarding cat mammary tumors, which support the cat as a valuable alternative in vitro cell and animal model (i.e., cat mammary cell lines and the spontaneous tumors, respectively), but also to present a critical point of view of some of the issues that really need to be investigated in future research.
Evolving Gastronomic Experiences: From Food to Foodies to Foodscapes
Authors: Richards Greg
Published: August 2016

The relationship between gastronomy and tourism has developed rapidly in recent decades. Gastronomy has shifted from being a peripheral concern for destinations to being one of the major reasons for some tourists to visit. This review article analyses the causes of this shift, both
in terms of the changing social position of gastronomy and in the context of the emerging experience economy. In particular, three moments of experience production are seen as marking stages in the development of the relationship between gastronomy and tourism: the first generation of gastronomic
experiences based on the production of themed experiences for consumers; the second generation of experiences cocreated by producers and consumers; and the third generation of gastronomic experiences related to the development of communities around gastronomy and food. In this process a shift
is observed from the taste patterns of individual “foodies” to the development of entire foodscapes.
Wine Routes in Quebec: Between Marketing and Development of Networks
Authors: Hassen Tarek Ben , Tremblay Diane-Gabrielle
Published: August 2016

Wine routes are increasing in different wine regions of the Old World and the New World. In Quebec, the wine sector is young, but there is a great development of wine routes. This is mainly explained by the nature of the distribution of wine in Quebec, where the sale of alcoholic beverages
is controlled by a state monopoly: the SAQ. Faced with the difficulties of entry into the SAQ, on-site sales are the main outlet for the Quebec wine makers, especially for smaller wineries. This environment is conducive to the development of wine routes. Wine routes in Quebec are important
for the marketing of wine. At the same time, they participate in the construction of wine territories, acting as regional networks and regional development engines. Thus, the main hypothesis of this article postulates that the wine route is a mechanism that can lead to the creation of wine-growing
areas, creating relationships between winemakers or strengthening existing relationships. The wine route helps stakeholders to transform geographic proximity into relational proximity. The objective of this article is first to present the characteristics of wine routes in Quebec and then to
analyze their roles in the establishment of regional networks and the development of territories.
Will the Japanese Venture Out of Barcelona and Taste Local Food?
Authors: Hida Nanako , Coenders Germà
Published: August 2016

The aim of this article is to study the preferences and motivations of Japanese tourists in Barcelona regarding gastronomic experiences in the city and the willingness to undertake local trips to rural areas in Catalonia (the Spanish region of which Barcelona is the capital city) to
enjoy food with a more local flavor. Drawing from the literature on gastronomic tourism and on Japanese tourist behavior, and from qualitative research, the article finds that the Japanese eating behavior in Barcelona differs from Japanese behavior in other destinations. The core eating behavior
of Japanese tourists in Barcelona is local food, among which stereotypical Spanish food is dominant. They have no image of Catalonia and its gastronomy. However, they would venture to visit the Catalan hinterland if gastronomic attractions would be combined with nature and heritage, and provided
they would get assistance to find information, organize the trip, and deal with cultural barriers. The findings can help the local industry and Japanese tour operators develop and market their products, which should ideally be segmented by age.
Local and Traditional or Global and Modern? Food and Tourism in Singapore
Authors: Henderson Joan C.
Published: August 2016

This article is concerned with aspects of food and tourism in modernizing Asian cities and the relationships among the local and traditional and global and modern, including the effects of globalization. These issues are discussed in a case study of the Southeast Asian city-state of
Singapore where the dishes and dining on offer are shown to reflect historical and contemporary conditions. Food options and their diversity are also seen to be a core theme in destination marketing with a particular emphasis on hawker fare and fine dining; these are presented in terms of
the local and traditional and global and modern, respectively, but there is evidence of past and present intermingling to create styles of cuisine and eating environments that are not so easily categorized. Singapore emerges as having a thriving foodservice industry and rich, complex, and
dynamic food culture, which are positive attributes for a food tourism destination, although some shortcomings are acknowledged.
The Possessive NP Construction: Discourse Function and Discourse Profile
Authors: Ariel Mira
Published: August 2016

Pragmatists and discourse grammarians have benefited tremendously from examining naturally occurring data. An examination of all and only the necessary discoursal conditions obtaining when a certain linguistic expression occurs has paved the way for pragmatists to describe the appropriateness conditions placed on linguistic forms. These were identified as the discourse functions of those linguistic expressions. For example, based on an empirical study of English itand wh-clefts in discourse, Prince ( 1978) defined distinct discourse functions for it-clefts and wh-clefts. She argued that the discourse function of the embedded clause in it-clefts is to mark "known (factual) information" and that of wh-clefts is to mark information "Given (currently available) to the addressee". These discourse functions should hold true in (virtually) every case the clefts are used.
FrameNet's Frames vs. Levin's Verb Classes
Authors: Baker Collin F. , Ruppenhofer Josef
Published: August 2016

The classification of verbs in Levin's (1993) English Verb Classes and Alternations: A preliminary Investigation, on the basis of both intuitive semantic grouping and their participation in valence alternations, is often used by the NLP community as evidence of the semantic similarity of verbs (Jing & McKeown 1998; Lapata & Brew 1999; Kohl et al. 1998). In this paper, we compare the Levin classification with the work of the FrameNet project (Fillmore & Baker 2001), where words (not just verbs) are grouped according to the conceptual structures (frames) that underlie them and their combinatorial patterns are inductively derived from corpus evidence. This means that verbs grouped together in FrameNet (FN) might be semantically similar but have different (or no) alternations, and that verbs which share the same alternation might be represented in two different semantic frames.
Phonetic Analogy and Schwa Deletion in French
Authors: Barnes Jonathan , Kavitskaya Darya
Published: August 2016

in the classic Lexical Phonology model of cyclicity, only lexical processes are held to be cyclic. Postlexical processes, operating on elements of subphonemic detail, should not display this characteristic. If it can be shown that they in fact do, this would be a challenge not only to the division of processes into lexical and postlexical, but also to the notion of any meaningful split between phonology and phonetics.
Unidirectionality in Grammaticalization and Lexical Shift: The Case of English RATHER
Authors: Juge Matthew L.
Published: August 2016

Traditional models of grammaticalization posit a process (or a set of processes) whereby words belonging to one lexical class shift to another lexical class considered to be more grammatical. In this paper I argue that the seemingly unrelated shift of English rather from comparative adverb to verb shows that such a model for grammaticalization is untenable.
Keeping and Losing Contrasts
Authors: Kingston John
Published: August 2016

In this paper, I will first show that contrasts aren't licensed in particular contexts because they are necessarily realized with more salient cues in those contexts than in contexts where they aren't licensed. Next, I will argue that the releases of consonants, particularly non-continuants, are not packages of particularly salient acoustic information about the consonant's identity but instead only one of many kinds of acoustic information about how the utterance is segmented prosodically. Prosodic segmentation helps the listener find words in the stream of speech. Finally, I will show that segments are usually perceived to be different from their neighbors, i.e. to contrast with them, except when the target sound is C1 in a CVC1C2V string, which is instead often perceived to be the same as C2, i.e. to assimilate to C2. Both the general and specific effects of neighboring sounds phonetically explain where contrasts are kept or lost quite differently than the licensing by cue account.
Anaphoric R-Expressions as Bound Variables
Authors: Lee Felicia
Published: August 2016

This paper shows that putatively "bound" R-expressions in San Lucas Quiavini Zapotec and Thai are not, in fact, true R expressions, but bound variables spelled out as copies of their antecedents. Likewise, "locally bound" pronouns are bound copies of their antecedents.
Japanese Listeners' Use of Duration Cues in the Identification of English High Front Vowels
Authors: Morrison Geoffrey Stewart
Published: August 2016

Morrison's (2002a) hypothesis concerning the use of duration cues in high vowel identification by determining whether Japanese listeners identify English /i/ and /I/ using the same duration criteria that they use to identify Japanese /i:/ and /i/.
Tonal Polarity as Phonologically Conditioned Allomorphy in Munduruku
Authors: Picanço Gessiane
Published: August 2016

This paper examines tonal polarity in Munduruku, a Tupi language spoken in Brazil. Munduruku contains a set of nouns that show polarity in a particular context, but L otherwise. After examining its properties, I propose that the phenomenon is best captured in terms of phonologically conditioned allomorphy (Kiparsky 1994). My proposal asserts that Optimality Theory (Prince & Smolensky 1993) can properly account for the distribution of allomorphs. I will demonstrate that selection of morpheme variants is determined by PARSE-MORPH (Akinlabi 1996), and that Alignment constraints (McCarthy & Prince 1993) and constraint conjunction (Crowhurst & Hewitt 1997) are required to ensure that allomorphs are selected according to their appropriate environments.
Change of State Verbs: Implications for Theories of Argument Projection
Authors: Rappaport Hovav Malka , Levin Beth
Published: August 2016

Recent work in argument expression has focused on verbs showing multiple argument projection options, often with concomitant shifts in aspectual classification or assignment of so-called "aspectual roles" (e.g., measure or incremental theme). Theories of argument projection generally adopt one or both of the following hypotheses: (1) argument projection is aspectually determined; (2) argument expression is not lexically determined. Although much recent work incorporates the conjunction of the two hypotheses, they represent two distinct issues: whether argument expression is aspectually driven and whether argument expression is lexically or syntactically determined. It is possible to argue that argument projection is lexically determined and aspectually driven (e.g., Tenny 1987, 1992, 1994) or to argue that projection is not completely lexically determined but not completely aspectually driven either (e.g., Jackenoff 1990). We argue against each individual hypothesis, as well as against their conjunction. We do this through a close examination of the argument expression properties of change of state verbs and a comparison of these properties with those of aspectually-related verbs.
Transitivity and Change of State Verbs
Authors: Wright Saundra K.
Published: August 2016

In this paper, I argue that semantic and pragmatic properties—as opposed to syntactic properties—are responsible for the variability found with transitive uses of change of state verbs. In particular, a variety of factors combine together to determine the argument expression options associated with an individual verb. These factors include controllability (the degree to which an event can be externally manipulated), causer type (whether the event is human driven or nonhuman driven), and subject-modification (whether the causer is in a modified or unmodified form). Finally, I argue that it is possible to predict how acceptable a verb sounds in a transitive construction by a statistical model that combines and weights these different factors.
Fieldwork as a Participatory Research Activity: The Mayangna Linguistic Teams
Authors: Benedicto Elena , Dolores Modesta , McClean Melba
Published: August 2016

In dealing with endangered languages, focus has been shifting from the languages themselves and their scientific documentation to the communities that speak such languages. This paper is an attempt to examine how linguistic, scientific research can be conducted in a way that actively involves and empowers the target community-an approach which falls under the umbrella of what may be known as participatory research. In this paper, we will address the particular goals and theoretical bases of a participatory-research-based approach to linguistic research, we will present some of the projects that have been or are presently being conducted in Nicaragua, and we will evaluate the preliminary results of those projects.
Leggbo Verb Inflection: A Semantic and Phonological Particle Analysis
Authors: Hyman Larry , Narrog Heiko , Paster Mary , Udoh Imelda
Published: August 2016

The goals of this paper are to present, first, a featural analysis of the inflectional system of oppositions which are explicitly marked on Leggbo verbs, specifically, aspect, mood, polarity and clause type; and second, an account of how this system of oppositions is realized in morphological terms. It will be seen that the inflectionally marked categories are organized in terms of a fixed hierarchy of privative features or "particles" which compete for expression within the Leggbo verb paradigm.
The Phonetics and Phonology of Unreleased Stops in Karitiana
Authors: Storto Luciana , Demolin Didier
Published: August 2016

Karitiana, an endangered language from the Tupi stock, Arikem family, spoken in the state of Rondonia in Brazil, exhibits a number of interesting phenomena concerning stop consonants at the end of words. In particular, voiceless stops are always unreleased word-finally. This phenomenon has been observed as a occasional variant of stops in English (Laver 1994, Ladefoged & Maddieson 1996) and in a number of other languages such as Bamileke (Westermann & Ward 1952) and Efik (Cook 1969), and is systematic in Karitiana. Unreleased final stops are also common in Tupi languages and have been described by several researchers (e.g. Moore 1984; Galucio 1994, 1996; Gabas Jr. 1998, 1999; Picanço 1999; Storto 1999; Rose 2000). Such facts have rarely been described in a detailed manner. This paper describes some phonetic and phonological aspects of the nature of these sounds when they appear word finally. More specifically, three points will be examined: (i) voiceless stop consonants (there are no phonemic voiced consonants in Karitiana); (ii) nasal consonants, which have been described as unreleased word finally by Storto (1999), and (iii) the phonological behavior of these consonants in context.
Rethinking the Observer's Paradox and Data "Purity"
Authors: Wertheim Suzanne
Published: August 2016

In this paper, I will examine some of the difficulties faced by the linguistic fieldworker who is attempting to observe and record "natural" conversations, and I  will reconsider the long-held sociolinguistic notion of the observer's paradox by recasting it within Bell's (1984) framework of audience design theory. Using data gathered during my own fieldwork, I  will once again call into question the idea of a single, unmarked, unperformed vernacular, the access to which is supposedly blocked by the observer's paradox. Finally, I  will demonstrate that "performed" or "self-conscious" speech produced for the fieldworker can be useful in systematic linguistic analysis, and in gaining insights into local language ideologies and linguistic norms.