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Precise tune determination and split beam emittance reconstruction at the CERN PS synchrotron
(2023)
In accelerator physics, the need to improve the performance and better control the operating point of an accelerator has become, year after year, an increasingly important need in order to achieve higher energies and brightness, as well as point-like particle beams. If this involves increasingly advanced technological developments (in terms, for example, of materials for more intense superconducting magnets), it can not take place in the absence of targeted studies of linear and non-linear beam dynamics. In the context of this Ph.D. thesis in physics, linear and non-linear dynamics of charged particles in circular accelerators is the topic that will be discussed and treated in detail. In particular, the presentation and discussion of the results will be divided in two main topics: the need to know the physical properties of a proton beam; and the development of innovative methods to determine and study the accelerator’s working point. With regard to the first topic, an innovative procedure will be presented to determine the transverse size of the PS beam in the beam extraction phase. Among the different ways the extraction occurs at the PS, the analysed one is based on the transverse splitting of the beam by means of non-linear fields. Thus, the knowledge of the transverse beam size is not trivial since resonant linear and non-linear beam structures (namely, core and islands) arise and, for each of them, the beam size has to be quantified. This parameter is crucial for two main reasons: the accelerator that will receive the beam exiting the upstream accelerator may have restrictions (physical or magnetic) that involve a partial or total loss of the incoming beam; and any experiments located downstream of the considered accelerator may need a beam with a transversal size as constant as possible; consequently, its monitoring and control are essential. The second topic concerns the accurate determination of the working point of an accelerator, defined as the number of transverse oscillations the particle beam travels per unit of accelerator circumference, both horizontally and vertically. This quantity is called horizontal and vertical tune, respectively. Their knowledge is also crucial to understand whether the beam will be stable or unstable. In fact, not all tune values are acceptable, as there are particular values that bring the beam into resonance. In this configuration, the amplitude of the transverse oscillations of the particles increases in an uncontrolled manner and leads to the loss of all or part of the beam. Note that, in particular operating conditions, the resonant conditions are sought and desired to model, in a suitable way, the transversal shape of the beam, such as the above mentioned PS extraction scheme. It is even clearer how much the determination of the machine working point is essential to determine the operating conditions of an accelerator. In this context, several methods (also taken from the field of applied mathematics) to calculate the tune will be demonstrated and tested numerically on different types of synthetic signals. At the end of this description, the use of experimental data will allow to obtain the benchmark of a new method for the direct calculation of some characteristic quantities of non-linear beam dynamics (namely, the amplitude detuning, i.e. the variation of tune as a function of intensity of the perturbation provided to the beam.
Covalent inhibition has become more accepted in the past two decades, as illustrated by the clinical approval of several irreversible inhibitors designed to covalently modify their target. Elucidation of the structure-activity relationship and potency of such inhibitors requires a detailed kinetic evaluation. Here, we elucidate the relationship between the experimental read-out and the underlying inhibitor binding kinetics. Interactive kinetic simulation scripts are employed to highlight the effects of in vitro enzyme activity assay conditions and inhibitor binding mode, thereby showcasing which assumptions and corrections are crucial. Four stepwise protocols to assess the biochemical potency of (ir)reversible covalent enzyme inhibitors targeting a nucleophilic active site residue are included, with accompanying data analysis tailored to the covalent binding mode. Together, this will serve as a guide to make an educated decision regarding the most suitable method to assess covalent inhibition potency. © 2022 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
The bromodomain and PHD-finger containing transcription factor (BPTF) is part of the nucleosome remodeling factor (NURF) complex and has been implicated in multiple cancer types. Here, we report the discovery of a potent and selective chemical probe targeting the bromodomain of BPTF with an attractive pharmacokinetic profile enabling cellular and in vivo experiments in mice. Microarray-based transcriptomics in presence of the probe in two lung cancer cell lines revealed only minor effects on the transcriptome. Profiling against a panel of cancer cell lines revealed that the antiproliferative effect does not correlate with BPTF dependency score in depletion screens. Both observations and the multi-domain architecture of BPTF suggest that depleting the protein by proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) could be a promising strategy to target cancer cell proliferation. We envision that the presented chemical probe and the related negative control will enable the research community to further explore scientific hypotheses with respect to BPTF bromodomain inhibition.
Introduction: The rational development of new therapeutics requires a thorough understanding of how aberrant signalling affects cellular homeostasis and causes human disease. Chemical probes are tool compounds with well-defined mechanism-of-action enabling modulation of, for example, domain-specific protein properties in a temporal manner, thereby complementing other target validation methods such as genetic gain- and loss-of-function approaches.
Areas covered: In this review, the authors summarize recent advances in chemical probe development for emerging target classes such as solute carriers and ubiquitin-related targets and highlight open resources to inform and facilitate chemical probe discovery as well as tool compound selection for target validation and phenotypic screening.
Expert opinion: Chemical probes are powerful tools for drug discovery that have led to fundamental insights into biological processes and have paved the way for the development of first-in-class drugs. Open resources can inform on various aspects of chemical probe development and provide access to data and recommendations on use of chemical probes to catalyse collaborative science and help accelerate drug target identification and validation.
The (mis)management of rapport amongst groups in Niger Delta (ND) communities has become a significant issue, which Ahmed Yerima's Hard Ground (HG) depicts as having the capacity to aid or control the conflicts in the region. Linguistic studies on Yerima's drama from the perspective of pragmatics have tended to use pragmatic acts to identify the discourse value of proverbs and functions of characters' utterances but have not accounted for the politeness strategies utilised for rapport management, especially in conflict situations. This article, drawing on a rapport management model of politeness and aspects of speech act discourse, identifies the face, sociality rights, and interactional goals that characterise the conflict-motivated dialogues sampled in HG, and reveals the rapport management (RM) strategies through which these are managed in the text. Three conflict situations can be observed as prompting different RM strategies: cause-effect identification (CEI), militancy support (MSP), and disagreement (DSG) situations. CEI is marked by incriminating (involving eliciting and informing acts) and exonerating (including complimenting and acknowledging acts) strategies; MSP is indexed by strategies of persuasion (realised with face-enhancing/threatening acts), whereas DSG is typified by requesting (featuring explicit head acts and alerters) and blaming strategies (including insulting and threatening, aggravating moves). Generally, the requesting, blaming, and exonerating strategies are largely used by the ND youth in HG to probe, threaten, or disagree on specific issues, while the incriminating and persuasion strategies are mainly employed by the women to indict, influence, and predict future actions. The study of RM in the conflict situations depicted in the play sheds light on the often neglected cause of conflicts in contemporary Africa.
Cancer cells, including leukemic cells, can react to therapeutic treatment by altering their metabolic phenotype (“metabolic reprogramming”) to keep their accelerated proliferative state, eventually becoming resistant to the treatment. There is an increasing amount of evidence indicating that metabolic reprogramming is one of the key mechanisms of acquisition of drug resistance by cancer cells. In agreement, several metabolic studies targeting leukaemia and specifically acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), have been conducted over the last decades. However, there is still a lack of understanding the metabolic features of both AML and CML leukaemia specially in the acquisition of drug resistance, that is needed for unveiling novel and effective treatments for resistant and non-resistant patients. Therefore, the main objective of this thesis was to investigate the rewiring of cell metabolism occurring in the process of acquisition of resistance to conventional therapeutic treatments in AML and CML malignancies. Next, by revealing this metabolic rewiring, we intended to highlight potential metabolic and non-metabolic targets that could be exploited to overcome resistance to treatments. To this end, we have performed a comprehensive and comparative multi-OMIC study to analyse the links between the metabolic reprogramming and the resistance acquisition of THP-1 and HL-60 AML cell models sensitive or resistant to cytarabine (AraC) and doxorubicin (Dox), and of KU812 CML cell model sensitive or resistant to imatinib, all under normoxic (21% O2) and hypoxic (1% O2) conditions. The results of this thesis are divided into two chapters. On the one hand, in Chapter 1, the multi-OMIC study performed in AML parental and resistant cells unveiled that the acquisition of AraC resistance causes the reprogramming of the glucose metabolism of THP-1 and HL-60 cells by increasing the glycolytic flux whereas it is not associated with an alteration in the mitochondrial respiration. Moreover, our results also exhibited a possible disfunction of ETC complex I as well as alterations in glutamine and serine-glycine-1C metabolism in AML cells that display a more active mitochondrial metabolism. Moreover, we have also identified that the acquisition of Dox resistance causes alterations in the glucose and amino acid metabolism. Importantly, we have observed an important loss of mitochondrial respiration capacity of AML cells resistant to Dox chemotherapeutic drug, which constitutes a potential metabolic vulnerability that can be exploited for the treatment of AML patients resistant to Dox. On the other hand, in Chapter 2 is shown that the acquisition of imatinib resistance causes the reprogramming of glucose metabolism by enhancing the glycolytic flux, PPP, and glycogen metabolism, thus highlighting these metabolic pathways as potential metabolic weaknesses of KU812 cells resistant to imatinib. Moreover, we have observed a high metabolic plasticity of KU812 cells resistant to imatinib which includes the orchestration of many metabolic routes associated with the amino acid metabolism. Importantly, the CML multi-OMIC study has also unveiled an enhanced mitochondrial respiration capacity, which constitutes another potential vulnerability that can be exploited to overcome imatinib resistance. Finally, both AML and CML multi-OMIC studies have allowed us to propose and/or validate different metabolic and non-metabolic targets. In this regard, in this thesis we have identified and validated a battery of single-hit inhibitions that were able to reduce the cell viability of both parental and resistant AML and CML cells. Finally, we have confirmed that the repurposing of Dox chemotherapeutic drug counteracts the imatinib resistance in the KU812 cells resistant to imatinib.
In AD 79 the town of Herculaneum was suddenly hit and overwhelmed by volcanic ash-avalanches that killed all its remaining residents, as also occurred in Pompeii and other settlements as far as 20 kilometers from Vesuvius. New investigations on the victims' skeletons unearthed from the ash deposit filling 12 waterfront chambers have now revealed widespread preservation of atypical red and black mineral residues encrusting the bones, which also impregnate the ash filling the intracranial cavity and the ash-bed encasing the skeletons. Here we show the unique detection of large amounts of iron and iron oxides from such residues, as revealed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and Raman microspectroscopy, thought to be the final products of heme iron upon thermal decomposition. The extraordinarily rare preservation of significant putative evidence of hemoprotein thermal degradation from the eruption victims strongly suggests the rapid vaporization of body fluids and soft tissues of people at death due to exposure to extreme heat.
Testing for liver-related autoantibodies should be included in the workup of patients with hepatitis or cholestasis of unknown origin. Although most of these autoantibodies are not disease specific, their determination is a prerequisite to diagnose autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), and they are components of the diagnostic scoring system in these diseases. In primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), on the other hand, autoantibodies are frequently present but play a minor role in establishing the diagnosis. In PSC, however, data on antibodies suggest a link between disease pathogenesis and the intestinal microbiota. This review will focus on practical aspects of antibody testing in the three major autoimmune liver diseases AIH, PBC, and PSC.
Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM) is a rare disease that generally affects young women and involves the abnormal proliferation of smooth muscle-like cells (LAM cells) in the lungs (pulmonary LAM) and extrapulmonary sites (extrapulmonary LAM). This disease is rare in males. It is hard to distinguish between lung cancer and pulmonary LAM, especially during early stages. Herein, we present a case of a 66-year-old man with a small nodule in the right upper lobe that was first diagnosed as a lung malignancy using a chest CT scan. After a wedge dissection, a pathologist performed a histologic and immunohistochemical examination, and a diagnosis of pulmonary LAM was made. We further performed a 518-gene panel analysis using next-generation sequencing, and only three genes, BARD1, BLM, and BRCA2, were found to have mutations. We also provide a summary of the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.
Tibnīn was an important small Crusader fief and a fortified castle. It was vital for the Kingdom of Jerusalem, because it included fertile agricultural lands, was a tax collection centre, and because it controlled the Damascus-to-Tyre commercial route. Additionally, its castle played defensive and offensive role in the north of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and upper Galilee, and its rulers of Tibnīn played a major role in forming the history of the Latin East. When the Crusaders invaded the Levant at the end of the eleventh century, it was given rise to new demographic, cultural, socio-economic, and architectural features. The present Paper aims at removing some of the mystery concerning the fief of Tibnīn and its castle in the Latin East. This paper thus is a study of the demographic structure of Tibnīn and discusses the socio-economic role of Tibnīn in the Latin east. Moreover, the role of Tibnīn in influencing the relations between Muslims and the Crusaders in the Levant and the architecture of the castle of Tibnīn and its importance in the age of the Crusade will be examined.
In 1983, Brian Henderson published an article that examined various types of narrative structure in film, including flashbacks and flashforwards. After analyzing a whole spectrum of techniques capable of effecting a transition between past and present – blurs, fades, dissolves, and so on – he concluded: "Our discussions indicate that cinema has not (yet) developed the complexity of tense structures found in literary works". His "yet" (in parentheses) was an instance of laudable caution, as very soon – in some ten–fifteen years – the situation would change drastically, and temporal twists would become a trademark of a new genre that has not (yet) acquired a standardized name: "modular narratives", "puzzle films", and "complex films" are among the labels used.
Background: Bacterial meningitis is associated with high mortality and long-term neurological sequelae. Increasing the phagocytic activity of microglia could improve the resistance of the CNS against infections. We studied the influence of activin A, a member of the TGF-β family with known immunoregulatory and neuroprotective effects, on the functions of microglial cells in vitro.
Methods: Primary murine microglial cells were treated with activin A (0.13 ng/ml–13 μg/ml) alone or in combination with agonists of TLR2, 4, and 9. Phagocytosis of Escherichia coli K1 as well as release of TNF-α, IL-6, CXCL1, and NO was assessed.
Results: Activin A dose-dependently enhanced the phagocytosis of Escherichia coli K1 by microglial cells activated by agonists of TLR2, 4, and 9 without further increasing NO and proinflammatory cytokine release. Cell viability of microglial cells was not affected by activin A.
Conclusions: Priming of microglial cells with activin A could increase the elimination of bacteria in bacterial CNS infections. This preventive strategy could improve the resistance of the brain to infections, particularly in elderly and immunocompromised patients.
Purpose: DINO and DACOTA were prospective, noninterventional studies assessing the health status and quality of life of patients with COPD newly treated with roflumilast 500 µg once-daily add-on therapy.
Patients and methods: Patients were evaluated over 6 months. Clinical COPD questionnaire (CCQ) and COPD assessment test (CAT) scores were recorded at baseline and after 3 and 6 months. In DACOTA, post-bronchodilator FEV1 was recorded at each time point.
Results: Of 5,462 and 3,645 patients recruited into DINO and DACOTA, respectively, 3,274 patients in DINO and 916 patients in DACOTA completed the 6-month visit. Almost all patients had severe or very severe airway obstruction; mean baseline CCQ total score was 3.9 in DINO and 3.7 in DACOTA. Overall, 33.8% of patients in DACOTA and 30.6% in DINO discontinued treatment prematurely. Significant and clinically relevant improvements in CCQ total scores were observed in both studies (mean change from baseline of 1.36 in DINO and 0.91 in DACOTA at Month 6 [all P<0.001]). Changes in CAT total score from baseline to Month 6 indicated that the average clinical impact of COPD was reduced from a severe (score: 21–30) to a moderate (score: 11–20) impairment. In DACOTA, mean change in post-bronchodilator FEV1 was 202 mL (P<0.001). Diarrhea, nausea, and weight decrease were the most frequently reported adverse drug reactions.
Conclusion: In real-life clinical practice, roflumilast treatment as an add-on therapy is associated with clinically relevant improvements in health status and quality of life.
Expression of surfactant protein B is dependent on cell density in H441 lung epithelial cells
(2017)
Background: Expression of surfactant protein (SP)-B, which assures the structural stability of the pulmonary surfactant film, is influenced by various stimuli, including glucocorticoids; however, the role that cell-cell contact plays in SP-B transcription remains unknown. The aim of the current study was to investigate the impact of cell-cell contact on SP-B mRNA and mature SP-B expression in the lung epithelial cell line H441.
Methods: Different quantities of H441 cells per growth area were either left untreated or incubated with dexamethasone. The expression of SP-B, SP-B transcription factors, and tight junction proteins were determined by qPCR and immunoblotting. The influence of cell density on SP-B mRNA stability was investigated using the transcription inhibitor actinomycin D.
Results: SP-B mRNA and mature SP-B expression levels were significantly elevated in untreated and dexamethasone-treated H441 cells with increasing cell density. High cell density as a sole stimulus was found to barely have an impact on SP-B transcription factor and tight junction mRNA levels, while its stimulatory ability on SP-B mRNA expression could be mimicked using SP-B-negative cells. SP-B mRNA stability was significantly increased in high-density cells, but not by dexamethasone alone.
Conclusion: SP-B expression in H441 cells is dependent on cell-cell contact, which increases mRNA stability and thereby potentiates the glucocorticoid-mediated induction of transcription. Loss of cell integrity might contribute to reduced SP-B secretion in damaged lung cells via downregulation of SP-B transcription. Cell density-mediated effects should thus receive greater attention in future cell culture-based research.
Neural responses to heartbeats in the default network encode the self in spontaneous thoughts
(2016)
The default network (DN) has been consistently associated with self-related cognition, but alsoto bodily state monitoring and autonomic regulation. We hypothesized that these two seemingly disparate functional roles of the DN are functionally coupled, in line with theories proposing that selfhood is grounded in the neural monitoring of internal organs, such as the heart. We measured with magnetoencephalograhy neural responses evoked by heartbeats while human participants freely mind-wandered. When interrupted by a visual stimulus at random intervals, participants scored the self-relatedness of the interrupted thought. They evaluated their involvement as the firstperson perspective subject or agent inthethought (“I”), and on another scaleto what degreethey werethinking aboutthemselves (“Me”). During the interrupted thought, neural responses to heartbeats in two regions of the DN, the ventral precuneus and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, covaried, respectively, with the “I” and the “Me” dimensions of the self, even at the single-trial level. No covariation between self-relatedness and peripheral autonomic measures (heart rate, heart rate variability, pupil diameter, electrodermal activity, respiration rate, and phase) or alpha power was observed. Our results reveal a direct link between selfhood and neural responses to heartbeats in the DN and thus directly support theories grounding selfhood in the neural monitoring of visceral inputs. More generally, the tight functional coupling between self-related processing and cardiac monitoring observed here implies that, even in the absence of measured changes in peripheral bodily measures, physiological and cognitive functions have to be considered jointly in the DN.
Background: Kyrgyzstan, where HIV is concentrated in prisons and driven by injection drug use, provides a prison-based methadone maintenance therapy program as well as abstinence-oriented therapeutic community based on the 12-step model called the “Clean Zone.” We aimed to qualitatively assess how prisoners navigate between these treatment options to understand the persistence of the Clean Zone despite a lack of evidence to support its effectiveness in treating opioid use disorders.
Methods: We conducted an analysis of policy documents and over 60 h of participant observation in February 2016, which included focus groups with a convenience sample of 20 therapeutic community staff members, 110 prisoners across three male and one female prisons, and qualitative interviews with two former Clean Zone participants. Field notes containing verbatim quotes from participants were analyzed through iterative reading and discussion to understand how participants generally perceive the program, barriers to entry and retention, and implications for future treatment within prisons.
Results: Our analyses discerned three themes: pride in the mission of the Clean Zone, idealism regarding addiction treatment outcomes against all odds, and the demonization of methadone.
Conclusion: Despite low enrollment and lack of an evidence base, the therapeutic community is buttressed by the strong support of the prison administration and its clients as an “ordered” alternative to what is seen as chaotic life outside of the Clean Zone. The lack of services for Clean Zone patients after release likely contributes to high rates of relapse to drug use. The Clean Zone would benefit from integration of stabilized methadone patients combined with a post-release program.
Earliest expansion of animal husbandry beyond the Mediterranean zone in the sixth millennium BC
(2017)
Since their domestication in the Mediterranean zone of Southwest Asia in the eighth millennium BC, sheep, goats, pigs and cattle have been remarkably successful in colonizing a broad variety of environments. The initial steps in this process can be traced back to the dispersal of farming groups into the interior of the Balkans in the early sixth millennium BC, who were the first to introduce Mediterranean livestock beyond its natural climatic range. Here, we combine analysis of biomolecular and isotopic compositions of lipids preserved in prehistoric pottery with faunal analyses of taxonomic composition from the earliest farming sites in southeast Europe to reconstruct this pivotal event in the early history of animal husbandry. We observe a marked divergence between the (sub)Mediterranean and temperate regions of Southeast Europe, and in particular a significant increase of dairying in the biochemical record coupled with a shift to cattle and wild fauna at most sites north of the Balkan mountain range. The findings strongly suggest that dairying was crucial for the expansion of the earliest farming system beyond its native bioclimatic zone.
Unequivocal international guidelines regarding the diagnosis and management of patients with acute appendicitis are lacking. The aim of the consensus meeting 2015 of the EAES was to generate a European guideline based on best available evidence and expert opinions of a panel of EAES members. After a systematic review of the literature by an international group of surgical research fellows, an expert panel with extensive clinical experience in the management of appendicitis discussed statements and recommendations. Statements and recommendations with more than 70 % agreement by the experts were selected for a web survey and the consensus meeting of the EAES in Bucharest in June 2015. EAES members and attendees at the EAES meeting in Bucharest could vote on these statements and recommendations. In the case of more than 70 % agreement, the statement or recommendation was defined as supported by the scientific community. Results from both the web survey and the consensus meeting in Bucharest are presented as percentages. In total, 46 statements and recommendations were selected for the web survey and consensus meeting. More than 232 members and attendees voted on them. In 41 of 46 statements and recommendations, more than 70 % agreement was reached. All 46 statements and recommendations are presented in this paper. They comprise topics regarding the diagnostic work-up, treatment indications, procedural aspects and post-operative care. The consensus meeting produced 46 statements and recommendations on the diagnostic work-up and management of appendicitis. The majority of the EAES members supported these statements. These consensus proceedings provide additional guidance to surgeons and surgical residents providing care to patients with appendicitis.
Background: Only few authors have analyzed the impact of workplace conflicts and the resulting stress on the risk of developing cardiovascular disorders. The goal of this study was to analyze the association between workplace conflicts and cardiovascular disorders in patients treated by German general practitioners.
Methods: Patients with an initial documentation of a workplace conflict experience between 2005 and 2014 were identified in 699 general practitioner practices (index date). We included only those who were between the ages of 18 and 65 years, had a follow-up time of at least 180 days after the index date, and had not been diagnosed with angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, coronary heart diseases, or stroke prior to the documentation of the workplace mobbing. In total, the study population consisted of 7,374 patients who experienced conflicts and 7,374 controls for analysis. The main outcome measure was the incidence of angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, and stroke correlated with workplace conflict experiences.
Results: After a maximum of five years of follow-up, 2.9% of individuals who experienced workplace conflict were affected by cardiovascular diseases, while only 1.4% were affected in the control group (p-value <0.001). Workplace conflict was associated with a 1.63-fold increase in the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Finally, the impact of workplace conflict was higher for myocardial infarction (OR=2.03) than for angina pectoris (OR=1.79) and stroke (OR=1.56).
Conclusions: Overall, we found a significant association between workplace conflicts and cardiovascular disorders.
Body image dissatisfaction is a serious, global problem that negatively affects life satisfaction. Several claims have been made about the possible psychological benefits of naturist activities, but very little empirical research has investigated these benefits or any plausible explanations for them. In three studies—one large-scale, cross-sectional study (n = 849), and 2 prospective studies (n = 24, n = 100) this research developed and applied knowledge about the possible benefits of naturist activities. It was found that more participation in naturist activities predicted greater life satisfaction—a relationship that was mediated by more positive body image, and higher self-esteem (Study 1). Applying these findings, it was found that participation in actual naturist activities led to an increase in life satisfaction, an effect that was also mediated by improvements in body image and self-esteem (Studies 2 and 3). The potential benefits of naturism are discussed, as well as possible future research, and implications for the use of naturist activities.
In evidence-based weight-loss programs weight regain is common after an initial weight reduction. Eating slowly significantly lowers meal energy intake and hunger ratings. Despite this knowledge, obese individuals do not implement this behaviour. We, thus tested the hypothesis of changing eating behaviour with an intra-oral medical device leading to constant weight reduction in overweight and obesity.
Six obese patients (6 men, age 56 ± 14, BMI 29 ± 2 kg / m2) with increased CVRF profile were included in this prospective study. All patients had been treated for obesity during the last 10 years in a single centre and had at least 3 frustrate evidence-based diets. Patients received a novel non-invasive intra-oral medical device to slow eating time. Further advice included not to count calories, to avoid any other form of diet, to take their time with their meals, and to eat whatever they liked.
This device was used only during meals for the first 4 to 8 weeks for a total of 88 [20–160] hours. Follow-up period was 23 [15–38] months. During this period, patients lost 11% [5–20%] (p<0.001) of their initial weight. At 12 months, all patients had lost >5%, and 67% (4/6) achieved a >10% bodyweight loss. In the course of the study, altered eating patterns were observed. There were no complications with the medical device. Of note, all patients continued to lose weight after the initial intervention period (p<0.001) and none of them had weight regain.
With this medical device, overweight and obese patients with a history of previously frustrating attempts to lose weight achieved a significant and sustained weight loss over two years. These results warrant the ongoing prospective randomised controlled trial to prove concept and mechanism of action.
Decreased STARD10 expression is associated with defective insulin secretion in humans and mice
(2017)
Genetic variants near ARAP1 (CENTD2) and STARD10 influence type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. The risk alleles impair glucose-induced insulin secretion and, paradoxically but characteristically, are associated with decreased proinsulin:insulin ratios, indicating improved proinsulin conversion. Neither the identity of the causal variants nor the gene(s) through which risk is conferred have been firmly established. Whereas ARAP1 encodes a GTPase activating protein, STARD10 is a member of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR)-related lipid transfer protein family. By integrating genetic fine-mapping and epigenomic annotation data and performing promoter-reporter and chromatin conformational capture (3C) studies in β cell lines, we localize the causal variant(s) at this locus to a 5 kb region that overlaps a stretch-enhancer active in islets. This region contains several highly correlated T2D-risk variants, including the rs140130268 indel. Expression QTL analysis of islet transcriptomes from three independent subject groups demonstrated that T2D-risk allele carriers displayed reduced levels of STARD10 mRNA, with no concomitant change in ARAP1 mRNA levels. Correspondingly, β-cell-selective deletion of StarD10 in mice led to impaired glucose-stimulated Ca2+ dynamics and insulin secretion and recapitulated the pattern of improved proinsulin processing observed at the human GWAS signal. Conversely, overexpression of StarD10 in the adult β cell improved glucose tolerance in high fat-fed animals. In contrast, manipulation of Arap1 in β cells had no impact on insulin secretion or proinsulin conversion in mice. This convergence of human and murine data provides compelling evidence that the T2D risk associated with variation at this locus is mediated through reduction in STARD10 expression in the β cell.
The article consists in a comparative reading of three novels: Um rio chamado tempo by Mia Couto, Le pain des corbeaux by Lhoussain Azergui and Paw królowej by Dorota Masłowska. In spite of the difference of the historical circumstances of Mozambique, Morocco and Poland, these three books meet at an intersecting point: the emergence of an intelligentsia that uses literacy and writing as an instrument to deconstruct the post-colonial concept of nation and to operate a trans-colonial renegotiation of identity. By the notion of trans-colonial, I understand the opposition against new kinds of symbolic violence that emerged after the end of the colonial period; here this new form of oppression is related to the concept of national unity – an artificial construct that leaves no place for a dualism or pluralism of cultural reality (two shores of the Zambezi river, Arab and Berber dualism in Morocco, "small homelands" in Poland).
The young heroes of the novels grasp the pen in order to break through the falseness or the taboos created by the fathers, establishing, at the same time, the relation of solidarity with the world of the grandfathers. The act of writing becomes an actualization of the ancestral universe of magic. The settlement of accounts with the parental generation concerns the vision of nation built upon the resistance against the colonizer (it also refers to the Polish cultural formation, based on the tradition of uprisings and resistance against the Russians).
A three-dimensional gridded climatology of carbon monoxide (CO) has been developed by trajectory mapping of global MOZAIC-IAGOS in situ measurements from commercial aircraft data. CO measurements made during aircraft ascent and descent, comprising nearly 41 200 profiles at 148 airports worldwide from December 2001 to December 2012, are used. Forward and backward trajectories are calculated from meteorological reanalysis data in order to map the CO measurements to other locations and so to fill in the spatial domain. This domain-filling technique employs 15 800 000 calculated trajectories to map otherwise sparse MOZAIC-IAGOS data into a quasi-global field. The resulting trajectory-mapped CO data set is archived monthly from 2001 to 2012 on a grid of 5° longitude × 5° latitude × 1 km altitude, from the surface to 14 km altitude.
The mapping product has been carefully evaluated, firstly by comparing maps constructed using only forward trajectories and using only backward trajectories. The two methods show similar global CO distribution patterns. The magnitude of their differences is most commonly 10 % or less and found to be less than 30 % for almost all cases. Secondly, the method has been validated by comparing profiles for individual airports with those produced by the mapping method when data from that site are excluded. While there are larger differences below 2 km, the two methods agree very well between 2 and 10 km with the magnitude of biases within 20 %. Finally, the mapping product is compared with global MOZAIC-IAGOS cruise-level data, which were not included in the trajectory-mapped data set, and with independent data from the NOAA aircraft flask sampling program. The trajectory-mapped MOZAIC-IAGOS CO values show generally good agreement with both independent data sets.
Maps are also compared with version 6 data from the Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) satellite instrument. Both data sets clearly show major regional CO sources such as biomass burning in Central and southern Africa and anthropogenic emissions in eastern China. While the maps show similar features and patterns, and relative biases are small in the lowermost troposphere, we find differences of ∼ 20 % in CO volume mixing ratios between 500 and 300 hPa. These upper-tropospheric biases are not related to the mapping procedure, as almost identical differences are found with the original in situ MOZAIC-IAGOS data. The total CO trajectory-mapped MOZAIC-IAGOS column is also higher than the MOPITT CO total column by 12–16 %.
The data set shows the seasonal CO cycle over different latitude bands and altitude ranges as well as long-term trends over different latitude bands. We observe a decline in CO over the northern hemispheric extratropics and the tropics consistent with that reported by previous studies using other data sources.
We anticipate use of the trajectory-mapped MOZAIC-IAGOS CO data set as an a priori climatology for satellite retrieval and for air quality model validation and initialization.
A three-dimensional gridded climatology of carbon monoxide (CO) has been developed by trajectory mapping of global MOZAIC-IAGOS in situ measurements from commercial aircraft data. CO measurements made during aircraft ascent and descent, comprising nearly 41 200 profiles at 148 airports worldwide from December 2001 to December 2012 are used. Forward and backward trajectories are calculated from meteorological reanalysis data in order to map the CO measurements to other locations, and so to fill in the spatial domain. This domain-filling technique employs 15 800 000 calculated trajectories to map otherwise sparse MOZAIC-IAGOS data into a quasi-global field. The resulting trajectory-mapped CO dataset is archived monthly from 2001–2012 on a grid of 5° longitude × 5° latitude × 1 km altitude, from the surface to 14 km altitude.
The mapping product has been carefully evaluated, by comparing maps constructed using only forward trajectories and using only backward trajectories. The two methods show similar global CO distribution patterns. The magnitude of their differences is most commonly 10 % or less, and found to be less than 30 % for almost all cases. The trajectory-mapped CO dataset has also been validated by comparison profiles for individual airports with those produced by the mapping method when data from that site are excluded. While there are larger differences below 2 km, the two methods agree very well between 2 and 10 km with the magnitude of biases within 20 %.
Maps are also compared with Version 6 data from the Measurements Of Pollution In The Troposphere (MOPITT) satellite instrument. While agreement is good in the lowermost troposphere, the MOPITT CO profile shows negative biases of ∼ 20 % between 500 and 300 hPa. These upper troposphere biases are not related to the
mapping procedure, as almost identical differences are found with the original in situ MOZAIC-IAGOS data. The total CO trajectory-mapped MOZAIC-IAGOS climatology column agrees with the MOPITT CO total column within ±5 %, which is consistent with previous reports.
The maps clearly show major regional CO sources such as biomass burning in the central and southern Africa and anthropogenic emissions in eastern China. The dataset shows the seasonal CO cycle over different latitude bands and altitude ranges that are representative of the regions as well as long-term trends over latitude bands. We observe a decline in CO over the Northern Hemisphere extratropics and the tropics consistent with that reported by previous studies.
Similar maps have been made using the concurrent O3 measurements by MOZAICIAGOS, as the global variation of O3–CO correlations can be a useful tool for the evaluation of ozone sources and transport in chemical transport models. We anticipate use of the trajectory-mapped MOZAIC-IAGOS CO dataset as an a priori climatology for satellite retrieval, and for air quality model validation and initialization.
The first step in methanol metabolism in methylotrophic yeasts, the oxidation of methanol and higher alcohols with molecular oxygen to formaldehyde and hydrogen peroxide, is catalysed by alcohol oxidase (AOX), a 600-kDa homo-octamer containing eight FAD cofactors. When these yeasts are grown with methanol as the carbon source, AOX forms large crystalline arrays in peroxisomes. We determined the structure of AOX by cryo-electron microscopy at a resolution of 3.4 Å. All residues of the 662-amino acid polypeptide as well as the FAD are well resolved. AOX shows high structural homology to other members of the GMC family of oxidoreductases, which share a conserved FAD binding domain, but have different substrate specificities. The preference of AOX for small alcohols is explained by the presence of conserved bulky aromatic residues near the active site. Compared to the other GMC enzymes, AOX contains a large number of amino acid inserts, the longest being 75 residues. These segments are found at the periphery of the monomer and make extensive inter-subunit contacts which are responsible for the very stable octamer. A short surface helix forms contacts between two octamers, explaining the tendency of AOX to form crystals in the peroxisomes.
The early acquisition of Greek compounds by two monolingual Greek girls aged between 1;8 and 3;0 years is studied in a usage-based theoretical framework. Special importance is attached to the morphological structure of Greek compound types occurring in child speech and child-directed speech. Greek nominal compound formation does not consist in the mere juxtaposition of words or roots, but involves stems as well as a compound marker. Major questions addressed are the transparency of compounds and productive nominal compound formation. Evidence for productivity of nominal compound formation has been found with only one of the two girls. In contrast to other languages, neoclassical nominal compounds by far exceed endocentric subordinative ones tokenwise in Greek child speech and child-directed speech providing evidence of entrenchment rather than productivity.
In a cross-linguistic comparison it is shown that, in spite of the fact that both Standard Modern Greek and German are rich in nominal compounds, their number is much more limited in Greek than in German child speech. An explanation for this apparent paradox is provided by an onomasiological approach to lexical typology based on a sample list of nominal compounds occurring in German child language and their Greek translational equivalents. It has been found that while use of nominal compounds is common in colloquial German including child-centered situations, it is more typical of Greek formal than colloquial registers.
Advantageous fragmentation? : reimagining metropolitan governance and spatial planning in Rhine-Main
(2006)
This paper traces the latest round of debates about appropriate scales and scopes of government and governance in Rhine-Main - an economically highly integrated but politically, territorially and emotionally divided region. We identify a downscaling of political power from the regional to the municipal level, and an upscaling of informal networking and image building to an extended regional scale. These countertrends are signs of a more complex geographical rearrangement in municipal and institutional relations. The inherent contradictions in the rescaling and reimagining of Rhine-Main are evident in the Strategic Vision for Frankfurt/Rhein-Main 2020. Its new conceptualization of Rhine-Main postulates complementary polycentricity as a competitive asset but remains firmly grounded in an institutional territorial logic that contravenes its own economically-driven agenda.
This study of the conditions, character and consequences of the conversion of dollar currency into Palestine Pounds, with special reference to the utilisation of these dollars for purchase of American capital goods and raw materials, is addressed particularly to our friends in the United States. ...
Fair play for the Jews
(1939)
The bringing together of the two realms, that of Tristan and Isolde and that of Arthur, thus has a mutually corrosive effect. However, in the further course of the action Tristan and Isolde’s love regains some of its absoluteness: for instance Heinrich refrains from taking over the quarrel of lovers from Eilhart. He plays a double game, on the one hand reducing the absoluteness and self-sufficiency of love, on the other hand building it up again and thus preventing the establishment of a firm doctrine in the course of the narrative (…), as neither the Arthurian court nor the love of Tristan and Isolde provides an absolute norm. Heinrich wrote his romance for the Bohemian noble Raimund von Lichtenburg, and the account of the foundation of the Round Table and the self-directed activities of the knights have belonged (…). The initial Arthurian ideal has become a confirmatory ritual for an exclusive body of noblemen – that matches the spirit of the knightly societies.
Four new species of the genus Sokoloviana (Pterolichoidea; Ptiloxenidae) from waders suborder Charadrii (Charadriiformes) are described: Sokoloviana cornuta sp. nov. from the Banded Stilt, Cladorhynchus leucocephalus; Sokoloviana ibidorhynchae sp. nov. from the Ibis-bill, Ibidorhyncha strutersi; Sokoloviana chilensis sp. nov. from the Southern Lapwing, Vanellus chilensis and Sokoloviana vanelli sp. nov. from the Red-wattled Lapwing, Vanellus indicus atronuchalis. A key to all described species is given.
Based on his studies of the genus Rubus in the Czech Republic, the author describes classification of brambles from Rubus subgen. Rubus in Europe, its recent history, present state, and current problems. In general, the author follows the adherents of "Weberian batology" which in the last 25 years has assumed European responsibility for attempting to ciassify that particular genus. The thesis that not every bramble plant can be inciuded in the ciassification is accepted. The objective reasons for taxonomic difficulties within Rubus subgen. Rubus are connected with special features of taxogenesis of its members, especially with incomplete apomixis, frequent hybridization, splitting of the progeny into different morphotypes, resexualization, transitory existence of segregants, etc. The progress of the evolution of a new taxon in the given taxonomic group can be ranked: individual bush - local type - regional species - species with an extensive distribution area. When classifying a taxon, alongside sufficient morphological characteristics,
great emphasis should be put on the distribution area; its extent can render possible the taxon to be accepted into the classification scheme. On the basis of experience gained from the Czech Republic, the author has accepted some modifications of the scale for acceptance of plants as species. The basic difference is in lowering the low limit of the extent of the distribution area for regional species, to be acceptable for their lnclusion to the classification, i.e. to 20 km in diameter. In contrast to taxa of other plant groups, species of apomictic brambles with more extensive distribution areas are phytogeographically more important than those with small distribution areas. In spite of the use of stricter requirements for the description of new species in Rubus, it appears that many (distinct) species have been neglected until now, and that the number of species in Rubus subgen. Rubus is continuously increasing. The author stresses the necessity of studying the group ser. Glandulosi in Central Europe and points out the usefulness of cooperation with population ecologists to describe the quantitative representation of taxonomically unclassified bramble plants in the field.
Meadowbird populations in The Netherlands are under great pressure. Recently, predation is named increasingly
often as one of the key factors in contributing to the declines. A four-year research project (2001-2005) aimed to
collect (as yet mostly nonexisting) data to provide a factual basis for this discussion. A country-wide inventory based
on data for wader nests found by volunteers who mark nests for their protection from grazing/mowing indicated that
above-average predation losses are found predominantly in the half-open landscapes of northern and eastern Netherlands,
but also locally in the low-lying open grasslands which are the key areas for meadowbirds. Nest predation has increased in recent years, but the same is true for agricultural losses, at least in areas where no nest-protection takes
place. At a local scale, predation losses vary greatly from area to area and from year to year. Temperature loggers in nest showed that diurnal and nocturnal predators contribute equally in total predation losses up to 50%, but higher predation losses are mainly caused by nocturnal predators. As many as 10 animal species were identified as nest predators
on nests under surveillance with video cameras. Chick survival, investigated using radiotelemetry, was very low. About 60-80% were lost by predation, 5-15% by agricultural activities and 10-15% to all kind of other losses. At least 15
predator species were implied, with an apparently larger share taken by birds (notably Buzzard (16%) and Grey Heron
(7-18%)) than mammals, with one exception: stoat (16%). Of the most-discussed predator species, Carrion Crows were
W. Teunissen et al. Osnabrücker Naturwiss. Mitt. 32 2006
138 remarkably rarely involved in both nest and chick predation, while Red Foxes take a large toll of clutches in some areas, but not in others. Of all losses during the reproductive cycle about 75% and 60% was due to predation in Lapwing and Black-tailed Godwit respectively. Predation on chicks by birds had the largest effect on total breeding success, but at the same time elimination of this loss factor (if at all possible) alone would not be sufficient to establish a self-sustaining population. Predation seems to have become a factor of importance in some areas, in combination with already existing other losses. Our findings suggest that solutions to predation problems probably have to be found in locally/regionally targeted, specific action on multiple fronts rather than countrywide measures.
The diplopod orders Callipodida and Polydesmida, and their respective families Abacionidae and
Xystodesmidae, are initially recorded from South Dakota as is Polydesmidae from North Dakota. Other new records of
indigenous taxa include Abacion Rafinesque, 1820/A. texense (Loomis, 1937) and Pleuroloma/P. flavipes, both by
Rafinesque, 1820, from South Dakota, and Pseudopolydesmus Attems, 1898/P. serratus (Say, 1821) from Alabama,
Connecticut, Delaware, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. New records of
Aniulus garius Chamberlin, 1912, A. (Hakiulus) d. diversifrons (Wood, 1867), and Oriulus venustus (Wood, 1864)
(Julida: Parajulidae) are provided for western Minnesota and/or eastern North Dakota. Published records from these
states are summarized, and the introduced taxa, Julidae/Cylindroiulus Verhoeff, 1894/C. caeruleocinctus (Wood, 1864)
and Paradoxosomatidae/Oxidus Cook, 1911/O. gracilis (C. L. Koch, 1847), are newly recorded from the Dakotas. The
distribution of P. serratus, which extends from Maine to South Carolina and the Florida panhandle, west to Texas, and
north to Fargo, North Dakota is described and discussed. This distribution exhibits a prominent southeastern lacuna
which we hypothesize suggests replacement by younger, more successful species, as postulated for a similar distributional
gap in Scytonotus granulatus (Say, 1821).
Snoqualmia, new genus, is described for two species of polydesmid millipeds from the northwestern
United States: Snoqualmia snoqualmie, new species, from Washington State, and S. idaho, new species,
from Idaho. Males of S. idaho possess unusually complex gonopods, perhaps the most complex to be found in the Order
Polydesmida. Snoqualmia is placed in context with other polydesmid genera known from North America. The
polydesmid fauna of North America is discussed, as well as characters of the gonopods of the family.
Recent fieldwork on North Andros Island by the authors resulted in the collection of six species of Pterophoridae
(Lepidoptera), five of which were previously unrecorded for the Bahamas in published accounts. Three
additional species are noted for the Bahamian fauna based on specimens collected in the 1980s on other islands.
Representative specimens are illustrated from North Andros along with genitalic images for species where these
are not readily available in other publications. In addition, images of the larva and pupa are provided for a reared
species for which the life history was previously unknown.
With the discovery of Mitocybe auriportae Cook and Loomis, 1928 (Platydesmida: Andrognathidae) in Alameda County (Co.), east of San Francisco Bay, a potential overall distribution in coastal California is projected based on those of partly congruent diplopods. The area extends from northern Mendocino to central Monterey cos. and inland to central Lake, Yolo, and Santa Clara cos.
Currently, the genus Chimarra Stephens (Trichoptera: Philopotamidae) is represented in the Oriental Region by 259 species. Of these, 61 species have been described or recorded from Vietnam. In this paper, 9 new species from Vietnam are described and illustrated (Chimarra aculeata, C. carinata, C. corneola, C. insolita, C. mina, C. prominens, C. rostrata, C. undulata, and C. ungula). In addition, 3 new country records are noted (Chimarra areli Malicky and Mey, Chimarra pipake Malicky and Chantaramongkol, and Chimarra suthepensis Chantaramongkol and Malicky), and 1 new species group (minuta Group) is proposed and populated. An additional species group (georgensis “Group”), with 1 new species from Vietnam, but otherwise only known from Africa, is discussed, but not formally defined. A table listing all known Vietnamese species of Chimarra is included, along with discussion of variability in the anal veins of the forewing found within this genus, and its relevance for defining subgenera and species groups.
A taxonomic review of the ancora species group of Graphipterus Latreille (Coleoptera: Carabidae)
(2012)
The taxonomy of the ancora species group of Graphipterus Latreille (Coleoptera: Carabidae) is reviewed and seven species are recognized, all from southern Africa: Graphipterus ancora Dejean, Graphipterus cordiger Dejean, Graphipterus distinctus Péringuey (new status), Graphipterus fasciatus Chaudoir, Graphipterus fritschi Chaudoir, Graphipterus wahlbergi Boheman (new status), and Graphipterus westwoodi Brême (new status).
Diagnostic features are provided for each species and adult specimens of each species are illustrated.
Two new species of the genus Pahamunaya Schmid (Trichoptera: Polycentropodidae), P. talon sp. n. and P. spinifera sp. n., from Vietnam are described and illustrated. Examination of the holotype male of P. khoii Oláh and Johanson, in combination with an additional specimen of the same species, revealed new characters. New illustrations for this species are provided.
Two species of the genus Sisyra Burmeister (Neuroptera: Sisyridae), S. cameroonensis, n. sp., and S. gruwelli, n. sp., are described from the African Republic of Cameroon. Sisyra pallida Meinander is synonymized with Sisyra delicata Smithers, new synonymy, after comparison of the types of the former with topotypic paratypes of the latter. Type material of Sisyra nilotica Tjeder appears to be lost. Examples of Sisyra are recorded from Nigeria, Ethiopia and Uganda. A second species of the endemic African genus, Sisyborina, Monserrat, S. scitula, n. sp., is described from Cameroon, Guinea, and Zambia.
Significant new host and distribution records are presented for Hylesinus mexicanus (Wood) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), including its pest potential on cultivated olives. Hylesinus mexicanus is similar to H. fasciatus LeConte and information presented here suggests that the distinctiveness of these two species needs to be re-examined.
Extreme economic effects globally of various populations of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) led to an in depth study of the morphology of that species as well as that of numerous other species of whiteflies in the genus Bemisia Quaintance and Baker and other similar appearing species. The data collected are presented here as illustrations of the puparia (fourth instar nymphal stages) and discussions of morphology as it relates to species and generic separations within this closely knit group of insects. A brief history of the pest outbreaks of B. tabaci is given and an overview of the important morphological characteristics of aleyrodine whiteflies is provided. Each of the eighty illustrations is accompanied by a discussion of the more important aspects of morphology.
A new genus and species of armored scale insect (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), Protomorgania koebelei.
Dooley and Evans, is described and illustrated from specimens collected by Albert Koebele on Pittosporum sp.
(Pittosporaceae) in Australia around the year 1900. A key to the genera of armored scale insects similar to Protomorgania
and known to occur in Australia is provided.
The taxonomic position of Onthophagus (Palaeonthophagus) lemuroides d’Orbigny, 1898 and Onthophagus
(Palaeonthophagus) fortigibber Reitter, 1909 is discussed (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Onthophagini).
A key to the species is given. Photos of type specimens of the two taxa and significant chromatic varieties, and
drawings of aedeagi are presented.
The Caribbean Islands (or the West Indies) are recognized as one of the leading global biodiversity hot
spots. This is based on data on species, genus, and family diversity for vascular plants and non-marine vertebrates. This
paper presents data on genus level endemicity for the most speciose (but less well publicised) group of terrestrial
animals: the beetles, with 205 genera (in 25 families) now recognized as being endemic (restricted) to the West Indies.
The predominant families with endemic genera are Cerambycidae (41), Chrysomelidae (28), Curculionidae (26), and
Staphylinidae (25). This high level of beetle generic endemicity can be extrapolated to suggest that a total of about
700 genera of all insects could be endemic to the West Indies. This far surpasses the total of 269 endemic genera of all
plants and non-marine vertebrates, and reinforces the biodiversity richness of the insect fauna of the West Indies.
The mirine plant bug Tropidosteptes forestierae, new species (Hemiptera: Miridae) is described from
Collier County, Florida, where it was found causing serious injury to an extensive ornamental hedge of Florida swampprivet, Forestiera segregata (Jacq.) Krug and Urb. (Oleaceae). Adult male and female, fifth instar, and egg are described. Color images of the adults, nymph, egg, and injury; scanning photomicrographs of selected adult structures; and illustrations of male genitalia are provided. A key to help distinguish the 16 species of Tropidosteptes known to occur in the southeastern United States is given.
We provide the first records of six species of biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in the genus
Culicoides Latreille from Mexico: C. baueri Hoffman, C. castillae Fox, C. debilipalpis Lutz, C. iriartei Fox, C. leoni
Barbosa and C. pusilloides Wirth and Blanton. In addition, C. leopoldoi Ortiz is confirmed from Mexico, and new
records are included for 25 other species previously recorded in Mexico: C. arubae Fox and Hoffman, C. blantoni Vargas
and Wirth, C. crepuscularis Malloch, C. daedalus Macfie, C. diabolicus Hoffman, C. foxi Ortiz, C. furens (Poey), C.
gabaldoni Ortiz, C. haematopotus Malloch, C. hylas Macfie, C. insignis Lutz, C. jamaicensis Edwards, C. luteovenus
Root and Hoffman, C. neopulicaris Wirth, C. nigrigenus Wirth and Blanton, C. pampoikilus Macfie, C. panamensis
Barbosa, C. paraensis (Goeldi), C. phlebotomus (Williston), C. poikilonotus Macfie, C. pusillus Lutz, C. stigmalis Wirth,
and all three species in the C. (Monoculicoides) variipennis complex, C. variipennis (Coquillett), C. occidentalis Wirth
and Jones, and C. sonorensis Wirth and Jones.
Evidence is presented that the subspecies Chrysobothris thoracica guadeloupensis Descarpentries, 1981
(Coleoptera: Buprestidae) should be recognized at the species level. Character evidence is provided to separate C.
guadeloupensis, new status, from C. thoracica Fabricius, 1798. Both species are illustrated with habitus photographs
and images of the male genitalia.
Chalcosicya maya, new species, (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae) is described and the species
key of Blake (1951) is modified to accommodate it. This is the first known mainland species of this previously
Antillean genus. Sclerotized rods in the apical segment of the ovipositor of Chalcosicya Blake and related genera
are shown to be useful systematic characters within the eumolpine tribe Adoxini. Relationships with other genera
suggest that Chalcosicya belongs to a clade derived from ancestors with a western Tethyian distribution.
Human impacts on the landscape have increased the penalties for Black-tailed Godwits laying their eggs too late, especially in the very intensive agricultural landscapes of The Netherlands. Thus, godwits have experienced a dramatic change of their fitness landscape, because the advance in mowing date made late clutches worthless destroying either eggs or chicks. To determine the driving forces of the recent population decline we study the individual variation in timing of breeding with respect to reproductive success in a population unaffected by mowing. Our results show that even in a low intensity agricultural area it is very important for godwits to breed early in the season.
Black-tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa) have been declining for decades in The Netherlands and so far this has not been slowed by conservation measures. A new form of agri-environment scheme was tried out in 2003-2005 at 6 sites where a ‘grassland mosaic’ (200-300 ha) was created by collectives of farmers through a diverse use of fields including postponed and staggered mowing, (early) grazing, creating ‘refuge strips’ during mowing, and active nest protection. We measured breeding success of godwits in each of the experimental sites and nearby, paired controls. Breeding success was higher (0.28 chicks fledged / pair) in mosaics than in controls, but due to lower agricultural nest losses only. Chick survival was 11 % in both mosaics and controls. The amount of late-mown and other grassland suitable for chicks hardly differed between treatments during the fledging period, mainly due to rainfall delaying postponed mowing in all sites. Chick survival was however positively correlated with site variation in the amount of high grass (>18 cm). Breeding success was high enough to compensate for adult mortality (ca. 0.6) in only one mosaic site. Chick survival was lower than in previous Godwit studies, indicating that additional loss factors have increased. Predation (50-80 % of chicks, mostly by birds) is a candidate, but changes in the suitability of late-mown grassland (insect abundance and sward density in grass monocultures) may also play a role. Consequently a higher management investment is needed to achieve a self-sustaining population.
In this study, we report the results of a long-term investigation on changes in population size and fledging success of Northern Lapwing on Wangerooge, a German Wadden Sea island. This population is increasing over a period of 34 years in contrast to numerous populations in North-western Europe. The reproductive success however declines over time and also with population density. Both effects cannot be considered separately due to autocorrelation. However, it is noted that the population on Wangerooge is not sustained by local recruitment only. This outcome is even more alarming as coastal areas and islands are considered as rare high quality meadow bird habitats. According to the present results Wangerooge cannot be considered as a source habitat for Northern Lapwings in North-western Germany.
The milliped genus Euryurus Koch, 1847, and the species, E. leachii (Gray, 1832) (Polydesmida: Euryuridae), are recorded from three sites on the northern part of Crowley’s Ridge (Cross, Lee, and Poinsett counties), Arkansas, where the only prior familial records are of Auturus evides (Bollman, 1887). Coupled with the published locality of E. leachii in Phillips Co., at the southern extremity of the Ridge, the only known occurrences of both the genus and species in Arkansas and west of the Mississippi River are in this physiographic feature. The Arkansas population is geographically peripheral but anatomically intermediate between the two recognized subspecies, E. l. leachii and E. l. fraternus Hoffman, 1978, and we do not assign it to a race. Molecular investigations seem necessary to resolve relationships in the “E. leachii complex.”
Among the four oriental genera of the tribe Helluonini, Omphra Dejean (Coleoptera: Carabidae), is unique for its endemism to the Indian subcontinent and aptery. High intraspecies variability in morphological characters and limited diagnostic information makes species differentiation of the genus Omphra a complicated task. The present study provides a description of a new species, Omphra drumonti n. sp. from the Western Ghats, redescriptions and a key to the species of Omphra, details of intraspecies variation, discussion of relationships between taxa and distributional patterns of the genus. Based on the distributional patterns in the Indian subcontinent and flightlessness of the genus, inability to cross the physical barrier of the Ganges–Brahmaputra delta between north and peninsular India is indicated as the reason for its absence in the northeastern Indian subcontinent and endemism to the lower Indian subcontinent.
A biodiversity inventory of the Lepidoptera of Pico Bonito National Park and vicinity, in the Department of Atlantida of northern Honduras, was initiated in 2009 to obtain baseline data. We present a revised checklist of Honduran butterfly species (updated from the initial 1967 lists), as well as the first comprehensive list of Honduran moths. Our updated list includes 550 species of Papilionoidea, 311 Hesperioidea, and 1,441 moth species.
During the 1930s through the 1940s and into the 1950s, Spanish and German presentations in opposition to ardent nationalism share strikingly common aesthetic and ideological strategies supporting claims to a transnational, international space. Specific examples of common geography, identity and language in German and Spanish presentations (theater, short stories, reports, essays, speeches and poetry) in Spain and Latin America by German (Regler, Renn, Uhse), Spanish (J. Bergamin, R. Alberti, M. Aub) and Latin American (D. Rivera, P. Neruda, C. Vallejo) intellectuals, artists and activists during the 1930s through the 1950s will be explored. For example, German-speaking audiences and artists in Spain and Mexico shared a common lived and aesthetic space as Spanish-speaking audiences and artists. Further, many German presentations were translated into Spanish and visa versa. Here, presentations in “Das Wort” and “El Mono Azul” in Spain as well as “Freies Deutschland/Alemania libre” in Mexico will be referenced in developing a sense of re-definition of the concept of ‘foreign’ and ‘commonness’ beyond simply nationality (tradition, history and geography) and language. The impetus for an alternative, international and even revolutionary ‘space’ (as defined by Henri Lefebvre in The Production of Space) was produced in and through common Spanish and German strategies and realizations in their presentations. This Spanish-German example from the early/mid-part of the 20th century is a significant contribution to contemporary interdisciplinary discussions in the 21st century.
The two papers included in this volume have developed from work with the CHILDES tools and the Media Editor in the two research projects, "Second language acquisition of German by Russian learners", sponsored by the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, from 1998 to 1999 (directed by Ursula Stephany, University of Cologne, and Wolfgang Klein, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen) and "The age factor in the acquisition of German as a second language", sponsored by the German Science Foundation (DFG), Bonn, since 2000 (directed by Ursula Stephany, University of Cologne, and Christine Dimroth, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen). The CHILDES Project has been developed and is being continuously improved at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, under the supervision of Brian MacWhinney. Having used the CHILDES tools for more than ten years for transcribing and analyzing Greek child data there it was no question that I would also use them for research into the acquisition of German as a second language and analyze the big amount of spontaneous speech gathered from two Russian girls with the help of the CLAN programs. When in the spring of 1997, Steven Gillis from the University of Antwerp (in collaboration with Gert Durieux) developed a lexicon-based automatic coding system based on the CLAN program MOR and suitable for coding languages with richer morphologies than English, such as Modern Greek. Coding huge amounts of data then became much quicker and more comfortable so that I decided to adopt this system for German as well. The paper "Working with the CHILDES Tools" is based on two earlier manuscripts which have grown out of my research on Greek child language and the many CHILDES workshops taught in Germany, Greece, Portugal, and Brazil over the years. Its contents have now been adapted to the requirements of research into the acquisition of German as a second language and for use on Windows.
Contents:
From Language Garden to Sustainable Languaging: Bilingual Education in a Global World
Ofelia García, Graduate Center, City University of New York 5 ; Language Lost & Found: A Family’s Full Circle : Mary Curtis 10 ; Language Variation from a Bilingual Perspective : Miriam Eisenstein Ebsworth, New York University, Steinhardt 17 ; Letter from the President 4 ; Contributing to Perspectives - Guidelines for Writers 2.
Science in Wonderland
(2008)
Lewis Carroll's Alice, who first explores Wonderland (1865) and later on the country behind the Looking-Glass (1872), belongs to the most well-known characters in world literature. [...] The scientific reception of Carroll's stories – concerning physics as well as the humanities – has taken place on different levels. On the one hand, […] various Carrollian ideas and episodes obviously correspond to topics, subjects and models that are treated in the contexts of scientific discourses. Therefore, they can be quoted or alluded to in order to represent theories and questions […] – as […] physical models of the world […]or theoretical models of language and communication. […] On a more abstract level of observation, Carroll's stories have been used in order to explain and to discuss the pre-conditions, the procedures, and the limits . of scientific modeling as such. Above all, they make it possible to narrate on the problem of defining and observing an 'object' of research. […] According to Deleuze, the paradox structures of the world that Alice experiences give an idea of all meaning being groundless and all logic being subverted by the illogical. Finally, besides all affinities of Alice's adventures to scientific attempts to explain the world, the absolutely incomprehensible is present in Carroll's books as well. Especially the self proves to be something profoundly incomprehensible […].
This edited volume is the first scholarly tome exclusively dedicated to Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of the literary chronotope. This concept, initially developed in the 1930s and used as a frame of reference throughout Bakhtin’s own writings, has been highly influential in literary studies. After an extensive introduction that serves as a ‘state of the art’, the volume is divided into four main parts: Philosophical Reflections, Relevance of the Chronotope for Literary History, Chronotopical Readings and Some Perspectives for Literary Theory. These thematic categories contain contributions by well-established Bakhtin specialists such as Gary Saul Morson and Michael Holquist, as well as a number of essays by scholars who have published on this subject before. Together the papers in this volume explore the implications of Bakhtin’s concept of the chronotope for a variety of theoretical topics such as literary imagination, polysystem theory and literary adaptation; for modern views on literary history ranging from the hellenistic romance to nineteenth-century realism; and for analyses of well-known novelists and poets as diverse as Milton, Fielding, Dickinson, Dostoevsky, Papadiamandis and DeLillo
In the area of the Modern Greek verb, phenomena which consistently appear are headmarking, many potential slots before and/or after the verb root, noun and adverb incorporation, addition of adverbial elements by means of affixes, a large inventory of bound morphemes, verbal words as minimal sentences, etc. These features relate Modern Greek to polysynthesis. The main bulk of this paper is dedicated to the comparison of affixal and incorporation patterns between Modern Greek and the polysynthetic languages Abkhaz, Cayuga, Chukchi, Mohawk, and Nahuatl. Ultimately, a typological outlook for Modern Greek is proposed.
Around 1800, aesthetic debate suddenly places music at the very top in the hierarchy of the arts, even superseding poetry: This has become a commonplace not only in scholarly discourse. The protagonists of this re-arrangement of the artistic disciplines are Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder, E.T.A. Hoffmann and Ludwig Tieck. In their programmatic texts, they state that music is to be free and absolute and stress its metaphysical quality and its close relation to the supernatural. Furthermore, music is supposed to be no longer dependent on the other arts, and music releases the listener or the musician from prosaic everyday life. As Wackenroder writes in Die Wunder der Tonkunst, […] [a]ll sickening thoughts which, according to Wackenroder, are the illness of mankind vanish with a piece of music, making our mind sane again. Literary romanticism here recurs to a long tradition that reaches back to the classical ages in Greece and Arabia: Music is used as a remedy for curing illnesses of various kinds. In classical antiquity, Apollo is the god of music, poetry and dancing as well as the god of healing. He was also named “Iatros” (physician) or Apollo Medicus. […] Orpheus as a bard and demigod was also said to be capable of curing diseases by means of his music. […] Thus, music in history is part of treating physical illness on the one hand, but on the other hand is more and more considered to provide a remedy especially for mental deficiencies. Music is meant to improve nervous disorders and sometimes it is even prescribed as a regular medicine. As we will see in Hoffmann’s text Die Genesung, there is a connection between the ritual healing processes in the temples of Aesculapius and the setting of the forest in which the old man regains his health.
In the last two decades Philippine languages, and of these especially Tagalog, have acquired a prominent place in linguistic theory. A central role in this discussion was played by two papers written by Schachter (1976 and 1977), who was inspired by Keenan's artcle on the subject from 1976. The most recent contributions on this topic have been from de Wolff (1988) and Shibatani (1988), both of which were published in a collection of essays, edited by Shibatani, with the title Passive and Voice. These works, and several works in-between, deal with the focus system specific to Philippine languages. The main discussion centers around the fact that Philippine languages contain a basic set of 5 to 7 affix focus forms. Their exact number varies not only in the secondary literature, but in the primary sources, i.e. Tagalog grammars, as well, where considerable differences in the number of affix focus forms can be found. All of these works, however, do agree on one point: the Philippine focus system basica1ly consists of agent, patient (=goal or object), benefactive, locative, and instrumental affix forms. Schachter/Otanes (1972) list a number of further forms, and in Drossard (1983 and 1984) we tried to show (in an attempt similar to those of Sapir 1917 and Klimov 1977) that the main criterion for a systematization of the Philippine focus system consists in the difference between the active and stative domains, an attempt which in our opinion was largely misunderstood (cf. the brief remarks in Shibatani (1988) and de Wolff (1988). The present paper is thus, on the one hand, an attempt to repeat and clarify our earlier position, and on the other, a further step towards such a systematization. A first step in this direction was an article on resultativity in Tagalog from 1991. In the present paper this approach will be extended to reciprocity. In the process we will show that it is valid to make a distinction between an active (=controlled action) vs. a stative (=limited controlled action) domain. First, however, we will take a brief look at what makes up the active and stative voice systems.
This paper is concerned with developing Joan Bybee's proposals regarding the nature of grammatical meaning and synthesizing them with Paul Hopper's concept of grammar as emergent. The basic question is this: How much of grammar may be modeled in terms of grammaticalization? In contradistinction to Heine, Claudi & Hünnemeyer (1991), who propose a fairly broad and unconstrained framework for grammaticalization, we try to present a fairly specific and constrained theory of grammaticalization in order to get a more precise idea of the potential and the problems of this approach. Thus, while Heine et al. (1991:25) expand – without discussion – the traditional notion of grammaticalization to the clause level, and even include non-segmental structure (such as word order), we will here adhere to a strictly 'element-bound' view of grammaticalization: where no grammaticalized element exists, there is no grammaticalization. Despite this fairly restricted concept of grammaticalization, we will attempt to corroborate the claim that essential aspects of grammar may be understood and modeled in terms of grammaticalization. The approach is essentially theoretical (practical applications will, hopefully, follow soon) and many issues are just mentioned and not discussed in detail. The paper presupposes a familiarity with the basic facts of grammaticalization and it does not present any new facts.
Grammatical relations – in particular the relation 'subject of' – and voice are of central concern to any theory of universal grammar. With respect to these phenomena the analysis of Tagalog (and the Philippine languages in general) has turned out to be particularly difficult and continues to be a matter of debate. What traditionally has been called passive voice in these languages […] appears to be so different from voice phenomena in the more familiar Indo-European languages that the term 'focus' was introduced in the late 1950s to underscore its 'exceptional' nature [...]. Furthermore, […] an inflationary use has been made of the term 'ergative' in the last decade; it can thus no longer be assumed that it has an unequivocal and specific meaning in typologizing languages, apart from the technical definition it might be given within a particular framework. But if the Philippine 'focus' constructions are neither passive nor ergative, how else can they be analysed? [...] In this paper a ease will be made for the claim that 'focus' marking should be analysed in terms of orientation, a concept used […] for capturing the difference between English (and, more generally, Indo-European) orientated nominalisations such as 'employ-er' or 'employ-ee', and unorientated nominalisations such as 'employ-ing'. This approach implies that 'focus' marking is derivational rather than inflectional as often presumed in the literature. This is to say that what is typologically conspicuous in Tagalog is not the 'focus' phenomenon per se, since this is very similar to orientated nominalisations in many other languages, but rather the very prominent use of orientated formations (i.e., derivational morphology) in basic clause structure.
The most macabre of the numerous anthropomorphic metaphors linguists provide for their subject matter is that of language death. The extinction of a language is in fact a distressing matter, because the cultural tradition connected to it and the sociocultural or even ethnic independence of the group that speaks it very often perish together with it. Yet it is a very common phenomenon. [...] It would seem strange that such a frequent and well-known phenomenon has not been studied much earlier; nevertheless it is a fact that the investigation of language death is a new and developing field, which emerged as something like an independent subdiscipline of linguistics towards the end of the seventies. This comparatively embryonic stage of the field should be kept in mind throughout the following discussion.
This paper is concerned with anticausative verbs (or verb-forms), or shortly, anticausatives. [...] [C]ausative/non-causative pairs with a marked non-causative are quite frequent in the languages of the world. However, so far they have not received sufficient attention in general and typological linguistics, a fact which is also manifested in the absence of a generally recognized term for this phenomenon […]. This paper therefore deals with the most important properties of anticausatives (particularly semantic conditions on them), their relationship to other areas of grammar as well as their historical development in different languages. The grammatical domain of transitivity, valence and voice, where the anticausative belongs, takes up a central position in grammar and consequently the present discussion should be of considerable interest to general comparative (or typological) linguists.
It is the aim of this paper to present and elaborate a new solution to the old syntactic problems connected with the Latin gerundive and gerund, two verbal categories which have been interpreted variously either as adjective (or participle) or noun (or infinitive). These questions have been much discussed for quite a number of years […] but for the most part from a philological or purely diachronic point of view. All these linguists try to explain the peculiarities of these categories and their syntax by showing that the gerund is historically prior to the gerundive. [...] It is our thesis […] that in order to arrive at a unified account of gerundive and gerund we do not have to go back to prehistoric times. Even for the classical language gerund and gerundive represent the same category, in the sense that the gerund can be shown to be a special case of the gerundive. Additional evidence from a parallel construction in Hindi is adduced to make the Latin facts more plausible. It is only in the post-classical language that certain tendencies which had shown up already in Old Latin poetry become stronger and finally lead to a reanalysis of the gerundive and a split into two distinct syntactic constructions. The propositional meaning of the gerundive in its attributive use is explained with reference to a conflict between syntactic and cognitive principles. Special constructions which are the effects of such conflicts can be found in other parts of grammar. Languages differ with respect to the degree of syntacticization (or conventionalization) of these special constructions.
A wall-sized canvas by Twombly hanging in a purpose-built pavilion by Renzo Piano, commissioned by the Menil Collection in Houston, bears the scrawled inscription »Anatomy of Melancholy.« Untitled (Say Goodbye Catullus, to the Shores of Asia Minor) is the culminating statement of the artist’s maturity: begun in 1972, it was first exhibited in 1994. In this monumental cenotaph, Twombly’s painting displays phrases from Archilochos, Catullus, Keats and Rilke, as well as the title of Burton’s famous tome, worked into the fabric of the composition, integral to the iconic content. It is the aching heart of the select permanent exhibition of his oeuvre at the pavilion, known as the Twombly Gallery (www.menil.org/twombly.html). The austerity of Piano’s architectural setting, as well as the cunningly filtered Texas sunlight, makes this a site of cult, like the chapel containing the dark, final canvases of Mark Rothko, situated around the corner in the same urban grove of old oak. The setting is a modern Dodona, remote seat of the oaken oracle of Zeus, and it makes an evocative home for Twombly’s enigmatic constructions. These disarm conventional vocabularies of aesthetic response, drawing attention to words and snatches of verse as points of association and recognition. Looking at them involves siting a phrase such as »Anatomy of Melancholy« in other dimensions – in lines, patches, figures, colors.
No other country is influenced in its political, social and cultural structures by both western and eastern mentality such as Lebanon, and hardly any other country has such a pivotal function. In this mediator function it can be compared with a literary work, that merits its role in world literature as hardly any other piece of literature in regard to the co-operation of Orient and Occident. I am thinking of the collection of "A Thousand and One Nights", or with its original title "Alf Laila wa-Laila".
In this text, we describe the development of a broad coverage grammar for Japanese that has been built for and used in different application contexts. The grammar is based on work done in the Verbmobil project (Siegel 2000) on machine translation of spoken dialogues in the domain of travel planning. The second application for JACY was the automatic email response task. Grammar development was described in Oepen et al. (2002a). Third, it was applied to the task of understanding material on mobile phones available on the internet, while embedded in the project DeepThought (Callmeier et al. 2004, Uszkoreit et al. 2004). Currently, it is being used for treebanking and ontology extraction from dictionary definition sentences by the Japanese company NTT (Bond et al. 2004).
Das Problem des Transfers in der maschinellen Übersetzung von Japanisch nach Englisch ist fehlende Information über Numerus und Definitheit im Japanischen, die für die Wahl der englischen Artikel und die Nomenmarkierung gebraucht wird. Obwohl dieses Problem signifikant ist, beschäftigt sich die Forschungsliteratur kaum damit. [...] Wir bsaieren unsere Untersuchungen auf experimentell erhobenen Daten aus einem Experiment über deutsch-japanische gedolmetschte Terminaushandlungsdialoge [...]. Auf diese Weise können Phänomene bestimmt werden, die für die Domäne von VERBMOBIL relevant sind. Wir sehen unser Vorgehen in Übereinstimmung mit dem 'Sublanguage'-Ansatz [...].
Eins der signifikanten Probleme in der maschinellen Übersetzung japanische in deutsche Sprache ist die fehlende Information und Definitheit im japanischen Analyse-Output. Eine effiziente Lösung dieses Problems ist es, die Suche nach der relevanten Information in den Transfer zu integrieren. Transferregeln werden mit Präferenzregeln und Default-Regeln kombiniert. Dadurch wird Information über lexikalische Restriktionen der Zielsprache, über die Domäne und über den Diskurs zugänglich.
Japanese is often taken to be strictly head-final in its syntax. In our work on a broad-coverage, precision implemented HPSG for Japanese, we have found that while this is generally true, there are nonetheless a few minor exceptions to the broad trend. In this paper, we describe the grammar engineering project, present the exceptions we have found, and conclude that this kind of phenomenon motivates on the one hand the HPSG type hierarchical approach which allows for the statement of both broad generalizations and exceptions to those generalizations and on the other hand the usefulness of grammar engineering as a means of testing linguistic hypotheses.
We present a broad coverage Japanese grammar written in the HPSG formalism with MRS semantics. The grammar is created for use in real world applications, such that robustness and performance issues play an important role. It is connected to a POS tagging and word segmentation tool. This grammar is being developed in a multilingual context, requiring MRS structures that are easily comparable across languages.
Based on a detailed case study of parallel grammar development distributed across two sites, we review some of the requirements for regression testing in grammar engineering, summarize our approach to systematic competence and performance profiling, and discuss our experience with grammar development for a commercial application. If possible, the workshop presentation will be organized around a software demonstration.
This paper proposes an annotating scheme that encodes honorifics (respectful words). Honorifics are used extensively in Japanese, reflecting the social relationship (e.g. social ranks and age) of the referents. This referential information is vital for resolving zero
pronouns and improving machine translation outputs. Annotating honorifics is a complex task that involves identifying a predicate with honorifics, assigning ranks to referents of the
predicate, calibrating the ranks, and connecting referents with their predicates.
Some requirements for a VERBMOBIL system capable of processing Japanese dialogue input have been explored. Based on a pilot study in the VERBMOBIL domain, dialogues between 2 participants and a professional Japanese interpreter have been analyzed with respect to a very typical and frequent feature: zero pronouns. Zero pronouns in Japanese texts or dialogues as well as overt pronouns in English texts or dialogues are an important element of discourse coherence. As to translation, this difference in the use of pronouns is a case of translation mismatch: information not explicitly expressed in the source language is needed in the target language. (Verb argument positions, normally obligatory in English, are rather frequently omitted in Japanese. Furthermore, verbs in Japanese are not marked with respect to features necessary for pronoun selection in English.)
We present an architecture for the integration of shallow and deep NLP components which is aimed at flexible combination of different language technologies for a range of practical current and future applications. In particular, we describe the integration of a high-level HPSG parsing system with different high-performance shallow components, ranging from named entity recognition to chunk parsing and shallow clause recognition. The NLP components enrich a representation of natural language text with layers of new XML meta-information using a single shared data structure, called the text chart. We describe details of the integration methods, and show how information extraction and language checking applications for realworld German text benefit from a deep grammatical analysis.
Hybrid robust deep and shallow semantic processing for creativity support in document production
(2004)
The research performed in the DeepThought project (http://www.project-deepthought.net) aims at demonstrating the potential of deep linguistic processing if added to existing shallow methods that ensure robustness. Classical information retrieval is extended by high precision concept indexing and relation detection. We use this approach to demonstrate the feasibility of three ambitious applications, one of which is a tool for creativity support in document production and collective brainstorming. This application is described in detail in this paper. Common to all three applications, and the basis for their development is a platform for integrated linguistic processing. This platform is based on a generic software architecture that combines multiple NLP components and on robust minimal recursive semantics (RMRS) as a uniform representation language.
In this paper we show an approach to the customization of GermaNet to the German HPSG grammar lexicon developed in the Verbmobil project. GermaNet has a broad coverage of the German base vocabulary and fine-grained semantic classification; while the HPSG grammar lexicon is comparatively small und has a coarse-grained semantic classification. In our approach, we have developed a mapping algorithm to relate the synsets in GermaNet with the semantic sorts in HPSG. The evaluation result shows that this approach is useful for the lexical extension of our deep grammar development to cope with real-world text understanding.
Particles fullfill several distinct central roles in the Japanese language. They can mark arguments as well as adjuncts, can be functional or have semantic functions. There is, however, no straightforward matching from particles to functions, as, e.g., 'ga' can mark the subject, the object or the adjunct of a sentence. Particles can cooccur. Verbal arguments that could be identified by particles can be eliminated in the Japanese sentence. And finally, in spoken language particles are often omitted. A proper treatment of particles is thus necessary to make an analysis of Japanese sentences possible. Our treatment is based on an empirical investigation of 800 dialogues. We set up a type hierarchy of particles motivated by their subcategorizational and modificational behaviour. This type hierarchy is part of the Japanese syntax in VERBMOBIL.
Preferences and defaults for definiteness and number in japanese to german machine translation
(1996)
A significant problem when translating Japanese dialogues into German is the missing information on number and definiteness in the Japanese analysis output. The integration of the search for such information into the transfer process provides an efficient solution. General transfer includes conditions to make it possible to consider external knowledge. Thereby, grammatical and lexical knowledge of the source language, knowledge of lexical restrictions on the target language, domain knowledge and discourse knowledge are accessible.
A comprehensive investigation of Japanese particle was missing up to now. General implications were set up without the fact that a comprehensive analysis was carried out. [...] We offer a lexicalist treatment of the problem. Instead of assuming different phrase structure rules we state a type hierarchy of Japanese particles. This makes a uniform treatment of phrase structure as well as a differentiation of subcategorization patterns possible.
We present a solution for the representation of Japanese honorifical information in the HPSG framework. Basically, there are three dimensions of honorification. We show that a treatment is necessary that involves both the syntactic and the contextual level of information. The japanese grammar is part of a machine translation system.