On nominal number marking in Amharic: Singular, plural and transnumeral

International audienceMy presentation examines the transnumeral nature of count nouns in Amharic. Traditional Amharic grammars (e.g., Leslau 1995) typically distinguish between a morphologically unmarked singular form and a marked plural form of a noun, e.g., ʤɨb ‘a hyena (SG)’ vs. ʤɨb-otʧ ‘hyenas (PL)’. In contrast, Baye (e.g. 1996: 70–71) proposes that the suffix -otʧ marks the paucal, while both the singular and the plural are expressed by the unmarked noun. Another, little-noticed perspective, put forward by Hartmann (1980: 282–283), argues that bare count nouns in Amharic lack specification for singular or plural, a phenomenon he refers to as unbestimmter Numerus (‘undefined number’), as in ʔɨzzɨh ʤɨb ʔallä. (here hyena exist.NONPAST.3SM) ‘There are hyenas/is a hyena here.’In this paper, I adopt Hartmann’s (1980) relatively overlooked analysis and demonstrate that Amharic count nouns do not have inherent specifications for number in the lexicon. By analyzing morphosyntactic and semantic patterns, I argue that overt number marking in Amharic primarily functions as an indicator of definiteness. This challenges the conventional view of number as an intrinsic nominal feature, situating Amharic within the broader typological spectrum of languages with fluid number systems, where specific-number interpretations emerge from a combination of pragmatic, morphological and morphosyntactic cues. These findings contribute to a better understanding of Amharic grammar and shed more light on the interplay between number, gender, and definiteness

The Kālacakra Master Piṇḍo of Java: Life and Works / Sources and Interpretations

This video discusses the first of three Vajrayāna Buddhist masters who were born in ‘peripheral’ regions, travelled considerable distances to ‘central’ regions, and appear in the historical record due to their accomplishments as scholars, adepts, and teachers. In addition to sharing ‘remote’ birthplaces, all three of these men were involved in the transmission of the Kālacakra tantra. The three masters are: 1) Piṇḍo of Java (bSod snyoms pa Ya ba dwī pa) [f. 10th–11th cent.]; 2) Tsami Sangyé Drakpa of Minyak (Mi nyag Tsa mi Sangs rgyas grags pa) [f. 11th–12th cent.]; 3) Jé Lozang Drakpa of Tsongkha (rJe Tsong kha pa bLo bzang grags pa) [1357–1419]. Tsongkhapa has long been famous as the founder of the Gandenpa (later, ‘Gelukpa’) Dharma tradition (chos lugs) of Tibet. Piṇḍo and Tsami Sangyé Drakpa have not been studied to nearly the same extent. This video presents an overview of aspects of the first part of a projected three-part study examining ‘the Kālacakra connection’ between three figures who played significant roles in the development and transmission of Indian and Tibetan Buddhism

RÉSEAUX SOCIAUX, NORMES ET LINGUISTIQUE POPULAIRE

International audienc

Nouveaux signalements de Coléoptères pour les îles des Antilles françaises (Insecta, Coleoptera)

International audienceThis article lists and details 119 new faunal records for one or more islands in the French West Indies: 2 species reported for the first time from Saint-Barthélemy, 11 for Saint-Martin, 22 for the Guadeloupe archipelago and 84 for Martinique. A total of 26 families are concerned, mainly Curculionidae (32 species including 25 Scolytinae); Chrysomelidae (16 species); Carabidae (7 species); Dytiscidae (7 species) and Nitidulidae (6 species). Of these new records, 21 are the first to be reported in the French West Indies as a whole: Phelister rouzeti (Fairmaire, 1849) - Histeridae; Molosoma eggersi (Bernhauer, 1904) and Astenus cinctiventris (Sharp, 1886) - Staphylinidae; Carpophilus marginellus Motschulsky, 1858 - Nitidulidae; Brumoides foudrasii (Mulsant, 1850) and Clypeaspis trilineata (Mulsant, 1850) - Coccinellidae; Arthrolips fasciata (Erichson, 1842) - Corylophidae: Syphrea smithiana (Csiki, 1939), Erynephala texana (Schaeffer, 1932), Yingaresca brevivittata (Blake, 1968), Lysathia aenea Bechyné, 1959, Myochrous barbadensis BLAKE, 1947 and Deuteronoda suturalis (Lefèvre, 1878) - Chrysomelidae; Megaplatypus deyrollei (Chapuis, 1865), Acanthotomicus mimicus (Schedl, 1961), Ambrosiodmus devexulus (Wood, 1978), Coptoborus bellus BRIGHT & Torres, 2006, Cryptocarenus diadematus Eggers, 1937, Xyleborus geayi Hagedorn, 1905, Xyleborus parallelocollis Eggers, 1933 and Xyleborinus saxesenii (Ratzeburg, 1837) - Curculionidae. There is also a new record for the island of Saint Lucia: Episcirrus nocturnus (Chevrolat, 1880), Curculionidae. DNA barcodes (CO1) deposited in BOLD are provided for 35 of these species based on specimens from the French West Indies. A new synonymy is established for a Carabidae, based on the DNA barcode and morphology: Selenophorus maritimus Casey, 1914 = Selenophorus latior Darlington, 1934, n. syn. The new records from Guadeloupe include proportionally more introduced species and those from Martinique more species endemic to the Lesser Antilles.This finding is discussed in the light of past efforts and recent studies carried out in these two territories.Cet article recense et détaille 119 nouveaux signalements faunistiques pour une ou plusieurs îles des Antillesfrançaises : 2 espèces signalées pour la première fois de Saint-Barthélemy, 11 pour Saint-Martin, 22 pour l’archipel de Guadeloupe et 84 pour la Martinique. Au total, 26 familles sont concernées, avec principalement des Curculionidae (32 espèces dont 25 Scolytinae) ; des Chrysomelidae (16 espèces) ; des Carabidae (7 espèces) ; des Dytiscidae (7 espèces) et des Nitidulidae (6 espèces). Parmis ces nouveaux faunistiques, 21 sont des premiers signalements à l’échelle de l’ensemble des Antilles françaises : Phelister rouzeti (Fairmaire, 1849) - Histeridae ; Molosoma eggersi (Bernhauer, 1904) et Astenus cinctiventris (Sharp, 1886) - Staphylinidae ; Carpophilus marginellus Motschulsky, 1858 - Nitidulidae ; Brumoides foudrasii (Mulsant, 1850) et Clypeaspis trilineata (Mulsant, 1850) - Coccinellidae ; Arthrolips fasciata (Erichson, 1842) - Corylophidae ; Syphrea smithiana (Csiki, 1939), Erynephala texana (Schaeffer, 1932), Yingaresca brevivittata (BLAKE, 1968), Lysathia aenea Bechyné, 1959, Myochrous barbadensis BLAKE, 1947 et Deuteronoda suturalis (Lefèvre, 1878) - Chrysomelidae ; Megaplatypus deyrollei (Chapuis, 1865), Acanthotomicus mimicus (Schedl, 1961), Ambrosiodmus devexulus (Wood, 1978), Coptoborus bellus BRIGHT & Torres, 2006, Cryptocarenus diadematus Eggers, 1937, Xyleborus geayi Hagedorn, 1905, Xyleborus parallelocollis Eggers, 1933 et Xyleborinus saxesenii (Ratzeburg, 1837) - Curculionidae. S’y ajoute un nouveau signalement pour l’île de Sainte-Lucie : Episcirrus nocturnus (Chevrolat, 1880), Curculionidae. Des codes-barres ADN (CO1) déposés dans BOLD sont fournis pour 35 de ces espèces à partir de spécimens des Antilles françaises. Une synonymie nouvelle est établie pour un Carabidae, à partir du code-barres ADN et de la morphologie : Selenophorus maritimus Casey, 1914 = Selenophorus latior Darlington, 1934, n. syn. Les nouveaux signalements de Guadeloupe comportent proportionnellement plus d’espèces introduites et ceux de Martinique plus d’espèces endémiques des Petites Antilles. Ce constat est discuté au regard des efforts passés et des études récentes menées sur ces deux territoires

Fever-range temperature alters continual efferocytosis mediated by mouse pro-inflammatory macrophages

International audienceAbstract Fever, a cardinal sign of inflammation, has been shown to modulate macrophage functions. Here, we investigate whether fever affects macrophage efferocytosis. This process is essential for the resolution of inflammation and the return to homeostasis with the reprogramming of macrophages towards a pro-resolving phenotype. Using primary mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide and interferon-γ (i.e., pro-inflammatory macrophages), we first validated that exposure to febrile temperature (39.5°C) induced a heat shock protein response. Then, we observed that febrile temperature decreased the capacity of pro-inflammatory macrophages to uptake apoptotic cells. This reduced efferocytic capacity of macrophages exposed to febrile temperature resulted from a decreased capacity to interact with apoptotic cells and to internalize these dying cells. Exposure to febrile temperature reduced the cell motility of macrophages in response to apoptotic cells, as assessed by IncuCyte® live-cell imaging. RNA sequencing analysis of pro-inflammatory macrophages exposed to febrile temperature identified an upregulation of the Adam17 gene. As this gene encodes a protease that sheds the efferocytic receptor Mer, we determined cell surface expression of Mer and quantified soluble Mer in the culture supernatants of pro-inflammatory macrophages exposed to febrile temperature. While febrile hyperthermia induced the Mer cleavage from the cell surface of pro-inflammatory macrophages, ADAM17 inhibition during exposure to febrile temperature did not restore the efferocytic capacity of pro-inflammatory macrophages. Thus, reduction of Mer expression induced by hyperthermia did not represent the main mechanism explaining reduced efferocytosis. Nevertheless, our work suggests that fever, by decreasing efferocytic capacity of macrophages, maintains their pro-inflammatory state

Medicinal applications and environmental fate of antimicrobial peptides: a review

International audienceAntimicrobial resistance is a major global issue endangering human, animal, and environmental health, calling for alternative antibiotics. Here, we review antimicrobial peptides with focus on their history, properties, medicinal use, clinical applications, and environmental fate. Antimicrobial peptides include glycopeptides, daptomycin, polymyxins, gramicidin, tyrocidine, and bacitracin. We present their environmental degradation pathways such as hydrolysis, photolysis, biodegradation, and adsorption, and their potential toxicity. Although antimicrobial peptides are increasingly used, their environmental occurrence and transformation products remain poorly known. In particular, emission sources such as wastewater treatment plants are poorly documented, and the influence of antimicrobial peptides on environmental antimicrobial resistance is still largely unknown. Graphical abstrac

Guidance framework to apply best practices in ecological data analysis: lessons learned from building Galaxy-Ecology

International audienceNumerous conceptual frameworks exist for best practices in research data and analysis (e.g., Open Science and FAIR principles). In practice, there is a need for further progress to improve transparency, reproducibility, and confidence in ecology. Here, we propose a practical and operational framework for researchers and experts in ecology to achieve best practices for building analytical procedures from individual research projects to production-level analytical pipelines. We introduce the concept of atomization to identify analytical steps that support generalization by allowing us to go beyond single analyses. The term atomization is employed to convey the idea of single analytical steps as “atoms” composing an analytical procedure. When generalized, “atoms” can be used in more than a single case analysis. These guidelines were established during the development of the Galaxy-Ecology initiative, a web platform dedicated to data analysis in ecology. Galaxy-Ecology allows us to demonstrate a way to reach higher levels of reproducibility in ecological sciences by increasing the accessibility and reusability of analytical workflows once atomized and generalized

Histoire et philologie de la Chine classique : Le déclin et la chute des Ming dans la littérature de fiction du XVIIe siècle (3). — I. Le récit vernaculaire et la transmission du savoir sur les événements contemporains : histoire littéraire, approches critiques (3). — II. Écritures et réécritures du récit historique d’actualité : étude des sources, lecture de textes (3)

International audienceProgramme de l’année 2023-2024 : Le déclin et la chute des Ming dans la littérature de fiction du XVIIe siècle (3). I. Le récit vernaculaire et la transmission du savoir sur les événements contemporains : histoire littéraire, approches critiques (3). — II. Écritures et réécritures du récit historique d’actualité : étude des sources, lecture de textes (3)

Les microcontaminants dans le bassin de la Seine

International audienceCet ouvrage est le troisième fascicule du PIREN-Seine, depuis sa création en 1989, consacré à la contamination de molécules organiques présentes à l'état de traces dans l'environnement. Le premier, édité en 2009, était destiné à faire le point sur l'origine des contaminants organiques d'origine anthropique et les risques de transfert dans le bassin de la Seine (Chevreuil, 2009). Un bilan des connaissances sur les polychlorobiphényles (PCB), les phtalates et les hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques (HAP) était alors réalisé. Le comportement de ces microcontaminants dans les environnements urbains était présenté, démontrant notamment le transport atmosphérique à longue distance et l'importance des propriétés physico-chimiques dans la capacité de dissémination de certains composés au sein de l'hydrosystème. Des calculs de flux avaient également permis de mettre en évidence le rôle de la dynamique sédimentaire dans leur transport depuis les zones amont jusqu'à l'estuaire

Simulating Shoreline and Nearshore Changes: The LX-ST Model

This paper presents LX-ST, a numerical model that simulates shoreline and nearshore evolution over medium-to long-term timescales across diverse sandy coastal environments. It combines the reduced-complexity shoreline model LX-Shore with the shoreface profile translation tool ShoreTrans, enabling it to capture shoreline changes and 3D nearshore morphology. LX-ST accounts for sea-level rise, sediment transport, complex features like artificial structures (e.g., seawalls, groynes), and natural morphologies (e.g., dunes and barriers). The model is tested on synthetic cases, demonstrating its ability to simulate complex coastal configurations. It is then applied to a 5-km beach-dune system in southwest France, which includes a 1.2-km-long seawall. Results show good agreement with observed past shoreline changes and reveal how LX-ST can predict future coastal trajectory shifts, including the eventual retreat and potential disappearance of the beach fronting the seawall. These findings underscore the model's utility in forecasting shorelin