Scare-quoting and incorporation

I explain a mechanism I call “incorporation,” that I think is at work in a wide range of cases often put under the heading of “scare-quoting.” Incorporation is flagging some words in one’s own utterance to indicate that they are to be interpreted as if uttered by some other speaker in some other context, while supplying evidence to one’s interpreter enabling them to identify that other speaker and context. This mechanism gives us a way to use others’ vocabularies and contexts, thereby extending our expressive capacities on the fly. Explaining incorporation involves explaining intra-sentential shifts in lexicon and in context. Shifts of the former sort are familiar to linguists under the heading of “code-switching.” Shifts of the latter sort have been less explored; accordingly I explain how to modify Kaplan’s logic of demonstratives to allow for such shifts. I compare the incorporation account of scare-quoting with accounts offered by Brandom, Recanati, Geurts and Maier, Benbaji, Predelli, and Shan. Finally I note a possible implication concerning the speech act of assertion: that you can properly assert a content you do not believe, let alone know, because part of it is expressed with words you do not understand

Incorporation and Originalist Theory

Does the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution incorporate the Bill of Rights contained in the first eight amendments? And how should an originalist answer that question? This paper focuses on the latter question--the issues of originalist theory that are raised by judicial and scholarly debates over what is called incorporation. The inquiry proceeds in six parts. Part I answers the questions: What is incorporation? and What is originalism? Part II examines the theoretical framework for an investigation of incorporation that operates within the narrow confines of interpretation of the linguistic meaning text based on the assumption that the original meaning of the text is solely determined by the public meaning for ordinary citizens at the time of framing and ratification. Part III relaxes the assumption that original meaning is determined solely by the linguistic practices of the whole community and considers the possibility that the phrase privileges or immunities was a term of art with a technical meaning for those learned in the law. Part IV relaxes the assumption that the incorporation debate must be resolved solely by interpretation of linguistic meaning and considers the possibility that incorporation doctrine might be viewed as a construction of an under determinate constitutional text. Part V considers the implications of the possibility that the privileges or immunities clause instantiates what might be called a failure of constitutional communication, considering the possibility of a saving or mending construction of the clause. Part VI concludes with why incorporation matters for originalists

Incorporation of biguanide compounds into poly(GL)-b-poly(GL-co-TMC-co-CL)-b-poly(GL) monofilament surgical sutures

A new biodegradable coating was developed for bioabsorbable monofilament sutures. Specifically, a random copolymer having 35 wt-% and 65 wt-% of lactide and trimethylene carbonate units showed appropriate flexibility, stickiness and degradation rate, as well as capability to produce a complete and uniform coating. Monofilament sutures of polyglycolide-b-poly(glycolide-co-trimethylene carbonate-co-e-caprolactone)-b-polyglycolide were loaded with chlorhexidine (CHX) and poly(hexamethylene biguanide) (PHMB) to explore the possibility to achieve antimicrobial activity without adverse cytotoxic effects. To this end, two processes based on single drug adsorption onto the suture surface and incorporation into the coating copolymer were used and subsequently evaluated. Although the second process could be considered more complex, clear benefits were observed in terms of drug loading efficiency, antimicrobial effect and even lack of cytotoxicity. In general, drugs could be loaded in an amount leading to a clear bacteriostatic effect for both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria without causing significant cytotoxicity. Release profiles of PHMB and CHX were clearly different. Specifically, adsorption of the drug onto the fiber surface which prevented complete release was detected for PHMB. This polymer had advantages derived from its high molecular size, which hindered penetration into cells, thus resulting in lower cytotoxicity. Furthermore, bacterial growth kinetics measurements and bacterial adhesion assays showed greater effectiveness of this polymer.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Theoretical evidence for efficient p-type doping of GaN using beryllium

Ab initio calculations predict that Be is a shallow acceptor in GaN. Its thermal ionization energy is 0.06 eV in wurtzite GaN; the level is valence resonant in the zincblende phase. Be incorporation is severely limited by the formation of Be_3N_2. We show however that co-incorporation with reactive species can enhance the solubility. H-assisted incorporation should lead to high doping levels in MOCVD growth after post-growth annealing at about 850 K. Be-O co-incorporation produces high Be and O concentrations at MBE growth temperatures.Comment: revised Feb 24 199

Artificial Extracellular Matrix Proteins Containing Phenylalanine Analogues Biosynthesized in Bacteria Using T7 Expression System and the PEGylation

In vivo incorporation of phenylalanine (Phe) analogues into an artificial extracellular matrix protein (aECM-CS5-ELF) was accomplished using a bacterial expression host that harbors the mutant phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase (PheRS) with an enlarged binding pocket. Although the Ala294Gly/Thr251Gly mutant PheRS (PheRS**) under the control of T5 promoter allows incorporation of some Phe analogues into a protein, the T5 system is not suitable for material science studies because the amount of materials produced is not sufficient due to the moderate strength of the T5 promoter. This limitation can be overcome by using a pair of T7 promoter and T7 RNA polymerase instead. In the T7 expression system, it is difficult, however, to achieve a high incorporation level of Phe analogues, due to competition of Phe analogues for incorporation with the residual Phe that is required for synthesis of active T7 RNA polymerase. In this study, we prepared the PheRS** under T7 promoter and optimized culture condition to improve both the incorporation level of recombinant aECM protein and the incorporation level of Phe analogues. Incorporation and expression levels tend to increase in the case of p-azidophenylalanine, p-iodophenylalanine, and p-acetylphenylalanine. We evaluated the lower critical transition temperature, which is dependent on the incorporation ratio and the turbidity decreased when the incorporation level increased. Circular dichromism measurement indicated that this tendency is based on conformational change from random coil to β-turn structure. We demonstrated that polyethylene glycol (PEG) can be conjugated at reaction site of Phe analogues incorporated. We also demonstrated that the increased hydrophilicity of elastin-like sequences in the aECM-CS5-ELF made by PEG conjugation could suppress nonspecific adhesion of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC)

Incorporation in vitro of labeled amino acids into proteins of rabbit reticuloytes

Continuing our work on the incorporation of labeled amino acids into proteins (1), we have begun a study of the incorporation in vitro of C14-labeled glycine, L-histidine, L-leucine, and L-lysine into the proteins of rabbit reticulocytes. In preliminary experiments the incorporation into the hemoglobin isolated from the reticulocytes was determined. But, after it was found that plasma contains factors accelerating amino acid incorporation, it was decided to proceed as rapidly as possible toward the identification of these factors; we have, therefore, measured incorporation into the total proteins of the reticulocytes, since isolation of the hemoglobin was time-consuming. The results obtained with hemoglobin and with the total proteins are essentially the same, indicating that the other proteins of the reticulocytes incorporate amino acids at approximately the same rate as hemoglobin

Inhibition of geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthesis in in vitro systems

The incorporation of [14C]mevalonate and [14C]isopentenyl diphosphate into geranylgeranyl diphosphate was investigated in in vitro systems from Cucurbita pepo (pumpkin) endosperm and from Avena sativa etioplasts. Mevalonate incorporation was effectively inhibited in the pumpkin system by geranylgeranyl diphosphate and geranylgeranyl monophosphate but less effectively by phytyl diphosphate or inorganic diphosphate. Membrane lipids, geranyllinalool, or lecithin enhanced mevalonate incorporation in the Cucurbita system. Incorporation of isopentenyl diphosphate was also enhanced by lecithin and inhibited by geranylgeranyl diphosphate in the Cucurbita system. No lipid enhancement was found in the Avena system; inhibition by GGPP required a much higher GGPP concentration than in the Cucurbita system

The timing of the formation and usage of replicase clusters in S-phase nuclei of human diploid fibroblasts

The sites of nascent DNA synthesis were compared with the distribution of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in S-phase nuclei of human diploid fibroblasts (HDF) by two in vitro techniques. Firstly, proliferating fibroblasts growing in culture that had been synchronised at S-phase were microinjected with the thymidine analogue biotin-11-dUTP. The sites of incorporation of biotin into injected cells were compared with the distribution of PCNA by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). In common with other studies, a progression of patterns for both biotin incorporation and PCNA localisation was observed. However, we did not always observe coincidence in these patterns, the pattern of biotin incorporation often resembling the expected, preceding distribution of PCNA. In nuclei in which the pattern of biotin incorporation appeared to be identical to the distribution of PCNA, LSCM revealed that not all of the sites of PCNA immunofluorescence were incorporating biotin at the same time. Secondly, nuclei which had been isolated from quiescent cultures of HDF were innoculated into cell-free extracts of Xenopus eggs which support DNA replication in vitro. Following innoculation into these extracts DNA replication was initiated in each nucleus. The sites of DNA synthesis were detected by biotin-11-dUTP incorporation and compared with the distribution of PCNA by indirect immunofluorescence. Only a single pattern of biotin incorporation and PCNA distribution was observed. PCNA accumulated at multiple discrete spots some 15min before any biotin incorporation was observed. When biotin incorporation did occur, LSCM revealed almost complete coincidence between the sites of DNA synthesis and the sites at which PCNA was localised.Brunel Open Access Publishing Fun

Evidence of mature adipocyte proliferation regulated by proliferin

Despite much research, whether mature adipocytes proliferate remains controversial. Here, we examined 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU)-labelling of mature adipocytes. Although BrdU incorporation into subcutaneous adipocytes was less than that in visceral adipocytes, pioglitazone (Pio) treatment increased BrdU incorporation in subcutaneous, but not visceral, adipocytes in rats. Fully differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes exhibited an increase in cell number and BrdU incorporation with time, with this increase enhanced by Pio treatment. We therefore screened for genes that encode growth factors regulated by Pio, and selected proliferin (PLF). Both gene silencing of PLF by small interfering RNA and treatment with anti-PLF antibody suppressed proliferation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In adipocytes isolated from Pio-treated rats, the tissue-specific pattern of PLF expression was similar to that of BrdU incorporation. Administration of an anti-PLF antibody to mice reduced BrdU incorporation into adipocytes. Mature adipocytes thus have the ability to replicate, and this proliferation is positively regulated by PLF