OCP Effects in Catalan Cliticization

In Catalan, sequences of sibilants are never pronounced as such. In most contexts all varieties coincide in the «strategies» used to avoid these sequences, namely epenthesis or deletion. Variation is only found in the domain of pronominal clitics (but not with other types of clitics). One source of variation is accounted for by decomposing a general constraint into two specific ones, which implies partial constraint reranking. The other source of variation, which involves a case of apparent opacity, is explained through an Output-Output constraint that makes reference to paradigmatic relations.En català les seqüències de sibilants no es pronuncien mai com a tals. En la majoria de contextos totes les varietats coincideixen pel que fa a les «estratègies» que utilitzen per evitar aquestes seqüències, que poden ser l'epèntesi o l'elisió. La variació només es troba en el domini dels clítics pronominals (però no en el d'altres menes de clítics). Una de les fonts de variació s'explica mitjançant la divisió d'una restricció general en dues restriccions més específiques, la qual cosa implica una reordenació parcial de restriccions. L'altra font de variació, que inclou un cas d'opacitat aparent, s'explica mitjançant una restricció del tipus output-output que fa referència a relacions paradigmàtiques

Fonologia catalana

L'objectiu d'aquest llibre és presentar una descripció i una anàlisi sistemàtiques dels fenòmens fonològics del català central, encara que també s'hi trobaran referències a altres varietats dialectals. Per a cada un dels temes de la fonologia del català que es tracten, primer es fa una descripció deis fets. A continuació es presnta una anàlisi del fenomen descrit en el model de la fonologia generativa clàssica, seguint bàsicaament les propostes de Chomsky & Halle (1968), amb la incorporació, però, de l'estructura sil·làbica; en alguns casos es valoren altres possibilitats d'anàlisi dins del matelx model. També s'introdueix, en lletra petita, informaCIO complementària. Apareixen en aquest cos de lletra tant descripcions de diversos dialectes com anàlisis alternatives en el marc de l'estructuralisme (en la línia de les propostes d'Alarcos i de Badia) o en teories generativistes més recents (com la fonologla autosegmental o la fonologia mètrica). En les transcripcions es fan servir sempre els símbols de l'Alfabet Fonètic Internacional (AFI), en la versió del 1993 (corregIda el 1996), que apareix al final d'aquest llibre

Practical applications of sperm selection techniques for improving reproductive efficiency

Several selection techniques are available for processing spermatozoa. Apart from sperm washing to remove seminal plasma, only "swim-up" and colloid centrifugation have been used to any extent to prepare spermatozoa for in vitro fertilization, and only colloid centrifugation has been used to prepare sperm samples for artificial insemination. Single-layer centrifugation (SLC) through a species-specific colloid has been shown to be effective in selecting spermatozoa with good motility, normal morphology and intact chromatin in a range of species. This method is less timeconsuming than swim-up, and has been scaled-up to allow whole ejaculates to be processed in a practical manner. The applications of SLC are as follows: to improve sperm quality in insemination doses or in samples for in vitro fertilization, to increase the shelf life of normal sperm doses, to remove pathogens (viruses, bacteria), to improve cryosurvival by removing dead and dying spermatozoa before freezing or after thawing, to select spermatozoa for intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and to aid conservation breeding

ESMO Congress 2021: highlights from the EORTC gastrointestinal tract cancer group’s perspective

Neuroendocrine tumours; Pancreatic cancer; Stomach cancerTumores neuroendocrinos; Cáncer de páncreas; Cáncer de estómagoTumors neuroendocrins; Càncer de pàncrees; Càncer d'estómacThere has been no major change of practice in gastrointestinal oncology at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) symposium 2021, but confirmation that immunotherapy in combination with chemotherapy has become standard of care in several indications. The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Gastrointestinal Track Cancer Group has selected important phase II and III trials presented during the symposium across all gastrointestinal cancers as well as early reports on new drugs or new combinations that may change practice in the future.This work was supported by a donation from the Swiss Cancer Research Foundation from Switzerland. MC was supported by a grant by EORTC Cancer Research Fund (ECRF) and the Gastrointestinal Tract Cancer Group

Experimental characterization of the transition to coherence collapse in a semiconductor laser with optical feedback

Semiconductor lasers with time-delayed optical feedback display a wide range of dynamical regimes, which have found various practical applications. They also provide excellent testbeds for data analysis tools for characterizing complex signals. Recently, several of us have analyzed experimental intensity time-traces and quantitatively identified the onset of different dynamical regimes, as the laser current increases. Specifically, we identified the onset of low-frequency fluctuations (LFFs), where the laser intensity displays abrupt dropouts, and the onset of coherence collapse (CC), where the intensity fluctuations are highly irregular. Here we map these regimes when both, the laser current and the feedback strength vary. We show that the shape of the distribution of intensity fluctuations (characterized by the standard deviation, the skewness, and the kurtosis) allows to distinguish among noise, LFFs and CC, and to quantitatively determine (in spite of the gradual nature of the transitions) the boundaries of the three regimes. Ordinal analysis of the interdropout time intervals consistently identifies the three regimes occurring in the same parameter regions as the analysis of the intensity distribution. Simulations of the well-known time-delayed Lang-Kobayashi model are in good qualitative agreement with the observations.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Experimental study of modulation waveforms for entraining the spikes emitted by a semiconductor laser with optical feedback

© 2018 [Optical Society of America]. Users may use, reuse, and build upon the article, or use the article for text or data mining, so long as such uses are for non-commercial purposes and appropriate attribution is maintained. All other rights are reserved.The entrainment phenomenon, by which an oscillator adjusts its natural rhythm to an external periodic signal, has been observed in many natural systems. Recently, attention has focused on which are the optimal conditions for achieving entrainment. Here we use a semiconductor laser with optical feedback, operating in the low-frequency fluctuations (LFFs) regime, as a testbed for a controlled entrainment experiment. In the LFF regime the laser intensity displays abrupt spikes, which can be entrained to a weak periodic signal that directly modulates the laser pump current. We compare the performance of three modulation waveforms for producing 1:1 locking (one spike is emitted in each modulation cycle), as well as higher order locking regimes. We characterize the parameter regions where high-quality locking occurs, and those where the laser emits spikes which are not entrained to the external signal. The role of the modulation amplitude and frequency, and the role of the dc value of the laser pump current (that controls the natural spike frequency) in the entrainment quality are discussed.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Proline cis-​trans isomerization and its implications for the dimerization of analogues of cyclopeptide stylostatin 1: a combined computational and experimental study

Cis and trans proline conformers are often associated with dramatic changes in the biological function of peptides. A slow equilibrium between cis and trans Ile-Pro amide bond conformers occurs in constrained derivatives of the native marine cyclic heptapeptide stylostatin 1 (cyclo-(NSLAIPF)), a potential anticancer agent. In this work, four cyclopeptides, cyclo-(NSTAIPF), cyclo-(KSTAIPF), cyclo-(RSTAIPF) and cyclo-(DSTAIPF), which are structurally related to stylostatin 1, are experimentally and computationally examined in order to assess the effect of residue mutations on the cis-trans conformational ratio and the apparent capacity to form dimeric aggregates. Primarily, cyclo-(KSTAIPF) and cyclo-(RSTAIPF) showed specific trends in circular dichroism, MALDI-TOF and HPLC purification experiments, which suggests the occurrence of peptide dimerization. Meanwhile, the NMR spectrum of cyclo-(KSTAIPF) indicates that this cyclopeptide exists in the two slow-exchange families of conformations mentioned above. Molecular dynamics simulations combined with quantum mechanical calculations have shed light on the factors governing the cis/trans conformational ratio. In particular, we have found that residue mutations affect the internal hydrogen bond pattern which ultimately tunes the cis/trans conformational ratio and that only trans conformers are capable of aggregating due to the shape complementarity of the two subunits

Intestinal intraepithelial lymphocyte cytometric pattern is more accurate than subepithelial deposits of anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA for the diagnosis of celiac disease in lymphocytic enteritis

Background & Aims: An increase in CD3+TCRγδ+ and a decrease in CD3− intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) is a characteristic flow cytometric pattern of celiac disease (CD) with atrophy. The aim was to evaluate the usefulness of both CD IEL cytometric pattern and anti-TG2 IgA subepithelial deposit analysis (CD IF pattern) for diagnosing lymphocytic enteritis due to CD. Methods: Two-hundred and five patients (144 females) who underwent duodenal biopsy for clinical suspicion of CD and positive celiac genetics were prospectively included. Fifty had villous atrophy, 70 lymphocytic enteritis, and 85 normal histology. Eight patients with non-celiac atrophy and 15 with lymphocytic enteritis secondary to Helicobacter pylori acted as control group. Duodenal biopsies were obtained to assess both CD IEL flow cytometric (complete or incomplete) and IF patterns. Results: Sensitivity of IF, and complete and incomplete cytometric patterns for CD diagnosis in patients with positive serology (Marsh 1+3) was 92%, 85 and 97% respectively, but only the complete cytometric pattern had 100% specificity. Twelve seropositive and 8 seronegative Marsh 1 patients had a CD diagnosis at inclusion or after gluten free-diet, respectively. CD cytometric pattern showed a better diagnostic performance than both IF pattern and serology for CD diagnosis in lymphocytic enteritis at baseline (95% vs 60% vs 60%, p = 0.039). Conclusions: Analysis of the IEL flow cytometric pattern is a fast, accurate method for identifying CD in the initial diagnostic biopsy of patients presenting with lymphocytic enteritis, even in seronegative patients, and seems to be better than anti-TG2 intestinal deposits