La percepción del alemán multietnolectal de Zúrich: un continuo más que una categorización neta

Since about 2000, the emergence of so-called ‘multiethnolects’ has been observed among adolescents in German-speaking Switzerland; however, a systematic description of these varieties is lacking at present. The few existing perception studies of multiethnolects in other European countries are usually based on two or more predetermined groups that are compared. This paper investigates which labels are used for multiethnolectal Zurich German and how this way of speaking is perceived by adolescents; we adopt a perceptual sociolinguistics approach which focuses on the conceptualizations of lay people rather than on those of linguists. In a rating experiment, 40 adolescents listened to short speech samples of 48 pupils recorded in two different schools in the city of Zurich and were asked to rate the speakers on a 7-point Likert scale according to how multiethnolectal they sounded (not at all – very strongly). The results yielded a perceptual continuum rather than a clear-cut binary categorization [±multiethnolectal]. A smaller follow-up experiment with 12 adult raters (using the same stimuli) yielded a highly significant correlation between the mean rating scores of the two groups of raters.A partir del año 2000 aproximadamente se ha observado la aparición de los llamados ‘multietnolectos’ en la Suiza de habla alemana. Sin embargo, hasta el momento no existe una descripción sistemática de estas variedades lingüísticas. Los escasos estudios de percepción que se han realizado en otros países europeos se basan por lo general en la comparación de dos o más grupos preestablecidos. Este artículo investiga qué términos se utilizan para denominar el multietnolecto hablado en Zúrich y cómo un grupo adolescentes califican esta manera de hablar, adoptando, pues, un enfoque de sociolingüística perceptiva que se centra en las representaciones de locutores comunes más que de lingüistas. En un experimento de percepción, cuarenta adolescentes escucharon breves muestras de habla producidas por 48 escolares que habían sido grabadas en dos escuelas de la ciudad de Zúrich. La tarea de los oyentes consistió en calificar a los locutores con una escala de Likert de siete puntos según cómo de multietnolectal sonaba su habla (no en absoluto – muy fuertemente). Los resultados revelan la existencia de un continuum perceptivo más que de una categorización binaria [±multietnolectal]. El mismo experimento se realizó también con ocho oyentes adultos, obteniendo una correlación muy fuerte y altamente significativa con los valores de los oyentes adolescentes. Estos resultados sugieren que en la percepción del multietnolecto alemán de Zúrich no parece existir una diferencia entre una perspectiva etic y una perspectiva emic

Aspiration of fortis plosives in multiethnolectal Zurich German

In the last decades, new ways of speaking have emerged in urban areas of German-speaking Switzerland (so-called multiethnolects), which are distinct from more traditional Swiss German dialects (i.e., Zurich German) on various linguistic levels. In this study, we analyze aspiration patterns of word-initial fortis plosives in read and spontaneous speech of Zurich German speaking adolescents. Speakers who were perceived as more multiethnolectal show a smaller difference of normalized VOT values between phonologically unaspirated and aspirated plosives in read speech. This difference even disappears completely for bilabial plosives. For alveolar plosives, the difference is bigger for speakers who were perceived as more traditional. These results are mostly confirmed by the spontaneous speech data. Future research may show whether this VOTmerging of traditionally unaspirated and aspirated fortis plosives is a sign of an emerging sound change and to what extent these findings affect the plosive system of Zurich German in general

Alternative sigma factor σH activates competence gene expression in Lactobacillus sakei

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Alternative sigma factors trigger various adaptive responses. <it>Lactobacillus sakei</it>, a non-sporulating meat-borne bacterium, carries an alternative sigma factor seemingly orthologous to σ^Hof <it>Bacillus subtilis</it>, best known for its contribution to the initiation of a large starvation response ultimately leading to sporulation. As the role of σ^H-like factors has been little studied in non-sporulating bacteria, we investigated the function of σ^Hin <it>L. sakei</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Transcription of <it>sigH </it>coding for σ^Hwas hardly affected by entry into stationary phase in our laboratory conditions. Twenty-five genes potentially regulated by σ^Hin <it>L. sakei </it>23 K were revealed by genome-wide transcriptomic profiling of <it>sigH </it>overexpression and/or quantitative PCR analysis. More than half of them are involved in the synthesis of a DNA uptake machinery linked to genetic competence, and in DNA metabolism; however, σ^Hoverproduction did not allow detectable genetic transformation. σ^Hwas found to be conserved in the <it>L. sakei </it>species.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results are indicative of the existence of a genetic competence state activated by σ^Hin <it>L. sakei</it>, and sustain the hypothesis that σ^H-like factors in non sporulating Firmicutes share this common function with the well-known ComX of naturally transformable streptococci.</p

Multiethnolektales Zürichdeutsch: Dialekttransformation und soziolinguistische Wahrnehmung

Der vorliegende Beitrag vermittelt einen Einblick in ein Forschungsprojekt, welches den Zürcher Dialekt von Jugendlichen mit Migrationshintergrund untersucht. Ausgehend vom Ansatz einer perzeptiven Varietätenlinguistik stellen wir zunächst die Frage, ob multiethno­lektales Sprechen von gleichaltrigen Jugendlichen eher kategorisch oder als Kontinuum wahrgenommen wird. Danach vergleichen wir die Ergebnisse eines Rating-Experiments mit der Ausprägung zweier linguistischer Variablen, nämlich der Dauer anlautender Frikative und dem Anteil an lexikalischen Interferenzen aus dem Standarddeutschen im verwendeten Dialektwortschatz. Dabei zeigt sich einerseits, dass die Jugendlichen in der Tat verschiedene Grade der Multiethnolektalität wahrnehmen – und zwar in Form eines Kontinuums und nicht als klar voneinander abgegrenzte Kategorien. Andererseits lassen sich in der Sprach­produktion bestimmte Muster ausmachen, die mit der perzeptiven Einordnung der Sprechenden korrelieren und als eine Art ‘Dialekttransformation’ des Zürichdeutschen charakterisiert werden können. Keywords: Multiethnolekte, Zürichdeutsch, perzeptive Varietätenlinguistik, Frikative, Dialektwortschat

Magnetic-Responsive Carbon Nanotubes Composite Scaffolds for Chondrogenic Tissue Engineering

The demand for engineered scaffolds capable of delivering multiple cues to cells continues to grow as the interplay between cell fate with microenvironmental and external cues is revealed. Emphasis has been given to develop stimuli-responsive scaffolds. These scaffolds are designed to sense an external stimulus triggering a specific response (e.g., change in the microenvironment, release therapeutics, etc.) and then initiate/modulate a desired biofunction. Here, magnetic-responsive carboxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (cMWCNTs) are integrated into 3D collagen/polylactic acid (PLA) scaffold via a reproducible filtration-based method. The integrity and biomechanical performance of the collagen/PLA scaffolds are preserved after cMWCNT integration. In vitro safety assessment of cMWCNT/collagen/PLA scaffolds shows neither cytotoxicity effects nor macrophage pro-inflammatory response, supporting further in vitro studies. The cMWCNT/collagen/PLA scaffolds enhance chondrocytes metabolic activity while maintaining high cell viability and extracellular matrix (i.e., type II collagen and aggrecan) production. Comprehensive in vitro study applying static and pulsed magnetic field on seeded scaffolds shows no specific cell response in dependence with the applied field. This result is independent of the presence or absence of cMWCNT into the collagen/PLA scaffolds. Taken together, these findings provide additional evidence of the benefits to exploit the CNTs outstanding properties in the design of stimuli-responsive scaffolds.publishedVersio

Somatostatin receptors (version 2019.4) in the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology Database

Somatostatin (somatotropin release inhibiting factor) is an abundant neuropeptide, which acts on five subtypes of somatostatin receptor (SST1-SST5; nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee on Somatostatin Receptors [89]). Activation of these receptors produces a wide range of physiological effects throughout the body including the inhibition of secretion of many hormones. Endogenous ligands for these receptors are somatostatin-14 (SRIF-14) and somatostatin-28 (SRIF-28). cortistatin-14 has also been suggested to be an endogenous ligand for somatostatin receptors [56]

Somatostatin receptors in GtoPdb v.2023.1

Somatostatin (somatotropin release inhibiting factor) is an abundant neuropeptide, which acts on five subtypes of somatostatin receptor (SST1-SST5; nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee on Somatostatin Receptors [98]). Activation of these receptors produces a wide range of physiological effects throughout the body including the inhibition of secretion of many hormones. Endogenous ligands for these receptors are somatostatin-14 (SRIF-14) and somatostatin-28 (SRIF-28). cortistatin-14 has also been suggested to be an endogenous ligand for somatostatin receptors [61]