Netlang: A software for the linguistic analysis of corpora by means of complex networks

To date there is no software that directly connects the linguistic analysis of a conversation to a network program. Networks programs are able to extract statistical information from data basis with information about systems of interacting elements. Language has also been conceived and studied as a complex system. However, most proposals do not analyze language according to linguistic theory, but use instead computational systems that should save time at the price of leaving aside many crucial aspects for linguistic theory. Some approaches to network studies on language do apply precise linguistic analyses, made by a linguist. The problem until now has been the lack of interface between the analysis of a sentence and its integration into the network that could be managed by a linguist and that could save the analysis of any language. Previous works have used old software that was not created for these purposes and that often produced problems with some idiosyncrasies of the target language. The desired interface should be able to deal with the syntactic peculiarities of a particular language, the options of linguistic theory preferred by the user and the preservation of morpho-syntactic information (lexical categories and syntactic relations between items). Netlang is the first program able to do that. Recently, a new kind of linguistic analysis has been developed, which is able to extract a complexity pattern from the speaker’s linguistic production which is depicted as a network where words are inside nodes, and these nodes connect each other by means of edges or links (the information inside the edge can be syntactic, semantic, etc.). The Netlang software has become the bridge between rough linguistic data and the network program. Netlang has integrated and improved the functions of programs used in the past, namely the DGA annotator and two scripts (ToXML.pl and Xml2Pairs.py) used for transforming and pruning data. Netlang allows the researcher to make accurate linguistic analysis by means of syntactic dependency relations between words, while tracking record of the nature of such syntactic relationships (subject, object, etc). The Netlang software is presented as a new tool that solve many problems detected in the past. The most important improvement is that Netlang integrates three past applications into one program, and is able to produce a series of file formats that can be read by a network program. Through the Netlang software, the linguistic network analysis based on syntactic analyses, characterized for its low cost and the completely non-invasive procedure aims to evolve into a sufficiently fine grained tool for clinical diagnosis in potential cases of language disorders

P465L pparγ mutation confers partial resistance to the hypolipidemic action of fibrates.

Familial partial lipodystrophic syndrome 3 (FPLD3) is associated with mutations in the transcription factor PPAR. The P467L mutant confers a dominant negative effect. We have previously investigated the pathophysiology of FPLD3 using a humanised mouse harbouring an equivalent mutation (P465L) in PPAR that recapitulated the human clinical phenotype. One of the key clinical manifestations observed in humans and mice is the accumulation of fat in the liver. Here, we dissect the molecular mechanisms that facilitate accumulation of lipids in the liver and characterise the negative effect of the PPAR mutation on the activation of PPAR in vivo by fibrates. P465L mice have increased insulin and FFAs, decreased secretion of VLDL when fed HFD and impaired hypolipidemic response to WY14643. Thus, the phenotype of PPAR mutations may synergise with defects on PPAR function, indicating that the phenotype of the FPLD3 patients may not only be attributed to the dysfunction of PPAR

Component analysis of nutritionally rich chloroplasts: recovery from conventional and unconventional green plant species

A study of the literature indicates that chloroplasts synthesise a range of molecules, many of which have nutritional value for humans, but as yet no one has established the nutritional credentials of chloroplasts recovered from plant cells. Chloroplast-rich-fractions (CRFs) were prepared from green plant species and the macro- and micronutrient composition compared with the whole leaf materials (WLMs). The results indicated that, on a dry weight basis, CRF material from a range of green biomass was enriched in lipids and proteins, and in a range of micronutrients compared with the WLM. Vitamins E, pro-vitamin A, and lutein were all greater in CRF preparations. Of the minerals, iron was most notably concentrated in CRF. Spinach CRFs possessed the highest α-tocopherol (62 mg 100 g-1 , dry weight (DW)), β-carotene (336 mg 100 g- 1 DW) and lutein (341 mg 100 g-1 DW) contents, whilst grass CRFs had the highest concentration of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) (69.5 mg g-1). The higher concentrations of α-tocopherol, β-carotene, lutein, ALA and trace minerals (Fe and Mn) in CRFs suggest their potential use as concentrated ingredients in food formulations deficient in these nutrients

Alpha-Linolenic Acid: Is It Essential to Cardiovascular Health?

There is a large body of scientific evidence that has been confirmed in randomized controlled trials indicating a cardioprotective effect for omega-3 fatty acids from fish. For alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is the omega-3 fatty acid from plants, the relation to cardiovascular health is less clear. We reviewed the recent literature on dietary ALA intake, ALA tissue concentrations, and cardiovascular health in humans. Short-term trials (6–12 weeks) in generally healthy participants mostly showed no or inconsistent effects of ALA intake (1.2–3.6 g/d) on blood lipids, low-density lipoprotein oxidation, lipoprotein(a), and apolipoproteins A-I and B. Studies of ALA in relation to inflammatory markers and glucose metabolism yielded conflicting results. With regard to clinical cardiovascular outcomes, there is observational evidence for a protective effect against nonfatal myocardial infarction. However, no protective associations were observed between ALA status and risk of heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and sudden death. Findings from long-term trials of ALA supplementation are awaited to answer the question whether food-based or higher doses of ALA could be important for cardiovascular health in cardiac patients and the general population

Niños bilingües español-neerlandés en Ámsterdam y en Mallorca: evidencia de la importancia del input y del contexto en la adquisición del género gramatical en español

Por medio de una tarea de elicitación, esta investigación examina el género en español en dos grupos de niños bilingües español-neerlandés que comparten las mismas lenguas pero difieren en la lengua de herencia: un grupo de 10 niños hablantes de herencia de español (edad entre 8 y 10 años) y un grupo de 10 niños hablantes de herencia de neerlandés (entre 8 y 11 años). Estos dos idiomas tienen un sistema de género gramatical binario: mientras que el español diferencia masculino y femenino, el neerlandés diferencia común y neutro. Los resultados muestran que los niños hablantes de herencia de neerlandés no cometieron ningún error y que los niños hablantes de herencia de español tendieron a extender la forma masculina y a tener más problemas con los sustantivos femeninos y no canónicos. Este estudio corrobora que el input y el contexto lingüístico son factores importantes en la adquisición de rasgos lingüísticos, en este caso el género gramatical.Theoretical and Experimental Linguistic

Mind The Gap: Inductive Biases In Phonological Feature Learning

Although extensive research has been done into the acquisition of non-linguistic feature combinations, empirical evidence about phonological feature learning is scarce. I present results from learning experiments in which participants learnt a data set with the internal structure of a plosive segment inventory. The outcomes suggest that learning biases may indeed play a role in phonological typology, and that learners reduce the cumulative complexity in the data set considerably. These results support the hypothesis that the reduction of complexity is a driving force in the evolution of language

Semantic Approximation And Its Effect On The Development Of Lexical Conventions

We define a signaling games setting for investigating how short- and long-term conventions are established in a community of interacting speakers. Using simulations, we model a particular type of non-literal use of linguistic expressions, semantic approximation, and investigate its effects on lexical alignment, ambiguity, polysemy, and communicative success. Critically, in our approach agents do not only keep track of a lexicon reflecting conventions at the level of the community, but also of a discourse lexicon that stores information agreed upon by the participants in a specific dialogue. We find that semantic approximation creates opportunities for discourse-level lexicalization, which boosts the expected utility of the discourse lexicon, and that it can have a profound effect on the evolution of community-level lexical resources

P465L-PPARγ mutation confers partial resistance to the hypolipidaemic action of fibrates

Familial partial lipodystrophic syndrome 3 (FPLD3) is associated with mutations in the transcription factor PPAR. One of these mutations, the P467L, confers a dominant negative effect. We and others have previously investigated the pathophysiology associated to this mutation using a humanised mouse model that recapitulated most of the clinical symptoms observed in human patients under different experimental conditions. One of the key clinical manifestations observed both in humans and mouse models is the ectopic accumulation of fat in the liver. Here, we dissect the molecular mechanisms that contribute to the excessive accumulation of lipids in the liver and characterise the negative effect of this PPAR mutation on the activity of PPAR in vivo when activated by fibrates. P465L mice have increased levels of insulin and free fatty acids (FFA), exhibit decreased levels of Very Low Density Lipoproteins (VLDL) when fed high fat diet (HFD) and partial impaired response to the hypolipidemic action of WY14643. This indicates that the deleterious effects of P465L-PPAR mutation may be augmented by their collateral negative effect on PPAR function.Wellcome Trust, MRC MDU (MC_UU_12012/2), FP7-MITIN (Integration of the System Models of Mitochondrial Function and Insulin Signaling and its Application in the Study of Complex Diseases) (Grant Agreement 223450) and H2020 EPoS (Elucidating Pathways of Steatohepatitis) (Grant Agreement 634413). Disease Model Core, Biochemistry Assay Lab and the Histology Core are funded by MRC_MC_UU_12012/5 and a Wellcome Trust Strategic Award [100574/Z/12/Z

Mitochondrial Lipid Abnormality and Electron Transport Chain Impairment in Mice Lacking α-Synuclein

The presynaptic protein α-synuclein, implicated in Parkinson disease (PD), binds phospholipids and has a role in brain fatty acid (FA) metabolism. In mice lacking α-synuclein (Snca(−/−)), total brain steady-state mass of the mitochondria-specific phospholipid, cardiolipin, is reduced 22% and its acyl side chains show a 51% increase in saturated FAs and a 25% reduction in essential n-6, but not n-3, polyunsaturated FAs. Additionally, 23% reduction in phosphatidylglycerol content, the immediate biosynthetic precursor of cardiolipin, was observed without alterations in the content of other brain phospholipids. Consistent with these changes, more ordered lipid head group and acyl chain packing with enhanced rotational motion of diphenylhexatriene (DPH) about its long axis were demonstrated in time-resolved DPH fluorescence lifetime experiments. These abnormalities in mitochondrial membrane properties were associated with a 15% reduction in linked complex I/III activity of the electron transport chain, without reductions in mitochondrial number, complex II/III activity, or individual complex I, II, III, or IV activity. Reduced complex I activity is thought to be a critical factor in the development of PD. Thus, altered membrane composition and structure and impaired complex I/III function in Snca(−/−) brain suggest a relationship between α-synuclein's role in brain lipid metabolism, mitochondrial function, and PD