When one is singular: Notes on zero-person constructions in Latvian

Axel Holvoet has demonstrated that Latvian has two types of zero-person constructions which formally differ in grammatical number, and that the singular type has a parallel in Finnic, but not in Lithuanian. This paper shows that the meanings covered by the two types are distinct and do not overlap. Using the framework proposed by Gast and van der Auwera for the description of human impersonal pronouns, it is shown that the singular type is characterized by non-veridicality and an internal perspective. As in Finnish, but not Estonian, it is used in conditional sentences with all kinds of verbs. The plural type is used in Latvian as well as in Lithuanian with veridical propositions and an external perspective

Strain Limits for Concrete Filled Steel Tubes in AASHTO Seismic Provisions

INE/AUTC 13.1

Comparing Cathelicidin Susceptibility of the Meningitis Pathogens Streptococcus suis and Escherichia coli in Culture Medium in Contrast to Porcine or Human Cerebrospinal Fluid

Host defense peptides or antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), e.g., cathelicidins, have recently been discussed as a potential new treatment option against bacterial infections. To test the efficacy of AMPs, standardized methods that closely mimic the physiological conditions at the site of infection are still needed. The aim of our study was to test the meningitis-causing bacteria Streptococcus suis and Escherichia coli for their susceptibility to cathelicidins in culture medium versus cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Susceptibility testing was performed in analogy to the broth microdilution method described by the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) to determine minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of antimicrobial agents. MICs were determined using cation-adjusted Mueller–Hinton broth (CA-MHB), lysogeny broth (LB), Roswell Park Memorial Institute medium (RPMI) or Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium (DMEM) (the latter two supplemented with 5% CA-MHB or blood) and compared with MICs obtained in porcine or human CSF. Our data showed that MICs obtained in CA-MHB as recommended by CLSI do not reflect the MICs obtained in the physiological body fluid CSF. However, the MICs of clinical isolates of S. suis tested in RPMI medium supplemented with CA-MHB, were similar to those of the same strains tested in CSF. In contrast, the MICs in the human CSF for the tested E. coli K1 strain were higher compared to the RPMI medium and showed even higher values than in CA-MHB. This highlights the need for susceptibility testing of AMPs in a medium that closely mimics the clinically relevant conditions

Wortarten und Pronomina. Studien zur lettischen Grammatik

This book investigates the nature of pronouns as a part-of-speech in Latvian grammar. It is argued that the set of words called pronouns in traditional Latvian grammar is best seen not as a word-class, but as cluster of several small closed classes that are defined by functional criteria. Grammatical features are spread across these classes in a non-random way. This gives the cluster a structure that can be visualized as a map where particular features are shared by neighboring elements. Discussions about the nature and status of word-classes and of pronouns in general linguistics, especially of the late 20th century, form the background of this study. The problems pronouns have posed for descriptive linguistics are illustrated by a comparison of descriptive grammars of German, English, Russian, and French. In addition to a detailed description of grammatical characteristics of Latvian pronouns, the book includes a general outline of the grammar of modern Latvian, describing the syntax of clauses and noun phrases, inflectional morphology and the structure of words, and the main characteristics of verbs, nouns, and adjectives. The empirical study is based on a collection of spoken and written Latvian texts, and data are presented with interlinear morphological glosses

The Latvian continuative construction runāt vienā runāšanā ‘talk in one talking’ = ‘keep talking’

Latvian may express continuative aspect by means of a complex construction which consists of a verb and a locative phrase headed by an action noun from the same verb. The construction is productive and attested with a variety of durative verbs. Salient exemplars are some verbs of talking and crying. In a clause the construction most often is treated in the same way as simple verb forms. Formally and functionally the construction is related to three other cognate constructions in Latvian as well as to iteration of the type talk and talk. However, in these other constructions continuative meaning arises only as an implicature or contains more specific nuances. It is proposed that cognate constructions may form a link between morphological reduplication and syntactic iteration