Rhythmic syncope and opacity in Mojeño Trinitario

International audienceThis paper presents rhythmic syncope in Mojeño Trinitario, an Arawak language spoken in lowland Bolivia. In this language, every vowel that is in a weak prosodic position can syncopate. The syncope pattern of Mojeño Trinitario is remarkable for several reasons. First, it involves a regular, categorical and complete deletion rather than a statistical reduction of vowels. Second, it applies similarly to words with either of two stress patterns: iambic words, which make up the great majority of words, and trochaic ones, much less numerous. Third, a great variety of consonant sequences are the result of syncope, and syllabification applies again after syncope. Fourth, rhythmic syncope actually underapplies: almost half of the vowels that are in a position to syncopate are maintained, and vowel quality plays a statistical role in immunity to syncope. Fifth, due to a rich morphology and a set of complex phonotactic rules applying sequentially, syncope leads to extreme opacity. The data presented in this paper in a theory-neutral way contribute to the typology of rhythmic syncope. It will also be of interest to phonologists considering constraint-based vs. derivational models of phonology

: Possessed nouns constituting possessive clauses in Emérillon (Tupi-Guarani)

This paper examines an unusual type of nominal predication in Emerillon, a Tupi-Guarani language spoken in French Guiana. This construction, exactly parallel to that of a possessed noun, is made of a person marker plus a noun. However, it is used as a predicate with a possessive meaning. Thus the form "my hammock" by itself can mean "I have a hammock". We hypothesize that this type of nominal predicates is in fact an existential construction. This is confirmed by the optional presence of the existential copula. However, in absence of the copula, the nominal predicate takes on all the predicative morphology (negation, TAM...), just like a verb does. This makes it more difficult to think in terms of a zero existential copula

The origins of serialization: The case of Emerillon

International audienceThis paper gives clear synchronic evidence for the origin of serial verb constructions (SVCs) in Emerillon, a Tupi-Guarani language. SVCs in that language result from a gerundive construction after the loss of both a subordinator and an indexation pattern specific to dependent clauses. After a short review of the general literature on the origins of SVCs and their similarity to converbs (of which Tupi-Guarani gerundives may be considered a subtype), the author gives a detailed account of the Emerillon SVCs. Strong arguments then show that Emerillon serial verbs (superficially comparable to independent verbs) originate from a 'deranked' dependent clause. The paper ends with some discussions on clause linkage, comparing more specifically SVCs and converbs on the morphological, syntactic and functional levels

Introduction: the limits of the explanatory potential of the alienability contrast

peer reviewedThis introductory article outlines the central topic of the present special issue, viz. the contrast between alienable and inalienable possession, and how this contrast is reflected in the grammars and lexicons of natural languages. It sketches the historical background of the alienability contrast in the linguistic literature and points to a number of biases that need to be overcome in order to (1) advance our understanding of the contrast and (2) face the limits of its explanatory potential. Specifically, the present introduction, as well as the contributions to the present issue, proposes to move beyond prototypical possessive relationships (ownership, part-whole, and kinship relations), prototypical possessor categories (human possessors) as well as prototypical possessee categories (artifacts, body-parts and kin). In addition, the issue contains three contributions dealing with Amazonian languages, thus filling in an important gap in previous crosslinguistic studies on possession. The data presented in the special issue show that many morphosyntactic phenomena that have been explained in terms of the alienability contrast – or are amenable to such explanations – cannot be reduced to it, and are sometimes even better described without recourse to alienability at all. The present article thus concludes that the alienability contrast is at best regarded as a heuristic tool in exploring linguistic data, and cautions that, if used as the only explanatory principle, it could actually hamper an adequate description of the data

The derivational use of classifiers in Western Amazonia

peer reviewedWestern Amazonian languages stand out in having classifiers that – in addition to the well-established classifier environments – also appear as derivational devices on nouns. Since classifiers are commonly assumed to originate in nouns, classifier languages confront us with an analytical problem in the domain of binominals, i.e. how to distinguish between the derivational use of classifiers on nouns, and noun-noun compounds. The present paper addresses this problem on the basis of primary data from Harakmbut (isolate, Peru) and Mojeño Trinitario (Arawak, Bolivia), two unrelated Western Amazonian languages. As a factor bearing on this problem, we show that in both languages the noun/classifier distinction is blurred by the fact that there is a class of nouns that share many features with the canonical classifiers, i.e. that of bound nouns. In this paper, we discuss how noun-classifier derivation differs from noun-noun compounding, or classifiers from bound nouns for that matter, at the phonological, semantic and syntactic levels in both languages

Le site d’habitat Villeneuve-Saint-Germain de Pontpoint « le Fond de Rambourg » (Oise)

International audienceThe new Blicquy/Villeneuve-Saint-Germain settlement site at Pontpoint "le Fond de Rambourg" (Oise, France), where a preventive excavation was conducted, is characterized by its good state of preservation owing to its topographical location at the foot of one of the sandy hillocks that shape the Oise valley floor. The excavation yielded at least three housing units and an isolated pit the objects of which provide evidence of two phases of occupation. The features of the objects found in two housing units are quite similar to those of the Paris Basin Late Bandkeramik, suggesting they probably date from Early Blicquy/Villeneuve-Saint-Germain, a culture as yet little documented. The objects found in the third housing unit and the pit, fewer in number, seem to indicate that the same area was occupied during the late Blicquy/Villeneuve-Saint-Germain.Le site d'habitat Blicquy/Villeneuve-Saint-Germain de Pontpoint " le Fond de Rambourg ", fouillé dans un cadre préventif, se caractérise par son bon état de conservation lié à son implantation topographique au pied d'une des buttes sableuses qui modèlent le fond de la vallée de l'Oise. La fouille a révélé au moins trois unités d'habitation et une fosse isolée dont le mobilier permet de conclure à l'existence de deux phases d'occupation. Le mobilier issu de deux unités d'habitation présente des caractéristiques très proches du Rubané récent du Bassin parisien et oriente la datation vers une phase ancienne du Blicquy/Villeneuve-Saint-Germain, phase peu documentée à ce jour. L'autre unité d'habitation et la fosse, moins riches, ont livré du mobilier ciblant l'occupation du même secteur à la fin du Blicquy/Villeneuve-Saint-Germain

The Gene expression Grade Index: a potential predictor of relapse for endocrine-treated breast cancer patients in the BIG 1–98 trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We have previously shown that the Gene expression Grade Index (GGI) was able to identify two subtypes of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive tumors that were associated with statistically distinct clinical outcomes in both untreated and tamoxifen-treated patients. Here, we aim to investigate the ability of the GGI to predict relapses in postmenopausal women who were treated with tamoxifen (T) or letrozole (L) within the BIG 1–98 trial.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We generated gene expression profiles (Affymetrix) and computed the GGI for a matched, case-control sample of patients enrolled in the BIG 1–98 trial from the two hospitals where frozen samples were available. All relapses (cases) were identified from patients randomized to receive monotherapy or from the switching treatment arms for whom relapse occurred before the switch. Each case was randomly matched with four controls based upon nodal status and treatment (T or L). The prognostic value of GGI was assessed as a continuous predictor and divided at the median. Predictive accuracy of GGI was estimated using time-dependent area under the curve (AUC) of the ROC curves.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Frozen samples were analyzable for 48 patients (10 cases and 38 controls). Seven of the 10 cases had been assigned to receive L. Cases and controls were comparable with respect to menopausal and nodal status, local and chemotherapy, and HER2 positivity. Cases were slightly older than controls and had a larger proportion of large, poorly differentiated ER+/PgR- tumors. The GGI was significantly and linearly related to risk of relapse: each 10-unit increase in GGI resulted in an increase of approximately 11% in the hazard rate (p = 0.02). Within the subgroups of patients with node-positive disease or who were treated with L, the hazard of relapse was significantly greater for patients with GGI at or above the median. AUC reached a maximum of 78% at 27 months.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This analysis supports the GGI as a good predictor of relapse for ER-positive patients, even among patients who receive L. Validation of these results, in a larger series from BIG 1–98, is planned using the simplified GGI represented by a smaller set of genes and tested by qRT-PCR on paraffin-embedded tissues.</p

Main Recent Contributions to SHS from France

International audienceBoth in situ TRXRD and IR thermography, on the one hand, and different levels of modeling, on the other, have generated a strong progress in the knowledge and control of numerous SHS reactions. The SHS of simple binary materials, such as intermetallics (FeAl, MoSi2, NbAl3, etc.), oxides (e.g. ZrO2), carbides (e.g. SiC) or nitrides, more complex materials, such as mullite, SiAlONs, MAX phases, composites (SiO2-Al2O3, NiAl-ZrO2 ), powders in their more complicated states, such as well controlled microstructures, fully densified intermetallics, smart composites, and hard coatings carried out by GFA researchers greatly contributed to the worldwide competition to harness the potential of SHS. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of SHS, this paper is giving an overview of the main results obtained by GFA over the last ten years

Clinical Relevance of Tumor Cells with Stem-Like Properties in Pediatric Brain Tumors

BACKGROUND: Primitive brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related death in children. Tumor cells with stem-like properties (TSCs), thought to account for tumorigenesis and therapeutic resistance, have been isolated from high-grade gliomas in adults. Whether TSCs are a common component of pediatric brain tumors and are of clinical relevance remains to be determined. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Tumor cells with self-renewal properties were isolated with cell biology techniques from a majority of 55 pediatric brain tumors samples, regardless of their histopathologies and grades of malignancy (57% of embryonal tumors, 57% of low-grade gliomas and neuro-glial tumors, 70% of ependymomas, 91% of high-grade gliomas). Most high-grade glioma-derived oncospheres (10/12) sustained long-term self-renewal akin to neural stem cells (>7 self-renewals), whereas cells with limited renewing abilities akin to neural progenitors dominated in all other tumors. Regardless of tumor entities, the young age group was associated with self-renewal properties akin to neural stem cells (P = 0.05, chi-square test). Survival analysis of the cohort showed an association between isolation of cells with long-term self-renewal abilities and a higher patient mortality rate (P = 0.013, log-rank test). Sampling of low- and high-grade glioma cultures showed that self-renewing cells forming oncospheres shared a molecular profile comprising embryonic and neural stem cell markers. Further characterization performed on subsets of high-grade gliomas and one low-grade glioma culture showed combination of this profile with mesenchymal markers, the radio-chemoresistance of the cells and the formation of aggressive tumors after intracerebral grafting. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: In brain tumors affecting adult patients, TSCs have been isolated only from high-grade gliomas. In contrast, our data show that tumor cells with stem cell-like or progenitor-like properties can be isolated from a wide range of histological sub-types and grades of pediatric brain tumors. They suggest that cellular mechanisms fueling tumor development differ between adult and pediatric brain tumors