Europe: So Many Languages, So Many Cultures

The number of different languages in Europe by far exceeds the number of countries. All European countries have national languages, and in nearly all of them there are minority languages as well, whereas all major languages have dialects. National borders rarely coincide with linguistic borders, but the latter (including dialect borders) mark by their nature also more or less distinct cultural areas. This paper presents a survey of the different language families represented in Europe: Indo-European, Uralic, Altaic, and the four Caucasian language families, each with their sub-branches and individual languages. Some information is given on characteristic structural phenomena and on the status and history of these languages or language families and on some of their extinct predecessors. The paper ends with a short discussion on the language policy and practices of the institutions of the European Union. Europe lacks a language with the status and power comparable to Indonesian in Indonesia. The policy is therefore based on equal status of all national languages and on respect for all languages, including national minority ones. The practice, however, is unavoidably practical: “the more languages, the more English”

Recent developments in the characterization of superconducting films by microwaves

We describe and analyze selected surface impedance data recently obtained by different groups on cuprate, ruthenate and diboride superconducting films on metallic and dielectric substrates for fundamental studies and microwave applications. The discussion includes a first review of microwave data on MgB2, the weak-link behaviour of RABiTS-type YBa2Cu3O7-d tapes, and the observation of a strong anomalous power-dependence of the microwave losses in MgO at low temperatures. We demonstrate how microwave measurements can be used to investigate electronic, magnetic, and dielectric dissipation and relaxation in the films and substrates. The impact of such studies reaches from the extraction of microscopic information to the engineering of materials and further on to applications in power systems and communication technology.Comment: Invited contribution to EUCAS2001, accepted for publication in Physica C in its present for

On the Development of Urak Lawoi' Malay

Urak Lawoi' yang berarti ‘orang laut' adalah nama suku nelayan pengembaralaut yang tersebar di Pulau Phuket (Thailand) dan Kepulauan Adang disebelah selatannya. Bahasa mereka yang juga dikenal dengan nama UrakLawoi' merupakan sebuah varietas Melayu yang khas. Dari pemeriannyayang ada tampaklah bahwa bahasa itu menyimpang dari varietas Melayudi daratan Thailand Selatan dan di semenanjung Malaysia. Dalam artikel inidirekonstruksikan Perubahan bunyi dalam urutannya yang diakronis, yangtelah memberikan wujud khas pada kata-kata leksikal Urak Lawoi' itu. Yangmenonjol dalam hal itu adalah dua Perubahan bunyi yang mengingatkan bahasabahasadi Kalimantan Barat dan Serawak, yaitu hilangnya letupan bersuarasetelah konsonan nasal di dalam morfem (*-mb- > -m-, dan seterusnya), danpenggantian nasal pada akhir kata oleh konsonan tak bersuara yang homorgan(*-m > -p, dan seterusnya)

A near-infrared fluorophore for live-cell super-resolution microscopy of cellular proteins

The ideal fluorescent probe for bioimaging is bright, absorbs at long wavelengths and can be implemented flexibly in living cells and in vivo. However, the design of synthetic fluorophores that combine all of these properties has proved to be extremely difficult. Here, we introduce a biocompatible near-infrared silicon-rhodamine probe that can be coupled specifically to proteins using different labelling techniques. Importantly, its high permeability and fluorogenic character permit the imaging of proteins in living cells and tissues, and its brightness and photostability make it ideally suited for live-cell super-resolution microscopy. The excellent spectroscopic properties of the probe combined with its ease of use in live-cell applications make it a powerful new tool for bioimaging.\ua9 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved