Internet metaphors: a cross-linguistic perspective

The purpose of this article is to discuss whether there is any connection between the understanding of a metaphorical concept which emerged in a foreign language and the linguistic means, e.g. loan-translation, loanword, etc., through which this concept is verbalized in other linguistic communities. It is argued that website cannot be translated into German as Netzort (website), because website as it is understood by speakers of German is not a place on the Internet, as the English metaphor seems to suggest, but a collection of connected web-pages. Similarly, firewall is not a wall designed to prevent the spread of fire, but a software product that protects against hackers and other malicious intruders.El propósito de este artículo es debatir si hay alguna conexión entre la comprensión de un concepto metafórico surgido en un idioma extranjero y los medios lingüísticos, es decir la préstamo-traducción, el préstamo y otros, a través de los que este concepto está verbalizado en otras comunidades lingüísticas. Se argumenta que el website no se puede traducir al alemán como Netzort (website), porque website por sí mismo no es entendido por los hablantes de alemán como un lugar en Internet, lo que la metáfora inglesa parece sugerir, sino como una colección de páginas Web conectadas. De forma similar, el firewall no es una pared diseñada para prevenir la extensión del fuego, sino un producto de software que protege contra hackers y otros intrusos malévolos

Internet Metaphors: a Cross-Linguistic Perspective

The purpose of this article is to discuss whether there is any connection between the understanding of a metaphorical concept which emerged in a foreign language and the linguistic means, e.g. loan-translation, loanword, etc., through which this concept is verbalized in other linguistic communities. It is argued that website cannot be translated into German as Netzort (website), because website as it is understood by speakers of German is not a place on the Internet, as the English metaphor seems to suggest, but a collection of connected web-pages. Similarly, firewall is not a wall designed to prevent the spread of fire, but a software product that protects against hackers and other malicious intruders

Reaction-Diffusion Processes from Equivalent Integrable Quantum Chains

One-dimensional reaction-diffusion systems are mapped through a similarity transformation onto integrable (and a priori non-stochastic) quantum chains. Time-dependent properties of these chemical models can then be found exactly. The reaction-diffusion processes related to free fermion systems with site-independent interactions are classified. The time-dependence of the mean particle density is calculated. Furthermore new integrable stochastic processes related to the Heisenberg XXZ chain are identified and the relaxation times for the particle density and density correlation for these systems are found.Comment: 67 pages, Latex, 3 eps figures. (final version, typos corrected

Phospholemman Phosphorylation Regulates Vascular Tone, Blood Pressure, and Hypertension in Mice and Humans

Background: While it has long been recognized that smooth muscle Na/K ATPase (NKA) modulates vascular tone and blood pressure (BP), the role of its accessory protein phopholemman (PLM) has not been characterized. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that PLM phosphorylation regulates vascular tone in vitro and this mechanism plays an important role in modulation of vascular function and BP in experimental models in vivo and in man. Methods: Mouse studies: PLM knock-in mice (PLM3SA), in which PLM is rendered unphosphorylatable, were used to assess the role of PLM phosphorylation in vitro in aortic and mesenteric vessels using wire myography and membrane potential measurements. In vivo BP and regional blood flow were assessed using Doppler flow and telemetry in young (14-16 weeks) and old (57-60 weeks) wild-type (WT) and transgenic mice. Human studies: We searched human genomic databases for mutations in PLM in the region of the phosphorylation sites and performed analyses within two human data cohorts (UK Biobank and GoDARTS) to assess the impact of an identified SNP on BP. This SNP was expressed in HEK cells and its effect on PLM phosphorylation determined using Western Blotting. Results: PLM phosphorylation at Ser63 and Ser68 limited vascular constriction in response to phenylephrine. This effect was blocked by ouabain. Prevention of PLM phosphorylation in the PLM3SA mouse profoundly enhanced vascular responses to PE both in vitro and in vivo. In ageing WT mice PLM was hypophosphorylated and this correlated with the development of ageing-induced essential hypertension. In man we identified a non-synonymous coding variant, single nucleotide polymorphism rs61753924, which causes the substitution R70C in PLM. In HEK cells the R70C mutation prevented PLM phosphorylation at Ser68. This variant's rare allele is significantly associated with increased BP in middle-aged men. Conclusions: These studies demonstrate the importance of PLM phosphorylation in the regulation of vascular tone and BP and suggest a novel mechanism, and therapeutic target, for ageing-induced essential hypertension in man

Measurement of the Forward-Backward Asymmetry in the B -> K(*) mu+ mu- Decay and First Observation of the Bs -> phi mu+ mu- Decay

We reconstruct the rare decays $B^+ \to K^+\mu^+\mu^-$, $B^0 \to K^{*}(892)^0\mu^+\mu^-$, and $B^0_s \to \phi(1020)\mu^+\mu^-$ in a data sample corresponding to $4.4 {\rm fb^{-1}}$ collected in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=1.96 {\rm TeV}$ by the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. Using $121 \pm 16$ $B^+ \to K^+\mu^+\mu^-$ and $101 \pm 12$ $B^0 \to K^{*0}\mu^+\mu^-$ decays we report the branching ratios. In addition, we report the measurement of the differential branching ratio and the muon forward-backward asymmetry in the $B^+$ and $B^0$ decay modes, and the $K^{*0}$ longitudinal polarization in the $B^0$ decay mode with respect to the squared dimuon mass. These are consistent with the theoretical prediction from the standard model, and most recent determinations from other experiments and of comparable accuracy. We also report the first observation of the $B^0_s \to \phi\mu^+\mu^- decay and measure its branching ratio${\mathcal{B}}(B^0_s \to \phi\mu^+\mu^-) = [1.44 \pm 0.33 \pm 0.46] \times 10^{-6}$using$27 \pm 6$signal events. This is currently the most rare$B^0_s$ decay observed.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Search for a New Heavy Gauge Boson Wprime with Electron + missing ET Event Signature in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV

We present a search for a new heavy charged vector boson $W^\prime$ decaying to an electron-neutrino pair in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96\unit{TeV}. The data were collected with the CDF II detector and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 5.3\unit{fb}^{-1}. No significant excess above the standard model expectation is observed and we set upper limits on $\sigma\cdot{\cal B}(W^\prime\to e\nu)$. Assuming standard model couplings to fermions and the neutrino from the $W^\prime$ boson decay to be light, we exclude a $W^\prime$ boson with mass less than 1.12\unit{TeV/}c^2 at the 95\unit{%} confidence level.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures Submitted to PR

Measurements of the properties of Lambda_c(2595), Lambda_c(2625), Sigma_c(2455), and Sigma_c(2520) baryons

We report measurements of the resonance properties of Lambda_c(2595)+ and Lambda_c(2625)+ baryons in their decays to Lambda_c+ pi+ pi- as well as Sigma_c(2455)++,0 and Sigma_c(2520)++,0 baryons in their decays to Lambda_c+ pi+/- final states. These measurements are performed using data corresponding to 5.2/fb of integrated luminosity from ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV, collected with the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron. Exploiting the largest available charmed baryon sample, we measure masses and decay widths with uncertainties comparable to the world averages for Sigma_c states, and significantly smaller uncertainties than the world averages for excited Lambda_c+ states.Comment: added one reference and one table, changed order of figures, 17 pages, 15 figure