Pitch contours of Northern Vietnamese tones vary with focus marking

Intonation is a means of structuring discourse and one of its functions is to highlight new or contrasting information, i.e., focus. Speakers of different languages use a range of prosodic cues to mark focus. Compared to non-tonal languages such as English, tonal languages use pitch to distinguish lexical tones and focus marking. Determining the interplay between intonation and lexical tone is therefore important. Previous studies found that tonal languages use different strategies to mark focus. For example, some use an increase (e.g., Mandarin Chinese), others a decrease in pitch (e.g., Kammu). The Vietnamese language has six lexical tones and is particularly interesting for examining pitch contours in focus marking. In this article, we present a production study with 70 Northern Vietnamese speakers. Participants read six sentences aloud under two different conditions (narrow/wide focus). In each sentence, focus marked a single noun (‘focus item’) which occurred in the final position of the sentence and carried one of the six tones. Acoustic analyses of the focus item showed that Vietnamese speakers realized focus with significant differences in pitch at the beginning of the word, but the strategies to increase or decrease pitch varied across tones. Our findings add important insights to the discussion about Information Structure and the role of intonation in tonal languages by analyzing the use of prosodic cues in a complex tone system. The large number of speakers in our study also adds further methodological rigor compared to other studies, which often rely on a few speakers.1 Introduction 2 Using intonation for focus marking 2.1 Focus marking with intonation in tonal languages 2.2 Using intonation to mark pragmatic functions and focus in Vietnamese 3 Method 3.1 Participants 3.3 Material 3.2 Procedure 3.3 Pitch Analysis 4 Results 5 Discussio

Canguilhem and Continental Philosophy of Biology

This edited volume presents papers on this alternative philosophy of biology that could be called “continental philosophy of biology,” and the variety of positions and solutions that it has spawned. In doing so, it contributes to debates in the history and philosophy of science and the history of philosophy of science, as well as to the craving for ‘history’ and/or ‘theory’ in the theoretical biological disciplines. In addition, however, it also provides inspiration for a broader image of philosophy of biology, in which these traditional issues may have a place. The volume devotes specific attention to the work of Georges Canguilhem, which is central to this alternative tradition of “continental philosophy of biology”. This is the first collection on Georges Canguilhem and the Continental tradition in philosophy of biology. The book should be of interest to philosophers of biology, continental philosophers, historians of biology and those interested in broader traditions in philosophy of science

Letter to the editor: Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV in Europe: The need for resistance surveillance

__To the editor:__ In a recent paper by Hauser et al. in this journal, a prevalence of 10.8% of transmitted drugresistant viruses was reported among newly diagnosed HIV cases in Germany in 2013 and 2014. The authors conclude that genotypic resistance testing remains important for treatment as well as HIV prevention. We comment on the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in relation to drug resistance in HIV infections and the need for European surveillance of drug resistance

Filling some black holes: modeling the connection between urbanization, infrastructure, and global service intensity

This empirical article combines insights from previous research on the level of knowledge-intensive service in metropolitan areas with the aim to develop an understanding of the spatial structure of the global service economy. We use a stepwise regression model with the Globalization and World Cities research network's measure of globalized service provisioning as the dependent variable and a range of variables focusing on population, infrastructure, urban primacy, and national regulation as independent variables. The discussion of the results focuses on model parameters as well as the meaning of outliers and is used to explore some avenues for future research

Going to the exclusive show : exhibition strategies and moviegoing memories of Disneys animated feature films in Ghent (1937-1982)

This is a case study of the exploitation and experience of Disney's animated feature films from the 1930s to the 1980s in Ghent (Belgium). It is a historical study of programming practices and financial strategies which constructed childhood memories on watching Disney. The study is a contribution to a historical understanding of the implications of global distribution of film as cultural products and the counter pull of localism. Using a multi-method approach, the argument is made that the scarce screenings were strategically programmed to uplift the moviegoing experience into something out of the ordinary in everyday life. Programming and revenue data characterize the screenings as exclusive and generating high intakes. Consequently, the remembered screenings did not exhale an easy accessible social status nor an image of pervasiveness of popular childhood film, contradictory to conventional accounts of Disney's ubiquity in popular culture

Evaluatie en waardering van de archeologische sites Rooiveld-Papenvijvers(Oostkamp, provincie West-Vlaanderen)

Dit rapport beschrijft de resultaten van het waarderend onderzoek op de archeologische sites Rooiveld-Papenvijvers in Oostkamp (West-Vlaanderen). De oudste sporen van menselijke activiteit in dit gebied gaan terug tot het mesolithicum. De bewoning tijdens het neolithicum is goed gedocumenteerd. Naast de opgegraven nederzetting te Waardamme Vijvers, leverde het proefsleuvenonderzoek te Papenvijvers een finaal-neolithische site (3de millennium cal BC). Verder leverden de beperkte prospecties op verschillende plaatsen, waaronder Oostkamp Nieuwenhove en Hertsberge Papevijvers, lithische artefacten op die naar alle waarschijnlijkheid tot een niet nader te bepalen fase van het neolithicum behoren. Deze situatie is vrij uniek voor Vlaanderen. Neolithische bewoning in de zandige delen van Vlaanderen ontbrak tot nog toe vrijwel, met uitzondering van enkele graven van de Klokbekercultuur. De opgraving te Waardamme Vijvers is bijzonder vanwege de ontdekking van de eerste en vooralsnog enige huisplattegrond uit het neolithicum in Vlaanderen. Sporen uit de bronstijd zijn dankzij de luchtfotografie heel talrijk in het gebied. Het desktop onderzoek leverde in totaal een negental cirkelvormige structuren op die naar alle waarschijnlijkheid mogen geïnterpreteerd worden als resten van grafheuvels uit de vroege en midden-bronstijd. Het is ook duidelijk dat de regio in de bronstijd bewoond was, o.a. door de opgraving op de site Waardamme Vijvers. Voor de ijzertijd is de situatie vermoedelijk gelijklopend. De enige nederzetting die uit deze periode werd aangetroffen komt eveneens uit de opgraving in Waardamme Vijvers. Voor de Romeinse periode beschikken we slechts over de sporen van een grafveld op Waardamme Vijvers en keramiekvondsten. Latere periodes zijn alleen via cartografische bronnen gedocumenteerd. Het rapport eindigt met aanbevelingen voor verder onderzoek en beheer van dit gebied

Analysis of the Fragilaria rumpens complex (Fragilariaceae, Bacillariophyta) with the description of two new species

The former Synedra rumpens complex has long puzzled diatom taxonomists. In the nineteenth century, many infraspecific taxa were described as varieties or forms of S. rumpens. In the present study, type material of Synedra rumpens and several infraspecific taxa such as S. rumpens var. fragilarioides and S. familiaris f. parva and f. major was investigated using LM and SEM observations. For comparison, the original material of several other relevant diatom taxa (such as Fragilaria perdelicatissima, F. spinaspeciosa, Synedra campyla, S. vaucheriae var. distans) was also analysed. The results based on these comparisons show that all infraspecific taxa should be split from Fragilaria rumpens. Fragilaria campyla is a new combination within the genus Fragilaria with F. parva and S. (rumpens var.?) familiaris f. major as synonyms. Fragilaria scotica is likewise a new combination in Fragilaria. Fragilaria metcalfeana is proposed as new name for Synedra familiaris var. neogena. The analysis of F. distans and F. fragilarioides confirmed their conspecificity, with F. fragilarioides having priority as name. Finally, two new species, F. pseudofamiliaris Van de Vijver, T.M.Schuster, Kusber et D.M.Williams sp. nov. and F. bahlsiana Van de Vijver, C.E.Wetzel et Ector sp. nov. are described. Using an analysis of the associated diatom flora, the ecological preferences of each taxon are briefly discussed

No serological evidence that harbour porpoises are additional hosts of influenza B viruses

Influenza A and B viruses circulate among humans causing epidemics almost annually. While various hosts for influenza A viruses exist, influenza B viruses have been detected only in humans and seals. However, recurrent infections of seals in Dutch coastal waters with influenza B viruses that are antigenetically distinct from influenza B viruses circulating among humans suggest that influenza B viruses have been introduced into this seal population by another, non-human, host. Harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) are sympatric with seals in these waters and are also occasion