Which Model of Biological Plausibility for Language?: The Case of “What Darwin Got Wrong”

( Francesco Alessio Ursini ) 서강대학교 언어정보연구소 2013 언어와 정보 사회 Vol.19 No.-

Ursini, Francesco-Alessio(2013), “Which Model of Biological Plausibility for Language?: The Case of ``What Darwin Got Wrong`` ”, Language & Information Society 19. The goal of this paper is to discuss some of the conceptual consequences of the arguments put forward in What Darwin Got Wrong, for a broader theory of the biolinguistic approach. The book offers arguments against “New Synthesis” approaches to Evolutionary Theory, that are particularly germane to biolinguistic matters. One main contention is that only approaches to evolutionary facts that capture the “laws of form” observed across living organisms can be theoretically and empirically adequate. However, the book does not investigate whether this contention applies to linguistic matters as well. This issue is addressed in the paper, and it is argued that organism-internal properties, which can be captured via the formal notion of “conservativity”, must be found in language as well. Therefore, it is argued that only those lin-guistic theories that capture these properties, be they about syntactic, semantic or acquisition matters alike can be considered as biolinguistically plausible.

The FBH family of bHLH transcription factors controls ACC synthase expression in sugarcane

Alessio, Valter Miotto,Cavaç,ana, Natale,Dantas, Luí,za Lane de Barros,Lee, Nayoung,Hotta, Carlos Takeshi,Imaizumi, Takato,Menossi, Marcelo Oxford University Press 2018 Journal of experimental botany Vol.69 No.10

<▼1><P>Identification of transcription factors that control the expression of the sugarcane <I>ACS</I> gene, which is likely involved in ethylene-controlled sucrose accumulation and the circadian regulation of ethylene biosynthesis.</P></▼1><▼2><P><B>Abstract</B></P><P>Ethylene is a phytohormone involved in the regulation of several aspects of plant development and in responses to biotic and abiotic stress. The effects of exogenous application of ethylene to sugarcane plants are well characterized as growth inhibition of immature internodes and stimulation of sucrose accumulation. However, the molecular network underlying the control of ethylene biosynthesis in sugarcane remains largely unknown. The chemical reaction catalyzed by 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase (ACS) is an important rate-limiting step that regulates ethylene production in plants. In this work, using a yeast one-hybrid approach, we identified three basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors, homologs of Arabidopsis FBH (FLOWERING BHLH), that bind to the promoter of <I>ScACS2</I> (Sugarcane <I>ACS2</I>), a sugarcane type 3 ACS isozyme gene. Protein–protein interaction assays showed that sugarcane FBH1 (ScFBH1), ScFBH2, and ScFBH3 form homo- and heterodimers in the nucleus. Gene expression analysis revealed that <I>ScFBHs</I> and <I>ScACS2</I> transcripts are more abundant in maturing internodes during afternoon and night. In addition, Arabidopsis functional analysis demonstrated that FBH controls ethylene production by regulating transcript levels of <I>ACS7</I>, a homolog of <I>ScACS2</I>. These results indicate that ScFBHs transcriptionally regulate ethylene biosynthesis in maturing internodes of sugarcane.</P></▼2>

Forward Deployed and Committed: Britain’s Post-Brexit Indo-Pacific Strategy

Alessio Patalano 동아시아재단 2019 Global Asia Vol.14 No.2

Upcoming Direct-Acting Antivirals for Prior Treatment Failure

( Alessio Aghemo ) 대한간학회 2018 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2018 No.1

Treatment of hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) with directly acting antivirals (DAAs) can achieve sustained virological response (SVR) rates of nearly 97-98% in real life cohorts. Treatment failure although rare can be challenging from a therapeutical point of view as most patients who will fail DAA treatment are characterized by advanced liver disease and thus are the most in need patients. Treatment failure can rarely be the direct consequence of suboptimal DAA treatment (incorrect genotyping, suboptimal schedules or poor adherence), however in most cases treatment failure to DAAs is the consequence of pre-existing Resistance Associated Substitutions (RASs) in the patient’s HCV quasispecies. High level RASs defined by an increase in the DAA EC 50 of more than 100 fold, impact on the activity of DAAs in the clinical setting and can significantly reduce SVR rates in the presence of other factors of non-response such as HCV genotype 1a or 3, presence of advanced fibrosis or high baseline viral load. Treatment failure is associated with selection of RASs to the DAA class that was given as first line treatment. While RASs selected after failure of a Protease inhibitor have been shown to revert to wild type within 1-2 years, and RASs to NS5B polymerase inhibitors very rarely occur, RASs to NS5A containing regimens have been shown to persist for at least 2 years following treatment failure. For this reason, most scientific guidelines suggest to perform RAS testing before starting re-treatment to guide treatment selection. This approach clashes with the fact that only 1 regimen is approved for the re-treatment of DAA failures, the combination of Sofobuvir/Velpatasvir/Voxilaprevir. This single tablet regimen has been evaluated in a large Phase III program, which studied 12 weeks of treatment in patients who failed a previous DAA regimen. Included were both patients who failed an NS5a containing regimen (Polaris 1) and those who failed a regimen which did not include an NS5A (Polaris 4). Overall the SVR rates were 96% and 97% respectively, with no significant safety signals. The main limit of this regimen is that Sofosbuvir is metabolized by the kidney, making it not recommended in patients with CKD stage 4-5, and Voxilaprevir is metabolized by the liver making it contraindicated and unsafe in patients with decompensated disease. In patients with decompensated liver diseases the current recommendation for the re-treatment of DAA failures is the combination of Sofosbuvir/Velapatasvir plus Ribavirin for 24 weeks.

Evolution of glomerular filtration rates and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin during treatment with direct acting antiviral

Alessio Strazzulla,Giuseppe Coppolino,Giorgio Settimo Barreca,Innocenza Gentile,Laura Rivoli,Maria Concetta Postorino,Maria Mazzitelli,Giuseppe Greco,Chiara Costa,Vincenzo Pisani,Nadia Marascio,Mariad 대한간학회 2018 Clinical and Molecular Hepatology(대한간학회지) Vol.24 No.2

Background/Aims: Correct renal function evaluation is based on estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) and complementary renal damage biomarkers, such as neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL). The aim of this study was to evaluate eGFR and NGAL modifications and renal impairment during treatment with a direct acting antiviral (DAA) for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Methods: A retrospective cohort study evaluated eGFR modification during treatment with DAA. Subgroup analysis on serum NGAL was conducted in those receiving sofosbuvir/ledipasvir, with complete follow-up until week 12 after the end of treatment (FU-12). Results: In the 102 enrolled patients, eGFR reduction was observed (from 86.22 mL/min at baseline to 84.43 mL/min at FU-12, P=0.049). Mean NGAL increased in 18 patients (from 121.89 ng/mL at baseline to 204.13 ng/mL at FU-12, P=0.014). At FU-12, 38.8% (7/18) of patients had a plasmatic NGAL value higher than the normal range (36-203 ng/mL) compared with 11.1% (2/18) at baseline (χ2=3,704; P=0.054). In contrast, eGFR did not change significantly over the follow-up in this subgroup. Conclusions: In conclusion, compared to a negligible eGFR decline observed in the entire cohort analyzed, a significant NGAL increase was observed after HCV treatment with DAA in a small subgroup. This could reflect tubular damage during DAA treatment rather than glomerular injury.

ON GROUPS SATISFYING THE MAXIMAL AND THE MINIMAL CONDITIONS FOR SUBNORMAL SUBGROUPS OF INFINITE ORDER OR INDEX

Alessio Russo 대한수학회 2010 대한수학회보 Vol.47 No.4

In this article we will prove that a generalized radical group satisfying the maximal condition for subnormal subgroups of infinite order (the minimal condition for subnormal subgroups of infinite index,respectively) is soluble-by-finite. Such result generalizes that obtained by D. H. Paek in [5].

LUXURY TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY: A GRI-BASED SUSTAINABILITY REPORT ANALYSIS

Alessio Di Leo,Giovanni Mattia,Carlo Alberto Pratesi,Ludovica Principato 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2019 Global Fashion Management Conference Vol.2019 No.07

Pharmacokinetics of thalidomide in dogs: can feeding affect it? A preliminary study

Alessio Pierini,Irene Sartini,Mario Giorgi,Beata Łebkowska-Wieruszewska,Andrzej Lisowski,Amnart Poapolathep,Veronica Marchetti 대한수의학회 2020 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.21 No.5

Background: Tumor-associated neoangiogenesis is a crucial target for antitumor therapies. Thalidomide (TAL) is a promising anti-neoangiogenetic drug that has recently been used in the treatment of several malignancies in dogs. Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the pharmacokinetics of TAL after single oral administration in dogs. Additionally, the influence of feeding on the pharmacokinetic profile of TAL in dogs has been preliminarily investigated. Methods: Six healthy adult female Labradors were enrolled according to a randomized single-dose, 2-treatment, 2-phase, paired 2 × 2 cross-over study design. The dogs were administered a single 400 mg capsule of TAL in fasted and fed conditions. Blood was collected from 15 min to 48 h after dosing, and TAL quantified in plasma by a validated high-performance liquid chromatography method. The pharmacokinetics of TAL were analyzed using a non-compartmental approach. Results: TAL concentration was quantifiable up to 10 h and 24 h after fasted and fed conditions, respectively. Cmax (fasted, 1.34 ± 0.12 μg/mL; fed, 2.47 ± 0.19 μg/mL) and Tmax (fasted, 3 h; fed, 10 h) differed substantially between the 2 groups. AUC and t1/2λz were significantly higher in fed (42.46 ± 6.64 mg × h/L; 17.14 ± 4.68 h) compared to fasted (12.38 ± 1.13 mg × h/L; 6.55 ± 1.25 h) dogs. The relative oral bioavailability of TAL for the fasted group was low (36.92% ± 3.28%). Conclusions: Feeding affects the pharmacokinetics of oral TAL in dogs, showing a delayed, but higher absorption with different rate of elimination. These findings are of importance in clinical veterinary settings, and represent a starting point for further related studies.

Long-Term Follow-Up of Patients with Chronic HCV Infection and Compensated or Decompensated Cirrhosis Following Treatment with Sofosbuvir-Based Regimens

( Alessio Aghemo ),( Alessandra Mangia ),( Eric Lawitz ),( Ed Gane ),( Brian Conway ),( Peter J. Ruane ),( Armando Abergel ),( Sooji Lee ),( Brian McNabb ),( Anu Osinusi ),( Frances Chen ),( Hadas Dvo 대한간학회 2018 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2018 No.1

Aims: Early results from registries and cohort studies have demonstrated that patients with cirrhosis who achieve SVR with DAA experience improvements in liver-related morbidity, HCC risk, and mortality. However, follow-up time for these studies is generally short. This analysis from the Gilead Cirrhosis Registry evaluates long-term outcomes in patients with cirrhosis who achieved SVR following treatment with a sofosbuvir-(SOF) based regimen. Methods: Patients with cirrhosis who achieved SVR after receiving a SOF-based regimen were eligible for enrollment. Patients enrolled within 60 weeks of completing a treatment study or transfer from another SVR registry study, or within 2 years of achieving SVR following treatment in a clinical practice setting. Patients return for visits every 24 weeks for 5 years for laboratory, clinical, and radiographic assessments of durability of SVR and clinical progression of liver disease. In this abstract we report the HCC incidence, CTP scores, and SVR durability. Results: As of 5 OCT 2017, 1564 patients have been enrolled in the cirrhosis registry. Mean age (range) is 59 (26-86) years, 68% are male, and 84% of patients had pretreatment CTP scores A. Median (range) of registry follow-up time was 53 (<1-144) weeks. Overall, there were 55 observed events of HCC in 3922 person-years (PYs) of follow-up since the start of DAA treatment (34 cases in 3292 PYs of follow-up for CTP-A patients and 21 in 601 PYs of follow-up for CTP B+C patients). Overall, patients with pretreatment CTP-A cirrhosis maintained CTP-A status while patients with pretreatment CTP B or C cirrhosis showed improvement. Conclusions: In this ongoing registry of patients with cirrhosis who achieved SVR after treatment with a SOF-based regimen, HCC was uncommon and occurred more often in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. The majority of patients maintained or improved their CTP category relative to pretreatment through up to week 96.

Notes on preverbation in contemporary Italian

Alessio Muro 한국이탈리아어문학회(구 한국이어이문학회) 2016 이탈리아어문학 Vol.0 No.47

The present contribution aims to provide a synthetic description of the main morphological and syntactic phenomena linked to preverbation in contemporary Italian, paying special attention to the phenomenon of preverb stacking, which so far has not received any attention, as far as Italian is concerned. Preverbs are defined as a subset of verbal prefixes, namely those bearing semantic values pertaining to the domains of space, temporal/aspectual meanings, or quantification. Such prefixes are mainly spatial in their original uses, the other meanings being the outcomes of grammaticalization paths. There is, in Italian and other Indo-European languages, a certain formal overlap between the class of preverbs and that of adpositions (i.e. prepositions, in the case of Italian). The first part of the paper is devoted to a discussion of the relationship between prepositions and preverbs, with special attention being paid to the effects of preverbation on argument structure and transitivity. After introducing the temporal/actional meanings of Italian preverbs, the main features of preverb stacking are outlined. Two types of stacking are identifiable in Italian: the type termed ‘preverbazione incrementale’ (incremental preverbation) features the stacking of individual preverbs, each of which contributes a clearly identifiable meaning. This type allows for the stacking of up to three preverbs; those positioned in the second and third layers normally cannot express spatial meanings. This phenomenon is common in the formal register of the language. The other type is termed ‘polipreverbazione intensiva’ (intensifying preverb stacking): its characteristics are the opposite of those identified for incremental preverbation. In this type, the preverbs are all intensifiers and come in lexicalized blocks commonly composed of three morphemes. Intensifying stacking is a feature of the colloquial language (especially of younger generations).