A semantic explanation for the External Argument Generalization

-Er nominals usually obey the External Argument Generalization: the argument of the nominal receives the thematic role that the verb assigns to its external argument. I argue that this syntactic generalization, as well as the exceptions to it, can be explained by semantics.Specifically, -er nominals usually express properties that are inherent in the subject; I argue that they therefore belong to the class of expressions that express such properties—dynamic modals. Crucially, dynamic modals are subject oriented; hence, the proposal that -er nominals are dynamic modals naturally provides an account of the External Argument Generalization.     

Reconsidering Darwin’s “Several Powers”

Contemporary textbooks often define evolution in terms of the replication, mutation, and selective retention of DNA sequences, ignoring the contribution of the physical processes involved. In the closing line of The Origin of Species, however, Darwin recognized that natural selection depends on prior more basic living functions, which he merely described as life’s “several powers.” For Darwin these involved the organism’s capacity to maintain itself and to reproduce offspring that preserve its critical functional organization. In modern terms we have come to recognize that this involves the continual generation of complex organic molecules in complex configurations accomplished with the aid of persistent far-from-equilibrium chemical self-organizing and self-assembling processes. But reliable persistence and replication of these processes also requires constantly available constraints and boundary conditions. Organism autonomy further requires that these constraints and co-dependent dynamics are reciprocally produced, each by the other. In this paper I argue that the different constraint-amplifying dynamics of two or more self-organizing processes can be coupled so that they reciprocally generate each other’s critical supportive boundary conditions. This coupling is a higher-order constraint (which can be distributed among components or offloaded onto molecular structures) that effectively constitutes a sign vehicle “interpreted” by the synergistic dynamics of these co-dependent self-organizing process so that they reconstitute this same semiotic-dynamic relationship and its self-reconstituting potential in new substrates. This dynamical co-dependence constitutes Darwin’s “several powers” and is the basis of the biosemiosis that enables evolution.     

Chemo-Enzymatic Synthesis of Optically Active γ- and δ-Decalactones and Their Effect on Aphid Probing,Feeding and Settling Behavior

The enantiomerically enriched γ- and δ-decalactones (4a and 4b) were prepared from corresponding racemic primary-secondary 1,4- and 1,5-diols (1a and 1b), as products of enzymatic oxidation catalyzed by different alcohol dehydrogenases. The results of biotransformations indicated that the oxidation processes catalyzed by alcohol dehydrogenase (HLADH), both isolated from horse liver and recombinant in Escherichia coli, were characterized by the highest degree of conversion with moderate enantioselectivity of the reaction. Useful, environmentally friendly extraction procedure of decalactones (4a and 4b) based on hydrodistillation using a Deryng apparatus was developed. Both racemic lactones (4a and 4b), as well as their enantiomerically enriched isomers, were tested for feeding deterrent activity against Myzus persicae. The effect of these compounds on probing, feeding and settling behavior of M. persicae was studied in vivo. The deterrent activity of decalactones (4a and 4b) against aphids depended on the size of the lactone ring and the enantiomeric purity of the compounds. δ-Decalactone (4b) appeared inactive against M. persicae while γ-decalactone (4a) restrained aphid probing at ingestional phase. Only (–)-(S)-γ-decalactone (4a) had strong and durable (i.e. lasting for at least 24 hours) limiting effect, expressed at phloem level.     

Dibutyryl-cAMP affecting fat deposition of finishing pigs by decreasing the inflammatory system related to insulin sensitive or lipolysis

Background

The mechanism of db-cAMP regulating fat deposition and improving lean percentage is unclear and needs to be further studied.

Methods

Eighteen 100-day-old Duroc × Landrance × Large White barrows (49.75?±?0.75 kg) were used for experiment 1, and 15 eighteen 135-day-old barrows (78.34?±?1.22 kg) were used for experiment 2 to investigate the effects of dietary dibutyryl-cAMP (db-cAMP) on fat deposition in finishing pigs. Pigs were fed with a corn-soybean meal-based diet supplemented with 0 or 15 mg/kg db-cAMP, and both experiments lasted 35 days, respectively.

Results

The results showed that db-cAMP decreased the backfat thickness, backfat percentage, and diameter of backfat cells without changing the growth performance or carcass characteristics in both experiments, and this effect was more marked in experiment 1 than in experiment 2; db-cAMP enhanced the activity of the growth hormone–insulin-like growth factor-1 (GH-IGF-1) axis and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) system in both experiments, which suppressed the accumulation of backfat deposition; microarray analysis showed that db-cAMP suppressed the inflammatory system within the adipose tissue related to insulin sensitivity, which also reduced fat synthesis.

Conclusions

In summary, the effect of db-cAMP on suppressing fat synthesis and accumulation is better in the earlier phase than in the later phase of finishing pigs, and db-cAMP plays this function by increasing the activity of the GH-IGF-1 axis and POMC system, while decreasing the inflammatory system within the adipose tissue related to insulin sensitive or lipolysis.

     

Effect of Hydrothermal Modifications on Functional,Pasting and Structural Properties of False Banana (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ensete ventricosum</Emphasis>) Starch

Starch extracted from ensete (Ensete ventricosum, Musaceae) also called false banana, was modified by hydrothermal methods of annealing (ANN) and heat moisture treatment (HMT) processes. The effects of treatments on functional, pasting properties, morphology and diffraction pattern of the starch were studied. Swelling power and solubility changed significantly (p < 0.05) with modification. Water absorption (89.3–152.4 %) and oil absorption (105.0–161.3 %) capacities increased significantly (p < 0.05) with ANN and HMT. Alkaline water retention decreased with ANN but increased significantly (p < 0.05) with HMT. Hydrothermal modifications led to reduction in least gelation capacity of ensete starch. In terms of the pasting properties studied, the hydrothermal modifications imparted improved gel strength, increased paste stability, reduced retrogradation tendency and slowed staling rate on ensete starch. Scanning electron micrographs depicted fairly angular and elliptical shapes with diverse sizes for the starch granules. Clustering of granules, mucilage formation, fissures and surface indentation which were gaining prominence with increasing moisture level and temperature of treatment were the hallmarks of modified samples. Native and modified ensete starches showed similar type-B diffraction pattern with maximum peak range of 19.8–20.0^o (2θ). Findings of this work showed that hydrothermally modified ensete starches possess excellent value-added potentials for utilization in pharmaceuticals and food applications.     

Simplifying Hansen Solubility Parameters for Complex Edible Fats and Oils

Hansen solubility parameters (HSPs), often used to predict the miscibility between two compounds, are an alternative tool in evaluating the ability of the solvent to interact via dispersion, dipole-dipole, and hydrogen bonding interactions. The aim of this paper is to find a simple way to calculate HSPs for complex mixtures of triglycerides (TAGs). HSPs were calculated using two approaches: the first assumes that the contributions to the dispersion, dipole-dipole, and hydrogen bonding interactions may be subdivided into larger functional moieties (i.e., fatty acids and fatty acid methyl esters) that are additive, while the second approach assumes that vegetable oils are comprised of mixtures of simple TAGs in the same mass fractions as the fatty acids. The HSPs obtained using the two approaches are compared to reference values determined using the “Hansen Solubility Parameters in Practice” software (HSPiP) considering the complex TAG profile for each vegetable oil.HSPs for vegetable oils, obtained with the HSPiP software, did not correspond well to the HSPs obtained from the group contribution approach, when using fatty acids, fatty acids + glycerol or fatty acid methyl esters. In contrast, the HSPs calculated for vegetable oils, assuming that all TAGs are simple and in the same mass fractions as the fatty acids, provide similar values to the HSPs obtained from the HSPiP software. Therefore, it is possible to calculate the HSPs for complex oils by simply knowing the fatty acid composition. Knowledge of HSPs may be used to rationalize the ability of certain low molecular weight molecules to develop organogels in vegetable oils as well as the crystallization of triglycerides.