7,135 research outputs found
Principles and parameters
No full textIntroduction: Principles and ParametersThe Principles-and-Parameters (P&P) approach to cross-linguistic variation was first developed by Chomsky and his associates in the early 1980s (see in particular Chomsky (1981), and, for more general introductions, Roberts (1996), Baker (2001); see also discussions in §7.2, §13.5, §16.4.1, §28.2). The leading idea is that Universal Grammar (UG) contains an invariant set of principles associated with parameters which define the space of possible variation among actual languages. Taking the principles to be innately given, and the parameters to be triggered by salient parts of the primary linguistic data (PLD) for language acquisition, this approach was held to be a major step in the direction of explanatory adequacy (in the sense of Chomsky 1964), since language acquisition could be seen as setting the parameters of the native language on the combined basis of the innate UG and the triggering aspects of the PLD. To give a concrete, if rather simplified, example: we know that languages can be divided into those which have unmarked VO order, e.g. English, and those which have OV order, e.g. Japanese (see also the discussion of Romance and Latin in §27.3 below). On the classical P&P view, the notion of ‘verb’ is given by the universal theory of syntactic categories, the notion of ‘object’ is given by the universal theory of grammatical functions, and the idea that the two combine to form a VP is given by the universal theory of phrase structure. These are all taken to be reflexes of UG principles. But experience tells the child which order of O and V inside VP is the appropriate one, and so a child hearing Japanese sets the parameter to OV, while the child hearing English sets it to VO. Parameters describe what is variant in natural-language syntax, and as such they predict the dimensions of language typology, predict aspects of language acquisition and predict what can change in the diachronic dimension
How Might Adam Smith Pay Professors Today?
Full text linkAdam Smith’s proposal for paying professors was intended to induce increased faculty knowledge. If students have imperfect information about what they learn, and universities can only imperfectly measure the input of faculty time in student learning, publications may be used to measure faculty knowledge. If professors’ ability to publish is positively related to their ability to produce student learning, which universities can imperfectly measure, publications may be necessary to attract more able professors. Since research signals faculty knowledge, schools that do not value publications per se could require higher publication standards and pay higher wages than schools that value only publications.
ADAM SMITH'S VIEW OF HISTORY: CONSISTENT OR PARADOXICAL?
Full text linkThe conventional interpretation of Adam Smith is that he is a prophet of commercialism. The liberal capitalist reading of Smith is consistent with the view that history culminates in commercial society. The first part of the article develops this optimistic interpretation of Smith's view of history. Smith implies that commercial society is the end of history because 1) it supplies the ends of nature that he identifies; 2) it is inevitable; and 3) it is permanent. The second part of the article shows that Smith has some dark moments in his writings where he seems to reject completely such teleological notions. In this more civic humanist mood he confesses that commercial society does not supply the ends of nature, nor is it inevitable, nor is it permanent. Both views exist in Smith and the commentator is forced to choose between passages in Smith's work in order to support a particular interpretation of the former's view of history.Political Economy,
Correction: Overcoming barriers to NHS adoption of innovative IPC products: A qualitative study of SMEs in the Liverpool city region (PLoS One (2025) 20:9 (e0331688) DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0331688)
Full text linkThere are errors in the Author Contributions. The correct contributions are: Conceptualization: Rocío Villacorta Linaza, Janet Hemingway, Adam P. Roberts, Nicholas Feasey. Data curation: Rocío Villacorta Linaza. Formal analysis: Rocío Villacorta Linaza, Adam P. Roberts. Investigation: Rocío Villacorta Linaza, Daire Cantillon. Methodology: Rocío Villacorta Linaza, Daire Cantillon. Project administration: Rocío Villacorta Linaza, Daire Cantillon Writing – original draft: Rocío Villacorta Linaza. Writing – review & editing: Janet Hemingway, Adam P. Roberts, Becky Jones-Philips, Miriam Taegtmeyer, Richard L. Wright, Daire Cantillon, Maria Moore, Russell Dacombe, Ezekiel Boro, Aaron Argomandkhah, Carolina Velasco, Nicholas Feasey.</p
The Tn916/Tn1545 family of conjugative transposons
No full textThe conjugative transposon Tn916 was first discovered in the late 1970s and is, together with the related conjugative transposon Tni545, the paradigm of a large family of related conjugative transposons known as the Tn916/Tn/545 family, which are found in an extremely diverse range of bacteria. With the huge increase in bacterial genomic sequence data available, due to the widespread use of next generation sequencing, more putative conjugative transposons belonging to the Tn916/Tn1545 family are being reported. Many of these are capable of excision, integration and conjugation. Nearly all of the Tn916/Tn1545-like elements discovered to date encode tetracycline resistance however, increasingly resistance to other antimicrobials is being found. Some of the members of the Tn916/Tn/545 family of elements are composite structures which contain smaller mobile genetic elements which are also capable of transposition. Tn916/Tn/545 Tn1545-like elements themselves are also found within larger and more complex elements. This review will give an overview of the current knowledge of the Tn916/Tn/545 family of conjugative transposons highlighting recently characterized composite elements carrying additional and novel resistance genes
Adam Smith and Roman Servitudes
Full text linkThis essay is a preprint of an article that appeared at: Tijdschrift voor Rechstsgeschiedenis, 72 (2004), 327–57.This essay discusses Adam Smith historical jurisprudence and his use of Roman law materials in his Lectures on Jurisprudence. It argues that Smith found it difficult to maintain his theory of legal development in the face of a highly developed body of Roman law literature
Variation on a theme; an overview of the Tn916/Tn1545 family of mobile genetic elements in the oral and nasopharyngeal streptococci
Full text linkThe oral and nasopharyngeal streptococci are a major part of the normal microbiota in humans. Most human associated streptococci are considered commensals, however, a small number of them are pathogenic, causing a wide range of diseases including oral infections such as dental caries and periodontitis and diseases at other body sites including sinusitis and endocarditis, and in the case of Streptococcus pneumoniae, meningitis. Both phenotypic and sequence based studies have shown that the human associated streptococci from the mouth and nasopharynx harbor a large number of antibiotic resistance genes and these are often located on mobile genetic elements (MGEs) known as conjugative transposons or integrative and conjugative elements of the Tn916/Tn1545 family. These MGEs are responsible for the spread of the resistance genes between streptococci and also between streptococci and other bacteria. In this review we describe the resistances conferred by, and the genetic variations between the many different Tn916-like elements found in recent studies of oral and nasopharyngeal streptococci and show that Tn916-like elements are important mediators of antibiotic resistance genes within this genus. We will also discuss the role of the oral environment and how this is conducive to the transfer of these elements and discuss the contribution of both transformation and conjugation on the transfer and evolution of these elements in different streptococci
THE THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATION OF ADAM SMITH'S WORK
Full text linkThe paper will discuss the theological foundation to Smith's writings. Teleology, final causes and divine design were initially seen as central to understanding Smith's writings. Over time, this view fell out of fashion. In the period after World War II, with the rise of positivism, commentators tended to overlook or downplay this interpretation. In the last decade, or so, teleology has started to be restored to its former position as an essential element in understanding Smith. After spelling out Smith's teleology and his view of final causes, divine design and the ends of nature, we try to explain the Panglossian nature of the 'new theistic view' of Smith. While our view differs somewhat, we agree with the essence of the 'new view' claim: a theological view exists in Smith which underpins his moral and economic theories.Political Economy,
Cloning, purification and characterisation of human and mouse ADAM 8 sheddase activity
Full text linkAl-Riyami H. Cloning, purification and characterisation of human and mouse ADAM 8 sheddase activity. Bielefeld (Germany): Bielefeld University; 2006
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