119 research outputs found
Origine du matériel altéré et hétérogénéité du matériel originel de la météorite Foum Tatahouine (Tunisie) : éléments traces et isotopes du Sr
Acceptance of sugar reduction in yoghurt among Moroccan population
Introduction: Morocco has recently developed a plan of reducing sugar consumption to reinforce prevention of non-communicable diseases and to contribute to the achievement of global voluntary targets for non-communicable diseases set by ICN2 by 2025. The objective of the present study was to assess acceptance of yogurts with different percentage reduction of sugar by the Moroccan population. Methods: A total of 201 participants (age > 15 y.) were recruited to determine the level of sugar reduction in yogurt. Sucrose was added to a plain yoghurt in the following different concentrations 166.5; 149.8; 133.2; 116.5; 99; 83.2 mM/l, corresponding to the reduction of sugar of 0%, -10%, -20%, -30%, -40% and -50%, respectively, compared available yogurt in local market. Overall, the acceptability scores of the different yoghurts were based on liking, "Just About Right" (JAR) and purchase intent scales was used to score the different yoghurts. Results: Yogurts containing -20% and -30% added sugar were highly accepted by 81% and 74% of respondents. Based on JAR score, yoghurt with 20% (133.2mM/l) and 30% (116.5 mM/l) reduction were considered as "just about right" by 42.7% and 44.3% respectively. Best average score of purchase intent was obtained for sucrose concentration of 149.8 mM/l. 35.8% and 40.3% for yoghurt with sucrose concentration of 133.2 mM/l and 116.5 mM/l respectively. Conclusion: The finding from this study indicated that yogurts containing -20% and -30% added sugar were most accepted by respondents. Advocacy before dairy industry to have them commit towards sugar reduction in yogurt is needed, in order to help achieving the national sugar reduction strategy in Morocco
Attitudes towards code-switching among adult mono- and multilingual language users
The present study investigates inter-individual variation (linked to personality traits, multilingualism and sociobiographical variables) in attitudes towards code-switching (CS) among 2070 multilinguals. Data were collected through an on-line questionnaire. We found that high levels of Tolerance of Ambiguity and Cognitive Empathy, and low levels of Neuroticism are linked with significantly more positive attitudes towards CS. Knowing many languages had a marginally positive effect. A more fine-grained analysis revealed that participants with mid-range global proficiency values were less positive towards CS than those at the lower and higher end of the scale. Participants who grew up in a bilingual family and in an ethnically diverse environment, and currently worked in an ethnically diverse environment had significantly more positive attitudes towards CS. Female participants and those with the lowest and highest levels of education appreciated CS most, and participants in their teens and twenties appreciated CS less than older participants. The findings thus show that the attitudes towards CS are linked to personality, language learning history and current linguistic practices, as well as some sociobiographical variables
Assumptions behind grammatical approaches to code-switching: when the blueprint is a red herring
Many of the so-called âgrammarsâ of code-switching are based on various underlying assumptions, e.g. that informal speech can be adequately or appropriately described in terms of ââgrammarââ; that deep, rather than surface, structures are involved in code-switching; that one âlanguageâ is the âbaseâ or âmatrixâ; and that constraints derived from existing data are universal and predictive. We question these assumptions on several grounds. First, âgrammarâ is arguably distinct from the processes driving speech production. Second, the role of grammar is mediated by the variable, poly-idiolectal repertoires of bilingual speakers. Third, in many instances of CS the notion of a âbaseâ system is either irrelevant, or fails to explain the facts. Fourth, sociolinguistic factors frequently override âgrammaticalâ factors, as evidence from the same language pairs in different settings has shown. No principles proposed to date account for all the facts, and it seems unlikely that âgrammarâ, as conventionally conceived, can provide definitive answers. We conclude that rather than seeking universal, predictive grammatical rules, research on CS should focus on the variability of bilingual grammars
Does language loss follow a principled structural path? Evidence from Jersey Norman French
ABSTRACTThis study examines contact-induced change in JĂšrriais, the severely endangered Norman variety currently spoken by some 1% of the population of Jersey, one of the British Channel Islands. Today, English dominates all linguistic domains of island life, and all speakers of JĂšrriais are bilingual. The analysis uses original data to test empirically whether Myers-Scotton's (2002) five theoretical assumptions about the structural path of language attrition (broadly defined as language loss at the level of the individual) also have relevance for the process of language obsolescence (broadly defined as language loss at the level of the community). It explores i) whether JĂšrriais is undergoing contact influenced language change owing to its abstract grammatical structure being split and recombined with English, a hypothesis related to Myers-Scotton's Abstract Level model; and ii) whether different morpheme types of JĂšrriais are related to the production process in different ways and are, accordingly, more or less susceptible to change during the process of language obsolescence, a hypothesis related to Myers-Scotton's 4-M model. In addition to its contribution to linguistic theory, this study increases existing knowledge about JĂšrriais and makes data from this language available for systematic comparison with other languages.</jats:p
Re-irradiation of recurrent vertebral metastasis after two previous spinal cord irradiation: A case report
BackgroundManagement of a recurrent vertebral metastasis in a situation of previously irradiated spinal cord is a challenging clinical dilemma.Case presentationWe report a first case of second retreatment of a spinal metastasis initially irradiated with standard radiotherapy and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), who subsequently progressed with imaging-confirmed local tumor progression at the same level. After a third course of irradiation with SBRT, a complete response was achieved. After 8 months of follow-up, the patients remain free of local recurrence.ConclusionA third course of vertebral irradiation for a recurrent vertebral metastasis failing to two previous irradiations, in this particular case, have shown the feasibility and efficacy of the technique as a salvage treatment option. This approach could be used in a selected group of patient if an adequate dose is delivered to the target while observing critical tissue tolerance limits
Asian dust input in the western Philippine Sea: Evidence from radiogenic Sr and Nd isotopes
The radiogenic strontium (Sr) and neodymium (Nd) isotope compositions of the detrital fraction of surface and subsurface sediments have been determined to trace sediment provenance and contributions from Asian dust off the east coast of Luzon Islands in the western Philippine Sea. The Sr and Nd isotope compositions have been very homogenous near the east coast of the Luzon Islands during the latest Quaternary yielding relatively least radiogenic Sr (87Sr/86Srâ=â0.70453 to 0.70491) and more radiogenic Nd isotope compositions (ΔNd(0)â=â+5.3 to +5.5). These isotope compositions are similar to Luzon rocks and show that these sediments were mainly derived from the Luzon Islands. In contrast, the Sr and Nd isotope compositions of sediments on the Benham Rise and in the Philippine Basin are markedly different in that they are characterized by overall more variable and more radiogenic Sr isotope compositions (87Sr/86Srâ=â0.70452 to 0.70723) and less radiogenic Nd isotope compositions (ΔNd(0)â=ââ5.3 to +2.4). The Sr isotope composition in the Huatung Basin is intermediate between those of the east coast of Luzon and Benham Rise, but shows the least radiogenic Nd isotope compositions. The data are consistent with a two end-member mixing relationship between Luzon volcanic rocks and eolian dust from the Asian continent, which is characterized by highly radiogenic Sr and unradiogenic Nd isotope compositions. The results show that Asian continental dust contributes about 10â50% of the detrital fraction of the sediments on Benham Rise in the western Philippine Sea, which offers the potentials to reconstruct the climatic evolution of eastern Asia from these sediments and compare this information to the records from the central and northern Pacific
African Linguistics in Central and Eastern Europe, and in the Nordic Countries
Non peer reviewe
Attitudinal aspects of Arabic-French billingualism in Morocco.
This study is concerned with the Moroccan bilingual's
attitudes towards Arabic and French and the kinds of role
each of these languages plays in Moroccan society. Chapter
One describes the language situation before and after Independence.
Chapter Two examines previous approaches to the study
of bilingualism, and contrasts Arabic-French bilingualism with
other types of bilingualism. In Chapter Three we discuss the
kinds of attitude towards French, Moroccan Arabic and Classical
Arabic which bilinguals express in response to direct questioning.
We also look at the possibility that the bilingual's
outlook and cultural values vary according to which language
he uses. Chapter Four discusses the bilingual's choice of
language in various types of situation, isolating the contribution
made by such factors'as the type of interlocutor, topic
and setting. It also examines his preferences for one language
or the other in certain receptive contexts. Chapter Five deals
with the phenomenon of code-switching, whereby the bilingual
uses a mixture of the two languages. Samples of speech are
examined to determine whether code-switching is governed by
structural constraints, and to discover the factors which provoke
a switch. Bilinguals' attitudes to code-switching are
also discussed. In Chapter Six we demonstrate by means of
matched guise tests that a bilingual's personality may be perceived
quite differently by other bilinguals depending on what
language he is speaking. Finally, Chapter Seven examines language
planning in Morocco and discusses the difficulties facing
arabisation. Bilinguals' feelings towards the present and future
situation are discussed, and some tentative proposals for
future development are made
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