Topic-Focus Articulation in Taqbaylit and Tashelhit Berber

This paper deals with the form/function mapping of information structure on word-order in two Berber lects, Taqbaylit (Kabyle) and Tashelhit (Shilha). We claim that the general assumption according to which Berber should be strictly VSO is wrong, and we argue for a more cautious approach, that takes into account language variation inside Berber. We show that pragmatics trigger the emergence of (relatively stable) discourse-confi gurationality, without giving rise to a VSO>SVO shift. We compare Taqbaylit and Tashelhit in terms of information structure and word order variation, and come to the conclusion that, while there is good reason to classify Taqbaylit as discourseconfi gurational, Tashelhit is somewhat more restrictive in terms of word order fl exibility. We link those characteristics with case-marking: the distinction between free state and annexation state is more clearly a dependency-oriented phenomenon in Taqbaylit, while it corresponds more closely to a subject (or marked nominative) versus absolute case system in Tashelhit.Peer reviewe

Freiwilliges Engagement in Stiftungen

Die Mehrzahl der deutschen Stiftungen arbeitet mit Freiwilligen zusammen. Aber was sind die Beweggründe dafür? Dieser Frage geht die Studie "Freiwilliges Engagement in Stiftungen" nach. Zudem wird das Thema Anerkennung sowie die praktische Ebene der Zusammenarbeit beleuchtet.Zusammengefasst liegen folgende Fragen der Studie zugrunde:* Gründe für die Zusammenarbeit: Weshalb arbeiten Stiftungen mit Freiwilligen zusammen? * Freiwillige gewinnen: Wie finden Stiftungen und Engagierte zusammen? Gibt es Schwierigkeiten bei der Suche?* Mit Freiwilligen zusammenarbeiten: Wie ist die Zusammenarbeit strukturiert? Welche Herausforderungen ergeben sich?* Anerkennung: Wie steht es um die Wertschätzung der Freiwilligen?Grundlage der Studienergebnisse sind eine Online-Befragung unter den Teilnehmenden des StiftungsPanels sowie Interviews mit Stiftungsexpertinnen und -experten.A study on volunteers active in German foundations

Social scientists as policy makers: E. G. Malherbe and the National Bureau for Educational and Social Research, 1929-1943

African Studies Seminar series. Paper presented 8 March, 1993.This essay is a history of the origin, elaboration and implementation of this politics of knowledge in the National Bureau of Educational and Social Research. Established in 1929 as an information gathering and research division within the South African Union Department of Education, the Bureau became the center of the development of a new relationship between social science and policy in South Africa. Four years after it was founded the Bureau's potential influence increased with the substantial grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. This foreign funding would enable the Bureau to sponsor, conduct, and publish social science research, as well as to build a national library on educational and social sciences. Although temporarily closed in 1940 for the duration of the Second World War, the Bureau continued to exert influence on State policy until its incorporation into the Human Sciences Research Council in 196

Ipriflavone inhibits bone resorption in intact and ovariectomized rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible inhibitory effect of ipriflavone on bone resorption in rats. For this purpose, 10-week-old, intact and ovariectomized (OVX) rats, prelabeled from birth with [3H]tetracycline, were used. Bone resorption was monitored by measuring the urinary excretion of [3H]. The animals were fed a purified diet devoid of naturally occurring flavonoids. In the intact rats, the daily meal was given either as a single portion or divided into four portions, a procedure known to lead by itself to a decrease in bone resorption. Ipriflavone, given 7 days after OVX at the dose of 400 mg/kg B.W. daily mixed with the food, led within 2-3 days to a significant decrease in bone resorption equivalent to that of 27.2 μg/kg S.C. of 17β-estradiol. The inhibition was sustained for the length of the experiment, up to 21 days. Ipriflavone given 7 days before OVX prevented the increase in bone resorption induced by castration, the effect being dose-dependent between 50 and 400 mg/kg B.W. In contrast to 17β-estradiol, a 5-week treatment with ipriflavone failed to prevent the OVX-induced uterine atrophy. Significant inhibition of bone resorption was also seen in intact animals, provided they rapidly ingested the daily meal. Actually, the decrease in bone resorption induced by portioning the daily food masked the inhibitory effect of ipriflavone in intact animals. In conclusion, ipriflavone can decrease bone resorption in both intact and OVX animals given a purified diet as a single daily meal. In the OVX model, ipriflavone mimics the osteoprotective effect of estrogen. However, the lack of a uterotropic effect suggests that the compound can discriminate between bone and reproductive tissue

Kundenportale in der Energiebranche: Bestandsaufnahme und Entwicklungspotenziale

Zusammenfassung: Seit der Liberalisierung des Energiemarktes hat der Wettbewerb unter den Energieversorgern (EVU) zugenommen. Um neue Kunden zu gewinnen und bestehende zu halten, müssen diese daher neue Services und Produkte entwickeln, die den Bedürfnissen der Kunden in hohem Masse entsprechen. Ein Online-Kundenportal kann einen solchen Service darstellen, da es zukünftig als zentrale Schnittstelle zum Kunden fungieren wird, wenn der persönliche Kontakt aufgrund eines abnehmenden regionalen Fokus der EVU und dem Wegfall des Zähler-Ablesens vor Ort durch Smart Metering abnimmt. In diesem Beitrag werden die Kriterien, die für die Gestaltung eines solches Portals relevant sind, vorgestellt. Eine Marktübersicht zeigt auf, welche dieser Kriterien bereits umgesetzt werden und wo Verbesserungspotenzials bestehen. Ein spezieller Fokus liegt auf psychologische Konzepte, die den Kunden motivieren, das Portal einerseits regelmässig zu nutzen und andererseits Energie zu sparen. Es zeigt sich, dass gerade in Bezug auf Kriterien zur Veranschaulichung des Energieverbrauches sowie bei der Ausgestaltung von psychologischen Anreizen ein enormes Verbesserungspotenzial vorhanden is