Functions and Mechanisms of Code-Switching in Bulgarian Canadians

Cet article traite d’une analyse de conversations d’immigrants bulgares de première génération, vivant au Canada et de leur recours à des renversements de code ou d’alternance, entre langue première et langue seconde lorsque des difficultés surgissent dans l’appréhension de concepts, d’idées nouvelles, de phénomènes ou de situations qui les déstabilisent. L’enquête montre les résultats de ces interférences et les occurrences de changement ou d’alternance de codes, particulièrement l’occurrence de phrases ou d’expressions en anglais dans des conversations en bulgare.The presentation will consider discourse-related code switching of first generation Bulgarian immigrants to Canada to reveal how particular factors within the conversation where code switching takes place, exert impact on the language behaviour of immigrants. The aim is to study the degree of interference between native and adopted languages and the extent to which alternating languages allows the speaker to mark shifts in context or to change the role he/she assumes in the course of the interaction. The results show the types of context and the reasons for incorporating English or French words, phrases and even whole sentences into a conversation held in Bulgarian. The study concludes that most commonly code switching is resorted to when speakers refer to concepts, ideas, phenomena, situations, interactions they have to deal with in the second language and it is a result of the uneven distribution in the use of first and second language

Improved plant growth with rock phosphate solubilized by aspergillus niger grown on sugar-beet waste

Aspergillus niger was successfully cultivated on sugar-beet-waste material (SB) supplemented with 3.0 g/l rock phosphate (RP) acidifying the medium and thus decreasing the pH to 3.0–3.5. The fermented mixture finally contained mineralized organic matter, rock phosphate solubilized to 224 μg P per mililiter, and fungal mycelium. Various combinations of SB and RP, previously treated or untreated by the fungus, were introduced into soil to improve the growth of Trifolium repens. Compared to other treatments, the results showed a higher growth rate and shoot phosphorus concentration when microbially treated SB and RP were applied to both mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plants. However, combined introduction of both the filamentous and arbuscular fungi led to improved plant growth when degraded organic matter supplemented or unsupplemented with RP was used.Peer reviewe

Rock phosphate solubilization by Aspergillus niger grown on sugar-beet waste medium

Solubilization of rock phosphate by Aspergillus niger was studied in solid-state fermentation on sugar-beet waste. This combination was selected after testing three agroindustrial waste materials, namely rice hulls, sugar-beet waste and alperujo. Sugar-beet waste was the best substrate for fungal growth with 69% mineralization, followed by rice hulls and alperujo. The fungus was successfully cultivated on sugar-beet waste supplemented with 3.0 g/l rock phosphate, acidifying the medium and thus decreasing the pH to 3–3.5. Solubilization of insoluble phosphate increased during the first half of the process, reaching a maximum of 292 μg phosphate/ml, although a part of it was probably consumed by the mycelium.Peer reviewe

Proficiency Test for Heavy Metals in Feed and Food in Europe

The Community Reference Laboratory for Heavy Metals in Feed and Food (CRL-HM) has coordinated a project, IMEP-103, with the aim of comparing the concentration of Cd, Pb and Hg in compound feed when applying total digestion of the matrix and partial digestion (only for Cd and Pb) with 5 % (w/w) HNO3, as described in Directive 2002/32/EC on undesirable substances in animal feed. A proficiency test (PT) exercise was organised in which thirty-one National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) participated. The main outcome of this study was that the concentrations of Cd after total digestion and after digestion with 5 % (w/w) HNO3 were identical. There is evidence that the same applies to the concentration of Pb although, due to heterogeneity of the test material for Pb, no definitive conclusion could be obtained for this element. External reference values were used in this study instead of the regularly used consensus values derived from the participant's results.JRC.D.4-Isotope measurement

Netherton syndrome—A therapeutic challenge in childhood

Key Clinical Message High‐dose intravenous immunoglobulin exhibits great potential in the treatment of Netherton syndrome. Abstract Netherton syndrome (NS) is a rare autosomal recessive genodermatosis (OMIM #256500) characterized by superficial scaling, atopic manifestations, and multisystemic complications. It is caused by loss‐of‐function mutations in the SPINK5 gene, which encode a key kallikrein protease inhibitor. There are two subtypes of the syndrome that differ in clinical presentation and immune profile: ichthyosiform erythroderma and ichthyosis linearis circumflexa. NS is a multisystemic disease with numerous extracutaneous manifestations. Current therapy for patients with NS is mainly supportive, as there is no curative or specific treatment, especially for children with NS, but targeted therapies are being developed. We describe an 8‐year‐old boy with genetically proven NS treated with intravenous immunoglobulin for recurrent skin and systemic infections from infancy, growth retardation, and associated erythroderma. Under this therapy, his skin status, infectious exacerbations, and quality of life all improved. Knowledge of the cytokine‐mediated pathogenesis of NS and the development of new biologic drugs open new possibilities for NS patients. However, the different therapeutic options have been applied in a limited number of cases, and variable responses have been shown. Randomized controlled trials with a sufficient number of patients stratified and treated according to their specific immune profile and clinical phenotype are needed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of treatment options for patients with NS

Mémoire(s) : construction, interprétation, enjeux

Ce volume n°74 publie une série d’articles présentés au colloque de l’Association Française d’Etudes Canadiennes qui s’est tenu à l’université Rennes II en juin 2013 sur le thème « Mémoire(s) : construction, interprétation, enjeux ». Les organisateurs du colloque Marc Bergère, Hélène Harter, Catherine Hinault, Eric Pierre et Jean-François Tanguy rappellent en introduction la problématique qui avait réuni de nombreux chercheurs européens et canadiens. Pour ce volume, le comité scientifique a sélectionné sept articles apportant un éclairage récent sur le sujet de la mémoire, sous l’angle de la littérature anglophone et francophone du Canada