Developmental language disorder in sequential bilinguals:Characterising word properties in spontaneous speech

The current study sought to investigate whether word properties can facilitate the identification of developmental language disorder (DLD) in sequential bilinguals by analyzing properties in nouns and verbs in L2 spontaneous speech as potential DLD markers. Measures of semantic (imageability, concreteness), lexical (frequency, age of acquisition) and phonological (phonological neighbourhood, word length) properties were computed for nouns and verbs produced by 15 sequential bilinguals (5;7) with DLD and 15 age-matched controls with diverse L1 backgrounds. Linear mixed modelling revealed a significant interaction of group and word category on phonological neighbourhood values but no differences across imageability, concreteness, frequency, age of acquisition, and word length measures in spontaneous speech. Outcomes suggest that group-level differences may not be apparent at the word-level, due to the heterogeneous nature of DLD and potential similarities in production during early L2 acquisition.</p

Interdependence between L1 and L2: the case of Syrian children with refugee backgrounds in Canada and the Netherlands

Children who are refugees become bilingual in circumstances that are often challenging and that can vary across national contexts. We investigated the second language (L2) syntactic skills of Syrian children aged 6-12 living in Canada (n = 56) and the Netherlands (n = 47). Our goal was to establish the impact of the first language (L1 = Syrian Arabic) skills on L2 (English, Dutch) outcomes and whether L1–L2 interdependence is influenced by the length of L2 exposure. To measure L1 and L2 syntactic skills, cross-linguistic Litmus Sentence Repetition Tasks (Litmus-SRTs) were used. Results showed evidence of L1–L2 interdependence, but interdependence may only surface after sufficient L2 exposure. Maternal education level and refugee camp experiences differed between the two samples. Both variables impacted L2 outcomes in the Canadian but not in the Dutch sample, demonstrating the importance to examine refugee children’s bilingual language development in different national contexts

Impact of systemic enzyme supplementation on low-grade inflammation in humans

Systemic enzyme therapy has been shown to be efficient in treating pain and inflammation associated with injury or musculoskeletal disorders. However, whether systemic enzyme supplementation also attenuates subclinical inflammation remains to be investigated. In this randomized controlled trial, we investigated the impact of systemic enzyme supplementation on inflammatory gene expression as well as on markers of inflammation in 24 adult men and women with subclinical inflammation (serum C-reactive protein [CRP] levels >1 mg/L and <10 mg/L). Participants were supplemented with systemic enzymes (Wobenzym®450 FIP from bromelain and 1440 FIP from trypsin, 6 tablets/d) or placebo for periods of 4 weeks separated by a 4-week washout period. Systemic enzyme supplementation had no impact on expression levels of whole blood cell inflammatory genes compared with placebo but significantly reduced serum IL-6 levels (p = 0.04). However, there was a significant sex × treatment interaction for IL-6 (p = 0.02) and CRP (p = 0.007). Specifically, both serum IL-6 and CRP concentrations were significantly reduced in men (p ≤ 0.03) but not in women (p ≥ 0.08). This study suggests that short-term supplementation with systemic enzymes may attenuate subclinical inflammation, with perhaps greater effects among men than among women

Transformation du programme de baccalauréat en pharmacie de l’Université de Montréal en un programme de doctorat de 1er cycle en pharmacie (Première partie)

Résumé Objectif : À l’automne 2001, le Conseil de la Faculté de pharmacie de l’Université de Montréal confia à son Comité des études le mandat de planifier, d’organiser et de réaliser les travaux de révision du programme de baccalauréat en pharmacie, en concertation avec les divers intervenants du milieu de pratique. Mise en contexte : Pendant plus d’un an, un souscomité délégué par le Comité des études a évalué la pertinence et la faisabilité de modifier l’actuel programme de baccalauréat. Les travaux du sous-comité se sont faits en concertation avec les divers intervenants de la profession, entre autres l’Ordre des pharmaciens du Québec, les principales associations professionnelles québécoises, la Faculté de pharmacie de l’Université Laval ainsi que les étudiants et le corps professoral de la Faculté. La pertinence de modifier le programme de baccalauréat en pharmacie se justifie par les éléments suivants : 1) l’évolution du système de santé vers l’interdisciplinarité et la continuité des soins, 2) les besoins non comblés de la population en matière d’utilisation de médicaments, 3) l’adaptation de la pratique de la pharmacie, 4) la formation requise pour combler ces besoins, et 5) le contexte des programmes de formation dans le domaine des sciences de la santé. Conclusion : Après analyse des modifications à apporter à l’actuel programme, le grade de doctorat professionnel de 1er cycle en pharmacie (Pharm. D.) s’est imposé comme la mention la plus pertinente pour les étudiants qui termineront ce programme. Abstract Objective: In the fall of 2001, the council of the Université de Montréal pharmacy faculty gave its curriculum committee the mandate of planning, organizing, and implementing the revision of the Bachelor of Pharmacy program. Context: For more than a year, the curriculum committee delegated a sub-committee to evaluate the relevance and feasibility of modifying the current Bachelor’s program. The work of the sub-committee was done in concert with various representatives involved in the profession along with (among others) the Québec Order of Pharmacists, the main Quebec professional associations, and the Université Laval faculty of pharmacy as well as students and professors of the faculty. The relevance of modifying the Bachelor’s program in pharmacy is justified by the following elements: 1) the evolution of the healthcare system towards a multidisciplinary approach and continuity of care, 2) unmet needs of the population with respect to medication use, 3) the necessary adaptation of pharmacy practice, 4) required training to answer these needs, and, 5) the context of training programs in the health sciences field. Conclusion: After analyzing modifications to be integrated in the actual program, the Doctorate degree at the undergraduate level (Pharm. D) became a necessary alternative for students to succesfully finish this training program. Key Words: Pharm.D., revision of Bachelor of Pharmacy progra

Parsing the passive: comparing children with Specific Language Impairment to sequential bilingual children

25 monolingual (L1) children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI), 32 sequential bilingual (L2) children, and 29 L1 controls completed the Test of Active & Passive Sentences-Revised (van der Lely, 1996) and the self-paced listening task with picture verification for actives and passives (Marinis, 2007). These revealed important between-group differences in both tasks. The children with SLI showed difficulties in both actives and passives when they had to reanalyse thematic roles on-line. Their error pattern provided evidence for working memory limitations. The L2 children showed difficulties only in passives both on-line and off-line. We suggest that these relate to the complex syntactic algorithm in passives and reflect an earlier developmental stage due to reduced exposure to the L2. The results are discussed in relation to theories of SLI and can be best accommodated within accounts proposing that difficulties in the comprehension of passives stem from processing limitations

Input effects across domains:The case of Greek subjects in child heritage language

A recurring question in the literature of heritage language acquisition, and more generally of bilingual acquisition, is whether all linguistic domains are sensitive to input reduction and to cross-linguistic influence and to what extent. According to the Interface Hypothesis, morphosyntactic phenomena regulated by discourse–pragmatic conditions are more likely to lead to non-native outcomes than strictly syntactic aspects of the language (Sorace, 2011). To test this hypothesis, we examined subject realization and placement in Greek–English bilingual children learning Greek as a heritage language in North America and investigated whether the amount of heritage language use can predict their performance in syntax–discourse and narrow syntactic contexts. Results indicated two deviations from the Interface Hypothesis: First, subject realization (a syntax–discourse phenomenon) was found to be largely unproblematic. Second, subject placement was affected not only in syntax–discourse structures but also in narrow syntactic structures, though to a lesser degree, suggesting that the association between the interface status of subject placement and its sensitivity to heritage language use among children heritage speakers is gradient rather than categorical