Language standardization in sociolinguistics and international business: Theory and practice across the table

This chapter addresses the issue of language standardization from two perspectives, bringing together a theoretical perspective offered by the discipline of sociolinguistics with a practical example from international business. We introduce the broad concept of standardization and embed the study of language standardization in the wider discussion of standards as a means of control across society. We analyse the language policy and practice of the Danish multinational, Grundfos, and use it as a “sociolinguistic laboratory” to “test” the theory of language standardization initially elaborated by Einar Haugen to explain the history of modern Norwegian. The table is then turned and a model from International Business by Piekkari, Welch and Welch is used to illuminate recent Norwegian language planning. It is found that the Grundfos case works well with the Haugen model, and the International Business model provides a valuable practical lesson for national language planners, both showing that a “comparative standardology” is a valuable undertaking. More voices “at the table” will allow both theory and practice to be further refined and for the role of standards across society to be better understood

Økologisk eggproduksjon

Småskriftet "Økologisk landbruk – eggproduksjon" omtaler fôring, raser, bygninger, uteareal og fjørfesjukdommer. Småskriftet er gitt ut av NORSØK i samarbeid med Fagsenteret for fjørfe

Serum S-adenosylmethionine, but not methionine, increases in response to overfeeding in humans

Background: Plasma concentration of the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is linearly associated with body mass index (BMI) and fat mass. As SAM is a high-energy compound and a sensor of cellular nutrient status, we hypothesized that SAM would increase with overfeeding. Methods: Forty normal to overweight men and women were overfed by 1250 kcal per day for 28 days. Results: Serum SAM increased from 106 to 130 nmol/l (P=0.006). In stratified analysis, only those with weight gain above the median (high-weight gainers; average weight gain 3.9±0.3 kg) had increased SAM (+42%, P=0.001), whereas low-weight gainers (weight gain 1.5±0.2 kg) did not (Pinteraction=0.018). Overfeeding did not alter serum concentrations of the SAM precursor, methionine or the products, S-adenosyl-homocysteine and homocysteine. The SAM/SAH (S-adenosylhomocysteine) ratio was unchanged in the total population, but increased in high-weight gainers (+52%, P=0.006, Pinteraction =0.005). Change in SAM correlated positively with change in weight (r=0.33, P=0.041) and fat mass (r=0.44, P=0.009), but not with change in protein intake or plasma methionine, glucose, insulin or low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol. Conclusion: Overfeeding raised serum SAM in proportion to the fat mass gained. The increase in SAM may help stabilize methionine levels, and denotes a responsiveness of SAM to nutrient state in humans. The role of SAM in human energy metabolism deserves further attention.A K Elshorbagy, F Jernerén, D Samocha-Bonet, H Refsum and L K Heilbron

Flexible Control of Composite Parameters in Max/MSP

Fundamental to the development of musical or artistic creative work is the ability to transform raw materials. This ability implies the facility to master many facets of the material, and to shape it with plasticity. Computer music environments typically provide points of control to manipulate material by supplying parameters with controllable values. This capability to control the values of parameters is inadequate for many artistic endeavors, and does not reflect the analogous tools and methods of artists working with physical materials. Rather than viewing parameters in computer-based systems as single points of control, the authors posit that parameters must become more multifaceted and dynamic in order to serve the needs of artists. The authors propose an expanded notion of how to work with parameters in computer-centric environments for time-based art. A proposed partial solution to this problem is to give parameters additional properties that define their behavior. An example implementation of these ideas is presented in Jamoma

Cobalamin and folate status in 6 to 35 months old children presenting with acute diarrhea in Bhaktapur, Nepal

Background: Cobalamin and folate are essential micronutrients and are important in DNA and RNA synthesis, cell proliferation, growth, hematopoiesis, and cognitive function. However, data on cobalamin and folate status are lacking particularly from young children residing in low and middle income countries. Objective: To measure cobalamin and folate status and identifies their predictors among 6 to 35 months old children presenting with acute diarrhea. Design: This was a cross-sectional study in 823 children presenting with acute diarrhea. We measured plasma cobalamin, folate, methylmalonic acid and total homocysteine who sought treatment for acute diarrhea between June 1998 and August 2000. Results: The mean (SD) plasma concentrations of cobalamin, folate, total homocysteine and methylmalonic acid were 206 (124) pmol/L, 55 (32) nmol/L, 11.4 (5.6) mmol/L and 0.79 (1.2) mmol/L, respectively. The prevalence of low plasma cobalamin (,150 pmol/L) was 41% but less than 2% (15) children had low folate concentration (,10 nmol/L). Plasma homocysteine and methylmalonic acid concentrations were negatively associated with cobalamin concentration but not associated with folate status. The prevalence of cobalamin deficiency was higher in breastfed than non-breastfed children (44% vs 24%; p =,0.001). The prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia (.10 mmol/L) and elevated methylmalonic acid (.0.28 mmol/L) were 73% and 52%, respectively. In the regression analyses, the plasma cobalamin concentration was positively associated with age, and introduction of animal or formula milk. Conclusions: Our study indicated that poor cobalamin status was common particularly among breastfed children. Folate deficiency was virtually none existent. Possible consequences of cobalamin deficiency in young children need to be explored

Developing the Dance Jockey system for musical interaction with the Xsens MVN suit

In this paper we present the Dance Jockey System, a system developed for using a full body inertial motion capture suit (Xsens MVN) in music/dance performances. We present different strategies for extracting relevant postures and actions from the continuous data, and how these postures and actions can be used to control sonic and musical features. The system has been used in several public performances, and we believe it has great potential for further exploration. However, to overcome the current practical and technical challenges when working with the system, it is important to further refine tools and software in order to facilitate making of new performance pieces. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. University of Michigan Press 2012 ISBN 978-0-9855720-1-3

Enabling Participants to Play Rhythmic Solos Within a Group via Auctions

The paper presents the interactive music system SoloJam, which allows a group of participants with little or no musical training to effectively play together in a ``band-like'' setting. It allows the participants to take turns playing solos made up of rhythmic pattern sequences. We specify the issue at hand for allowing such participation as being the requirement of decentralised coherent circulation of playing solos. This is to be realised by some form of intelligence within the devices used for participation. Here we take inspiration from the Economic Sciences, and propose this intelligence to take the form of making devices possessing the capability of evaluating their utility of playing the next solo, the capability of holding auctions, and of bidding within them. We show that holding auctions and bidding within them enables decentralisation of co-ordinating solo circulation, and a properly designed utility function enables coherence in the musical output. The approach helps achieve decentralised coherent circulation with artificial agents simulating human participants. The effectiveness of the approach is further supported when human users participate. As a result, the approach is shown to be effective at enabling participants with little or no musical training to play together in SoloJam

Folate catabolites in spot urine as non-invasive biomarkers of folate status during habitual intake and folic acid supplementation.

Folate status, as reflected by red blood cell (RCF) and plasma folates (PF), is related to health and disease risk. Folate degradation products para-aminobenzoylglutamate (pABG) and para-acetamidobenzoylglutamate (apABG) in 24 hour urine have recently been shown to correlate with blood folate. Since blood sampling and collection of 24 hour urine are cumbersome, we investigated whether the determination of urinary folate catabolites in fasted spot urine is a suitable non-invasive biomarker for folate status in subjects before and during folic acid supplementation. Immediate effects of oral folic acid bolus intake on urinary folate catabolites were assessed in a short-term pre-study. In the main study we included 53 healthy men. Of these, 29 were selected for a 12 week folic acid supplementation (400 µg). Blood, 24 hour and spot urine were collected at baseline and after 6 and 12 weeks and PF, RCF, urinary apABG and pABG were determined. Intake of a 400 µg folic acid bolus resulted in immediate increase of urinary catabolites. In the main study pABG and apABG concentrations in spot urine correlated well with their excretion in 24 hour urine. In healthy men consuming habitual diet, pABG showed closer correlation with PF (rs = 0.676) and RCF (rs = 0.649) than apABG (rs = 0.264, ns and 0.543). Supplementation led to significantly increased folate in plasma and red cells as well as elevated urinary folate catabolites, while only pABG correlated significantly with PF (rs = 0.574) after 12 weeks. Quantification of folate catabolites in fasted spot urine seems suitable as a non-invasive alternative to blood or 24 hour urine analysis for evaluation of folate status in populations consuming habitual diet. In non-steady-state conditions (folic acid supplementation) correlations between folate marker (RCF, PF, urinary catabolites) decrease due to differing kinetics

Language in multilingual organizations: power, policies and politics

This book chapter offers a review of existing literature on the topic of power struggles around language use in multilingual organizations. Theories and empirical evidence from language-sensitive research in international business and management are analyzed in order to present an overview of main insights regarding the power of language. The chapter starts by examining the importance of language choices with reference to e.g. linguistic capital (Bourdieu, 1991). Potential misuse of language is discussed next, including a brief overview of research on language nodes and knowledge transfer (Marschan-Piekkari, Welch & Welch, 1999). The chapter then examines previous empirical studies on the relationship between language policies and language practices in organizational contexts, focusing in particular on discrepancies between de jure and de facto language policies. The final section discusses the ways in which individual language practices and macro level politics concerning language use are tightly linked and interconnected.acceptedVersio

From experimental music technology to clinical tool

Human body motion is integral to all parts of musical experience, from performance to perception. But how is it possible to study body motion in a systematic manner? This article presents a set of video-based visualisation techniques developed for the analysis of music-related body motion, including motion images, motion-history images and motiongrams. It includes examples of how these techniques have been used in studies of music and dance performances, and how they, quite unexpectedly, have become useful in laboratory experiments on attentiondeficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and clinical studies of cerebral palsy (CP). Finally, it includes reflections regarding what music researchers can contribute to the study of human motion and behaviour in general