Understanding humorous metaphors in the foreign language: a state-of-the-art review

Humor is not only a highly valuable tool for pedagogical purposes, it can also help language learners increase their feeling of engagement in everyday communication in the target culture (cf. Lee 2006). However, the understanding of humor in a foreign language (L2) requires the use of a great deal of knowledge that goes far beyond the mastery of mere linguistic features of the target language. It requires the use of specialized sociocultural knowledge (e.g. the use of political satire, local sights and sounds, historical references) and to some extent the creative elaboration of figurative meaning. In this context, it is quite surprising that cross-cultural humor research so far has neglected the contribution of conceptual metaphors as a mean to create humorous language. Therefore, the present article explores the theoretical and empirical interconnections between cross-cultural humor research and cognitive linguistic research on metaphor and shows some directions for future research on the comprehension of humorous metaphors in the L2.Humor ist nicht nur ein wertvolles didaktisches Mittel, sondern er kann Sprachlernern dazu verhel-fen, ihre affektive Beteiligung an zielkultureller Alltagskommunikation zu stärken (vgl. Lee 2006). Das Verständnis von Humor in einer Fremdsprache (L2) erfordert jedoch den Einsatz von Wissens-beständen, die weit über die Beherrschung rein sprachlicher Merkmale der Zielsprache hinausgehen. Es erfordert nämlich den Einsatz von soziokulturellem Wissen (z.B. die Verwendung von politischer Satire, Kulturgütern und Lauten, historischen Bezügen) und bis zu einem gewissen Grad den kreati-ven Umgang mit metaphorischer Bedeutung. Vor diesem Hintergrund mag es überraschen, dass die kontrastive Humorforschung die konzeptuellen Metaphern als linguistisches bzw. konzeptuelles Mittel des Humors bisher kaum erforscht hat. Daher untersucht der vorliegende Aufsatz die theoretischen und empirischen Verbindungen zwischen der kontrastiven Humorforschung und der kognitionslinguistischen Metaphernforschung und formuliert Desiderata für künftige Studien zu den Verarbeitungsprozessen humorvoller Metaphern in der L2

Examining Postsecondary Education Perceptions of Former Foster Care Youth

Nationally, youth with experiences in the foster care system are enrolling and graduating from postsecondary education institutions at rates that are far behind their non-foster peers, with less than 10% earning associate’s degrees or higher (Rios & Rocco, 2014; Wolanin, 2005). This study examines the perceptions of former foster care youth to gain a deeper understanding of how they perceive the role of postsecondary education, as well as their potential to succeed. Foster care youth are the most important stakeholder in terms of their care, yet their voice is the least present in the existing literature. The qualitative design of the study merges Emerging Adulthood Theory (Arnett 2000,2007) and the concept of social capital (Coleman, 1988) to frame the priorities of older foster care youth as they prepare to transition out of the foster care system. Study participants included eight former foster care youth, ages 18-21. Hermeneutic phenomenology is the methodological approach utilized to underscore commonalities between the lived experiences of the study participants, as well as how they discern the significance of postsecondary education. Data was collected through in-depth, in-person, semi-structured interviews and coded for themes. Major findings illustrate: (1) complex family dynamics that greatly influence the lived experiences of foster care youth; (2) long-term mental, emotional, and behavioral health effects of multiple transitions and placements; (3) deteriorating outlook on school based upon K-12 educational experiences after entering foster care; (4) unclear pathways, or general disinterest, in postsecondary education immediately upon exiting the foster care system; and (5) priorities, as well as self-defining success, after leaving foster care. The theoretical, research and practical implications encourage care providers and educators to reconsider the traditional approaches that have been utilized when working with and supporting foster care youth

Understanding humorous metaphors in the foreign language: a state-of-the-art review

Humor is not only a highly valuable tool for pedagogical purposes, it can also help language learners increase their feeling of engagement in everyday communication in the target culture (cf. Lee 2006). However, the understanding of humor in a foreign language (L2) requires the use of a great deal of knowledge that goes far beyond the mastery of mere linguistic features of the target language. It requires the use of specialized sociocultural knowledge (e.g. the use of political satire, local sights and sounds, historical references) and to some extent the creative elaboration of figurative meaning. In this context, it is quite surprising that cross-cultural humor research so far has neglected the contribution of conceptual metaphors as a mean to create humorous language. Therefore, the present article explores the theoretical and empirical interconnections between cross-cultural humor research and cognitive linguistic research on metaphor and shows some directions for future research on the comprehension of humorous metaphors in the L2

Prophylactic use of meloxicam and paracetamol in peripartal sows suffering from postpartum dysgalactia syndrome

Postpartum dysgalactia syndrome (PPDS) is a major economic problem in modern sow farms. General treatment of PPDS consists of the use of oxytocin to promote milk ejection and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to alleviate inflammatory processes. So far, studies investigated the use of a single administration of NSAIDs after parturition in healthy and non-healthy sows. The current study investigated whether administration of meloxicam or paracetamol in sows prior to parturition improves sow and piglet health as well as performance in a farm with PPDS problems in sows. Sixty sows and 978 piglets from a Belgian farrow-to-finish farm were enrolled. Sows were randomly divided into three groups: a non-treated control group, a meloxicam-treated group and a paracetamol-treated group. Treatment was administered orally for 7 days from gestation day 113 onwards. Performance and health parameters investigated in sows were gestation length, farrowing duration, litter characteristics, colostrum yield and quality (Immunoglobulin G), litter weight gain, weaning-to-estrus interval, pregnancy rate, rectal temperature, acute phase proteins and inflammatory markers serum amyloid A, haptoglobin, interferon γ, interleukin 1β and 6 backfat, constipation and feed refusal. Performance and health parameters in piglets were birthweight, average daily weight gain, colostrum intake and mortality. Paracetamol-treated sows showed a significantly (P = 0.04) lower rectal temperature (mean ± SD: 38.09 ± 0.18°C) than the meloxicam-treated sows (38.24 ± 0.18°C), but not than the control group (38.22 ± 0.18°C). Sows of the paracetamol-treated group had a significantly (P = 0.001) longer gestation length (116.3 ± 0.9 days) than sows of the control group (115.3 ± 0.6 days), but not than meloxicam-treated sows (115.9 ± 0.9 days). No significant differences between the three groups were found for all the other parameters. In conclusion, the prophylactic oral administration of either meloxicam or paracetamol for 7 days starting 2 days prior to farrowing did not show beneficial effects on both health and performance parameters of sows and piglets

Health and management of hobby pigs : a review

Miniature pigs, like the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig and the Kunekune, are the most popular hobby pig breeds. Despite their popularity, the knowledge of their health and management is still scarce. They have an exemplary sense of smell and hearing, possess good adaptability and are easy to handle. A well-ventilated shelter space with an area for recreation, and incorporation of straw for manipulation prevents boredom. Drinking water must be provided at all times. Restricted feeding ones or twice a day is preferred to prevent obesity. Unexpected aggressive behavior may occur and lead to abandonment of pet pigs. Overgrowth of claws, mange and sunburns are common skin problems. Diarrhea due to Escherichia coli is a common problem in piglets. Neutering is recommended to prevent aggressive behavior and pungent smell in males and to avoid the risk of neoplasms. It is preferably done at a young age to avoid surgical complications. Prophylaxis against erysipelas and parasites are recommended biannually. Other periodical health care practices include tusk and hoof trimming

Evaluation of the agreement between Brix refractometry and serum immunoglobulin concentration in neonatal piglets

Neonatal piglets lack immunoglobulins at birth. Sufficient colostrum intake (CI) and immunoglobulin absorption are essential for an appropriate passive transfer of immunity via the colostrum. Most methods to measure immunoglobulins in serum of piglets are labour-intensive, expensive or imprecise and not designed for on-farm use. The present diagnostic test study evaluated digital Brix refractometry to measure immunoglobulins in serum of neonatal piglets and to suggest thresholds for different serum immunoglobulin concentration. Additionally, agreements between Brix refractometry and optical refractometer (serum total protein, STP) and between Brix refractometry and ELISA (immunoglobulin G. IgG) were also investigated. Forty-five sows and 269 piglets from three different farms were enrolled in the study. Piglets were weighed at birth and 24 h later to calculate the Cl. Serum was collected at 24 h after birth and analysed for STP, gamma-globulins (electrophoresis), % Brix and IgG. In piglets, median (interquartile range, IQR) CI was 412 (196) g per piglet Median (IQR) STP, gamma-globulin and % Brix concentrations in piglet serum were 60 (11) g/L, 35 (10) g/L and 8 (2) %, respectively. Average (+/- SD) IgG concentration was 49 +/- 23 g/L Passing-Bablok regression revealed a strong concordance between % Brix and STP (Kendall's tau (T): 0.620, P < 0.0001, n = 267) and % Brix and gamma-globulin concentration (Kendall's T: 0.575, P < 0.0001, n = 267). The agreement between the Brix refractometer and IgG concentration was poor (Kendall's T: 0267, P < 0.0001, n = 269). Receiver operating characteristic curves were performed to evaluate test characteristics of Brix refractometry for three gamma-globulin cut-off values, i.e. 10, 20 and 30 g/L. The % Brix cut-off values resulting in the optimal combination of sensitivity and specificity were 5.4 (100 and 985%), 7.0 (100 and 89.3%) and 7.9 (90.1 and 80.6%), respectively. In conclusion. digital Brix refractometry is a sufficiently fast and practical method to assess serum gamma-globulin concentrations in neonatal piglets on-farm and to evaluate them by considering the thresholds found in this study. Further studies are needed to validate those thresholds regarding piglet's survival in the pre-weaning period. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Animal Consortium

Outcomes reported in randomized controlled trials for mixed and non‐IgE‐mediated food allergy: Systematic review

Background Mixed and non‐IgE‐mediated food allergy is a subset of immune‐mediated adverse food reactions that can impose a major burden on the quality of life of affected patients and their families. Clinical trials to study these diseases are reliant upon consistent and valid outcome measures that are relevant to both patients and clinicians, but the degree to which such stringent outcome reporting takes place is poorly studied. Objective As part of the Core Outcome Measures for Food Allergy (COMFA) project, we identified outcomes reported in randomized clinical trials (RCT) of treatments for mixed or non‐IgE‐mediated food allergy. Design In this systematic review, we searched the Ovid, MEDLINE and Embase databases for RCTs in children or adults investigating treatments for food protein‐induced enterocolitis syndrome, food protein‐induced allergic proctocolitis, food protein‐induced enteropathy and eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders including eosinophilic esophagitis [EoE], eosinophilic gastritis and eosinophilic colitis published until 14 October 2022. Results Twenty‐six eligible studies were identified, with 23 focused on EoE (88%). Most interventions were corticosteroids or monoclonal antibodies. All EoE studies assessed patient‐reported dysphagia, usually using a non‐validated questionnaire. Twenty‐two of 23 EoE studies used peak tissue eosinophil count as the primary outcome, usually using a non‐validated assessment method, and other immunological markers were only exploratory. Thirteen (57%) EoE studies reported endoscopic outcomes of which six used a validated scoring tool recently recommended as a core outcome for EoE trials. Funding source was not obviously associated with likelihood of an RCT reporting mechanistic versus patient‐reported outcomes. Only 3 (12%) RCTs concerned forms of food allergy other than EoE, and they reported on fecal immunological markers and patient‐reported outcomes.ConclusionsOutcomes measured in clinical trials of EoE and non‐IgE‐mediated food allergy are heterogeneous and largely non‐validated. Core outcomes for EoE have been developed and need to be used in future trials. For other forms of mixed or non‐IgE‐mediated food allergies, core outcome development is needed to support the development of effective treatments