Search

Background: Scientists can play an important role in policymaking by providing evidence and consensual expert opinion on the state of scientific knowledge. Delphi surveys have been widely used to develop consensus on a topical issue, yet not compatible with public health crisis situations requiring rapid decisions. We developed a fast-track Delphi process, providing experts with a structured approach to rapidly develop and quantify consensus in support of informed policy decisions. Methods: We identified key elements of consensus-building techniques through a literature review and derived methodological procedures that served as the basis for the elaboration of the new process. Selected methodological experts provided advice on necessary adjustments. The process was pilot tested using a real-world public health issue. Results: The fast-track Delphi process is a hybrid approach between a conventional Delphi and the nominal group technique: one group session followed by two rounds of e-questionnaire, with predefined steps. We developed an ad hoc toolkit (REDCap templates, R code for analysis and production of reports, user guide) to overcome time constraints, which we pilot tested with experts. The feasibility test conducted in 18 days in the field of tobacco control demonstrated the applicability and usefulness of the process in real-world conditions. Conclusions: We strongly believe that this fast-track Delphi process has the potential to help inform policy decisions in various types of crises, including emerging diseases or novel potentially harmful products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to explore the pragmaticalization process of (it's) no biggie , through a corpus-based taxonomical and statistical examination. The research study involves (i) elaborating a taxonomy of no biggie constructions by exploring the variability of the pragmatic functions and the syntactic features associated with the construction; (ii) monitoring the links between the taxonomical types of no biggie and the parameters of syntactic loci and structure of the construction (e.g. absence of it's); and (iii) determining habitual lexical items that co-occur with the construction. The findings show that the vast majority of (it's) no biggie constructions are used in its abbreviated form no biggie , half of which being employed as a discourse-pragmatic marker (DPM). The correlations between syntactic loci and the taxonomy were tested through Chi-square, which demonstrates that specific pragma–syntactic properties are orderly assigned to extended forms, and that pragmaticalized free-standing constructions (as with DPMs) are generally used in the middle of a clause. The analysis of no biggie collocates also indicates that the pragma-syntactic function of the collocates is oftentimes subject to the syntactic function of the construction types. Finally, a qualitative examination of the taxonomy and their examples confirms that pragma-syntactic variation occurs differently in all the taxonomical types, the DPM no biggie showing the highest degree of variation. • Development of a no biggie taxonomy by exploring pragma-syntactic variability. • Annotation of corpus data based on type, syntactic loci, degree of nominalization. • Most (it's) no biggie constructions are abbreviated and often employed as a DPM. • The DPM no biggie generally assesses the preceding clause and links to the next. • The DPM no biggie shows the highest degree of pragma-syntactic variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The misuse and overuse of antibiotics represent a critical global issue and one of the most pressing public health challenges of the 21st century. Training future healthcare professionals effectively is essential for ensuring responsible antibiotic use. This study aimed to validate a questionnaire designed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of medical students regarding the education they receive on infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and antibiotic stewardship during their university studies. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was developed and distributed to medical students at the University of Santiago de Compostela. Comprising 44 items, the questionnaire assessed eight key dimensions: "infection diagnosis", "criteria for not prescribing antibiotics", "initial antibiotic therapy", "re-evaluation of therapy", "quality of care", "communication skills", "antibiotic resistance", and "teaching methodology". Validation was carried out in two stages: Phase 1 involved content and face validity, while Phase 2 focused on reliability analysis. Results: A total of 295 students completed the questionnaire, with a mean age of 23.15 ± 1.78 years. The sample included 86 male (29.2%) and 209 female (70.8%) respondents. Content and face validity were established by a nominal group of five experts and a focus group of medicine and pharmacy students to ensure consensus on item understanding in the Spanish language. The questionnaire demonstrated high internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.92 and satisfactory item discrimination. Construct validity was confirmed through principal component analysis, which supported the presence of the eight predefined dimensions. Conclusions: The validated questionnaire exhibited strong reliability and validity, making it a valuable tool for assessing medical students' training in antibiotic-related topics. Its application will enable the identification of areas for improvement in university curricula, ultimately contributing to the promotion of appropriate antibiotic use and the reduction of antimicrobial resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is aimed at solving the scientific task of studying the problematic issues arising in connection with the implementation of the institute of appealing against a notice of suspicion in pretrial criminal proceedings. It is noted that with a view to ensuring human rights and freedoms in criminal proceedings, the provisions of criminal procedure legislation enshrine the right of a suspect to appeal against a notice of suspicion. However, the lack of clear legal regulation of the substantive and criminal procedural grounds for such an appeal leads to a violation of the principles of reasonableness of time limits and application of due process of law to a person. The author establishes that among the substantive grounds for appeal, the provisions on the completeness of the content of the suspicion, the correctness of the criminal law qualification should be distinguished, and among the criminal procedural grounds – the proper subject, compliance with the deadlines, availability of sufficient evidence, explanation of the suspect’s rights, and compliance with the procedure for serving a notice of suspicion. It is noted that in the context of determining the level of violation of human rights and freedoms, the criterion of ‘materiality/ insignificance’ should influence the establishment of grounds for appealing against a notice of suspicion to ensure the requirement of general fairness of criminal proceedings. The author emphasizes that the problem of regulatory regulation of appealing against a notice of suspicion is the uncertainty of the procedural time limit after which a relevant complaint may be filed if the prosecution parties notify a new suspicion or change the original notice of suspicion. It is found that the implementation of a notice of suspicion covers several stages, and therefore is considered through the prism of a combination of a procedural decision and the execution of a procedural action. It is stated that the inaction of an investigator, coroner, or prosecutor, which is manifested in the failure to serve a notice of suspicion, is subject to a separate appeal in terms of failure to serve a written notice of suspicion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Musculoskeletal pain and disability are leading causes of reduced health and significant economic costs worldwide. Individualised, and evidence-based treatment approaches for specific musculoskeletal conditions aimed at improving patient outcomes and costs have not been successful. Recently authors have suggested that the 'process' of how care is implemented within a health system needs to be considered as an influencer on patient outcomes. With the rising prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions and the burgeoning costs associated with their treatment, it seems timely that new research focusing on process variables and their influence on patients with musculoskeletal conditions is explored. Before such studies can take place, a modern definition of a process variable within a musculoskeletal care pathway is needed to anchor future research endeavours. Therefore, the aim of this study was to establish a consensus-based definition of a process variable within a musculoskeletal care pathway, based on a New Zealand setting. Methods: This study used a virtual nominal group technique and took place in July 2023 using a Microsoft Teams platform. A nominal group technique employs a structured approach to generate information and solutions to problems that can then be prioritised through group discussion and consensus. It is unique because it allows expert participants to explore using in-depth inquiry, areas previously unidentified or not yet investigated. There was an inclusion criterion and the participants completed pre-work before the two-hour five stage virtual meeting. The Auckland University of Technology Ethics Committee (AUTEC) approved this study (AUTEC 23/94). Results: The study included eight participants (five male, three female) who had extensive experience with the New Zealand ACC insurance scheme and the design, implementation, and administration of musculoskeletal care pathways. The consensus definition was 'A health process variable is any modifiable factor in a health process or pathway that can be quantified and measured and that if varied may achieve a different operational or patient outcome'. Conclusions: This study of New Zealand-based experts has formed a consensus-based agreement for a definition of a process variable in a musculoskeletal care pathway. This is an important first step in developing our understanding of process variables, and further research is needed to establish the link between process variables and their influence on the outcomes of patients with musculoskeletal conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Literatura y Lingüística is the property of Universidad Catolica Cardenal Raul Silva Henriquez and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Firms are increasingly operating in turbulent environments in which unpredictable change is driven by causes such as climate change and economic crises. In this paper, we study how firms perceive environmental turbulence and respond with four types of actions. We distinguish between actions creating economic value for the firm and actions creating sustainable value for society and the environment and between substantive and symbolic actions with only the former changing firms' strategies, structures, and processes. We built a unique dataset on large European firms and their 470 responses to turbulence from 2017 until 2022. We show that in volatile and complex environments, in which rapid change occurs but information is available, firms respond with substantive actions. In uncertain and ambiguous environments that lack information, firms respond with symbolic actions. These findings hold for responses that aim to create both economic and sustainable value. However, these findings change when firms acquire environmental, social, and governance (ESG) capabilities. With high and improving ESG capabilities, firms are more likely to respond with sustainable substantive actions, even when they perceive their environments to be uncertain. We contribute to the literature on organizational capabilities and corporate environmental responsiveness by showing that firms with superior and improving ESG capabilities increase their substantive commitments to sustainable development and are less inclined to base their responses on their perception of turbulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Types of ideational metaphor in English considered in this research incorporate nominalization, verbalization, and adjectivization. Previous studies particularly highlighted functions of nominalization, leaving the other types of ideational metaphor unconsidered; in addition, expressions of ideational metaphor are not carefully selected while exploring the functions realized by these expressions. Against this backdrop, functions of ideational metaphor uncovered in previous studies are insufficient of coverage and typicality. Drawing on COCA in this research, a corpus of typical American English, expressions of the three types of ideational metaphor with significant attraction by means of the simple collexeme analysis are employed to analyze the functions that these metaphorical expressions actually realize in their linguistic contexts. The findings demonstrated that expressions of ideational metaphor could realize such interpersonal functions as authoritativeness and objectivity, such ideational functions as conciseness, abstractness, ambiguity, and semantic condensation, and such textual functions as formality and cohesion. Explanations to these realized functions of ideational metaphor are also provided. This research is of great significance in that the documented functions are typical and representative of ideational metaphor in English. Plain Language Summary: Functions of ideational metaphor Drawing on COCA in this research, a corpus of typical American English, expressions of the three types of ideational metaphor with significant attraction by means of the simple collexeme analysis are employed to analyze the functions that these metaphorical expressions actually realize in their linguistic contexts. The findings demonstrated that expressions of ideational metaphor could realize such interpersonal functions as authoritativeness and objectivity, such ideational functions as conciseness, abstractness, ambiguity, and semantic condensation, and such textual functions as formality and cohesion. Explanations to these realized functions of ideational metaphor are also provided. This research is of great significance in that the documented functions are typical and representative of ideational metaphor in English. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of engaging valuation specialists on the value relevance of Level 3 fair value measurements (FVMs) within the auditing process. Through an analysis of a sample of international commercial banks over the period from 2016 to 2019, this study reveals that both Level 1 and Level 2 FVMs are generally value relevant, regardless of the involvement of valuation specialists in the auditing process. However, the value relevance of Level 3 FVMs appears to be contingent upon the auditor's utilization of valuation specialists during the audit of these measurements. The findings of this study indicate that, notwithstanding the concerns highlighted in prior research, investors tend to hold the conviction that valuation specialists can make a substantive and positive impact on the auditing process, thereby enhancing the value relevance of Level 3 FVMs. Data Availability: Data are available from the public sources cited in the text. JEL Classifications: G21; M41; M42. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's technology-enriched world, the demand for engineers continues to grow, while students' interest in natural sciences is on the decline. In order to spark students' interest in STEM subjects, we launched a project "Smart Schoolhouse by means of IoT" and involved schools from five different regions in our country, with whom we were testing the idea of Smart Schoolhouse (IoSS). The main idea of IoSS is to automatically collect various data from the Smart Home system, from physical and virtual learning environment and integrate this data with the digital footprints of learners' (on their own devices and online platforms) and use it for two different purposes: nonpersonalised data for learning processes and personalised data for learning analytics. We developed a Self-Assessment Model of the Smart Schoolhouse (SAMSS) to support schools to map their readiness of innovation before taking real steps to implement the IoSS, e.g. before to rebuild the Smart Home system. In this article we give an overview of the validation process of a SAMSS with The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) where participated eight experts from different schools, school levels, and with different teaching experience. During validation, there where arised 22 ideas or proposals of change and all of them were discussed. At the section of results there are an overview of the selfassessment model supplemented with the proposed changes made during the validation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Limited research exists on medical students' coping and adjustment skills, especially in the South African context. Stakeholders planning medical curricula need to be aware of emotional and communication skills that allow students to cope and adjust to stress associated with transitioning to medical studies. Objective. To design a support framework to facilitate first-year undergraduate medical students' social learning and integration skills. Methods. This descriptive qualitative case study used multiple data collection methods, nominal group meetings and Delphi questionnaires to explore and understand undergraduate medical students' challenges with social learning and integration factors. These insights were then used to develop the support framework. Results. The support framework articulates levels of engagement and actions required to address social learning and integrated factors, namely underpreparedness, peer support, confidence, self-management, alienation and academic advice. Conclusion. Implementing the proposed support framework on social learning and integration could facilitate the successful transition of first-year undergraduate medical students from high school to university. This framework aids students in dealing with social learning and integrated factors, such as under-preparedness, peer support, confidence, self-management and alienation as well as academic advice using contextualised and appropriate skills and tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study offered a detailed cross-disciplinary analysis of master thesis titles (MTTs) in the fields of Linguistics and Literature, focusing on the variations in title length, syntactic structure, and lexical features. Utilizing a corpus-based approach, the research analyzed 1,000 MTTs from 25 top universities in China, employing both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore how titles reflect disciplinary conventions. The quantitative analysis revealed that Linguistics titles were typically longer and utilized complex nominal structures with a higher lexical density of substantive words, emphasizing precision and detailed content communication. In contrast, Literature titles demonstrated greater syntactic diversity and lexical variety, reflecting a broader thematic scope and adaptability in narrative and thematic expressions. Qualitatively, the study highlighted how these features aligned with the distinct cultural and academic settings of each field. The findings suggested that while Linguistics titles focused on analytical depth, Literature titles incorporated more creative and interpretative elements. This research provided valuable insights into the construction of thesis titles and suggested practical applications for enhancing academic communication across disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL) is a chronic ulcerating disease. A literature review identified inconsistencies in clinical trials. The aims of this study were to reach a consensus on the most important domains to measure when assessing LCL, agree on parameters to measure the domains, and develop a tool representing a Core Outcome Set (COS), for use in clinical assessment of LCL. Methodology & principal findings: A literature review was conducted to identify any existing COS for LCL embracing agreed Outcome Domains, i.e. what to measure and any Outcome Measurement Instruments (OMIs). As no COS was available, potential outcome domains for assessment of LCL were identified through an international collaborative approach using e-consultations and virtual discussions with expert stakeholders (n = 20) from geographically different LCL endemic countries. Subsequent judgmental validation process included a face-to-face multidisciplinary stakeholders' meeting adopting the Nominal Group Technique. A final consensual agreement on outcome domains and items required to measure these domains was established. "Clinical Cure" was defined as the ideal overall "General Concept". The five Core Outcome Domains included Signs capturing clinical morphology, diameter, and induration of an index lesion with the aid of a palpability score, Treatment Efficacy assessing percentage change in size of the lesion and re-epithelialization compared to baseline, Treatment Impact which included an investigator and patient visual analogue score, and Clinical Sequelae rating pigment change, atrophic and hypertrophic/keloid scars. It was agreed that two open-ended questions should be included to capture some aspects of Health-Related Quality of Life as a means of capturing a patient-focused approach. Conclusion: LeishCOM_LCL was generated to reflect a COS for LCL. This captured demographic details, agreed outcome domains and measures to assess these domains. Validation of LeishCOM_LCL will be reported in a separate paper. Development of a Patient Reported Outcome Measure will be considered in the future. Author summary: Localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL) is a chronic ulcerating disease caused by the parasite Leishmania spp. Literature review identified inconsistencies in methods and parameters used to evaluate treatment/alternative-interventions resulting in difficulties in comparing new treatment/interventions in clinical trials. In our international consensual study, we adopted the face-to-face nominal group technique and a judgment process to identify domains key to assessment of LCL. Subsequent measures for each domain were used to form a Core Outcome Set (COS). LeishCOM_LCL was developed as an outcome measure instrument (OMI) to capture the COS incorporating existing and newly developed tools. "Clinical Cure" was agreed as the "General Concept" to be captured through five domains. It was agreed that "Signs" domain should capture clinical morphology, diameter, and induration of an index lesion with the aid of a palpability score. "Treatment Efficacy" was assessed by recording percentage change in size of the lesion and re-epithelialization compared to baseline. "Treatment Impact" was reflected through an investigator and the patient visual analogue score and "Clinical Sequelae" rated pigment change, atrophic/hypertrophic scars. Two open-ended questions were included to capture some aspects of "Health-Related Quality of Life". LeishCOM_LCL also records patient demographic details and was validated in a small cohort of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Brazilian Veneto (a heritage variety of Veneto spoken in several areas of Brazil), a stem alternation targets the plurals of masculine nominals ending in a consonant. While nominals with a word-final rhotic or nasal are pluralized by adding the masculine plural suffix / − i /   ([ b i ' t ∫ ̑ e r ] → [ b i ' t ∫ ̑ e r i ] 'glass'), pluralization in nominals with a final lateral involves deletion of the consonant (e.g., [ n i ' s o l ] → [ n i ' s o i ] 'bedsheet'). I argue that these differences stem from word-final laterals having a distinct representation from rhotics and nasals: while the latter are represented as codas, the former are represented as onsets of empty-headed syllables. Based on a corpus analysis, I show that (a) speakers' productions of these plurals are stable, and (b) other patterns of pluralization (namely, in monosyllables and words with final stress on a CV syllable) are consistent with the proposal. In addition, the behaviour of laterals with respect to resyllabification, metaphony and intervocalic consonant deletion further suggest that laterals are represented as onsets word-finally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mendive - Revista de Educacion is the property of Universidad de Pinar del Rio and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses the use of the Komi indefinite pronoun MыйKö 'something' as a discourse marker. It is revealed that synchronically this pronoun is as a multifunctional linguistic unit. When used as a discourse marker, it shows different degrees of embeddedness in the morphosyntactic structure of the utterance: it may function as an agreeing or as a non-agreeing (default) marker. As an agreeing marker, it is inflected for the categories of the constituent it replaces, either fully or partially. Its function is an approximative marker or placeholder. It is shown that the marker most often replaces a substantive component, where, as a rule, it shows grammatical marking fully coinciding with the grammatical design of the replaced unit. In verb substitution, there is either a pronominal verb formed on the basis of the pronoun 'something' with the help of derivational suffixes, or a construction with the auxiliary verb 'to do'. As a non-agreeing marker, the pronoun 'something' is used in the function of a hesitation marker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Estudios de la Gestión is the property of Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar, Sede Ecuador and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: In heritage bilingualism studies, code-switching has often been overlooked, with a focus on either the heritage language or the dominant societal language of the bilingual individual. However, exploring code-switching can provide valuable insights into heritage speakers' grammar, revealing patterns that may not be apparent when only examining monolingual speech. Recent research suggests that in code-switched clauses, functional elements must align with the language of verbal inflection (INFL), which encompasses tense, aspect, voice, and agreement. This generalization is usually referred to as the Matrix Language Frame (MLF). The present study explores the empirical validity of this generalization using an experimental protocol that controls for variables that earlier work did not take into consideration. These variables are (a) adjacency between INFL and the functional element, (b) the interaction of the MLF with embedded islands, and (c) the possibly degrading effects of inserting a functional category. Thus, the aim of this study is to provide evidence in support (or not) of the INFL constraint beyond the experimental limitations in earlier work. The study focuses on the bilingual combination Papiamento-Dutch. Our results, by and large, support the MLF generalization. Methods: We carried out an online audio survey (3-point Likert scale) with 43 Papiamento-Dutch bilinguals. We manipulated the position of the switch and controlled for potential directionality effects by presenting code-switches in both switching directions. Results: We find a scale of acceptability, where the conditions that respect the INFL constraint are preferred. Additionally, and consistent with recent corpus and experimental literature, our results point to a clear asymmetry regarding directionality effects or choice of ML, reflecting how code-switching is deployed in the community. Discussion: Controlling for directionality allows us to discern the mechanisms of the INFL constraint. Thus, these findings underscore the intertwining influence of linguistic factors and community norms in guiding code-switching dynamics. Such insights extend beyond the specific context to shed light on broader dynamics within (heritage-language) bilingualism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The justification of the out-of-home placement and therefore the separation of a parent and a child is assessed by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) against both substantive (is the infringement provided for by law, does it serve to protect one of the interests as listed in paragraph 2 Article 8 ECHR and is it necessary in a democratic society), and procedural obligations (do have parents and children been given the opportunity to effectively participate in the decision-making process that led to the out-of-home placement) which derive from Article 8 ECHR. The distinction between substantive and procedural obligations is not always easy to make: they can overlap and influence each other. It is, however, important in each case to make sure which obligations are violated because this determines the nature of the failure of the state. This distinction will be made in this article in relation to the legal position of parents and children according to the ECtHR in procedures about the out-of-home placement of the child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks into the derivation of nominals in Biate at the word and sentence levels. This derivational process is productive compared to the nominalized clauses in the language. Nominalization is a key phenomenon in Kuki-Chin syntax. Languages like Hrangkhol, Khelma, Hmar and others mainly has open syllabic structure like -pa, -na, -tu etc as a nominalizer to derive nominals both at the word and clausal level. Biate has three morphological nominalizers: -tu, -na, -a and a zero morpheme which derives nominals at the word level. At the clausal level, the nominalizer -a and the zero morphemes are used. Unlike Kuki-Chin languages, the use of gender marker is not seen in case of Biate. Biate also lacks distal and proximal demonstratives common in Kuki-Chin languages. The relative clause markers in the Tibeto Burman languages behave as the nominalizer, Biate has a null relativizer. Nominalization process in Biate differ from Khelma, Hrangkhol, Hmar and others. This paper will provide a detailed account of the nominalization process in Biate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The right to image is considered one of the most important personal rights related to the person, simply because the image does recognise its owner from his or her peers, thus constituting a vital element of one's private life. Accordingly, legal protection of the right to image is highly required on both civil and criminal levels. There is no doubt that such a requirement can be attributed to the notable developments in the field of information technology, and what has been produced by digital devices and misused by people has led to the rapid spread of images in the virtual space, where any individuals have become subject to the violation of their private life. Based on this, the legal provisions of both Emirati and French legislators have adopted legal provisions that would ensure full and substantive criminal protection of the right to image, confirming the criminalisation of all forms of assault on this right, in addition to defining the controls and penalties that shall be applied against these attacks. Methods: To thoroughly tackle our research issue and its consequences, we will employ a descriptive, analytical, and comparative method. This approach is structured to meticulously explore every aspect of the research subject, albeit succinctly, and integrate jurisprudential principles with current judicial precedents. Results and Conclusions: The current research results show that comparative legislation lacks a precise definition concerning the violation of the right to image, thus leaving its interpretation to be determined by jurisprudence and the judiciary. In Emirati and French legal frameworks, this offence is not explicitly delineated but is rather encompassed within regulations safeguarding private life. The right to image is not absolute, with exceptions permitting capturing photographs for public interest. Protection of images is deemed essential within the context of private life rights. While UAE legislation mandates the use of devices for such violations, French law offers flexibility, allowing for various means of perpetration. Both legal systems stipulate that the act must occur in a private, unauthorised context and prohibit alterations to photographs without consent. Unlike UAE law, French legislation imposes penalties for the dissemination of sexually explicit images. Finally, the infringement upon the right to image is categorised as an intentional offence in both legal systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current historiography of science, of heavy Anglo-Saxon influence, it has become mandatory to point out that William Whewell (1794-1866) coined the word "scientist" in English in 1834, due to the difficulty of finding a voice equivalent to the German "natur-forscher". The purpose of this article is to question whether it is correct to apply this reflection to the evolution of our word "científico/ca". The study of this process of nominalization in Spanish is based on historical sources and digital tools such as the Corpus of the Historical Dictionary of the Spanish Language (CDH), the Diachronic Corpus of Spanish (CORDE) and the New Lexicographic Treasure of the Spanish Language (NTLLE) of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language; the Dictionary of Science and Technique of the Renaissance of the University of Salamanca; as well as the Google Ngram database. These searches have been complemented with testimonies that the author has collected throughout his research and a dialogue with the relevant historiography. It is concluded that the evolution of our word "científico/ca" does not correspond to the Anglo-Saxon one. On the contrary, its origin is found in a long process of nominalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Materials evaluation plays an important role in language teaching as it helps practitioners to develop an awareness of the coverage and quality of the existing materials and as such, guides most instruction and revision decisions. Therefore, we sought to evaluate three English Vision textbooks exclusively written for Iranian secondary high school students through a comparison to the identical Interchange book series, the fifth edition. Following a model of nominal groups outlined here, the evaluation targeted the quantity and quality of the groups appearing in the two series as they are assumed to be an important part of authentic language. For the quantitative part, the results indicated a significantly higher use of nominal groups in the Interchange series. Similarly, in the qualitative analyses, we found higher quality nominal groups appearing in the Interchange books. The findings revealed inadequate inclusion of nominal groups' potentially useful structures in the Vision textbooks, supposed to help teachers to raise an awareness so as to come up with appropriate instructional policies, and the textbook developers to consider the findings when any revision is due. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the difference between L1 and L2 lexical diversity of argumentative and narrative writings of L2 learners, and the contribution of syntactic complexity and lexical diversity to the writing quality in the L2 argumentative and narrative writings of EFL learners. To this end, 46 pre-intermediate and intermediate Iranian EFL learners from four intact classes wrote one argumentative and one narrative essay in L2, and one argumentative and one narrative essay in L1 on different topics. Paired-samples t-tests revealed that lexical diversity surfaced more in the L1 writing of the learners. Multiple linear regressions indicated that among five measures of syntactic complexity, mean length of T-unit and clauses per T-unit better predict the quality of argumentative writing. In addition, complex nominals per clause are better predictors of narrative writing quality. Simple linear regressions showed that lexical diversity is a significant predictor of L2 writing in both genres. Based on the findings, writing instructors are advised to provide L2 learners with explicit instruction on the use of diverse vocabulary and different syntactic structures in order to help them improve the quality of their writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizens' assemblies are a relatively new public planning process in Poland which can be implemented at all levels of administration. This article aims to present the citizens' assembly as a tool for local development. Citizen consultations carried out in the deliberative formula of citizen assemblies in Polish cities were analysed. This article focuses on the substantive goals and results of the local deliberation process using the citizens' assembly tool. This research covers all cities in Poland that implemented it. Taking into account the experience of Polish cities, the analysed period is 2013–2023. Of the identified processes, in-depth research covered those whose main theme was climate change. They include (in chronological order): Gdansk, Wroclaw, Warsaw, Krakow, Poznan, Lodz, and Rzeszow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THE NOMINAL GROUP HAS BEEN IN THE ATTENTION OF LANGUAGE SCIENCE FOR A LONG TIME, BUT IN THE LINGUISTICS ROMANIANE EDITED IN 2005 IT IS APPROACHED FROM THE POSITIONS OF MODERN LINGUISTICS, WHICH HIGHLIGHTS THE COMPONENTS OF THE NOMINAL GROUP AND THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THESE COMPONENTS. THE NOMINAL GROUP IS PART OF THE STATEMENT, BEING A COMPLEX STRUCTURE CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT IT IS AN EXPANSION OF THE NAME, THAT IS, A COMPLEX STRUCTURE THAT HAS AN IDENTICAL DISTRIBUTION TO THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE NAME. THUS, THE NOMINAL GROUP IS ORGANIZED AROUND A NOMINAL CENTER (NOUN, PRONOUN, NUMERAL) AND INCLUDES BOTH THE NAME AND ITS DETERMINATIONS. THE NOMINAL GROUP, AS WE SPECIFIED PREVIOUSLY, IS THE COMPONENT PART OF THE STATEMENT SYNTACTICALLY ORGANIZED AROUND A NOMINAL TERM (NOUN, PRONOUN OR SUBSTITUTE NUMERAL OF THE NOUN) AND MADE UP OF THE NOMINAL WITH THE CENTRAL ROLE AND THE ELEMENTS DIRECTLY SYNTACTICALLY DEPENDENT ON THEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cartilla practica (1862) was one of the most important technical manuals in colonial Cuba. In addition to providing a detailed description of sugar mills, it is one of the few works that addresses the issue of slave management. This study investigates the latter feature from a lexical perspective, through the morphosemantic analysis of terms used in the manual and examination of their visibility in the lexicography and texts of the time. The analysis reveals the presence of features typical of a diatechnical lexicon at an advanced stage, including nominalization, the tendency toward syntagmatic composition, and attention to precision. It highlights the need to consider the links between language and the extralinguistic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Annales Kinesiologiae is the property of Annales Kinesiologiae and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Legal Records / Pravni Zapisi is the property of Union University Law School, Belgrade and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Linguistische Treffen in Wrocław is the property of Oficyna Wydawnicza ATUT and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Jurídica (0103-3506) is the property of Revista Juridica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Managing the transition of a health system (HS) from a centralised to a decentralised model has been touted as a panacea to the complex challenges in developing countries like Malawi. However, recent studies have demonstrated that decentralisation of the HS has had mixed effects in service provision with more dominant negative outcomes than positive results. The aim of this study was to develop a substantive grounded theory (GT) that elaborates on how activities of central decision-makers and local healthcare mangers shape the process of shifting the HS to a decentralised model in Machinga, Malawi. Methods: The study was qualitative in nature and employed the Straussian version of GT. Some participants were interviewed twice, and a total of 36 semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 purposively selected participants using an interview guide. The interviews were conducted at the headquarters of the Ministry of Health (MoH) and other ministries and agencies, and in Machinga District. Data were analysed using open, axial, and selective coding processes of the GT methodology; and the conditional matrix and paradigm model were used as data analysis tools. Results: The findings of this study revealed seven different activities, forming two opposing and interactional subprocesses of enabling and impeding patterns that derailed the decentralisation drive. The study generated a GT labelled "decentralisation of the HS derailed by organisational inertia," which elaborates that decentralisation of the HS produced mixed results with more predominant negative outcomes than positive effects due to resistance at the upper organisational echelons and members of the District Health Management Team (DHMT). Conclusion: This article concludes that organisational inertia at the personal and strategic levels of leadership entrusted with decentralising the HS in Malawi, contributed immensely to the derailment of shifting the HS from the centralised to the decentralised model of health service provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient information leaflets (PILs) inserted in medicine packages constitute a genre written by experts for an audience of laymen, but studies of PILs in Arabic report low readability. According to the lay friendliness framework developed by Jensen (2013) for translated PILs, nominalization is one of the linguistic factors that contribute to PILs’ low readability. Although nominalization has been extensively studied in scientific texts including medical papers, no studies examine its use and effect on lay friendliness in PILs translated into Arabic. This study analyzes a parallel corpus of English PILs and their Arabic translations to examine the frequency and forms of nominalization introduced into the Arabic translations. Considering Givon’s (1993) definition of nominalization, all instances of finite verb phrases in the Source Texts (ST) that are fully or partially nominalized in the Target Texts (TT) were examined. Examples are discussed in terms of the level and function of nominalization in the target language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Ciencias Sociales (13159518) is the property of Revista de Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad del Zulia Venezuela and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Prior research on social movements and markets has thus far paid only scant attention to movement goals. In the few instances that goals are considered, the focus is on how goals provide a shared purpose to movement participants, and not on their substantive nature or 'content'. In contrast, our review of the movements and markets literature suggests that the substantive nature of movement goals is critical because it provides a more comprehensive understanding of different market-based movements and their interactions with market actors -- ultimately impacting the consequences for movements and their targets. We develop a social movement typology using a goals-based perspective to distinguish between three types of movement: alteration movements, whose goal is to alter or change the practices of markets or their actors; creation movements whose goal is to create new market categories as a means of addressing their grievances; and elimination movements whose goal is to eradicate or remove products, industries, or markets altogether. We propose that the relationship between these types of movement and market actors goes through a four-stage life cycle -- emergence, action, interaction and settlement -- and that initial variation in movement goals shapes differences in the movement--market relationship at each stage of this life cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring players’ and teams’ shooting performance in the basketball court can give important information aimed to the definition of both game strategies and personalized training programs. From a methodological point of view, the estimation of the scoring probability can be faced by resorting to different tools in the field of statistical or algorithmic modelling. As a matter of fact, the most natural theoretical framework for this problem is that of spatial statistics, with the particularity that the analysis is based on the binary measurement variable informing about whether a shot is made or missed. In this paper we propose the use of spatial statistics tools suited to this specific context, namely lorelograms to investigate the spatial correlation and Indicator Kriging to draw scoring probability maps. A structured case study is presented, dealing with all the teams of the Italian Basketball First League, based on a non-public dataset containing substantive additional information, that allows interesting insights about assisted and uncontested shots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of MATRIZes is the property of Universidade de Sao Paulo, Programa de Pos Graduacao em Ciencias da Comunicacao and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper deals with Bulgarian съм+-л (‘be’+past active participle) perfect verb forms with aorist and imperfect participles, the distinction between these two participles being a phenomenon found only in Bulgarian among the Slavic languages and generally absent in other languages too. According to the majority of Bulgarianists today, imperfect participles are not used in perfect verb forms. However, this thesis is considered here a fully defective one for several reasons, among which: no argumentation has ever been provided to explain the thesis in essence – for example, in its possible connection to the aspectual values encoded in aorist and imperfect participles, or to the general characteristics of съм+-л forms. These forms can effectuate many TAM meanings – not only of “a standard perfect” but also modal ones such as inferentiality, renarration, dubitativity. Following the author’s definition of aspect as an all-pervading and perpetual process of mapping temporal features between verbal and nominal referents, specific uses of imperfect and aorist participles in sentences with perfect verb forms are analyzed, and the impact the relevant participle (imperfect or aorist) exerts on the temporal values of situation-participant NP-referents is analyzed and identified. The major generalization is that the never-ending process of mapping temporal features from verbs to nominals (NPs) that occurs in verbal-aspect languages (Slavic, Greek, Georgian), and vice versa, from nominals (NPs) to verbs that occur in compositional-aspect languages (Dutch, English, Finnish) is a crucial psychophysiological mechanism ingrained in peoples’ heads and conditioning the development of grammatical structures of languages. Intriguingly, this process is linguistically fully identifiable at the speaker-hearer interaction level but remains entirely beyond the awareness of the ordinary native speaker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents selected observations relating to the reasonableness of using the word 'firm' [Polish: firma] in various substantive meanings in Polish legal language. First, attention is drawn to the basic meaning of the word 'firm' [firma] in Polish legal language as a business name under which an entrepreneur [przedsiębiorca] operates in legal transactions, which is synthetically (briefly) distinguished from the meaning in Polish legal language, especially of the word 'entrepreneur' [przedsiębiorca]. It is then pointed out that in Polish legal and non-legal language, especially in everyday language and in the specialist language of economics and finance, as well as in management and quality sciences (including the language of practice of these areas of knowledge), a different meaning of the word 'firm' [firma] is adopted: while in Polish legal language it is understood as the business name of an entrepreneur, in the non-legal language of the above-mentioned areas it is understood as meaning an entrepreneur (also in the context of the meaning given to it in selected foreign languages). This is the background for pointing to the use of the word 'firm' [firma] in Polish legal language in the early 21st century not to define the business names of entrepreneurs conducting a strictly defined economic activity, but in a different sense - to define these entrepreneurs by introducing the concepts of an investment firm [firma inwestycyjna], a foreign investment firm [zagraniczna firma inwestycyjna] and an audit firm [firma audytorska], assessing these legislative changes as a significant systemic inconsistency and formulating conclusions in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential object marking (DOM) interacts with nominal structure in complex ways across Romance languages. For example, in Spanish, it has been claimed to ban bare nominals. For Romanian, in turn, two main restrictions have been discussed: (i) ban on overt definiteness on unmodified nominals; and (ii) ban on bare nominals, if the structure contains an overt modification. This paper has two main goals. First, it examines some contexts where these types of restrictions can be lifted for some speakers; such contexts allow us to grasp a better understanding of the limits of variation permitted by DOM in its interaction with nominal structure and determiner systems. Secondly, it proposes that a theory under which DOM signals a licensing strategy beyond Case can derive the variation patterns observed in the data. Subsequently, various parameters are examined, which encode (i) how specifications responsible for DOM interact with other features in the composition of nominals; and (ii) how the resulting complex containing DOM as well as other features is resolved at PF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ius et Praxis (07172877) is the property of Universidad de Talca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Vilnius University Open Series is the property of Vilnius University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article studies the function of Copular Predicate Constructions in everyday English conversation. We compare predicate adjective constructions (PA) and constructions with a predicate nominal containing an adjective (PAN). We ask whether the attributive function of the adjective or the presence of a noun in the PAN leads to a difference in function in the two constructions. We propose that in most cases the adjective determines the function of the construction, leading to many parallels in usage between the PA and PAN constructions. A comparison with predicate nominal constructions (PN), in contrast, shows that not including an adjective in the constructions leads to a different set of meanings and implications. The conversational usage of these constructions provides evidence for a partial correspondence of form to function: Copular Predicate Constructions often constitute a complete turn in conversation, and if not a full turn, form their own prosodic units. Other properties of these constructions—the definiteness of the NP and the presence or absence of a N—correspond to different interactional work. A comparison of all three constructions shows that the adjective plays a determining interactional role, despite differences in syntactic configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we analyze the semantic-syntactic behavior of a group of bare singular count nominals in Rioplatense Spanish. In particular, we study bare nominals that appear in argument position, as complements of the directional preposition a (to) (Ana va a consultorio/'Ana goes to the clinic'), of the locative preposition en (in) (Los jugadores están en cancha/'The players are in the football field') and of transitive verbs (Juan mira tele/'Juan watches tv'). First, some diagnostics are provided in order to show that these bare nominals behave like typical weak definites, as has been originally described in Carlson and Sussman (2005). After describing their distribution, we explore their semantic and syntactic nature using a non-pseudoincorporationist proposal -inspired by de de Swart (2015)-. In a nutshell, our analysis argues that these bare nominals project a defective syntactic structure, without overt phonological realization of D and without NumP. Furthermore, we assume that the determiner preserves its uniqueness and familiarity and we postulate that, in combination with the noun, it denotes an abstract entity or kind, and not a particular object (AGUILARGUEVARA, 2014). Finally, this study aims to contribute to the hypothesis that weak definiteness is a crosslinguistic phenomenon, that comprises both overt NPs and DPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Perseitas is the property of Revista Perseitas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of New Voices in Translation Studies is the property of New Voices in Translation Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The reflexive imagery task (RIT) has been used to investigate stimulus-elicited involuntary mental processes. The task has been successful in eliciting involuntary perceptual experiences, urges, and even higher-order cognitions, but it has never been used to elicit autobiographical memories, even though in everyday life these memories are often activated involuntarily by external stimuli. These memories are different in interesting ways from the kinds of mental representations that have been activated involuntarily in the RIT. The memories have properties which might make them insusceptible to such a form of external influence. Perhaps substantive effects will not arise because the mental representations associated with autobiographical memories are complex, poly-sensory, and rich in terms of content. To investigate this matter, we developed a variant of the RIT in which participants were presented with external stimuli (line drawings of everyday objects) and instructed not to recall any autobiographical memories. We investigated whether the nature of the involuntary memories was influenced by the nature of the stimulus. In two experiments, the involuntary memories were associated to the stimulus on a majority of the trials (∼80%). We discuss theoretical implications of this finding and of identifying the conditions in which such involuntary effects will not arise. The boundary conditions of the RIT effect illuminate the limits of unconscious processing and also the role of conscious processing in nervous function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article proves that formation of foreign-language communicative competence is one of the core objectives of teaching Russian as a foreign language. The author proves that foreignlanguage communicative competence is a complex construct which includes linguistic, substantive, and pragmatic competences. Preparatory departments are to create an educational model that would provide formation of foreign-language communicative competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]