Common Core Features Research Articles

SYNTACTIC FEATURES OF PREPOSITIONS AND PRO-FORMS IN CAMEROON FRANCOPHONE ENGLISH

This paper examines the syntactic features of prepositions and pro-forms by Cameroon Francophone English (CamFE) users with a tertiary education level. Written and spoken data were drawn from 95 participants from various domains encompassing administration, education, sports, and politics. A corpus of 136,767 words was built and exploited following the corpus linguistics methodology. The AntConc analytical toolkit was used in sorting out data. Quirk and Greenbaum’s (1973) structural approach to grammar was used as the analytical framework to establish the common core features (CCFs) and the interfered features (IFs). It was found that the English by Francophone Cameroonians is characterised by features that drift away from the common core features. Items were inserted, substituted, anticipated, delayed or clustered. The French language has impacted those features in a considerable degree. The conclusion that is drawn from the analysis is that CamFE is a francophonised non-native variety of English in Cameroon.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0717/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Terminological hybridity in institutional legal translation

Abstract The analysis of domain-specific terminology is essential for characterizing specialized discourses, and emerges as a useful means of measuring the thematic hybridity of law and legal translation in particular. This paper accordingly presents a large-scale mapping of terminological and phraseological features in a multi-genre corpus that was built as part of the LETRINT project on institutional legal translation. The corpus-driven analysis focuses on the density of legal terminology and phraseology, on the one hand, and that of terminology of other specialized domains, on the other, in nine genres that are considered representative of three central legal functions (law-making, compliance monitoring and adjudication) in three international settings (the European Union, the United Nations and the World Trade Organization). The comparative examination of density scores provides empirical evidence of the common core features of the selected genres, and reveals variations based on institutional thematic focus, primary legal function and genre specificities. These insights nuance our understanding of international legal discourses and domain specialization in institutional translation.

Modelling Writing: The IMRaD and Knowledge Production in Nigerian Academies

The aim of this study is to explore the pattern of text production of Nigerian researchers to reveal the cultural practices of the academic community and the attendant implications for a globalised academy. The study attempts to answer the question: What academic rhetoric practices characterise text production in the academic contexts of Nigeria vis-a-vis international context? The study is partly textual, examining the international reviews of papers written by Nigerian researchers to identify the common core features and to tease out those features that pose challenges for international publication; and partly based on corpus method of collecting samples of the texts produced by the researchers. The study uses the global model of the 4-part IMRaD as template for a comparative matrix analysis. Via a qualitative analysis of its data, the study reveals that the Nigeria academic community is characterised by a knowledge production pattern that differs from the global IMRaD both in structure and content. Structurally, it adopts a 5-7 part pattern and content wise, the rhetorical moves of the IMRaD which are confined to its 4 part structure are dispersed and sometimes redefined in the 5-7 part model used in the Nigerian academy. The paper concludes that whether or not a paper adopts the strict structure of IMRaD or its modified form, the ordering of knowledge plays a significant role in its consumption as does the relevance of its contents to the community of users; and it recommends recognition of the cultural practices of academic communities in especially the non-native English contexts and their accommodation in the global template for academic publishing.

Health-Related Concepts and Cognitive Linguistics

Human behavior is governed by concepts. Concepts are cognitive representations of reality. Cognitive linguistics suggests that there are cognitive models affecting the formation of concepts in human mind, such as cognitive metaphor and a prototype model. We used the example of an ancient procedure – trepanation in order to show the connection between the procedure and the concept of the skull as a container, which is a metaphor. Most important concepts in medical systems are health and disease. There is no agreement about their exact definition, although there have been many studies focusing on that. Based on the previous research, we suggest possible benefits from approaching the disease as a prototype category. In all studies so far there have always been consistencies in rating entities qualifying as a disease which is a feature of a prototype category – membership gradience. Entities perceived as diseases by respondents in studies so far have not been the same, but they share certain features. It is more likely for an entity to be considered a disease if it can lead to death, for example. In our opinion there are common core features determining disease as a cognitive category. Further cross-cultural studies could answer what features an entity needs to have in order to be considered a disease.Stressing such features could improve patients’cooperation when a new disease appears.

Network analysis of specific psychopathology and psychiatric symptoms in patients with eating disorders.

Network analysis of psychiatric symptoms describes reciprocal relationships of individual symptoms, beyond categorical diagnoses. Those with eating disorders (EDs) frequently have complex patterns of comorbid symptoms and the transdiagnostic theory includes shared common core features across diagnoses. We aim to test whether general psychiatric symptoms comprise components of these transdiagnostic features. Network analysis was applied on 2068 patients with EDs (955 anorexia nervosa [AN], 813 bulimia nervosa [BN], and 300 binge-eating disorder [BED]). All patients underwent clinical interviews and some self-reported questionnaires, such as the Symptom Check-List 90 (SCL-90) to measure psychiatric symptoms, the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) to measure ED-specific symptoms, and the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) for personality traits. Across EDs and within each ED, SCL-90 scores of depression, anxiety and interpersonal sensitivity, EDI ineffectiveness, interoceptive awareness, interpersonal distrust, and drive for thinness had high centrality. Notably, body mass index (BMI) and EDI bulimia played a central role when considering the whole group, whereas they did not in individual EDs. The shared centrality of identified nodes in both individual and merged groups supported the transdiagnostic theory of EDs (diagnoses share core ED features), with a central role of BMI. Moreover, the most central nodes were general psychiatric symptoms, interpersonal domain, and self-efficacy. These findings suggest that-in addition to ED-core symptoms and BMI-depressive and anxiety symptoms, interpersonal sensitivity and ineffectiveness may be important targets to provide effective treatments across AN, BN, and BED.

In pursuit of neurophenotypes: The consequences of having autism and a big brain.

A consensus has emerged that despite common core features, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has multiple etiologies and various genetic and biological characteristics. The fact that there are likely to be subtypes of ASD has complicated attempts to develop effective therapies. The UC Davis MIND Institute Autism Phenome Project is a longitudinal, multidisciplinary analysis of children with autism and age-matched typically developing controls; nearly 400 families are participating in this study. The overarching goal is to gather sufficient biological, medical, and behavioral data to allow definition of clinically meaningful subtypes of ASD. One reasonable hypothesis is that different subtypes of autism will demonstrate different patterns of altered brain organization or development i.e., different neurophenotypes. In this Commentary, we discuss one neurophenotype that is defined by megalencephaly, or having brain size that is large and disproportionate to body size. We have found that 15% of the boys with autism demonstrate this neurophenotype, though it is far less common in girls. We review behavioral and medical characteristics of the large-brained group of boys with autism in comparison to those with typically sized brains. While brain size in typically developing individuals is positively correlated with cognitive function, the children with autism and larger brains have more severe disabilities and poorer prognosis. This research indicates that phenotyping in autism, like genotyping, requires a very substantial cohort of subjects. Moreover, since brain and behavior relationships may emerge at different times during development, this effort highlights the need for longitudinal analyses to carry out meaningful phenotyping. Autism Res 2017, 10: 711-722. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Pathological gambling: a review of the neurobiological evidence relevant for its classification as an addictive disorder.

In light of the upcoming eleventh edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), the question arises as to the most appropriate classification of 'Pathological Gambling' ('PG'). Some academic opinion favors leaving PG in the 'Impulse Control Disorder' ('ICD') category, as in ICD-10, whereas others argue that new data especially from the neurobiological area favor allocating it to the category of 'Substance-related and Addictive Disorders' ('SADs'), following the decision in the fifth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The current review examines important findings in relation to PG, with the aim of enabling a well-informed decision to be made with respect to the classification of PG as a SAD or ICD in ICD-11. Particular attention is given to cognitive deficits and underlying neurobiological mechanisms that play a role in SADs and ICDs. These processes are impulsivity, compulsivity, reward/punishment processing and decision-making. In summary, the strongest arguments for subsuming PG under a larger SAD category relate to the existence of similar diagnostic characteristics; the high co-morbidity rates between the disorders; their common core features including reward-related aspects (positive reinforcement: behaviors are pleasurable at the beginning which is not the case for ICDs); the findings that the same brain structures are involved in PG and SADs, including the ventral striatum. Research on compulsivity suggests a relationship with PG and SAD, particularly in later stages of the disorders. Although research is limited for ICDs, current data do not support continuing to classify PG as an ICD.

Coordinate compounding in English and Spanish

Coordinate compounding is a process which has been only sporadically considered in word-formation studies on Germanic and Romance languages. In this paper, we compare the situation in English with that in Spanish as far as formal structure and semantics are concerned. To this end, an operational definition of coordinate compounding is first provided, after which a semantic classification of coordinate compounds is developed. For each type, variants are discussed, representative examples are provided, and similarities and dissimilarities between the two languages are highlighted. We finish by raising the issues of recursiveness and productivity in coordinate compounding and we examine the possibilities of expansion and profitability of the different patterns. Our analysis reveals marked similarities between English and Spanish coordinate compounding at various levels, hinting at the possible existence of a cross-linguistic set of common core features in the class of coordinate compounds in both Germanic and Romance.

Are there common core features of apathy in different neuropsychiatric samples as assessed by the Apathy Evaluation Scale?

Background: Previous factor analyses of the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) have indicated the presence of one main factor comprising core symptoms of apathy. However, the factor structure of the AES has not been determined in patient samples with cerebrovascular disorders. Aims of the study were to 1) examine the factor structure of the AES in two patient samples with cerebrovascular disorders (stroke and subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH)) and to compare these results with those from a study of young patients with first-episode psychosis, 2) identify common items loading on the main factors and 3) examine whether these items could be used as an abbreviated scale for stroke and SAH patients. Methods: Factor analysis was conducted on AES data for all patients (stroke: n=85; SAH: n=76; first-episode psychosis; n=104). Psychometric properties were explored. A second factor analysis was conducted on the stroke and SAH sample, based on common items loading on the main factor in all three samples. Results: A common main factor representing apathy was present in all samples. Ten common items loaded highest on the apathy factor in all samples. A scale consisting of these 10 items had sound psychometric properties for stroke and SAH patients (Cronbach's alpha=0.91 and 0.95, respectively). Conclusions: The results suggested that common core items of apathy can be identified in various samples of patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms. We suggest a 10-item version of the AES that may be employed for assessing apathy in patients with SAH and stroke.

The role of the clinical nurse specialist in epilepsy: A national survey

Purpose : To review and describe the key roles of the UK clinical nurse specialist in epilepsy (CNSE), and to identify the specialist nurses’ contribution to care through an exploration of CNSE’s perceptions of their roles. Method : Using the Delphi technique [Applied Project Design and Analysis, 3rd ed., Churchill Livingstone, London, 2000, p. 243] a national survey of all known UK CNSEs was completed. One hundred and thirty questionnaires identifying nine key hypotheses central to the role of the CNSE were distributed and 76 valid questionnaires returned. Results : The response rate was 63% and was geographically representative of the UK population of CNSEs. CNSEs were employed in a range of hospital and community settings with differing patient groups. Seventy-two percent of respondents held higher academic nursing qualifications but only 36% had previous epilepsy or neurology experience. Thirty percent of respondents had been employed in the role of CNSE for more than 5 years and 84% were employed as a G or H grade nurse. Only 39% of CNSEs held nurse-led clinics and of those 32% were responsible for all decisions made during their clinic. Furthermore, 40% of CNSEs saw new patients who had not previously been reviewed by one of the medical team. The level of responsibility for drug management was mainly at a monitoring and advisory level but a small number of CNSEs held much greater responsibility. The responses to the nine hypotheses were compared using cross tabulations. Conclusion : The findings of the study and the review of the CNSE in the UK revealed that the key roles of the CNSE were difficult to define. Yet, the respondents identified that there were common core features central to their contribution to care as specialist nurses.