How subjective are Mandarin reason connectives?

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-211
Author(s):  
Hongling Xiao ◽  
Fang Li ◽  
Ted J. M. Sanders ◽  
Wilbert P. M. S. Spooren
Keyword(s):  
Speech Act ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Coherence Relations ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
Causal Coherence ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Empirical Database ◽  
Specific Profile

Abstract Studies in several languages find that causal connectives differ from one another in their prototypical meaning and use, which provides insight into language users’ cognitive categorization of causal relations in discourse. Subjectivity plays a vital role in this process. Using an integrated subjectivity approach, this study aims to give a comprehensive picture of the semantic-pragmatic distinctions between Mandarin reason connectives jìrán ‘since’, yīnwèi and yóuyú ‘because’. The data come from spontaneous conversation, microblog, and newspaper discourse, while most previous studies have focused only on written data. The results show that, despite the contextual differences in discourse from each corpus, the connectives display distinctive and robust profiles. Jìrán is subjective. It prototypically expresses speech act and epistemic causalities featuring speech act and judgment in the consequent. Speaker SoC (subject of consciousness) is actively involved yet remains implicit in the utterances. Yóuyú, by contrast, is objective. It typically expresses volitional and non-volitional content causalities featuring the consequent of physical act and fact, which are usually independent of SoCs. Yīnwèi is neutral in general, with a slight preference to volitional content and epistemic relations, to the consequent of fact, and to speaker SoC. Only one interaction with discourse style is found: in relations introduced by yīnwèi, the linguistic realization of the SoC varies across corpora: significantly more implicit yet few explicit cases in microblogs, yet the opposite is true in conversations. The specific profile of yīnwèi, depending on the ordering of the antecedent and the consequent, is robust across corpora. Furthermore, the relative importance of the associated subjectivity features is determined. In conclusion, the study contributes to our understanding of causal coherence and extends the empirical database that supports the claims of a cognitive account of causal coherence relations.

The Word Class Adjective in English Business Magazines Online

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-115
Author(s):  
Borislav Marušić ◽  
Sanda Katavić-Čaušić
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Word Formation ◽  
Word Class ◽  
Business English ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
English Syntax ◽  
The Empirical Analysis ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract The aim of this paper is to research the word class adjective in one sequence of the ESP: Business English, more precisely English business magazines online. It is an empirical study on the corpus taken from a variety of business magazines online. The empirical analysis allows a comprehensive insight into the word class adjective in this variety of Business English and makes its contribution to English syntax, semantics and word formation. The syntactic part analyses the adjective position in the sentence. The semantic part of the study identifies the most common adjectives that appear in English business magazines online. Most of the analysis is devoted to the word formation of the adjectives found in the corpus. The corpus is analysed in such a way that it enables its division into compounds, derivatives and conversions. The results obtained in this way will give a comprehensive picture of the word class adjective in this type of Business English and can act as a starting point for further research of the word class adjective.

Rethinking bibliographic utilities for library consortia

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 7-9
Author(s):  
Israel Odede
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Paradigm Shift ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Distributed Network ◽  
Network Resources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Library Consortia ◽  
Individual Ownership ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The paper aims to critically examine the bibliographic utility as a roadmap to increase library consortia and provide an insight into a new library consortia strategy that integrates librarians into a system of sharing both resources and knowledge. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a literature review approach with a focus on bibliographic utility as a necessary prerequisite for effective library consortia, which is a paradigm shift from the concept of individual ownership to a collective access of distributed network resources and knowledge. Findings The reviewed literature indicated that significant bibliographic utilities and integrated library systems are factors that shaped and developed consortia activities in libraries. Originality/value The bibliographic utility has limited literature, and a few published scholarly studies have combined bibliographic utility and library consortia as strategies to share resources and knowledge

Formation of contracts for the international sale of goods under Korean law and the CISG

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-223
Author(s):  
Byung Mun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Case Law ◽  
The Other ◽  
Basic Question ◽  
Content Type ◽  
International Sale Of Goods ◽  
The Comparative Study ◽  
International Sales ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the rules on the formation of contracts under Korean law and the Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) in a comparative way and introduce the relevant proposed rules under the Amendment Draft of the Korean Civil Code (KCC). In addition, it attempts to compare and evaluate them in light of the discipline of comparative law. Design/methodology/approach In order to achieve the purposes of the study, it executes a comparative study of the rules as to the formation of contracts of the CISG, Korean law and the Amendment Draft of the KCC. The basic question for this comparative study is placed on whether a solution from one jurisdiction is more logical than the others and to what extent each jurisdiction has responded to protect the reasonable expectations of the parties in the rules as to the formation of contracts. Findings The comparative study finds that most of the rules under the CISG are quite plausible and logical and they are more or less well reflected in the proposals advanced by the KCC amendment committee. On the other hand, the other rules under the CISG which have brought criticisms in terms of their complexity and inconsistent case law invite us their revision or consistent interpretation. The drawbacks of the CISG have also been well responded in the Amendment Draft of the KCC. Nevertheless, it is quite unfortunate that the Amendment Draft of the KCC still has a rule that regards any purported performance with non-material alteration of the terms of an offer as an acceptance. Originality/value This study may provide legal and practical advice to both the seller and the buyer when they enter into a contract for international sales of goods. In addition, it may render us an insight into newly developed or developing rules in this area and show us how they interact with each other. Furthermore, it may be particularly useful in Korea where there is an ongoing discussion for revision of the KCC.

Professionals freaking out: the case of accreditation in Dutch higher education

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 473-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Everard van Kemenade ◽  
Teun W. Hardjono
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Iso 9000 ◽  
Preliminary Survey ◽  
External Evaluation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Evaluation Systems ◽  
System A ◽  
Engineering And Technology ◽  
Insight Into

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to define what factors cause willingness and/or resistance among lecturers in universities towards external evaluation systems, especially accreditation.Design/methodology/approachA model has been designed to describe possible factors of willingness and/or resistance towards accreditation based on Ajzen and Metselaar. A literature review has been undertaken on the effects of external evaluation like ISO 9000 as well as accreditation systems such as Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology and European Quality Improvement System. A questionnaire has been administered to a group of 63 lecturers from three departments at Fontys University in The Netherlands. The results of this preliminary survey have been presented to 1,500 academics in The Netherlands and Flanders to collect empirical data.FindingsResistance to accreditation can be found in the consequences of accreditation for the work of the lecturer (workload), negative emotions (stress and insecurity); the lack of knowledge and experience (help from specialists is needed); and lack of acceptance (other paradigm).Originality/valueThe paper provides more insight into the difficulties that organizations, especially universities, have to commit their employees to external evaluation. It might be possible to generalize the findings to other professionals in other organizations. Little research in this field has been undertaken so far.

scholarly journals The future of financial markets and regulation: what strategy for Europe?

foresight ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Baptiste Gossé ◽  
Dominique Plihon
Keyword(s):  
Financial Markets ◽  
Capital Market ◽  
Financial Stability ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Financial Integration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Realistic Option ◽  
The Future ◽  
Unstable Environment ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose – This article aims to provide insight into the future of financial markets and regulation in order to define what would be the best strategy for Europe. Design/methodology/approach – First the authors define the potential changes in financial markets and then the tools available for the regulator to tame them. Finally, they build five scenarios according to the main evolutions observed on the financial markets and on the tools used by the regulator to modify these trends. Findings – Among the five scenarios defined, two present highly unstable features since the regulator refuses to choose between financial opening and independently determining how to regulate finance in order to preserve financial stability. Three of them achieve financial stability. However, they are more or less efficient or feasible. In terms of market efficiency, the multi-polar scenario is the best and the fragmentation scenario is the worst, since gains of integration depend on the size of the new capital market. Regarding sovereignty of regulation, fragmentation is the best scenario and the multi-polar scenario is the worst, because it necessitates coordination at the global level which implies moving further away from respective national preferences. However, the more realistic option seems to be the regionalisation scenario: this level of coordination seems much more realistic than the global one; the market should be of sufficient size to enjoy substantial benefits of integration. Nevertheless, the “European government” might gradually increase the degree of financial integration outside Europe in line with the degree of cooperation with the rest of the world. Originality/value – Foresight studies on financial markets and regulation are quite rare. This may be explained by the difficulty to forecast what will be their evolution in the coming decades, not least because finance is fundamentally unstable. This paper provides a framework to consider what could be the best strategy of regulators in such an unstable environment.

Correlation between sustainability education and engineering students’ attitudes towards sustainability

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuok Ho Daniel Tang
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Sustainability Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fundamental Knowledge ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Development Course ◽  
Beliefs And Attitudes ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the impacts of a sustainable development course on the beliefs, attitudes and intentions of a cohort of engineering students in a university in Miri, Malaysia, towards sustainability. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaire survey was conducted among the cohort of students encompassing the three facets mentioned. Findings The respondents expressed low to medium agreement towards all the survey items related to beliefs, attitudes and intentions. A sense of moral obligation towards sustainability is linked to higher sustainability awareness, willingness to safeguard sustainability and a sense of responsibility towards sustainable development. The respondents were generally perceived to have fundamental knowledge of sustainable development. Research limitations/implications This study shows that a sustainable development course called Engineering Sustainable Development offered in a university in Miri, produced positive impacts on the beliefs, attitudes and intentions of the engineering students towards sustainable development. Sustainable development courses are generally instrumental to impart the value and practices of sustainability among university students. Originality/value As limited correlational studies on whether sustainable development courses effectively shape the beliefs and attitudes of students have been previously conducted, this study provides insight into the effectiveness of one of such courses and how the course can be further improved to enhance its effectiveness.

The carmine dilemma: does the natural colourant preference outweigh nausea?

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (8) ◽  
pp. 1915-1928
Author(s):  
Judith Müller-Maatsch ◽  
Johannes Jasny ◽  
Katharina Henn ◽  
Claudia Gras ◽  
Reinhold Carle
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Consumer Perception ◽  
Natural Food ◽  
German Population ◽  
Misleading Information ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Broad Cross Section ◽  
First Time ◽  
Self Administered Questionnaire ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the consumers’ perception of natural and artificial food colourants. Furthermore, attitudes towards the application of carmine, being technically important and ubiquitously used to impart red shades, are assessed and analysed. Originating from insects, carmine is considered as natural but may arouse disgust. Design/methodology/approach In total, 625 individuals were surveyed using an online, self-administered questionnaire to represent a broad cross-section of the German population. Findings Independent of their origin, the application of colourants was rejected by 57.0 per cent of the interviewees. In total, 31.8 per cent of the participants stated a neutral attitude, while only 11.2 per cent expressed a positive notion. Most respondents preferred colourants from natural sources to artificial ones. While consumers perceive natural food colourants composed of genuine plant pigments positively, 61.6 per cent of respondents disliked the application of animal-derived colourants, 24.8 per cent of them did neither reject nor like it, and only 13.6 per cent of the interviewees stated a positive attitude towards them. The findings of this paper further indicate consumers’ preference for colourants to be either artificial or plant-derived rather than carmine. Food colourants are being rejected, possibly due to misleading information and confusing labelling. Consequently, information about carmine, including its origin and production, did not increase the aversion to products that are dyed with it, but increased their acceptance. Originality/value This study outlines consumer perception and attitudes towards food colourants. For the first time, the findings of this paper report the effect of revealing information about an additive, which initially aroused disgust, and its influence on consumer perception.

scholarly journals Processing of positive-causal and negative-causal coherence relations in primary school children and adults: a test of the cumulative cognitive complexity approach in German

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
JULIA KNOEPKE ◽  
TOBIAS RICHTER ◽  
MAJ-BRITT ISBERNER ◽  
JOHANNES NAUMANN ◽  
YVONNE NEEB ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
School Children ◽  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Text Comprehension ◽  
Cognitive Effort ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Task Support ◽  
Coherence Relations ◽  
Causal Coherence

AbstractEstablishing local coherence relations is central to text comprehension. Positive-causal coherence relations link a cause and its consequence, whereas negative-causal coherence relations add a contrastive meaning (negation) to the causal link. According to the cumulative cognitive complexity approach, negative-causal coherence relations are cognitively more complex than positive-causal ones. Therefore, they require greater cognitive effort during text comprehension and are acquired later in language development. The present cross-sectional study tested these predictions for German primary school children from Grades 1 to 4 and adults in reading and listening comprehension. Accuracy data in a semantic verification task support the predictions of the cumulative cognitive complexity approach. Negative-causal coherence relations are cognitively more demanding than positive-causal ones. Moreover, our findings indicate that children's comprehension of negative-causal coherence relations continues to develop throughout the course of primary school. Findings are discussed with respect to the generalizability of the cumulative cognitive complexity approach to German.

Technology adoption and company performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-161
Author(s):  
Yeong-Wha Sawng ◽  
Yongjae Park ◽  
Seok-Hong Jo ◽  
Seung-Lak Park
Keyword(s):  
Performance Index ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Company Performance ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Smart Technology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Internal Process ◽  
Smart Technologies ◽  
Interdisciplinary Study

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide useful implications for Korean export companies to adopt the smart technology to improve their performance in the era of industrial convergence with the interdisciplinary study between trade and technology management. Design/methodology/approach This study followed the five-stage procedure and methods. In the first stage, measurement items were developed in four performance factors: leaning and growth, internal process, customer and finance. In the second stage, data were collected by conducting two types of surveys: first, for Korean export companies that have adopted Radio frequency identification (RFID) to test the proposed model and analyze the performance and second, for RFID experts of industry-university R&D cooperation to measure the relative importance of factors and items. In the third stage, the model was verified with structural equation modeling. In the fourth stage, AHP was used to analyze the relative importance of factors and items. In the fifth stage, post-RFID adoption performance in Korean export companies was measured by a formula for the performance index. Through these five-stage procedure and methods, the final performance improvement strategies and practical implications are presented in the conclusion. Findings The framework finds that the total score of RFID post-adoption on company performance proved relatively low, which indicates that the effect of this technology on export companies’ performance is still unsatisfactory. And financial performance proved to be ‘top priority’ area, which requires the most urgent effort for improvement since its importance was higher than learning and growth, internal process and customer performance—but nonetheless its performance index was the lowest. This study finds that strategic decision making is required for adopting smart technology in the perspective of technology convergence to improve the performance of companies among heterogeneous industries. Research limitations/implications Despite the significant results of this study alone, it also has limitations. Therefore, the direction of the future study is as follows: future research should focus on finding specific impact factors enhancing post-adoption of smart technologies including RFID performance by conducting empirical studies that identify the factors affecting post adoption of smart technologies rate directly or indirectly. Originality/value In the current global market environment, not only technological convergence in the same kind of industry but also industrial convergence in the different kinds of industries are essential to manufacturing and service companies including to export companies with perspective of Innovation. This study has the value as an interdisciplinary study to actually measure the performance of a company by industrial convergence through the theme of adoption of smart technology in export companies.

scholarly journals A Cronobacter turicensis O1 Antigen-Specific Monoclonal Antibody Inhibits Bacterial Motility and Entry into Epithelial Cells

2014 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 876-887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Schauer ◽  
Angelika Lehner ◽  
Richard Dietrich ◽  
Ina Kleinsteuber ◽  
Rocío Canals ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Monoclonal Antibody ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Foodborne Pathogen ◽  
Antimicrobial Effect ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Cell Agglutination ◽  
Content Type ◽  
O Antigen ◽  
Lethal Infection ◽  
Insight Into

Cronobacter turicensisis an opportunistic foodborne pathogen that can cause a rare but sometimes lethal infection in neonates. Little is known about the virulence mechanisms and intracellular lifestyle of this pathogen. In this study, we developed an IgG monoclonal antibody (MAb; MAb 2G4) that specifically recognizes the O1 antigen ofC. turicensiscells. The antilipopolysaccharide antibody bound predominantly monovalently to the O antigen and reduced bacterial growth without causing cell agglutination. Furthermore, binding of the antibody to the O1 antigen ofC. turicensiscells caused a significant reduction of the membrane potential which is required to energize flagellar rotation, accompanied by a decreased flagellum-based motility. These results indicate that binding of IgG to the O antigen ofC. turicensiscauses a direct antimicrobial effect. In addition, this feature of the antibody enabled new insight into the pathogenicity ofC. turicensis. In a tissue culture infection model, pretreatment ofC. turicensiswith MAb 2G4 showed no difference in adhesion to human epithelial cells, whereas invasion of bacteria into Caco-2 cells was significantly inhibited.

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