2,015 research outputs found
How many focus markers are there in Konkomba?
No full textThis article discusses the divergent status of the two particles lé and lá in the grammar of Konkomba, a Gur language (Niger-Congo) of the Gurma subgroup. While previous studies claim that both particles are focus markers, this author argues that only the particle lá should be analyzed as a pure pragmatic device. Distributional studies suggest that the use of particle lé, on the other hand, is only required under specific focus conditions, and primarily represents a syntactic device
A Rosary of Rubies: The Chronicle of the Gur-rigs mDo-chen Tradition from South-Western Tibet
No full textThe mDo-chen bKa’-brgyud-pa school represents a little known Buddhist tradition from Mang-yul Gung-thang in south-western Tibet. It goes back to a Buddhist yogin known as Ma-bdun-pa or Ma-bdun ras-chen (12th/13th c.) and was later mainly spread by members of the Gur family. Although belonging to the “Upper ’Brug” (stod ’brug) branch of the ’Brug-pa bKa’-brgyud-pa school, the mDo-chen tradition has always been deeply infused with the “spoken teachings” (bka’ ma) and “treasure teachings” (gter ma) of the rNying-ma-pa school, and the cult of the “Seven Ma-mo Sisters” (ma mo mched bdun) was particularly practised and transmitted by its members. This book presents a critical edition, an annotated translation and a photographic reproduction of a manuscript copy of a rare chronicle of the Gur-rigs mDo-chen tradition written by Brag-dkar rta-so sPrul-sku Chos-kyi dbang-phyug (1775–1837). The text provides us with an overview of the tradition’s development mainly through biographical accounts but also through prophecies, prayers and praises for individual masters. The study concludes with two appendices based on the mDo chen bka’ brgyud gser ’phreng, a lineage history composed in the 15th century, and the “records of teachings received” (thob yig) of three important members of the Gur family, thus allowing us to gain an insight into the transmissions of the mDo-chen bKa’-brgyud-pa school and the interactions of its representatives with other important Buddhist teachers up to the 18th century. The present work is a further outcome of the author’s investigations into the cultural and religious traditions of south-western Tibet and the neighbouring Himalayan valleys
The impact of COVID-19 on destination visit intention and local food consumption
No full textPurpose: This paper aims to investigate the relationships between motivation and intention to consume local food and between intention to consume local food and intention to visit the destination of that food's origin while examining the moderating effect of risk perception associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected from two samples of potential Chinese tourists in the contexts of Italian and Thai food. Data obtained from 264 Chinese respondents for Italian food and 277 Chinese respondents for Thai food were analyzed. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was utilized to test the research model. Findings: The results indicate that, while motivational factors such as cultural experience, novelty and sensory appeal influence potential Chinese tourists' intention to consume Italian food, motivational factors such as cultural experience, health concern, novelty and sensory appeal influence tourists' intention to consume Thai food. The authors found that intention to consume local food positively influences tourists' intention to visit both destinations (Italy and Thailand). Moreover, tourists' risk perceptions of COVID-19 negatively moderate the effect of cultural experience and novelty on the intention to consume Italian food. Regarding the intention to consume Thai food, the authors found that tourists' risk perceptions have a diminishing effect on all motivational factors. Originality/value: This pioneering study examines the role of COVID-19-related risk perception on the relationships among motivation of local food consumption, intention of local food consumption and destination visit intention in the context of two destination countries. It reveals cross-country differences of the negative effect pertaining to the risk perceptions of COVID-19, which has important implications for international destination marketing
Focus expressions in Yom
No full textThis paper deals with the means for expressing the pragmatic category of focus in Yom, which is an Oti-Volta language of the Yom-Nawdem group spoken by about 74,000 people (Gordon 2005, online version) in the department of Donga in Northern Benin. The study is based on results of my field research carried out in March/April 2005 in Djougou (Benin), within the framework of the project “Focus in Gur and Kwa languages”. Main aim of this fieldwork was to study the expression of focus in Yom. Regarding the basic grammatical structure of the language, I mainly rely on various publications by Beacham (1969, 1991, and 1997)
TEMI E FORME DELLA CONSOLATIO NELLA PRODUZIONE VOLGARE DI BOCCACCIO
No full textThis dissertation offers an in-depth analysis of the consolatory function of literature in the works of Giovanni Boccaccio, with particular focus on the Decameron and his vernacular writings. It begins by acknowledging, as already evident in the Genealogiae deorum gentilium, Boccaccio’s belief in the power of storytelling to soothe afflicted souls—a concept that permeates his entire corpus, especially within paratextual elements (such as prologues and epilogues), where the author often outlines the purpose and intended audience of his works in an exegetical tone. Unlike most 20th-century scholarship, which emphasized general protreptic themes or focused solely on the ethical-philosophical aspect of consolatio, this study systematically explores for the first time the rhetoric of the logos paramythikos in Boccaccio’s work—namely, the structures and mechanisms of classical consolatory discourse, creatively reinterpreted by the author. The research identifies a unique rhetorical system, blending elements of consolatio de exilio, consolatio de morte, and an innovative form of consolatio amoris, previously unformalized in Latin literature. In Boccaccio’s oeuvre, romantic suffering becomes a legitimate subject for philosophical and rhetorical reflection on pain.
This development is indirectly inspired by models such as Cicero (especially the Tusculanae Disputationes) and Ovid (Remedia amoris), from whom Boccaccio borrows exempla and rhetorical strategies, often recontextualizing them. The study shows how Boccaccio adapts Stoic and rhetorical tools to a new subject—love—acknowledged not merely as a disruptive perturbatio, but as a true existential pathos. Through a detailed topoi-based analysis, the dissertation reconstructs the recurring features of Boccaccio’s consolatory discourse, including nec primus nec solus, the mutability of fortune, companionship in grief, and the exemplary function of storytelling. These motifs appear both in paratexts (notably the prologues of the Filocolo and Decameron) and within narrative sections, where they form genuine sermones consolatorii. The Decameron is examined in detail, particularly its prologue, interpreted as a dual consolatory discourse: addressed both to a sorrowful auctor consoled by friends in the past, and to an audience of lovesick women, the intended recipients of the emotional relief provided by the tales. The consolatory power of the Decameron lies not only in its blend of utile et dilettevole, but also in its meta-literary function, where storytelling serves as an alternative to philosophical argumentation, easing pain through narrative immersion.The dissertation also considers cases where consolatio fails, such as the Comedia delle Ninfe Fiorentine and Elegia di madonna Fiammetta, in which literature intensifies rather than mitigates emotional distress. These texts enact a palinode of the consolatory paradigm, challenging the very notion of literature’s therapeutic value. In conclusion, the dissertation proposes a reinterpretation of consolation in Boccaccio as an autonomous rhetorical mode, one that transcends traditional genre boundaries. It offers a new lens through which to view the relationship between literature and pain, between exemplum and personal experience, and between classical tradition and humanistic innovation
Functional genomics in translational cancer research: focus on breast cancer
No full textConventional molecular and genetic methods for studying cancer are limited to the analysis of one locus at a time. A cluster of genes that are regulated together can be identified by DNA microarray, and the functional relationships can uncover new aspects of cancer biology. Breast cancer can be used to provide a model to demonstrate the current approaches to the molecular analysis of cancer. Meta-analysis is an important tool for the identification and validation of differentially expressed genes to increase power in clinical and biological studies across different sets of data. Recently, meta-analysis approaches have been applied to large collections of microarray datasets to investigate molecular commonalities of multiple cancer types not only to find the common molecular pathways in tumour development but also to compare the individual datasets to other cancer datasets to identify new sets of genes. Several investigators agree that microarray results should be validated. One commonly used method is quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) to validate the expression profiles of the target genes obtained through microarray experiments. qRT-PCR is attractive for clinical use, since it can be automated and performed on fresh or archived formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples. The outcome of these analyses might accelerate the application of basic research findings into daily clinical practice through translational research and may have an impact on foreseeing the clinical outcome, predicting tumour response to specific therapy, identification of new prognostic biomarkers, discovering targets for the development of novel therapies and providing further insights into tumour biology. © The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press
Present Practices and Constraints of Juice and Gur Production from Date Palm Trees in Bangladesh
No full textAims: The aim of this study was to determine the present status of date palm juice and gur, to assess the socioeconomic characteristics of respondents involved in date palm juice and gur production, and to explore the production-based constraints of date palm gur.
Study Design: The cross-sectional survey method was used in this study, along with a descriptive research design.
Place and Duration of the Study: The study was conducted in 4 upazilas (sub-district), namely Bagha, Lalpur, Khjjuria and Dumuria, under the 4 districts Rajshahi, Natore, Jessore and Khulna in Bangladesh, from November 2020 to March 2021.
Methodology: Out of 133 farmers, 97 were selected as samples using a random sampling technique. Data collected using a structured questionnaire were subjected to descriptive analysis, including frequency count, percentage, and mean for describing the level of selected variables.
Results: Rajshahi had a maximum area covered by date palm trees (12.02 ha), the highest number of trees (1129), and the highest amount of produced gur (14454 kg) compared to other districts. The greatest percentages of farmers were old (43.3%) and had a high annual income (42.3%). All the farmers used seed as propagating material. In case of constraints, ‘decrease of number of gachi’ ranked first followed by ‘adulteration of gur’ second and ‘decrease of number of date palm trees’ third.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that a decreased number of gachi is one of the major constraints for juice and gur production in Bangladesh. Continuous training and management of date palm trees, as well as the production of juice and gur with scientific technology, will improve farmers’ incomes and livelihoods
Invariance tests for the Gur+ Model in the NCANDA suite.
No full textInvariance tests for the Gur+ Model in the NCANDA suite.</p
Typologie linguistique et histoire du peuplement: le cas des langues gur du Burkina Faso
No full textCe travaille demanderait a être étendu à toutes les langues gur parlées au Burkina. L'auteur accueillera avec plaisir tout commentaire et toute information supplémentaire. Contact: [email protected] *******************************The present work should be extended to all the gur languages spoken in Burkina. Comments and further information will be welcome. Contact: [email protected] opuscule de 33 pages propose une classification structurale des langues de la famille gur parlées au BF. Dans les ch. I et II, , l'auteur définit et justifie les sept critères typologiques retenus, par ordre de priorité décroissante: l'ordre des termes dans l'énoncé, la relation entre genres et classes nominales, le marquage de l'aspect verbal, la marque d'actualité verbale, celle de l'actualité nominale et enfin quelques traits phonologiques, notamment le rôle de l'harmonie vocalique ATR. Ces critères révèlent trois types de langues gur, qui n'ont jamais été identifiés en tant que tels dans la littérature et dont la répartition géographique ne correspond que très imparfaitement au tryptique "est - centre - ouest" (carte jointe). A partir de là, l'auteur tente de comprendre cette hétérogénéité en tenant compte de l'Histoire, mais aussi des mécanismes généraux du changement linguistique (phénomènes de contacts de langues envisagés du point de vue sociolinguistique et du point de vue psycho-linguistique). Les résultats obtenus ainsi que les hypothèses qui tentent de les expliquer interpellent tous ceux qui s'intéressent à l'histoire du peuplement dans cette partie du monde.*****************************This paper of 33 pages proposes a structural classification of the Gur languages spoken in Burkina Faso. In section I & II, the author defines and justifies the seven typologic criteria he uses, from the more to the less important : word-order in the sentence, the relation gender-class, the expression of verbal aspect, the mark of actuality on verbs and on nouns and finally a few phonological features, in particular the ATR vowel harmony. These criteria reveal three types of Gur languages, which have never been identified as such in the literature and which only poorly correspond to the geographic "east - centre -west" of the aera (one map). So the author tries to understand the how and why those kin languages are so heterogenous, taking into account the historical data, but also the general mechanisms at work in linguistic change (languages in contact, both from a socio-linguistic and a psycho-linguistic angle). The results as well as the hypotheses trying to account for them should appeal to all those interested in the history of population in this part of the world
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