On variation in gender agreement: the neutralization of pronominal gender in Dutch

in Giacalone Ramat, Anna; Mauri, Caterina; Molinelli, Piera (Eds.) Synchrony and diachrony: a dynamic interface (in press)

Studies on developments in pronominal gender agreement often focus on the semantic guidelines that are used to replace grammatical agreement with. However, pragmatic factors contribute to the competition ... [more ▼]

Studies on developments in pronominal gender agreement often focus on the semantic guidelines that are used to replace grammatical agreement with. However, pragmatic factors contribute to the competition between syntactic and semantic agreement as well. This paper analyzes two prominence factors contributing to the overall discourse salience of the antecedent noun and their impact on grammatical agreement in personal pronouns. First, the results will reveal that the antecedent’s referential status i.e. the assumed cognitive status the antecedent has in the mind of the addressee (cf. the Givenness Hierarchy) exerts influence on the use of gender-marked pronouns. Secondly, this study will indicate that antecedents in subject position trigger more syntactic agreement than antecedents with other grammatical functions. [less ▲]

Jules Destrée animateur de la vie littéraire

in Institut Destrée (Ed.) Centenaire de la Lettre au Roi de Jules Destrée (in press)

Position in the Field and Production of Judgment. Case Study of School Guidance Counseling

in Hilgers, Mathieu; Mangez, Eric (Eds.) Social Field Theory. Concept and applications (in press)

This text focuses on how teachers and other institutional actors (such as headmasters, psychologists and social workers) offer guidance to pupils in secondary schools. It stresses the epistemological and ... [more ▼]

This text focuses on how teachers and other institutional actors (such as headmasters, psychologists and social workers) offer guidance to pupils in secondary schools. It stresses the epistemological and empirical challenges inherent in a study of decisionmaking in school guidance as used by teachers, based on field theory. The text begins with a presentation of several sociological studies of how teachers construct their judgments about pupils. It emphasizes the strength of the concept of field as a key to understanding the role played by teachers in the formal process of educational (school) guidance, specifically in the case of the French "Grandes Ecoles". This section goes on to show that, with the weakening of the autonomy of (the) educational institutions, (the) French sociology of education moved away from (the) Bourdieu’s perspective, (and) to focus(ed) on the moral pluralism inherent in education and the ethical tensions that institutional actors face. The second part of the text discusses the findings of socioanthropological fieldwork undertaken in secondary schools in the French Community of Belgium. This section argues that the dynamics of judgments made by teachers today canbest be understood through their structural linkages with the structure of the field of secondary education. [less ▲]

Child labour, Agency and Family dynamics: The Case of Mining in Katanga (DRC)

in Childhood (in press)

In the last three decades, the development of the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector has been increasing in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), bringing more and more urban families into ... [more ▼]

In the last three decades, the development of the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector has been increasing in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), bringing more and more urban families into this flourishing business sector, and among them, children. At first glance, one could see children in the mining sector mainly as victims entangled in the flows of raw materials of unbridled capitalism. But this paper aims to look at the often unconceivable, and as a result neglected, social agency of children even when they are involved in stigmatized and prohibited types of child labour. To do so, it relies on the results of a socio-anthropological collective research project on children’s mining activities which was carried out in a small locality called La Ruashi in the city of Lubumbashi (Province of Katanga). The article aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of what is often normatively only labelled as ‘child labour’ by looking at different spheres of social relations within which children are embedded. Examining the set of social interactions that children have with their families, the broader community and their ‘peers’, several ‘family portraits’ are offered, highlighting a heterogeneity of social interpretations regarding this ‘new’ form of child work. It will be shown that for families from middle-class background, this kind of work is often socially disruptive, at the forefront of inter-generational conflict. As for families from lower classes, social changes induced by children’s mining activities are often better incorporated into the family habitus. Common social changes encountered in all families irrespective of class belonging will also be portrayed, showing the transversal societal impact these ‘new’ forms of child economic activities can provoke at a micro level. [less ▲]

Bursty magnetic reconnection at Saturn's magnetosphere

in Geophysical Research Letters (in press)

Regards croisés sur le sac de Rome: Le 'carteggio' de Francesco Guicciardini et les 'Diarii' de Marino Sanudo

in Moreno, Paola; Godinas, Laurette; Miesse, Hélène (Eds.) Encuentros/Desencuentros. Italia y España en los siglos XV y XVI: Textos y contextos. Actas del congreso internacional, UNAM-Instituto de Investigaciones bibliogràficas, 26-27 de octubre 2009 (in press)

L'article envisage de façon conjointe la correspondance de Francesco Guicciardini et les journaux de Marino Sanudo pour la période qui précède immédiatement le sac de Rome de mai 1527, moment critique où ... [more ▼]

L'article envisage de façon conjointe la correspondance de Francesco Guicciardini et les journaux de Marino Sanudo pour la période qui précède immédiatement le sac de Rome de mai 1527, moment critique où se noue un nouvel équilibre entre les forces en présence en Italie. Issus de patries ennemies que la Ligue de Cognac a assemblées autour d’un objectif commun - la défense des intérêts italiens mis à mal - la mise en perspective de leurs écrits offre un éclairage nouveau sur l’entreprise portée par Guicciardini et la perception immédiate de l’événement par les contemporains puisque cette prise rapide, qui suscita stupeur et étonnement, rendit pendant un certain temps les hommes du temps, dont Sanudo, incapables de trancher de la véracité des faits qui leur étaient rapportés. La confrontation de ces deux corpus à caractère «privé» permet en outre de mettre en évidence les disparités de jugement qui peuvent émerger, que l’on soit acteur ou spectateur de l’histoire. [less ▲]

Cholecaciferol in haemodialysis patients: a randomized, double-blind, proof-of-concept and safety study

in Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation (in press)

Background. The role of cholecalciferol supplementation in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients has been questioned. The objective of this randomized double-blinded study is to assess whether ... [more ▼]

Background. The role of cholecalciferol supplementation in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients has been questioned. The objective of this randomized double-blinded study is to assess whether cholecalciferol therapy can increase serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels in haemodialysed patients and the safety implications of this therapy on certain biological parameters and vascular calcifications score. Methods. Forty-three haemodialysis patients were randomized to receive placebo or cholecalciferol (25 000 IU) therapy every 2 weeks. The biological parameters, serum calcium, phosphorus, 25(OH)D and parathormone (PTH) levels, were monitored monthly for 12 consecutive months. Vascular calcifications were assessed by lateral X-ray radiography. Results. At baseline, the mean serum 25(OH)D levels were low and similar in both groups. Thirty patients (16 treated and 14 placebo) completed the study: 11 patients died (5 placebo and 6 treated), 1 patient dropped out and 1 patient was transplanted (both from the placebo group). After 1 year, the percentage of 25(OH)D deficient patients was significantly lower in the treated group. None of the patients developed hypercalcaemia. The PTH levels tended to increase over the study period under placebo and to decrease in the cholecalciferol group. The median changes in PTH levels from baseline to 1 year were statistically different between the two groups [+80 (−58 to 153) and −115 (−192 to 81) under placebo and cholecalciferol treatment, respectively, P = 0.02].The calcification scores increased equivalently in both groups (+2.3 per year). Conclusions. Cholecalciferol is effective and safe, and does not negatively affect calcium, phosphorus, PTH levels and vascular calcifications. Additional studies are needed to compare the impacts of nutritional and active vitamin D agents on vascular calcification and mortality. [less ▲]

Des Blattmasken dans la Rome carolingienne. Entre remploi et imitation

in Actes du IXe Congrès de l’Association des Cercles francophones d’Histoire et d’Archéologie de Belgique (in press)

La Blattmaske ou tête végétalisée est un motif romain apparu au Ier siècle apr. J.-C. Elle ne cessa d’être utilisée dans l’univers des formes , et donc de se renouveler. Mais il est un milieu qui ... [more ▼]

La Blattmaske ou tête végétalisée est un motif romain apparu au Ier siècle apr. J.-C. Elle ne cessa d’être utilisée dans l’univers des formes , et donc de se renouveler. Mais il est un milieu qui constitue un jalon important dans l’histoire de son utilisation : la Rome de l’époque carolingienne. Après une rupture de près de quatre siècles dans la mise en oeuvre italique du motif, le remploi de fragments du temple de Sol Invictus semble en effet être à l’origine d’un certain regain d’intérêt pour le sujet dans des églises romaines du IXe siècle. Bien qu’il ne soit pas toujours aisé de distinguer des originaux antiques spoliés, parfois retravaillés, de créations médiévales, l’examen des fragments et de leur contexte permet de préciser leur origine et leur signification. [less ▲]

Les Blattmasken dans la mosaïque pariétale. Nymphées et bassins domestiques

in Actes du XIIe colloque de l’Association Internationale pour l’Etude de la Mosaïque Antique (AIEMA) (in press)

Blattmasken belong to vegetalized human figures used in parietal decoration of nymphaei and domestic ponds. Their use depends on the process of iconographic forms’ transmission already highlighted between ... [more ▼]

Blattmasken belong to vegetalized human figures used in parietal decoration of nymphaei and domestic ponds. Their use depends on the process of iconographic forms’ transmission already highlighted between the parietal mosaic, the italic mural painting of Ist century a.C. and the African ground mosaic. This transfer is discussed in the light of two cases : the House of Neptune and Amphitrite at Herculanum and the House of the Nymphs at Neapolis. The study is based on their iconographical environments and on their typology. It highlights two different symbolic conceptions of the motive. [less ▲]

Towards Participatory Integrated Valuation and Modelling of Ecosystem Services under Land-use Change

in Journal of Land Use Science (in press)

The lack of consideration for Ecosystem Services (ES) values in current decision-making is recognised as one of the main reasons leading to an intense competition and arguably unsustainable use of well ... [more ▼]

The lack of consideration for Ecosystem Services (ES) values in current decision-making is recognised as one of the main reasons leading to an intense competition and arguably unsustainable use of well-located available land. In this paper, we present a framework for the Valuation Of Terrestrial Ecosystem Services (VOTES), aiming at structuring a methodology that is applicable for valuing ES in a given area through a set of indicators that are both meaningful for local actors and scientifically constructed. Examples from a case study area in central Belgium are used to illustrate the methodology: a stepwise procedure starting with the valuation of ES at present. The valuation of the social, biophysical and economic dimensions of ES are based on current land-use patterns. Subsequently, scenarios of land-use change are used to explore potential losses (and/or gains) of ES in the future of the study area. With the VOTES framework, we aim at [1] incorporating stakeholders inputs to widen the valuation process and increase trust in policy-oriented approach; [2] integrating valuation of ES with a sustainable development stance accounting for land-use change; and [3] developing suggestions to policy-makers for integrating ES monitoring in policy developments. [less ▲]