Lexical accessing for ambiguous words among advanced Chinese L2 learners

Author(s):  
Helen H. Shen

Abstract This study investigated factors associated with and strategies used by advanced Chinese L2 learners in accessing the meanings of commonly used polysemous words (lexically ambiguous words) in sentential reading. The participants included 26 learners of Chinese from a Midwest university in the US. The results showed that word frequency, meaning frequency of polysemous words, and learners’ knowledge of polysemous words affected successful lexical access in sentential contexts. Learners mainly used five types of strategies to solve lexical ambiguity problems, of which three were more frequently used: contextual cues, the intra-word analysis method, and the dominant meaning cue. Contextual cues were the most frequently used strategy.

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Xiaochun Zhang

Disagreements arise on the differences of semantic processing of different ambiguous words in the perspective of psycholinguistics. This paper compares the differences of the semantic processing of different types of ambiguous words of Chinese English learners by using a multiple semantic priming experiment with short. The results demonstrate the advantage in semantic processing of words of homonymy of Chinese English Learners in the multiple semantic priming experiment, but the advantage in semantic processing of words of polysemy does not always take place, as it is relevant to learners’ English levels and words’ meaning frequency. The effect of semantic processing of polysemous words is greater than that of synonymous words.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110165
Author(s):  
Elaine Seaton Banerjee ◽  
Kyle Shaak ◽  
Nicole Burgess ◽  
Melanie Johnson ◽  
Beth Careyva

Introduction/Objectives: Diabetes and prediabetes impact nearly half of the US adult population and are associated with significant health risks but may be underdiagnosed. Effective screening may improve diagnosis and give patients opportunity to manage their disease. The purpose of this study was to determine screening rates, identify characteristics predictive of screening, and evaluate correct diagnosis of diabetes and prediabetes. Methods: Retrospective chart review of 71 433 patients eligible for diabetes screening, defined by completing A1c test within the 3-year study period. Results: A total of 31.3% of eligible patients received diabetes screening. Factors associated with screening include older age, female sex, non-white race, Hispanic ethnicity, Medicare or Medicaid insurance, higher BMI, and having a medical comorbidity. History of prediabetes or gestational diabetes were the strongest predictors for diabetes screening, but history of gestational diabetes was under-documented. Of those screened, 10.4% had a result consistent with diabetes and 51.8% had a result consistent with prediabetes. However, 52.9% of these patients had a missed diagnosis. Conclusions: Findings of this study indicate the need for uniform coverage for diabetes screening for all insurances, increased documentation of gestational diabetes to improve screening for patients with this history, and improving accurate diagnosis after screening is completed.


Author(s):  
Brystana G. Kaufman ◽  
Nirosha Mahendraratnam ◽  
Thuy-vi Nguyen ◽  
Laura Benzing ◽  
Jessica Beliveau ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Wiley ◽  
Tim George ◽  
Keith Rayner

Two experiments investigated the effects of domain knowledge on the resolution of ambiguous words with dominant meanings related to baseball. When placed in a sentence context that strongly biased toward the non-baseball meaning (positive evidence), or excluded the baseball meaning (negative evidence), baseball experts had more difficulty than non-experts resolving the ambiguity. Sentence contexts containing positive evidence supported earlier resolution than did the negative evidence condition for both experts and non-experts. These experiments extend prior findings, and can be seen as support for the reordered access model of lexical access, where both prior knowledge and discourse context influence the availability of word meanings.


Author(s):  
Sarah Raifman ◽  
M. Antonia Biggs ◽  
Lauren Ralph ◽  
Katherine Ehrenreich ◽  
Daniel Grossman

Abstract Introduction Twenty-four states have at least one law in place that could be used to prosecute people for self-managed abortion (SMA), or the termination of a pregnancy outside of the formal healthcare system. We investigated factors associated with public attitudes about SMA legality and legal access to abortion more generally. Methods In August 2017, we surveyed a nationally representative sample of English- and Spanish-speaking women ages 18–49 years in the United States (US) using Ipsos Public Affairs’ KnowledgePanel. Unadjusted and adjusted multinomial logistic regression estimates identify characteristics associated with believing that SMA should not be against the law, compared to should be against the law, with weighting to account for sampling into the panel. Results Overall, 76% (95% CI: 74.3%-77.1%) and 59% (95% CI: 57.3%-60.4%) of participants (n = 7,022, completion rate 50%) reported that abortion and SMA, respectively, should not be against the law; 1% and 19% were unsure. Among those living in a state with at least one law that could be used to prosecute an individual for SMA, the majority (55%, 95% CI: 52.7%-57.9%) believed SMA should not be against the law. Factors associated with believing SMA should not be against the law, compared to should be against the law, included prior abortion experience and higher levels of education and income. Conclusion Most reproductive age women in the US believe that SMA should not be criminalized. There is more uncertainty about SMA legality than about the legality of abortion more generally. Policy Implications US laws that criminalize SMA are not supported by the majority of the people living in their jurisdictions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 265
Author(s):  
Demas Nauvarian

This paper aims to prove the justification of US democracy in itsconsistency in the Vietnam War for two decades (1955-1975). This wasdone using the content analysis method of the US Department of Defense’sforeign policy documents in Vietnam - the Pentagon Papers - which werethe primary documents related to the process of making US foreign policyduring the Vietnam War. This was later matched with the view of DemocraticPeace Theory (Democratic Peace Theory) which has been widelyargued as the basis for policy making in the proxy war in the Cold Warera. This paper concludes that there are various other considerations,both rational and irrational factors, which were used by the United Statesin the Vietnam War


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 155-169
Author(s):  
Jessica L. King ◽  
Julie W. Merten ◽  
Nicole E. Nicksic

Objectives: We examined the prevalence of and factors associated with usually purchasing tobacco online. Methods: We analyzed Waves 1 (2013-14) and 4 (2016-17) of the US Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health adult (18+) and youth (12-17) studies: 15,450 adults and 495 youth in 2013-14 and 15,037 adults and 465 youth in 2016-17. Z-tests compared the prevalence of usually purchasing tobacco online between waves and weighted multivariable regressions identified associations between purchasing online and sociodemographics. Results: The prevalence of usually purchasing tobacco online increased from 2.5% to 3.3% among adults (p < .05) and from 2.5% to 4.4% among youth (p < .05), generalizing to a US population of 2,000,000 adults and 35,000 youth. E-cigarettes and cigars and e-cigarettes and waterpipe tobacco were the most common products among adults and youth, respectively. Men, adults with greater education, adults with higher income, and non-Hispanic black youth had greater odds of purchasing tobacco online (p < .05). Conclusions: Usually purchasing tobacco online remains low, although ever purchasing was not assessed. Efforts should be made to expand Internet tobacco purchasing surveillance and extend and enforce restrictions broadly across tobacco products to reduce youth access.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Hassanin ◽  
Mahmoud M Hassanein ◽  
Madiha F Abdel-maksoud

Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is a growing public health burden in many low and middle-income countries (LMIC). However, most HF registries were conducted in high income countries, which often have different ethnic and cultural backgrounds from that of LMIC. Hypothesis: Independent clinical variables associated with mortality in patients hospitalized for HF in Egypt are different from those established in the United States (US). Methods: Between 2011 and 2014, 1,660 patients hospitalized for HF were enrolled from 20 centers across Egypt as part of the European Society of Cardiology HF long-term Registry. Deceased patients were compared to survivors, to identify demographic, clinical and biochemical variables associated with in-hospital and one-year mortality. Variables associated with mortality on univariate analysis, and independent variables identified in the Acute Decompensated Heart Failure National Registry (ADHERE) and in the Seattle Heart Failure Model, both based in the US, were entered into the multivariate logistic regression model. Results: In-hospital mortality was 5%. Only two independent clinical factors associated with in-hospital mortality were identified: elevated serum creatinine (sCr), OR=1.47 [95% CI: 1.23, 1.74] for every point increases above one mg/dl; and low admission systolic blood pressure (SBP), OR=1.54; [95% CI: 1.43, 1.65] for every 10 points decrease in SBP below 140 mmHg. At one-year follow up, mortality was 27%. Independent predictors of one-year mortality were: age, OR=1.47; [95% CI: 1.23,1.75] for every 10-year increase above 40; low discharge SBP, OR=1.30 [95% CI: 1.08, 1.52] for every 10 points decrease below 140 mmHg; low ejection fraction, OR=1.51 [95% CI: 0.59,0.73] for every 5 points decrease from 65%; chronic liver disease, OR=3.0 [95% CI: 1.51,5.88]; history of stroke, OR=3.2 [95% CI: 1.52,6.65]. These variables overlapped with those identified in US registries. Conclusions: Independent clinical variables associated with mortality after HF hospitalization in Egypt are similar to those reported in HF registries in the US.


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