scholarly journals Parsing costs as predictors of reading difficulty: An evaluation using the Potsdam Sentence Corpus

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisa Ferrara Boston ◽  
John Hale ◽  
Reinhold Kliegl ◽  
Umesh Patil ◽  
Shravan Vasishth
Keyword(s):  
Sentence Comprehension ◽  
Bigram Frequency ◽  
Syntactic Parsing ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Comprehension Difficulty ◽  
Fixation Durations ◽  
Word Predictability ◽  
Processing Difficulty ◽  
Models Of Reading

The surprisal of a word on a probabilistic grammar constitutes a promising complexity metric for human sentence comprehension difficulty. Using two different grammar types, surprisal is shown to have an effect on fixation durations and regression probabilities in a sample of German readers’ eye movements, the Potsdam Sentence Corpus. A linear mixed-effects model was used to quantify the effect of surprisal while taking into account unigram frequency and bigram frequency (transitional probability), word length, and empirically-derived word predictability; the socalled “early” and “late” measures of processing difficulty both showed an effect of surprisal. Surprisal is also shown to have a small but statistically non-significant effect on empirically-derived predictability itself. This work thus demonstrates the importance of including parsing costs as a predictor of comprehension difficulty in models of reading, and suggests that a simple identification of syntactic parsing costs with early measures and late measures with durations of post-syntactic events may be difficult to uphold.

scholarly journals Integration and prediction difficulty in Hindi sentence comprehension: Evidence from an eye-tracking corpus

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samar Husain ◽  
Shravan Vasishth ◽  
Narayanan Srinivasan
Keyword(s):  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Sentence Comprehension ◽  
Reading Difficulty ◽  
Bigram Frequency ◽  
Comprehension Difficulty ◽  
Storage Cost ◽  
Movement Data ◽  
Saccade Length ◽  
And Storage

This is the first attempt at characterizing reading difficulty in Hindi using naturally occurring sentences. We created the Potsdam-Allahabad Hindi Eyetracking Corpus by recording eye-movement data from 30 participants at the University of Allahabad, India. The target stimuli were 153 sentences selected from the beta version of the Hindi-Urdu treebank. We find that word- or low-level predictors (syllable length, unigram and bigram frequency) affect first-pass reading times, regression path duration, total reading time, and outgoing saccade length. An increase in syllable length results in longer fixations, and an increase in word unigram and bigram frequency leads to shorter fixations. Longer syllable length and higher frequency lead to longer outgoing saccades. We also find that two predictors of sentence comprehension difficulty, integration and storage cost, have an effect on reading difficulty. Integration cost (Gibson, 2000) was approximated by calculating the distance (in words) between a dependent and head; and storage cost (Gibson, 2000), which measures difficulty of maintaining predictions, was estimated by counting the number of predicted heads at each point in the sentence. We find that integration cost mainly affects outgoing saccade length, and storage cost affects total reading times and outgoing saccade length. Thus, word-level predictors have an effect in both early and late measures of reading time, while predictors of sentence comprehension difficulty tend to affect later measures. This is, to our knowledge, the first demonstration using eye-tracking that both integration and storage cost influence reading difficulty.

scholarly journals Cerebral and Somatic Oxygen Saturation in Neonates with Congenital Heart Disease before Surgery

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2455
Author(s):  
Mi Jin Kim ◽  
Jae Suk Baek ◽  
Jung A Kim ◽  
Seul Gi Cha ◽  
Jeong Jin Yu
Keyword(s):  
Time Trends ◽  
Biochemical Parameters ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Hypoxic Brain Injury ◽  
Hypoxic Brain ◽  
Cardiac Diagnosis

BACKGROUND: We investigated preoperative cerebral (ScO2) and abdominal (StO2) regional oxygen saturations according to cardiac diagnosis in neonates with critical CHD, their time trends, and the clinical and biochemical parameters associated with them. METHODS: Thirty-seven neonates with a prenatal diagnosis of CHD were included. ScO2 and StO2 values were continuously evaluated using near-infrared spectroscopy. Measurements were obtained hourly before surgery. A linear mixed effects model was used to assess the effects of time and cardiac diagnosis on regional oxygenation and to explore the contributing factors. RESULTS: Regional oxygenation differed according to cardiac diagnosis (p < 0.001). ScO2 was lowest in the patients with severe atrioventricular valvar regurgitation (AVVR) (48.1 ± 8.0%). StO2 tended to be lower than ScO2, and both worsened gradually during the period between birth and surgery. There was also a significant interaction between cardiac diagnosis and time. The factors related to ScO2 were hemoglobin and arterial saturation, whereas no factor was associated with StO2. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative ScO2 and StO2 in critical CHD differed according to cardiac diagnosis. ScO2 in the patients with severe AVVR was very low, which may imply cerebral hypoxia. ScO2 gradually decreased, suggesting that the longer the time to surgery, the higher the risk of hypoxic brain injury.

Cognate similarity and intervocalic /d/ production in Riverense Spanish

2021 ◽  
pp. 136700692199680
Author(s):  
Michael Gradoville ◽  
Mark Waltermire ◽  
Avizia Long
Keyword(s):  
Language Contact ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Frequency Effect ◽  
Acoustic Measurements ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects Model ◽  
Phonetic Variation ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Contact Language ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Phonetic Realization

Aims and objectives: While previous research has shown that phonetic variation in language contact situations is affected by whether a word has a cognate in the contact language, this paper aims to show that such an effect is not monotonic. According to the usage-based model, items in memory are organized according to similarity, thus we anticipated that formally more similar cognates would show a stronger cognate effect. Methodology: This variationist sociophonetic study investigates the relationship between cognate similarity and phonetic realization. We examined this relationship in the bilingual community of Rivera, Uruguay, in which both Portuguese and Spanish are spoken with regularity. Specifically, we focused on intervocalic /d/, which in monolingual Spanish is realized as an approximant [ð̞] or phonetic zero, but in monolingual Brazilian Portuguese is produced as a stop [d] or, in most varieties, an affricate [ʤ] before [i]. Data and analysis: We analyzed a corpus of sociolinguistic interviews of the Spanish spoken in Rivera. Acoustic measurements were taken from approximately 60 tokens each from 40 different speakers. Using a linear mixed-effects model, we examined the relationship between several predictors and the degree of constriction of intervocalic /d/. Findings/conclusions: While there is an overall frequency effect whereby more frequent words exhibit less constriction of intervocalic /d/, as both frequency and cognate similarity increase, less constriction of intervocalic /d/ obtains. Therefore, frequent cognates in Portuguese that have very similar forms affect the production of intervocalic /d/ more so than other cognates. Originality: No previous study has demonstrated that the cognate effect on phonetic variation in a situation of language contact is regulated by form similarity between cognate pairs. Significance/implications: The data support the usage-based model in that similar cognates have more lexical connections and can therefore show greater influence on phonetic realization than can cognates that share less phonetic material.

scholarly journals Increased Response to Altered Auditory Feedback in Dyslexia: A Weaker Sensorimotor Magnet Implied in the Phonological Deficit

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 654-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. van den Bunt ◽  
Margriet A. Groen ◽  
Takayuki Ito ◽  
Ana A. Francisco ◽  
Vincent L. Gracco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Reading Group ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects Model ◽  
Phonological Representations ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Phonological Deficit ◽  
Adaptation Response ◽  
After Effect ◽  
Effect Phase ◽  
Phonological Abilities

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine whether developmental dyslexia (DD) is characterized by deficiencies in speech sensory and motor feedforward and feedback mechanisms, which are involved in the modulation of phonological representations. Method A total of 42 adult native speakers of Dutch (22 adults with DD; 20 participants who were typically reading controls) were asked to produce /bep/ while the first formant (F1) of the /e/ was not altered (baseline), increased (ramp), held at maximal perturbation (hold), and not altered again (after-effect). The F1 of the produced utterance was measured for each trial and used for statistical analyses. The measured F1s produced during each phase were entered in a linear mixed-effects model. Results Participants with DD adapted more strongly during the ramp phase and returned to baseline to a lesser extent when feedback was back to normal (after-effect phase) when compared with the typically reading group. In this study, a faster deviation from baseline during the ramp phase, a stronger adaptation response during the hold phase, and a slower return to baseline during the after-effect phase were associated with poorer reading and phonological abilities. Conclusion The data of the current study are consistent with the notion that the phonological deficit in DD is associated with a weaker sensorimotor magnet for phonological representations.

Short-form 6D assessment in compression module of the American College of Phlebology Patient Reported Outcome Venous Registry

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 425-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yung-Wei Chi ◽  
Blythe Durbin-Johnson ◽  
Marlin Schul
Keyword(s):  
Short Form ◽  
Patient Reported Outcome ◽  
Compression Stockings ◽  
Test Analysis ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Registry Analysis

Objective The goal of this American College of Phlebology Patient Reported Outcome Venous Registry analysis was to examine the clinical efficacy of compression stockings using short-form 6D questionnaire (SF-6D). Method SF-6D scores were modeled over time using linear mixed effects model. Changes of SF-6D score from baseline to the last encounter were examined using a paired t-test. Analysis of variance was used to compare changes from baseline in SF-6D scores between C classifications. All analyses were conducted using SAS software, version 9.4 (SAS Institute, Cary NC). Results Baseline mean SF-6D score was 0.83 and at follow-up, 0.85. Mean SF-6D change was +0.02 points (P = .001) over an average time period of 5.5 months. Patients’ SF-6D scores were estimated to increase by +0.03 points (P = .005) per year of usage of compression stockings. SF-6D score changes across C classifications did not demonstrate significant differences (P = .265). Conclusion There was an improvement of SF-6D score in the registry participants who used circular knit compression stockings.

scholarly journals Restoration thinning reduces bush encroachment on freehold farmlands in north-central Namibia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matti T Nghikembua ◽  
Laurie L Marker ◽  
Bruce Brewer ◽  
Arvo Leinonen ◽  
Lauri Mehtätalo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Bush Encroachment ◽  
Mature Trees ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects Model ◽  
North Central ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Height Class ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Generalized Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Restoration Measures

Abstract Bush encroachment affects ~45 million ha of Namibia and, without appropriate restoration measures, it negatively affects rangeland productivity and biodiversity. Thinning is a common method to counteract bush encroachment. The thinning strategy applied in north-central Namibia was assessed to examine how effective it has been in reducing bush encroachment. Trees/shrubs were selectively thinned manually, targeting all height classes, except individuals with stem diameters ≥18 cm. We investigated the effects on the vegetation and soil properties using surveys on three freehold farms (in 2016 and 2017) in bush-encroached and previously thinned habitats. Our results revealed significant differences in the mean total nitrogen (TN) content between the treatments; thinned areas had higher TN content which would be beneficial for fast-growing grasses. In the thinned plots, the occurrence probability of red umbrella thorn (Vachellia reficiens Warwa) was significantly reduced, indicating that it was the most harvested species; and umbrella thorn (Vachellia tortilis (Burch.) Brenan spp. heteracantha) was increased, indicating that it favoured reduced densities of dominant species. Natural regeneration was rapid; the tree/shrub abundance in the 0–1-m height class in the thinned area surpassed those in the non-thinned by 34 per cent, ~7.2 years since thinning. Thinning significantly reduced tree/shrub abundances of the 1–3- and &gt;3-m height classes, which was still evident 7.2 years since thinning. Based upon the generalized linear mixed-effects model, tree/shrub counts between treatments may equalize in ~14 and 15 years for the 1–3- and &gt;3-m height classes, respectively. Thinning was effective in reducing tree/shrub abundances and can be used to restore wildlife habitat on the Namibian farmland: however, post-thinning management is required to maintain an open savannah vegetation structure as the 0–1-m height class cohort will eventually grow into mature trees/shrubs.

scholarly journals The interaction between structure and meaning in sentence comprehension: Recurrent neural networks and reading times

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan L. Frank ◽  
John Hoeks
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Neural Networks ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Recurrent Neural Networks ◽  
Sentence Comprehension ◽  
Semantic Relations ◽  
Garden Path ◽  
Word Predictability ◽  
Syntactic Ambiguities ◽  
Potential Object

Recurrent neural network (RNN) models of sentence processing have recently displayed a remarkable ability to learn aspects of structure comprehension, as evidenced by their ability to account for reading times on sentences with local syntactic ambiguities (i.e., garden-path effects). Here, we investigate if these models can also simulate the effect of semantic appropriateness of the ambiguity's readings. RNNs-based estimates of surprisal of the disambiguating verb of sentences with an NP/S-coordination ambiguity (as in `The wizard guards the king and the princess protects ...') show identical patters to human reading times on the same sentences: Surprisal is higher on ambiguous structures than on their disambiguated counterparts and this effect is weaker, but not absent, in cases of poor thematic fit between the verb and its potential object (`The teacher baked the cake and the baker made ...'). These results show that an RNN is able to simultaneously learn about structural and semantic relations between words and suggest that garden-path phenomena may be more closely related to word predictability than traditionally assumed.

scholarly journals Respiratory function declines in children with asthma associated with chemical species of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Nagasaki, Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoonhee Kim ◽  
Eun Ha Park ◽  
Chris Fook Sheng Ng ◽  
Yeonseung Chung ◽  
Kunio Hashimoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Lung Function ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Chemical Species ◽  
Mixed Effects ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
Asthmatic Children ◽  
Transboundary Air Pollution ◽  
Children With Asthma

Abstract Background The differential effects of PM2.5 fractions on children’s lung function remain inconclusive. This study aimed to examine whether lung function in asthmatic children was associated with increased PM2.5 fractions in urban areas in Nagasaki prefecture, Japan, where the air pollution level is relatively low but influenced by transboundary air pollution. Methods We conducted a multiyear panel study of 73 asthmatic children (boys, 60.3%; mean age, 8.2 years) spanning spring 2014–2016 in two cities. We collected self-measured peak expiratory flow (PEF) twice a day and daily time-series data for PM2.5 total mass and its chemical species. We fitted a linear mixed effects model to examine short-term associations between PEF and PM2.5, adjusting for individual and time-varying confounders. A generalized linear mixed effects model was also used to estimate the association for worsening asthma defined by severe PEF decline. Back-trajectory and cluster analyses were used to investigate the long-range transboundary PM2.5 in the study areas. Results We found that morning PEFs were adversely associated with higher levels of sulfate (− 1.61 L/min; 95% CI: − 3.07, − 0.15) in Nagasaki city and organic carbon (OC) (− 1.02 L/min; 95% CI: − 1.94, − 0.09) in Isahaya city, per interquartile range (IQR) increase at lag1. In addition, we observed consistent findings for worsening asthma, with higher odds of severe PEF decline in the morning for sulfate (odds ratio (OR) = 2.31; 95% CI: 1.12, 4.77) and ammonium (OR = 1.73; 95% CI: 1.06, 2.84) in Nagasaki city and OC (OR = 1.51; 95% CI: 1.06, 2.15) in Isahaya city, per IQR increase at lag1. The significant chemical species were higher on days that could be largely attributed to the path of Northeast China origin (for sulfate and ammonium) or both the same path and local sources (for OC) than by other clusters. Conclusions This study provides evidence of the differential effects of PM2.5 fractions on lung function among asthmatic children in urban areas, where the Japanese national standards of air quality have been nearly met. Continuous efforts to promote mitigation actions and public awareness of hazardous transboundary air pollution are needed to protect susceptible children with asthma.

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