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Lexical selection and factors influencing speech production: evidence from Kannada-English bilinguals
No full textBilingual lexical access models assume that semantic representations activate the lexical
nodes simultaneously in both languages. The question is whether the activated lexical
nodes from both languages compete for selection or not. Three hypotheses have been
proposed to test the competitive lexical selection mechanism: language-specific lexical
selection – which argues that competition is restricted to within language lexical nodes.
Language non-specific lexical selection- supportive of cross-language competition and the
dynamic view- is a combination of language-specific and language-non-specific views.
This dynamic view is based on the language context hypothesis (Grosjean, 2001), which
states that bilinguals can represent themselves anywhere on the continuum, depending on
the activation level of non-target language. Bilingual in a monolingual context may lead to
language-specific selection due to activation of the target language to greater levels, and
when in a bilingual context, it can lead to language non-specific due to activation of both
the languages and non-target language activation exceeding that of a monolingual context.
Previous studies on bilingual lexical selection have shown lexical selection to be language-non-specific in bilinguals and language-specific at times. However, most of the studies
have been conducted in highly proficient bilinguals speaking closely related languages,
which has resulted in cross-language interference effects. These observed effects may be
due to high proficiency and proximity between the languages. On the other hand, studies
which investigated bilingual lexical selection in distant language bilinguals have yielded
inconsistent and inconclusive results. In addition, they have been investigated in highly
proficient bilinguals, and only a handful of studies have been carried out on different L2
proficiency levels. Moreover, previous studies have mainly studied lexical selection in one
language direction, i.e., naming in L2 with L1 or L2 distractors. The present thesis
investigates bilingual lexical selection in moderately proficient distant language Kannada-English bilinguals in both language directions. In addition, multiple factors have been
shown to influence lexical selection in bilinguals. Specifically, proficiency, language
dominance, language use and inhibitory control factors have been shown to modulate
bilingual lexical selection. It is assumed that one way to resolve the competition from the
activated lexical nodes in both languages is through interference suppression using
inhibitory control mechanisms. The second aim of this study was to investigate the
relationship between bilingual (proficiency and dominance) and inhibitory control factors
and their influence on the lexical selection process. A Kannada picture and word stimuli
set was developed in the first study; in the second study, four picture-word interference
paradigms were developed with manipulations of distractor type, distractor language and
language context to investigate the three lexical selection hypotheses, which included
naming the pictures in Kannada with Kannada and English distractors and naming in
English with English and Kannada distractors. A within-participant design was used with
moderately proficient sequential bilinguals to investigate lexical selection in both language
directions within the same bilinguals. The results showed an absence of distractor effects
and the presence of distractor language and language context effects. Interaction between
the distractor language and language context with bilingual factors and inhibitory control
factors on the speed of lexical retrieval were observed. The results from the current thesis
suggest that lexical retrieval is dynamic in that distractor language and language context
effects are observed, which interact with bilingual and inhibitory factors
Study on evolution law of non-equilibrium phase transition flow and performance improvement of steam ejector for MED-TVC desalination system
No full textNon-equilibrium phase transition flow is prevalent and of great irreversible loss during the transonic mixing process of steam ejector, but its complex evolution law is thus far unclear. In this study, a considerate two-phase ejector model was developed to investigate the non-equilibrium phase transition flow characteristics by means of CFD numerical simulation, including how, where and to what extent the phase transition occurs. Additionally, the quantitative analysis of the operating parameters influences on the phase transition flow and ejector's entrainment performance were conducted. Results showed that the evolution law of condensate is highly consistent with the pressure fluctuation of shock wave. Non-equilibrium condensation is to be intensified as the primary fluid pressure increases, and the entrainment performance thus worsens. For raising the secondary fluid pressure, the case is opposite, the entrainment ratio ω increases by 17.8 %. Superheating the working fluids can restrain the droplet development, and more small-sized droplets therefore emerge, but ω only raises by a maximum of 3.53 %. However, it is hard to restrain the condensate generation in primary jet flow by superheating the secondary fluid, both suction pressure and ω decrease. This study provides meaningful guidance for reducing the irreversibility loss from non-equilibrium phase transition flow
Most Africans place primary responsibility for climate action on their own government
Get PDFGlobal increase in the pace of climate action is urgent. Yet, it is less clear who citizens expect to take the lead on climate action across different regions of the world: historical emitters, their own governments, or themselves? Our analysis of Africa’s largest public opinion survey, the Afrobarometer, across 39 countries finds that Africans place primary responsibility for addressing climate change on their own government, a further third see ordinary citizens as most responsible, while very few place responsibility on historical emitters. Multinomial logistic regression analysis shows that education, decreased poverty, and access to new media sources are associated with increased attribution of responsibility to historical emitters. Our results suggest that poverty alleviation and increased access to education, combined with professional frontline government bureaucracies can re-apportion citizen expectations of responsibility for climate action onto historical emitters and actors with more resources for scalable climate action
Tannin variation in tree fodder from temperate climates and implications for methane emissions from enteric fermentation
Get PDFA field trial evaluated the effects of tree species, plant fractions, and season on the dry matter degradability (DMd) and tannin profiles of three tree species (Salix caprea, goat willow (GW); Quercus robur, common oak; Acer campestre., maple). Leaf and twig samples were collected monthly from five trees per species between June and September in Berkshire, UK. Total condensed tannins (CTs) concentrations were determined using a Butanol−HCl assay and tannin profiling (mean degree of polymerization (mDP), and concentrations of procyanidins (PC), prodelphinidins (PD), and cis- and trans- flavan-3-ols) were measured via in situ thiolysis assay. In vitro total DMd was determined using the ANKOM Daisy II system. Data were analysed using linear mixed models with tree species, plant fractions, month, and their interactions as fixed factors, and tree ID (nested within species) as a random factor. Goat willow had the highest (P<0.05) DMd, total CTs concentrations, mDP, and trans flavan-3-ols. Oak had the highest (P<0.001) PD concentrations. Maple had the highest final DM, soluble losses, and concentrations of PC, and cis flavan-3-ols. Across all tree species, leaves had a higher (P<0.001) DMd, soluble losses, and total CTs concentrations, and lower DM (P<0.001) and mDP (P=0.043) concentrations than twigs. Soluble losses and DMd increased (P<0.001) with season, from June to September, while the highest (P=0.001) DM content was observed in August. Tannin profiles did not vary with seasons, except for the highest (P<0.001) mDP concentrations in June compared with other months. The impacts of high-PC (96% in CTs; HPC) and high-PD (73% in CTs; HPD) GW on total gas and methane (CH4) production were assessed in vitro. Experimental diets were 100% grass silage (GS, control), HPC (80:20 grass silage:HPC GW), HPD (80:20 grass silage: HPD GW), plus two diets with the addition of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in the HPC and HPD to neutralise tannins. Diets were incubated for 72h in rumen fluid: medium at 1:9 v/v in triplicate. Gas pressure (psi transducer) and CH4 concentrations (gas chromatography) were measured throughout. Volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentrations and DMd were assessed at 72h. Data were analysed by linear mixed models using dietary treatment as a fixed factor and batch run (1-3) as a random factor. HPC, HPD, HPC+PEG, and HPD+PEG diets had lower (P<0.001) DMd and 72h production of cumulative gas and CH4 than Grass silage (GS). Grass silage produced more (P<0.001) total VFA and acetic acid concentrations than the four GW diets and less (P<0.001) butyric acid than HPD. This study concludes that the inclusion of GW reduced in vitro CH4 production, partly due to its tannin content, with PC showing an improved potential. Species and fraction-specific differences in tannin profiles influenced the nutritive value and CH4 mitigation potential of tree fodder, and these need to be accounted for when tree fodder is introduced into animal diets
Settler aesthetics: scenographies of construction capitalism and indigenous erasure in Motel Makeover
No full textOpportunities for microbiology citizen science: lessons learnt from three pilot projects
Get PDFCitizen science is the partnering of professional scientists and members of the public to answer real world scientific questions. There has been huge growth in citizen science over the past two decades but uptake in microbiology research has, thus far, been relatively limited. In the first part of this paper we discuss how citizen science is well aligned with microbiology research: sample collection methods can be simplified and used in a variety of environments; projects are expected to appeal to participants as topics are likely to be of relevance to people’s lives and interests, including the health of people and the environment; and projects can also lead to real world impact, including the identification of new drugs or biotechnological solutions. In the second part of the paper, we present our reflections from three pilot projects we have recently completed. In order for the field to grow, people need to share both their successes as well as the challenges they have faced, so others wanting to use the method can learn from these experiences. We share simplified sampling methods for yeast strains from home brewing and baking, antimicrobial resistant bacteria on home grown produce and microbes on chopping boards. However, participation in our projects was limited by a range of factors, including time available and resourcing, which impacted on our ability to generate new knowledge and wider impacts. We provide recommendations for others wishing to run microbiology citizen science projects, including ensuring appropriate resourcing and considering ethical implications of projects
George Eliot, the Westminster Circle, and Karl Ernst von Baer's Embryological Germ Theory
No full textValues tensions and values tradeoffs in the development of healthcare artificial intelligence technology: a conceptual model of decisions to create trustworthy technology
Get PDFValue-action gaps may exist when values are endorsed due to
external pressures, from low perceived behavioral control, or when values conflict with community norms or one another. In the context of developing healthcare artificial intelligence (AI), prosocial values like fairness and transparency are particularly important, yet they may clash with an instrumental value for profit. We recruited 185 healthcare AI developers (66.49% male, 58.92% White, Mage = 27.56) to examine facilitators and barriers of value-action
congruence. Value endorsement, internalization, attitudes,
norms, and message frequency were positively linked to behavioral intention to act in line with one’s values, while low perceived control and value tension were negatively associated with it. Findings highlight the need for organizational cultures that emphasize prosocial values
A unifying principle for global greenness patterns and trends
Get PDFVegetation cover regulates the exchanges of energy, water and carbon between land and atmosphere. Remotely-sensed fractional absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (fAPAR), a land-surface greenness measure, depends on carbon allocation to foliage while also controlling photon flux for photosynthesis. Here we use an equation with just two globally fitted parameters to describe annual maximum fAPAR as the smaller of a water-limited value transpiring a constant fraction of annual precipitation, and an energy-limited value maximizing annual plant growth. This minimalist description reproduces global greenness patterns and temporal trends in remote-sensing data, comparable to the best-performing dynamic global vegetation models. Widely observed greening is attributed principally to the influence of rising carbon dioxide on the light- and water-use efficiencies of photosynthesis; limited browning regions are attributed to drying. This research provides one key component of ecosystem function as a step towards more robust foundations for new-generation land ecosystem models
A note of caution on the financial performance of the British housebuilding sector
Get PDFIn the context of concerns about excessive market power, this paper evaluates the financial performance Britain’s leading volume housebuilders using data on stock market returns as well as accounting-based financial performance metrics for the last two decades. Using descriptive analysis, the financial performance of the housebuilding sector is compared with 18 other sectors, and variation in financial performance among the seven largest listed housebuilding firms is analysed. The findings indicate that the average stock market returns and profits margins for the housebuilding sector have been relatively low compared to most other sectors. Firms in the housebuilding sector typically have more conservative balance sheets with low gearing and large cash holdings. Possibly the most distinctive feature of the housebuilding sector is the size of inventories. There has also been significant variation in stock market performance among individual housebuilding firms, with two companies delivering the majority of the sector’s returns. It is concluded that this variability may undermine the notion of significant market power within the sector, instead highlighting the importance of firm-specific factors in determining financial performance