Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parallel phonological processing of Chinese characters revealed by flankers tasks

An important and extensively researched question in the field of reading is whether readers can process multiple words in parallel. An unresolved issue regarding this question is whether the phonological information from foveal and parafoveal words can be processed in parallel, i.e., parallel phonological processing. The present study aims to investigate whether there is parallel phonological processing of Chinese characters. The original and the revised flankers tasks were applied. In both tasks, a foveal target character was presented in isolation in the no-flanker condition, flanked on both sides by a parafoveal homophone in the homophone-flanker condition, and by a non-homophonic character in the unrelated-flanker condition. Participants were instructed to fixate on the target characters and press two keys to indicate whether they knew the target characters (lexical vs. non-lexical). In the original flankers task, the stimuli were presented for 150 ms without a post-mask. In the revised flankers task, we set the stimulus exposure time (duration of the stimuli plus the blank interval between the stimuli and the post-mask) to each participant’s lexical decision threshold to prevent participants from processing the target and flanker characters serially. In both tasks, reaction times to the lexical targets were significantly shorter in the homophone-flanker condition than in the unrelated-flanker condition, suggesting parallel phonological processing of Chinese characters. In the revised flankers task, accuracy rates to the lexical targets were significantly lower in the unrelated-flanker condition compared to the homophone-flanker condition, further supporting parallel phonological processing of Chinese characters. Moreover, reaction times to the lexical targets were the shortest in the no-flanker condition in both tasks, reflecting the attention distribution over both the target and flanker characters. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the parallel processing mechanisms involved in reading.
Inhibitory Effects of Vernonia amygdalina Leaf Extracts on Free Radical Scavenging, Tyrosinase, and Amylase Activities

Cytotoxicity and instability are the limitations when using bioactive compounds in cosmetic and pharmacology products. This study assesses Vernonia amygdalina leaf extracts for their antityrosinase, antiamylase, and antioxidant activities. Group A extracts were obtained using an aqueous solvent system [70% (v/v) of methanol (BTL70ME), ethanol (BTL70ET), and acetone (BTL70AC)]. Group B extracts were obtained using organic solvents of varying polarities. The results displayed that all extracts exhibited antityrosinase, antiamylase, and antioxidant activities in vitro. The most potent antityrosinase activity was observed in BTL70AC, with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 20 μg/mL. BTL_Ethyl acetate and BTL70AC showed potential antiamylase activity. BTL_Isopropanol and BTL_Ethanol exhibited potential antioxidant activity, with IC50 values of 4.0 μg/mL. The total phenolic content of BTL70ME, BTL70ET, and BTL70AC was 72.29±14.14, 65.98±11.91, and 69.37±7.72 mg gallic acid/g extract, respectively. The total flavonoid content was 53.04±5.22, 44.35±13.17, and 61.74±13.17 mg quercetin/g extract, respectively. Group A extracts contained polyphenols, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, steroids, and cardiac glycosides. These biological properties can potentially be attributed to the types and quantities of phytochemicals present. Bioactive compounds in the extracts may exert synergistic effects in vitro by interfering with the conformational changes of tyrosinase during substrate binding. Both groups of extracts have the potential to suppress biomolecule degradation, promote antiaging and antimelasma effects, and their phytochemicals can help lower blood glucose levels in diabetes.
On the homogeneity and interpretation of precipitable water time series derived from global GPS observations

[1] Observations of the Global Positioning System (GPS) were reanalyzed over the period from 1994 to 2004 in a joint project of the technical universities in Dresden and Munich. The estimated tropospheric parameters were converted into precipitable water (PW) using surface pressure observations from the World Meteorological Organization and atmospheric mean temperature fields from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. For the first time a systematic study of the homogeneity of global GPS-derived precipitable water time series was carried out regarding the influence of changes in the GPS antennas and radomes as well as changes in the number of recorded observations. The focus of this study is on interannual changes in precipitable water. Over Europe, large parts of North America, and Iceland and in the region south of 30°S, these changes are very small. The range of the PW variations on interannual time scales is less than 2 mm in these areas. However, in the southeastern part of North America and north Australia, these anomalies in precipitable water show a range of up to 6 mm. In the tropics, PW anomalies with a range of up to 10 mm were found. GPS PW was compared with a modeled PW assuming water vapor saturation. This shows that GPS PW of stations located in the middle and high northern and southern latitudes is consistent with the temperature-related saturation values of water vapor. In the tropics and subtropics the annual temperature variations are low. In these regions the variations in the PW can be dominated by other factors, including water vapor transport. At seasonal time scales the water vapor transport can be associated with atmospheric circulation such as monsoonal flow.
Beyond Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Exploring Psychiatric Comorbidities and Their Neuropsychological Consequences in Adults

Objectives This study aimed to identify the psychiatric comorbidity status of adult patients diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and determine the impact of comorbidities on neuropsychological outcomes in ADHD. Methods The study participants were 124 adult patients with ADHD. Clinical psychiatric assessments were performed by two boardcertified psychiatrists in accordance with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. All participants were assessed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview Plus version 5.0. 0 to evaluate comorbidities. After screening, neuropsychological outcomes were assessed using the Comprehensive Attention Test (CAT) and the Korean version of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Fourth Edition (K-WAIS-IV). Results Mood disorders (38.7%) were the most common comorbidity of ADHD, followed by anxiety (18.5%) and substance use disorders (13.7%). The ADHD with comorbidities group showed worse results on the Perceptual Organization Index and Working Memory Index sections of the K-WAIS than the ADHD-alone group (p=0.015 and p=0.024, respectively). In addition, the presence of comorbidities was associated with worse performance on simple visual commission errors in the CAT tests (p=0.024). Conclusion These findings suggest that psychiatric comorbidities are associated with poor neuropsychological outcomes in adult patients with ADHD, highlighting the need to identify comorbidities in these patients.
The (in)visibility of Torajan language: A study on linguistic landscape in South Sulawesi, Indonesia

The Torajan language is the heritage language of the Torajan people, which reflects the local wisdom and identity of the people. Yet, with the popularity of Indonesian and English as the lingua franca, there is a concern for the domain, status, and vitality of the Torajan language within the society. Therefore, this study aims to study the visibility of the language. This study offers a novel approach by looking at the use of the Torajan language in the linguistic landscape in two regencies, Tana Toraja and Toraja Utara, to determine its position in the community. The research utilized a case study design, and the source of data is linguistic landscapes found along Jalan Poros Rantepao–Makale which connects the two regencies. The images of linguistic landscapes were collected by viewing the Google Street View facility provided by Google Maps, and the languages in those linguistic landscapes were noted. The findings show that Indonesian and English dominate the linguistic landscape in Tana Toraja and Toraja Utara, and the Torajan language is minimally represented in the public space of these two regencies. The lack of visibility of the language in the public space might be caused by the restricted use of the language for familial talks at home and oral indigenous rituals. However, the Torajan language needs to be used more frequently in public spaces since it could promote a positive attitude of the people, which would in turn solidify the position of the language in the society.
Dispersion of Floatables in Lake Currents

Abstract A group of ten sub-surface drogues were released in a cluster in the epilimnion 15 km offshore near Oshawa, Lake Ontario, and the subsequent drift and horizontal spread were followed for 72 h using the radar/decca navigation system of the Canadian Survey Ship Limnos. Experimental data suggest periodic shrinking and expansion of the drogue group at approximately 16–18 h corresponding to the local inertial period. This is attributed to the generation of convergence and divergence flow fields as the inertial currents are modified by the sloping shore line or a sloping thermocline. Thus, mesoscale motions such as convergence and divergence of the flow field as well as turbulent dispersion due to random eddies are important considerations in the kinematics of floatables.
Crítica del acomodo razonable como instrumento jurídico del multiculturalismo

En el marco de las actuales sociedades multiculturales se hace necesario explorar vias de profundizacion democratica que permitan adaptar nuestros parametros juridicos tradicionales a la creciente y cambiante diversidad. El acomodo razonable se nos presenta como uno de los instrumentos juridicos que puede adquirir un importante protagonismo en este proceso de pluralizacion democratica. Desde la experiencia canadiense y quebequesa del acomodo razonable debe plantearse la posibilidad de importar a Europa este modo de flexibilizar el ejercicio de los derechos fundamentales en atencion a la diversidad cultural o identitaria. Esto implica plantear una critica a su funcionalidad puesto que aun no se ha demostrado la eficacia general de la tecnica del acomodo razonable aplicada a los distintos ambitos de la identidad humana, religiosa o linguistica.
Effects of Duration of Calcium Propionate Supplementation in Lambs Finished with Supplemental Zilpaterol Hydrochloride: Productive Performance, Carcass Characteristics, and Meat Quality

Simple Summary The finishing phase of lambs presents reduced efficiency and growth rates, due to a higher proportion of gain being fat rather than muscle. Hence, the primary objective during finishing is to increase the proportion of muscle while decreasing fat content. As an alternative, in this study the lambs were supplemented with calcium propionate (CaPr) and then finished with zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH). Observations indicated that including CaPr for 28 d before slaughter improved the response to ZH supplementation in terms of feed efficiency, growth rate, carcass weight, and certain whole cuts. Abstract Forty-five male non-castrated crossbred Dorper lambs (40.17 ± 0.35 kg body weight, BW) were employed in a completely randomized design with five treatments to investigate the effects of the duration of calcium propionate (CaPr) supplementation (10 g CaPr/lamb/d for 0, 14, 28, or 42 d before slaughter) on lambs finished with zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH, 7.2 mg/lamb/d for a fixed period of 28 d before slaughter) regarding their productive performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. Treatments consisted of the following: (1) No additives (CTL), (2) 0 days on CaPr plus 28 d on ZH, (3) 14 days on CaPr plus 28 d on ZH, (4) 28 days on CaPr plus 28 d on ZH, and (5) 42 days on CaPr plus 28 d on ZH. When compared with CTL, ZH lambs exhibited a similar average daily gain (ADG) but had lower dry matter intake (DMI), leading to increased feed efficiency. Supplementing with ZH alone did not affect carcass traits, visceral mass, whole cuts, or meat quality. Lambs that received both CaPr 28 d and ZH exhibited quadratic increases (p < 0.05) in final body weight (FBW), ADG, and dressing percentage (D%). These increases were optimal at estimated inclusion durations of 26 d for FBW, 30 for ADG, and 39 d for D%. The ADG:DMI ratio and the longissimus muscle area (LMA) both exhibited quadratic increases (p < 0.05). The optimal duration of CaPr supplementation for ADG:DMI ratio was found to be 28 d, while for LMA, it was 14 d. As the period of CaPr supplementation increased, there was a linear increase (p < 0.05) in hot carcass weight, leg circumference, and whole cuts of breast IMPS209 and shoulder IMPS207. Cook loss percent increased quadratically (p < 0.05), and was higher when CaPr was included for an estimated duration of 26 d. As the duration of CaPr supplementation increased, the purge loss percentage (PRL) also increased linearly (p < 0.05). In conclusion, including CaPr in the diet for a duration of 28 d in lambs improved the response to ZH supplementation on the productive performance, carcass weight, and some whole cuts. However, it can also have a negative effect on PRL%.
Speech intelligibility of the diastratic varieties of Philippine English

The rise of English globalization has prompted speech production variations that reveal the cultural and social backgrounds of the different speakers. However, intelligibility issues of the different varieties have also become a concern. Thus, the present study attempted to assess the intelligibility of Philippine English (PE) diastratic varieties’ speech recordings produced by local Cebuano speakers. Further, it aimed to specifically evaluate the speakers’ production differences, rate the intelligibility of the language varieties, and determine the effect of language variety on the listener-evaluators in terms of intelligibility and distraction ratings. Using an exploratory sequential mixed method design, the speech participants in this study were carefully chosen through multistage sampling first by social class and then by phonological variations. The three final sample speakers out of the initial eighteen were finally categorized as acrolect, mesolect, and basilect. The evaluating groups included English language users from the USA, the Philippines, Korea, and Thailand, and each group represented a region in Kachru’s concentric circle of the World Englishes model. The results identified acrolect as the most intelligible variety followed by mesolect. Basilect, on the other hand, was considered very distracting to the evaluator groups, resulting in a significantly low intelligibility score. Thai evaluators gave the lowest intelligibility ratings, which may be attributed to two factors, L1 interference and unfamiliarity of L2 variation. Finally, future directions and implications in the classroom and industry are stated to create a sense of cultural awareness and to promote a deeper intercultural understanding that comes with international intelligibility.
Relationship between Antimicrobial-Resistant Bacterial Isolates and Biofilm Formation in Burn Patients

Background: Biofilms are a serious problem and responsible for death from burns, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria threaten global public health due to high rates of pathogen infection. Objectives: To investigate the correlation between the formation of biofilms and the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial isolates in burn patients. Methods: 100 samples of swabs were collected from burn patients from January 2023 to June 2023. The grown colonies were identified based on traditional methods and the Vitec system, and multidrug resistance was determined when the isolates were resistant in three categories. A quantitative microtiter method was used to determine the formation of biofilms using ELISA. Results: From 100 burn samples, 83 bacterial isolates were obtained: Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter baumannii. Infection rates were highest for P. aeruginosa (67.5%), followed by S. aureus (16.9%). The results showed high resistance in the bacterial isolates, which showed 100% resistance to imipenem in P. aeruginosa. 100% of the E. coli and K. pneumoniae were MDR, followed by 83.92% for P. aeruginosa, 75% for A. baumannii, and 71% for S. aureus. All the isolates produced biofilm in varying proportions, with 80.35% in P. aeruginosa, followed by 100% moderate biofilm in E. coli, 100% weak biofilm in A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae, and moderate and weak biofilm in S. aureus. Conclusion: P. aeruginosa is the primary cause of burn contamination in hospitals, and all the isolates produced biofilm and exhibited high multi-drug resistance.
Orogen-parallel tectonic transport: transpression and strain partitioning in the Mauritanides of NE Senegal

Abstract New structural, metamorphic, finite-strain analysis and kinematic data from the southern part of the Mauritanides in Senegal (Bakel area) have revealed a history reflecting different tectonic regimes. The structural framework is expressed in the form of shear-zone systems comprising rectilinear NE–SW trending thrusts and NE–SW-trending ductile sinistral strike-slip faults associated with north–south- to NE–SW-trending transpression belts. The analysis of ductile fabrics reveals the presence of lineation trajectories that show a change from a tangential deformation towards the marginal zones in the Northern and Southern Domains of the belt to sinistral oblique transpression in the Central Domain. The deformation within the belt is strongly partitioned into shear zones distributed across the belt defining structural domains with accompanying large-scale folds and thrusts. This exemplifies wrench-style tectonics dominated by crustal-scale strike-slip shear zones in the orogen core and temporal and spatial progression outwards to the marginal zones. Thus, the Variscan orogeny in the southern part of the Mauritanides belt in Senegal developed through sinistrally oblique transpressive shearing along the borders of the orogen core leading to the exhumation of ultramafic rocks between large shear zones.
Analysis of global land surface albedo climatology and spatial‐temporal variation during 1981–2010 from multiple satellite products

For several decades, long‐term time series data sets of multiple global land surface albedo products have been generated from satellite observations. These data sets have been used as one of the key variables in climate change studies. This study aims to assess the surface albedo climatology and to analyze long‐term albedo changes, from nine satellite‐based data sets for the period 1981–2010, on a global basis. Results show that climatological surface albedo data sets derived from satellite observations can be used to validate, calibrate, and further improve surface albedo simulations and parameterizations in current climate models. However, the albedo products derived from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project and the Global Energy and Water Exchanges Project have large seasonal biases. At latitudes higher than 50°, the maximal difference in winter zonal albedo ranges from 0.1 to 0.4 among the nine satellite data sets. Satellite‐based albedo data sets agree relatively well during the summer at high latitudes, with a standard deviation of 0.04 for the 70°–80° zone in both hemispheres. The fine‐resolution (0.05°) data sets agree well with each other for all the land cover types in middle to low latitudes; however, large spread was identified for their albedos at middle to high latitudes over land covers with mixed snow and sparse vegetation. By analyzing the time series of satellite‐based albedo products over the past three decades, albedo of the Northern Hemisphere was found to be decreasing in July, likely due to the shrinking snow cover. Meanwhile, albedo in January was found to be increasing, likely because of the expansion of snow cover in northern winter. However, to improve the albedo estimation at high latitudes, and ultimately the climate models used for long‐term climate change studies, a still better understanding of differences between satellite‐based albedo data sets is required.
Pretreatment Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment in Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients

Background: Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is one of the most serious side effects of cancer that negatively impacts the quality of life of cancer patients and survivors. There is evidence of CRCI in Hodgkin lymphoma patients (HL); however, there is a lack of studies examining the presence of cognitive deficits before starting any treatment in HL patients. Methods: Forty adult patients (N = 40) newly diagnosed with HL (with no previous cancer diagnoses) and 40 healthy controls (N = 40) matched for age, sex, education, and premorbid intellect completed the neuropsychological battery and subjective and objective measures of affective distress and quality of life. Results: The results showed impairment in three out of six cognitive domains: verbal memory and learning, speed of processing/psychomotor speed, and abstraction/executive functions in the HL patients before the initiation of any treatment. The speed of processing/psychomotor speed domain is negatively correlated with depression. Conclusion: Cognitive deterioration in verbal memory and learning and abstraction/executive functions domains in HL patients seems to occur before the initiation of treatment independently of anxiety, depression, or physical symptoms. This suggests that HL itself may cause cognitive deficits in these cognitive domains. However, the underlying causes of CRCI still remain unclear.
Glacial meltwater erosion and sedimentation as evidence for multiple glaciations in west Wales

This article presents the results of a geomorphological and sedimentological investigation of former glacial meltwater drainage in the region of the lower Afon Teifi, one of the major rivers of southwest Wales. Former drainage characteristics in the region are reconstructed concentrating on palaeo‐drainage routes associated with successive Pleistocene glaciations and their role in the Quaternary evolution of the lower Teifi. Mapping of these features throughout a c. 100 km2 area reveals a complex evolution in the establishment of the present‐day drainage system, with evidence for the following surface channel types: (i) type 1 channels of primary subglacial origin cut during the late Devensian (late Wisconsinan/late Weichselian) glaciation; (ii) type 2 channels representing either pre‐late Devensian subaerial fluvial run‐off unconnected to the course of the preglacial Afon Teifi, or originating as subglacial chute channels; (iii) type 3 channels developed as subglacially modified pre‐late Devensian tributaries of the Afon Teifi. Two further features are also described: (iv) type 4 channels are drift‐plugged abandoned preglacial courses of the Afon Teifi, and (v) type 5 channels formed as lateglacial and post‐late Devensian gorges which bypass type 4 channels. A relative chronostratigraphy based on channel geomorphology and sedimentology reveals an evolutionary sequence considerably more complicated than identified in previous studies, with extensive modification of the lower Afon Teifi region by glacial meltwater during at least two periods of Pleistocene glaciation.