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We used Chinese prenominal relative clauses (RCs) to test the predictions of two competing accounts of sentence comprehension difficulty: the experience-based account of Levy (2008) and the Dependency Locality Theory (DLT; Gibson, 2000). Given that in Chinese RCs, a classifier and/or a passive marker BEI can be added to the sentence-initial position, we manipulated the presence/absence of classifiers and the presence/absence of BEI, such that BEI sentences were passivized subject-extracted RCs, and no-BEI sentences were standard object-extracted RCs. We conducted two self-paced reading experiments, using the same critical stimuli but somewhat different filler items. Reading time patterns from both experiments showed facilitative effects of BEI within and beyond RC regions, and delayed facilitative effects of classifiers, suggesting that cues that occur before a clear signal of an upcoming RC can help Chinese comprehenders to anticipate RC structures. The data patterns are not predicted by the DLT, but they are consistent with the predictions of experience-based theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential of oral vaccination against white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in crayfish Procambarus clarkii was investigated. The protective effect of binary ethylenimine (BEI)-inactivated WSSV was tested by oral vaccination, followed by an oral challenge with WSSV. The crayfish fed with feed pellets coated with BEI-inactivated WSSV showed a resistance to WSSV on the seventh day post vaccination (dpv). The relative percentage survival values were 60%, 70% and 75% for the vaccinated once, twice and thrice with inactivated WSSV. Following an intramuscular injection experiment, no mortality was recorded in the inactivated WSSV group and the negative control at 17 days post challenge. The cumulative mortalities in the heated WSSV group and WSSV group were 100%. Shrimp that survived the WSSV challenge on the seventh day after cessation of oral vaccination were positive for the presence of WSSV by a polymerase chain reaction assay specific for WSSV. This result indicated that inactivated WSSV could protect crayfish against WSSV by oral delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used Chinese prenominal relative clauses (RCs) to test the predictions of two competing accounts of sentence comprehension difficulty: the experience-based account of Levy () and the Dependency Locality Theory (DLT; Gibson, ). Given that in Chinese RCs, a classifier and/or a passive marker BEI can be added to the sentence-initial position, we manipulated the presence/absence of classifiers and the presence/absence of BEI, such that BEI sentences were passivized subject-extracted RCs, and no-BEI sentences were standard object-extracted RCs. We conducted two self-paced reading experiments, using the same critical stimuli but somewhat different filler items. Reading time patterns from both experiments showed facilitative effects of BEI within and beyond RC regions, and delayed facilitative effects of classifiers, suggesting that cues that occur before a clear signal of an upcoming RC can help Chinese comprehenders to anticipate RC structures. The data patterns are not predicted by the DLT, but they are consistent with the predictions of experience-based theories., (Copyright © 2017 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.)