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Specialize? Diversify? Do patients care? The authors investigate the demand-side effects of a hospital's portfolio strategy, which entails decisions about the depth and breadth of its service offerings. Positing that both depth (focus) and breadth (related focus) signal expertise, the authors use both archival and experimental evidence to examine these effects. The archival study is based on Florida's State Inpatient Databases for 2006–2015 and spans all major departments in health care delivery. The empirical analysis exploits plausible exogenous variation from other health care markets and reveals that patient choice is positively influenced by a hospital's depth (focus) and breadth (related focus) of expertise in a department. Complementing the archival evidence, the authors also conducted online experiments to examine the signaling effects of hospital portfolio strategy on patient choice behavior. The results provide support for the idea that hospital portfolio strategy influences patients' perceptions of hospital expertise in focal and related areas and, subsequently, their choice behavior. The authors also highlight potential synergistic effects between focus and related focus and heterogeneity in the effects across departments, payer types, and hospital profit status. These findings underscore the need for managers to adopt a targeted approach to portfolio decisions in health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the effects of banking diversification and focus strategies on the profitability and risk of Chinese banks in the post-crisis years (2008–2019). For this purpose, semiparametric estimates are used. The main results indicate that Chinese banks do not gain much benefit in terms of profitability and risk from following income or asset diversification strategies, although the former are more beneficial than the latter. These results have important implications for the design of specific diversification strategies for different types of banks. Results suggest that state-owned banks could benefit from a greater degree of diversification to obtain more profits and simultaneously decrease their risk levels, while national shareholding commercial banks and city commercial banks should evaluate these strategies with more caution as the benefits from them are less obvious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking as points of departure modern pragmatic theory and the information-theoretic view of communication offered by Levinson, this paper re-defines the notion of "genre" as a primarily top-down functioning kind of pre-existing, conventionalized package deal in construing meaning. As a consequence, this paper argues for relativizing the role of code (langue), given information in favor of pre-existing pragmatic-functional knowledge in "making meaning". This discussion is focused on law, which is where the issue of whether and how much meaning is "in the text", and what it means to be "in the text" is theoretically and practically paramount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective functions adopted by earthquake early warning (EEW) location algorithms are inadequate for out-of-network earthquakes. As a result, the real-time locations of these earthquakes are often erroneous. The consequences of mislocating out-of-network earthquakes are that their magnitudes are miscalculated, and the loci of their shaking predictions map are shifted. Given that the largest earthquakes occur in subduction settings, improving real-time out-of-network earthquake location is of great importance. In this study, the Virtual Dynamically Assembled Array Algorithm (ViDA³) is introduced, which addresses the location issue of offshore and off-network earthquakes. The guiding principle underlying the new EEW location algorithm is that standard seismic networks may be viewed as a collection of medium-sized seismic arrays, with each array consisting of three or more network stations. The potential of array seismology for EEW against out-of-network earthquakes stems primarily from the slowness vector, which points at the direction of the epicentral region. Thus, this region may be constrained merely by intersecting two or more such vectors. In addition, the length of the slowness vector depends on the hypocentral distance and depth and is thus vital for addressing an acute problem in a subduction setting--discriminating between upper crust and deep slab earthquakes. Furthermore, when the slowness of the P phase is known, the slowness of the S phase is deduced, and the S-phase arrival is searched for using the shift-and-sum practice. What makes ViDA³ so attractive is that, in locations where a real-time network is already in place, these added values may be achieved without extra hardware or substantial budget requirements. We present the result of ViDA³ real-time operation on a shallow earthquake offshore Vancouver Island and the result of its replay on a deep slab earthquake in northern Chile. performance is further assessed using a dataset of seismograms from the Mendocino Triple Junction area. It is concluded that ViDA³ location scheme outperforms currently available EEW location algorithms for out-of-network earthquakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of microseismic events with low signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) can expand the seismic catalog and provide opportunities for a deeper understanding of subsurface reservoir features. We propose a novel polarization analysis method for comprehensively detecting S-wave arrival and P-S travel time of low-SNR events from the particle motion of P and S waves in the time and frequency domain. In most circumstances, the direct S-wave particle motion shows a flat plane, and that is perpendicular to the direct P-wave motion direction. We combine these two properties to detect the S-wave arrival of low-SNR events. Our previous study applied spectral matrix (SPM) analysis to characterize the 3D particle motion of P waves. However, SPM analysis had limitations in detecting S-wave arrivals. We then introduce the time-delay components of the SPM (complex spectral matrix [cSPM]) to characterize the S-wave particle motion, separate the S-wave from the noise, and detect S-wave arrivals. Using the cSPM analysis method, we assess the planarity and perpendicularity of the S-wave polarization in the time and frequency domains. We then define a characteristic function that detects S-wave arrivals by combining two properties, planarity and perpendicularity, to detect more low-SNR events. The P-S travel time is obtained by setting the threshold values for the P- and S-wave characteristic functions. We apply our method to 4 hr and 2 months of field data recorded at the Groningen field in the Netherlands. Our method successfully detects the P-S travel time of all catalog events and several additional undetected events. We locate the hypocenter of all events using the detected P-S travel times with a grid-based search method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to examine how the teacher is represented in contemporary Hungarian novels. Do the novels reflect the teacher’s life problems from a social perspective? Are the teacher’s problems given the same importance in literature that they have in society? In today’s society, what are the most important changes the teacher’s role has gone through, and how are they reflected? The article aims to answer these questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While strong islands generally constitute domains from which extraction is not possible, it has been observed that under certain conditions, they may allow DP but not PP gaps. Based on the recent literature on Asante Twi (Kwa, Ghana) and on novel data from Limbum (Grassfields Bantu, Cameroon), this paper shows that strong island configurations in these two African languages are permeable to nominal extractees without restrictions, but the otherwise admissible movement of VPs and PPs is blocked. As DP-displacement from islands shows properties of A ¯ -movement; an explanation in terms of base-generation and binding of a covert resumptive pronoun, which is only available for nominal elements, is not feasible. Taking into account the overall distribution of overt and covert resumptive pronouns, for Asante Twi, an account of the selective island permeability in terms of repair by resumption, as suggested in previous literature, might be possible. For the Limbum pattern, however, this paper argues that such an approach seems implausible. It then goes on to develop an analysis of selective island permeability based on the distribution of ϕ -features and their interaction with complementizer agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research has highlighted the existence of expletive(-like) elements in various languages that are related to discourse, serving as fillers for designated topic/focus positions and/or contributing specific discourse–pragmatic effects. Such elements pose a number of challenges and opportunities, both for our overall conception of expletives and for our understanding of the syntax–discourse interface, although work in this area to date has mainly focused on the phenomenon in individual varieties. In this study, we critically survey the current state-of-the art on this topic and discuss four main areas where we see particular challenges and opportunities for research: (i) categories and definitions, (ii) typological correlations, (iii) theoretical modelling and (iv) language change. Overall, this article brings together a broad array of empirical findings and theoretical approaches on the phenomenon of discourse-related expletives and highlights the many avenues for future work in this area.

Language is used in communicative contexts to identify and successfully transmit new information that should be later remembered. In three studies, we used question-answer pairs, a naturalistic device for focusing information, to examine how properties of conversations inform later item memory. In Experiment 1, participants viewed three pictures while listening to a recorded question-answer exchange between two people about the locations of two of the displayed pictures. In a memory recognition test conducted online a day later, participants recognized the names of pictures that served as answers more accurately than the names of pictures that appeared as questions. This suggests that this type of focus indeed boosts memory. In Experiment 2, participants listened to the same items embedded in declarative sentences. There was a reduced memory benefit for the second item, confirming the role of linguistic focus on later memory beyond a simple serial-position effect. In Experiment 3, two participants asked and answered the same questions about objects in a dialogue. Here, answers continued to receive a memory benefit, and this focus effect was accentuated by language production such that information-seekers remembered the answers to their questions better than information-givers remembered the questions they had been asked. Combined, these studies show how people's memory for conversation is modulated by the referential status of the items mentioned and by the speaker's roles of the conversation participants. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Quantitative studies of V2 in Medieval French have produced diverging results with respect to the rate of use of V2 and the informational value of the initial XP. These divergences are hypothesized to relate to the register of investigated texts. The hypothesis is verified by the systematic analysis of unambiguous V2 (with an expressed post-verbal subject) with respect to rates of use and informational value of XPs in three register-differentiated Anglo-Norman prose legal texts from the 1260–1300 period. On rates, unambiguous V2 is three times more frequent in the most formal, legal treatise text than it is in the less formal, court dialogues. On informational value, indications are provided that the XP tends to have a Focus value more often in more formal texts. Register thus impacts the behavior of unambiguous V2 configurations in Medieval French; using data less remote from the primary competence of speakers helps in approaching the effective curve of change.

Copyright of Laser Technology is the property of Gai Kan Bian Wei Hui and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study investigated the role of prosody and word order in identifying the focus of sentences in Japanese. Native Japanese speakers listened to sentences with different types of word order (subject–object–verb (SOV) vs. object–subject–verb (OSV)), prosody (whether the first noun phrase is stressed or not) and preceding contexts (object- vs. subject-wh questions), while processing costs were measured using pupillometry. Although syntactically non-basic OSV was more difficult to process than basic SOV, this processing difficulty was considerably reduced when the supportive context (the subject-wh question) required S to be focused. The time–course analysis of pupillometry revealed that the Japanese speakers immediately used prosodic cues to determine the focus of sentences, but the effect of word order cues for focus was delayed until the sentence-final verb was encountered. This study advances our understanding of the temporal dynamics of focus processing and the interplay between syntactic and information structures in sentence comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper devotes to the study of planar polynomial differential systems with homogeneous nonlinearities of degree n > 1. We are concerned with the maximum number of limit cycles surrounding the origin of such systems, denoted by H o (n). By means of the second order analysis using the theories of Melnikov functions, we provide new estimates for H o (n) restricted to the cases where the origin is a focus, a node, a saddle or a nilpotent singularity. In particular, H o (n) ≥ n for each n in the case of focus. To the best of our knowledge, this improves the previous works in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: French is traditionally described as a language favoring syntactic means to mark focus, yet recent research shows that prosody is also used. We examine how French-speaking children use prosody to realize narrow focus and contrastive focus in the absence of syntactic means, compared to adults. Method: We elicited SVO sentences using a virtual robot-mediated picture-matching task from monolingual French-speaking adults (N = 11), 4-to 5-year-olds (N = 12), and 7-to 8-year-olds (N = 15). These sentences were produced with narrow focus on either the subject or the object and contrastive focus on the object. Results: Linear mixed-effects logistic regression modeling on duration, mean intensity, mean pitch, and pitch range of the subject and object nouns showed that the 4-to 5-year-olds did not use any of these prosodic cues for focus marking but the 7-to 8-year-olds distinguished narrow focus from non-focus through an increase in duration, mean intensity and to a lesser degree, mean pitch in the object nouns, largely similar to the adults, and tended to use mean pitch for this purpose in the subject nouns, different from the adults, who used duration. Discussion: Our study corroborates previous findings that French-speaking 4-to 5-year-olds do not use prosody for focus. Further, it provides new evidence that 7- to 8-year-olds use prosody to mark narrow focus on the object in a more adult-like manner than narrow focus on the subject, arguably caused by a more dominant role of syntactic means in the subject position in French. Together, these findings show that syntax-dominance can influence both the route and the rate of acquisition of prosodic focus marking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Prosodic focus marking in Seoul Korean is known to be achieved primarily through prosodic phrasing, different from the use of prosody for this purpose in many other languages. This study investigates how children use prosodic phrasing for focus-marking purposes in Seoul Korean, compared to adults. Methods: Using a picture-matching game, we elicited semi-spontaneous production of SOV sentences in various focus conditions from monolingual Seoul Korean-speaking children aged 4 to 11 years. Results: We found that the children varied prosodic boundaries to distinguish narrow focus from pre-focus and broad focus in a largely adult-like manner at the age of 4 to 5; at this age, they did not distinguish narrow focus from post- focus or contrastive focus using prosodic boundaries, similar to the adults. Their use of the prosodic boundaries in distinguishing the focus conditions was not fully adult-like in terms of frequency until the age of 10 to 11. Discussion: In conjunction with the findings of previous studies on the acquisition of focus marking in Germanic languages, performed using a similar experimental method, our findings suggest that Seoul Korean-speaking children acquire the use of prosodic phrasing earlier than Dutch-speaking children acquiring the use of pitch accent but slightly later than Stockholm Swedish-speaking children acquiring the use of a prominence-marking high tone. These findings imply that the rate of focus-marking acquisition depends on the transparency of the form-meaning mapping between the phonological cue and focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents several new empirical observations regarding some interpretive effects and structural restrictions of modals that occur in sentence-initial positions in Chinese. It provides a new analysis of sentence-initial modal sentences in terms of the overt head-movement of a modal to the sentence periphery to value strong focus features and to focus-mark either the proposition or the subject of a sentence. This new proposal helps explain the markedness exhibited by such sentences, correctly predicts the structural and semantic restrictions of modal sentences, and directly explains the scopal interactions observed between modals and various types of focus constructions. It also shows that changes in word order in Chinese are not ascribable simply to an optional or free derivation in syntax but are related to an understudied mechanism in that language, i.e. T-to-C movement, and that the roles of information structure are represented as formal features in syntax. The results shed new light on how Chinese – though profoundly different from Germanic and Romance languages typologically – exemplifies a similarly fine structure in the sentence-internal domain, parallel associations of scope-bearing units with sentences' left peripheries, and a neat interaction of syntax with discourse configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined employee satisfaction at Mivaan Steels Ltd, focusing on key factors that contribute to a positive work environment. Using a purposive sampling technique, we collected primary responses from employees who had at least one year of service and had attended training programs. A sample of 100 was selected from over 130 employees. The data was meticulously organized and analyzed graphically, with responses categorized under various subheadings. The results revealed high levels of job satisfaction driven by effective communication, regular recognition, and ample opportunities for career growth. Despite high levels of employee satisfaction, there is room for improvement, particularly around proactive discussions about career development and promoting a balanced and inclusive company culture. This information highlights the importance of tangible benefits and intangible factors, such as relationships with co-workers and supervisors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is evidence from both behavior and brain activity that the way information is structured, through the use of focus, can up-regulate processing of focused constituents, likely to give prominence to the relevant aspects of the input. This is hypothesized to be universal, regardless of the different ways in which languages encode focus. In order to test this universalist hypothesis, we need to go beyond the more familiar linguistic strategies for marking focus, such as by means of intonation or specific syntactic structures (e.g., it-clefts). Therefore, in this study, we examine Makhuwa-Enahara, a Bantu language spoken in northern Mozambique, which uniquely marks focus through verbal conjugation. The participants were presented with sentences that consisted of either a semantically anomalous constituent or a semantically nonanomalous constituent. Moreover, focus on this particular constituent could be either present or absent. We observed a consistent pattern: Focused information generated a more negative N400 response than the same information in nonfocus position. This demonstrates that regardless of how focus is marked, its consequence seems to result in an upregulation of processing of information that is in focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates three puzzles concerning scalar nu‐V constructions in Taiwan Mandarin: (a) a scalar nu‐V construction is incompatible with state/achievement verbs, irrespective of the presence of a quantity phrase; (b) when combined with activity verbs, the inclusion of a quantity phrase appears obligatory for scalar nu‐V constructions in an out‐of‐the‐blue context; (c) under appropriate contextual support, bare nouns and demonstrative phrases can replace the typically obligatory quantity phrases to form a grammatical scalar nu‐V construction with an activity verb. We argue that the solutions to these puzzles lie in three core meaning components of scalar nu‐V constructions: (a) scalar presupposition; (b) association with focus; (c) volitional requirement. Specifically, we propose that (a) scalar nu is a scalar verbal modifier that forms a verbal compound with its following verb; (b) scalar nu introduces a scalar presupposition (based on the scalar associate) and the volitional requirement in scalar nu‐V constructions. If our analysis is correct, it suggests that the scalarity of a construction may come from a verbal modifier (e.g., scalar nu) in the formation of a compound verb, thereby enhancing our understanding of the compositionality of compound verbs in natural language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To analyse the signs of malignant tumours in breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and further improve the imaging diagnosis level of malignant breast tumours. Materials and Methods: The plain and enhanced MRI data of 60 patients who visited our hospital between January 2011 and January 2021 were analysed retrospectively, with 118 lesions in total. Malignant breast tumour signs were assessed. Results: A total of 96 lesions were pathologically confirmed as breast cancer, with 76 cases of single breast and single lesion, 10 cases of double breast and single lesion, 6 cases of single breast and two lesions, and 4 cases of single breast and three lesions. Regarding morphology, 58 lesions were regular in appearance and 60 were irregular, of which 50 had a burr sign or sharp angle sign. Strengthening methods included 52 cases of homogeneous strengthening, 3 of annular strengthening and 2 of cluster strengthening. Conclusion: A burr margin, local skin thickening, depression, adhesion and axillary lymph node enlargement are reliable MRI signs of breast cancer. When combined with Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System grading, these signs can effectively differentiate between benign and malignant breast tumours and constitute a key reference value for the diagnosis of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article revisits the canonical (Dem>Num>A>N) and non-canonical (A>Dem>Num>N & Dem>A>Num>N) prenominal patterns in Mandarin Chinese, from the perspective of the Labeling Algorithm. It shows that the syntactic distribution of adjectives are different, depending on the attributive-predicative sources and the presence or absence of the subordinator - de. The attributive adjective (with or without - de) and the de- less predicative adjective are analyzed as direct modification of the noun phrase, and it derives as a specifier of the noun, then falling into an agreement Agr projection. The non-canonical pattern undergoes AgrP-movement to the nominal left-periphery, which involves focus moving. However, the predicative adjective with - de is associated with a predicate of a reduced relative clause, and it undergoes successive focus-driven movement in the non-canonical pattern. The supporting evidence is illustrated in superlative and exclamatory adjectives as well as the CP-DP splitting hypothesis. The labeling-based explanation provides a specific picture to see the internal structure of adjectives, to look at how to package the informational constituents in the prenominal pattern, and to demonstrate the systematic parallelism between nominal and clausal domains in Mandarin Chinese. Plain language summary: The article revisits two nominal orders in Mandarin Chinese: the canonical (Dem>Num>A>N) and non-canonical (A>Dem>Num>N & Dem>A>Num>N) patterns, from the perspective of the Labeling Algorithm. It shows that the syntactic distribution of adjectives are different, depending on the attributive-predicative sources and the presence or absence of the subordinator -de. The supporting evidence is illustrated in superlative and exclamatory adjectives as well as the CP-DP splitting hypothesis. The labeling-based explanation provides a specific picture to see the internal structure of adjectives, to look at how to package the informational constituents in the prenominal pattern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study investigated adolescents' (N = 213) decision finding processes and affective reactions to interactions on social media via 29 focus groups. As part of a larger study, adolescents participated in focus groups at two time-points across an academic year while participating in a school-based intervention promoting healthy romantic, interpersonal, and family relationships, job readiness, and financial literacy. Qualitative analyses indicated adolescents' experiences and decisions on social media platforms were informed by their awareness of audiences, namely who they thought would view their posts and anticipated responses from "friends," "family members," "fans," "creeps," and "potential employers." Comprehensive school-based interventions may serve to effectively develop responsibility more broadly, as well as a specific awareness about online risks and behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intonational plateaus exist in Chilean Spanish in contexts in which they do not exist in any other variety of Spanish. Mapudungun, which has been in contact with Chilean Spanish for centuries, also has plateaus in similar contexts, although for years, the possibility of any influence of Mapudungun on Spanish has been largely dismissed. The present study examines the discourse contexts in which intonational plateaus occur in both Chilean Spanish and Mapudungun and finds that their pragmatic function is similar, with the vast majority of cases highlighting information based on the subjective communicative desire of the speaker rather than falling into established syntactic or pragmatic categories such as narrow focus. However, while the pragmatic function is similar between the languages, Mapudungun has a wider use of the plateaus, indicating a likely longer presence in this language. Based on the similarities in pragmatic function, the absence of such plateaus in any other variety of Spanish, and the wider use of plateaus in Mapudungun, this paper argues that the Chilean Spanish plateaus originate from Mapudungun due to their centuries-long history of intense language contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Online Journal of Recreation & Sports is the property of Online Journal of Recreation & Sports and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

While there is a clear tendency for a Theme not to occur within its own tone group, it is equally clear that clauses are frequently formed out of more than a single tone group. Hence it is precipitous to assume an a priori relationship between clause and tone group/information unit. Speakers in pursuit of their individual communicative choices manage their interactional and informational needs by producing prosodic and thematic choices appropriate to their goals. Such choices as we have seen are frequently mutually re-enforcing, but speakers may employ prosodic choices which foreground their interactional needs. Specifically, this entails that there is no direct relationship between lexico-grammatical and prosodic meanings; both redound with semantic meanings. Yet, these meanings may be constrained by the interactional demands of the communicative situation in which a speaker operates. In this paper, I examine the spoken realisation of Interpersonal Theme and find that Interpersonal Themes realized by Mood adjuncts and metaphors of modality tended to be realized with different key. Similarly, the expectation that marked Theme was likely to attract high key was found to be subject to the speaker’s need to manage the interaction.

The present study is an investigation of the information-structural notion of focus through the morphosyntax of focus structures in Mùwe Ké (Tibeto-Burman, Mugu, Nepal).  The focus structures mainly involve the obligatory marking of actors with the otherwise-optional ergative marker -gane/-gadiː and a preferred immediately preverbal position, both of which are shown to correlate with the notion of focus.  The research and analyses are based on a corpus of field data collected over three years in Nepal, including the Questionnaire on Information Structure (Skopeteas et al. 2006).  The paper is intended as a partner for and precursor to Archer (under review), which questions the notion of focus as a category and subsequently reanalyses the data presented here.

In this paper, we present data from an elicitation study and a corpus study that support the observation that the Yucatec Maya progressive aspect auxiliary táan is replaced by the habitual auxiliary k in sentences with contrastively focused fronted objects. Focus has been extensively studied in Yucatec, yet the incompatibility of object fronting and progressive aspect in Yucatec Maya remains understudied. Both our experimental results and our corpus study point in the direction that this incompatibility may very well be categorical. Theoretically, we take a progressive reading to be derived from an imperfectivity operator in combination with a singular operator, and we propose that this singular operator implicates the negation of event plurality, leading to an exhaustive interpretation which ranks below corrective focus on a contrastive focus scale. This means that, in a sentence with object focus fronting, the use of the marked auxiliary táan (as opposed to the more general k) would trigger two contrastive foci, which would be an unlikely and probably dispreferred speech act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superlative modifiers (SMs) are known to demonstrate an ambiguity between an epistemic reading (EPI) conveying speaker ignorance and a concessive reading (CON) conveying speaker concession. Such EPI-CON ambiguity has often been taken, implicitly or explicitly, to be a lexical coincidence. While there may be some justification for such a position when a single language is considered, we argue for an intrinsic connection between the two readings based on cross-linguistic considerations. This paper focuses on English at least and Mandarin zhi-shao as representative of superlative modifiers across a wide range of languages to propose a unified account of the two readings. The proposal builds on Biezma (2013) in relying on the role of focus and scalarity in developing a unified semantics for the two readings, but differs in capitalizing on the fact that cross-linguistically superlative modifiers use the same morphological formants as quantity superlatives. It also follows Biezma (2013) in taking pragmatic factors as crucial in deriving the variation between EPI and CON readings. Elaborating on her account, it offers a more nuanced picture of the ways in which EPI is sensitive to the question of informativity while CON relates to issues of evaluativity. The paper shows how the proposed semantics and pragmatics account for several well-known properties of superlative modifiers. It ends by noting several open issues in the literature on this topic that the current proposal sheds new light on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in the fields of neuroscience and computer science have greatly enhanced the human brain’s ability to communicate and interact with the surrounding environment. In addition, recent steps in machine learning (ML) have increased the use of electroencephalography (EEG)-based BCIs for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The prevailing challenge in recording EEG sensor data is that the captured signals are mixed with noise, which makes their effective use difficult. Therefore, strengthening the classification stage becomes extremely important and plays a major role in addressing this problem. In this study, we chose five most widely used classification models that obtained the best results in this field and tested them on two open-source databases. We also focused on improving the hyperparameters of each algorithm to obtain best results. Our results indicate excellent results on the first dataset and acceptable for most models on the second, while RF showed superior performance on both with an accuracy of 100% on the first dataset and 86.47% on the second. This was achieved with the lowest training costs, and better performance compared to previous works we evaluated that used the same databases. These results provide valuable insights and advance the development of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology and design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores what needs to be done to better address the growing and substantial inequalities in the UK and how the 'Levelling Up' policy that seeks to address them could be improved. It argues that a much longer-term vision and a sharper, cross-government focus on fewer challenges is required to make a more tangible impact. Four key findings are identified: a focus on health and education is fundamental for our social and economic prosperity; there is a need for greater devolution of power, with transparent and robust accountability; an open, nationwide knowledge base to share what works and what does not, and the lessons learned from innovative pilots, is required; and a more holistic approach is needed to support businesses and provide them with better-quality support. This paper argues that without these issues being taken into consideration, the lives and well-being of our disadvantaged citizens, our children and our economy will continue to worsen. It concludes that making economic development a statutory function, putting it at the very heart of our public services, is needed to ensure that the levelling up outcome is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac ultrasound (CUS), either focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS) or emergency echocardiography, is frequently used in cardiovascular (CV) emergencies. We assessed correlations and discrepancies between CUS, clinical diagnosis and the autopsy findings in early deceased patients with suspected CV emergencies. We retrospectively analysed clinical and autopsy data of 131 consecutive patients who died within 24 h of hospital admission. The type of CUS and its findings were analysed in relation to the clinical and autopsy diagnoses. CUS was performed in 58% of patients - FoCUS in 83%, emergency echocardiography in 12%, and both types of CUS in 5% of cases. CUS was performed more frequently in patients without a history of CV disease (64 vs. 40%, p = 0.08) and when the time between admission and death was longer (6 vs. 2 h, p = 0.021). In 7% of patients, CUS was inconclusive. In 10% of patients, the ante-mortem cause of death could not be determined, while discrepancies between the clinical and post-mortem diagnosis were found in 26% of cases. In the multivariate logistic regression model, only conclusive CUS [odds ratio (OR) 2.76, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.30–7.39, p = 0.044] and chest pain at presentation (OR 30.19, 95%CI 5.65 -161.22, p < 0.001) were independently associated with congruent clinical and autopsy diagnosis. In a tertiary university hospital, FoCUS was used more frequently than emergency echocardiography in critically ill patients with suspected cardiac emergencies. Chest pain at presentation and a conclusive CUS were associated with concordant clinical and autopsy diagnoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Left peripheral topics and foci often differ with respect to resumption: in languages such as Italian, Tzotzil Maya, and Warlpiri, while fronted topics may be co-indexed with a pronominal form in the corresponding argument position, fronted foci correspond to a gap. However, this contrast does not universally apply. In languages such as Anyi and Baule, two Kwa languages of Côte d'Ivoire, subjects and animate objects must be resumed by a pronoun whenever they appear in the left periphery – independent of information structure. The question is whether this instance of cross-linguistic variation arises through differences in the syntax of left peripheral positions in various languages or in the conditions of resumption. The present study examines data from Kwa languages and concludes that the difference lies in the conditions of resumption, which are orthogonal to the syntactic differences between topics and foci. Resumptives have a dual nature in these languages, serving as anaphoric constants (true resumptives) in topicalization and as bound variables (apparent resumptives) in focus constructions. A survey of the relevant facts in further Kwa languages reveals that resumption is determined by factors that are independent from information structure and relate to the recoverability of empty argument positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sakha particle da(ɣanï) has a restricted, semantically varied distribution. It appears in three main roles: negative polarity item (NPIs), a marker of scalar focus, and doubled in coordination constructions. In coordination X da(ɣanï) Y da(ɣanï) means 'both X and Y' in positive sentences, but 'neither X nor Y' in negative sentences. Following from the assumption that NPIs denote low-point existentials, it is surprising to find a particle that is involved in these as well as 'both...and' coordination. While there are quantifier particles in other languages which overlap with all of da(ɣanï)'s uses, these typically these serve far more roles. One such common role that da(ɣanï) lacks is a basic additive 'too' reading, though an additive reading emerges with scalar focus. I argue that da(ɣanï) is an element which combines with an host that has semantic alternatives and makes them obligatorily active, in the sense of Chierchia (2013). When it combines with a low-point existential, this has the effect of creating NPIs. The 'both...and' reading is argued to be the result of da(ɣanï) inducing an additive post-supposition. However, a unary 'too' function is blocked by the additive presupposition of another particle emie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In this paper, we investigate the prosodic realization of stress and focus in Udmurt (Uralic, Permic). According to the literature, Udmurt has fixed final stress, but also has several sets of morphosyntactic exceptions with initial stress. We report the results of two production studies. The first one targets nominals with final stress, and the second one investigates the stress properties of minimal pairs consisting of (i) indicative verbs (prs.3sg; final stress) and (ii) imperative verbs (imp.2sg/pl; initial stress). To control for the information-structural contexts, the test words are studied in contexts that elicit narrow focus either on the test word ('F' condition) or on another constituent ('non-F' condition). The results show that all four acoustic parameters surveyed in the paper – duration, intensity, fundamental frequency (f0), and first formant (F1) values – participate in stress marking in Udmurt. The results for focus marking vary by study and demonstrate that all cues except for intensity may be involved in focus marking. At the same time, we find wide interspeaker variation with respect to the acoustic cues marking stress and/or focus. Finally, we outline a preliminary Autosegmental-Metrical interpretation of our f0 results; a full account of Udmurt intonation awaits further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I argue that certain binding facts from Serbo-Croatian, analyzed as Condition B violations by Despić (2011 , 2013), are best captured in terms of specific discourse constraints on coreferential pronouns and that such cases have no bearing on the categorial status of the nominal domain in Serbo-Croatian. I show that the availability of clitic and nonclitic pronouns that are coreferential with a possessor antecedent crucially depends on whether the antecedent is a discourse topic or new information focus; this leads me to conclude that such cases are not Condition B violations. I also observe that pronouns in English are subject to identical conditions and conclude that English also has clitic and nonclitic pronouns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is a clear tendency for a Theme not to occur within its own tone group, it is equally clear that clauses are frequently formed out of more than a single tone group. Hence it is precipitous to assume an a priori relationship between clause and tone group/information unit. Speakers in pursuit of their individual communicative choices manage their interactional and informational needs by producing prosodic and thematic choices appropriate to their goals. Such choices as we have seen are frequently mutually re-enforcing, but speakers may employ prosodic choices which foreground their interactional needs. Specifically, this entails that there is no direct relationship between lexico-grammatical and prosodic meanings; both redound with semantic meanings. Yet, these meanings may be constrained by the interactional demands of the communicative situation in which a speaker operates. In this paper, I examine the spoken realisation of Interpersonal Theme and find that Interpersonal Themes realized by Mood adjuncts and metaphors of modality tended to be realized with different key. Similarly, the expectation that marked Theme was likely to attract high key was found to be subject to the speaker's need to manage the interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional Mono industrial cameras can only capture the brightness information of objects, unable to obtain color information. Therefore, when dealing with the problem of uneven AMOLED brightness, Mono industrial cameras can judge the screen brightness situation by detecting brightness differences and make corresponding adjustments. On the other hand, color industrial cameras have the ability to capture both brightness and color information of objects, which can simultaneously solve the problems of brightness and chromaticity unevenness. They have broader prospects on Demura compensation and CUC compensation for future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the US healthcare system transitions from volume to value, various value‐based programs tie medical reimbursements to hospital performance relative to national top performers (i.e., benchmarks). However, prior studies report very limited results on how such benchmarks affect care delivery and patient outcomes across multiple performance fronts. This study examines how general acute care hospitals progress toward benchmarks measured by performance frontiers in technical efficiency, clinical quality, and patient experience over time, subjecting to external market conditions and internal focuses. Based on a panel dataset comprising hospitals in California from 2012 and 2019, our results find support for competitive‐distance‐driven progression rates, suggesting that hospitals' competitive positions measured by their distances to benchmarks drive performance improvements. Yet, the effect diminishes as they move closer to performance frontiers. In addition, we find that market competition reduces the progression rate of technical efficiency. Finally, our results also suggest that focus improves performance progression rates, yet its effects are curvilinear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionFrench is traditionally described as a language favoring syntactic means to mark focus, yet recent research shows that prosody is also used. We examine how French-speaking children use prosody to realize narrow focus and contrastive focus in the absence of syntactic means, compared to adults.MethodWe elicited SVO sentences using a virtual robot-mediated picture-matching task from monolingual French-speaking adults (N = 11), 4- to 5-year-olds (N = 12), and 7- to 8-year-olds (N = 15). These sentences were produced with narrow focus on either the subject or the object and contrastive focus on the object.ResultsLinear mixed-effects logistic regression modeling on duration, mean intensity, mean pitch, and pitch range of the subject and object nouns showed that the 4- to 5-year-olds did not use any of these prosodic cues for focus marking but the 7- to 8-year-olds distinguished narrow focus from non-focus through an increase in duration, mean intensity and to a lesser degree, mean pitch in the object nouns, largely similar to the adults, and tended to use mean pitch for this purpose in the subject nouns, different from the adults, who used duration.DiscussionOur study corroborates previous findings that French-speaking 4- to 5-year-olds do not use prosody for focus. Further, it provides new evidence that 7- to 8-year-olds use prosody to mark narrow focus on the object in a more adult-like manner than narrow focus on the subject, arguably caused by a more dominant role of syntactic means in the subject position in French. Together, these findings show that syntax-dominance can influence both the route and the rate of acquisition of prosodic focus marking.