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18 pages, 2431 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modeling Dual-Task Performance: Identifying Key Predictors Using Artificial Neural Networks

by Arash Mohammadzadeh Gonabadi, Farahnaz Fallahtafti, Judith Heselton, Sara A. Myers, Ka-Chun Siu and Julie Blaskewicz Boron

Biomimetics 2025, 10(6), 351; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics10060351 - 29 May 2025

Viewed by 580

Abstract

Dual-task paradigms that combine cognitive and motor tasks offer a valuable lens for detecting subtle impairments in cognitive and physical functioning, especially in older adults. This study used artificial neural network (ANN) modeling to predict clinical, cognitive, and psychosocial outcomes from integrated gait, [...] Read more.

Dual-task paradigms that combine cognitive and motor tasks offer a valuable lens for detecting subtle impairments in cognitive and physical functioning, especially in older adults. This study used artificial neural network (ANN) modeling to predict clinical, cognitive, and psychosocial outcomes from integrated gait, speech-linguistic, demographic, physiological, and psychological data collected during single- and dual-task conditions. Forty healthy adults (ages 20–84) completed physical, cognitive, and psychosocial assessments and a dual-task walking task involving cell phone use. ANN models were optimized using hyperparameter tuning and k-fold cross-validation to predict outcomes such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), Trail Making Tests (TMT A and B), Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and measures of memory, affect, and social support. The models achieved high accuracy for MOCA (100%), ABC (80%), memory function (80%), and social support satisfaction (75%). Feature importance analyses revealed key predictors such as speech-linguistic markers and sensory impairments. First-person plural pronoun used and authenticity of internal thoughts during dual-task emerged as strong predictors of MOCA and memory. Models were less accurate for complex executive tasks like TMT A and B. These findings support the potential of ANN models for the early detection of cognitive and psychosocial changes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Biomedical Engineering)

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41 pages, 668 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Category-Sensitive Escape from Islands in Limbum and Asante Twi

by Johannes Hein

Languages 2024, 9(10), 317; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9100317 - 30 Sep 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1405

Abstract

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 [...] Read more.

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

\bar{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. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Escaping African ‘Islands’)

18 pages, 424 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Grammaticalization, Language Contact, and the Emergence of a Hortative in Guaraché, a New Mixed Language in Paraguay

by Jan David Hauck

Languages 2022, 7(3), 173; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages7030173 - 5 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3495

Abstract

This paper discusses the emergence of a hortative marker in Guaraché, a new mixed language in Paraguay, the result of language mixing of the Indigenous Aché language and Paraguayan Guaraní. After settlement on reservations, the formerly nomadic Aché hunter-gatherers began shifting to the [...] Read more.

This paper discusses the emergence of a hortative marker in Guaraché, a new mixed language in Paraguay, the result of language mixing of the Indigenous Aché language and Paraguayan Guaraní. After settlement on reservations, the formerly nomadic Aché hunter-gatherers began shifting to the national language Guaraní, resulting in Guaraché, which is currently learned by children as their first language. Guaraché speakers have incorporated parts of the lexicon and morphology from Aché and Guaraní into their verbal repertoires, including parts of the Guaraní inflectional morphology. Thereby, they are modeling their use of the Guaraní 1pl.in marker ja-/ña- on a specific function that it has in Guaraní, hortative mood. Neither Aché nor Guaraní have grammatical hortative markers. Such a reanalysis and transfer of only one function of ja-/ña- suggests that a novel grammatical distinction is emerging between ja-/ña- for the hortative and the free pronoun ñande/nande for all other cases of 1pl.in. This paper analyzes hortative constructions in a corpus of recordings of naturally occurring interactions from children and adults. This case of grammaticalization is a strong indicator of a gradual transformation of Guaraché from language-mixing practices into a new mixed language. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studies in the Morphosyntax, Semantics, & Pragmatics of Modern-Day Guarani)

17 pages, 1780 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Language-Internal Reanalysis of Clitic Placement in Heritage Grammars Reduces the Cost of Computation: Evidence from Bulgarian

by Tanya Ivanova-Sullivan, Irina A. Sekerina, Davood Tofighi and Maria Polinsky

Languages 2022, 7(1), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages7010024 - 29 Jan 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3241

Abstract

The study offers novel evidence on the grammar and processing of clitic placement in heritage languages. Building on earlier findings of divergent clitic placement in heritage European Portuguese and Serbian, this study extends this line of inquiry to Bulgarian, a language where clitic [...] Read more.

The study offers novel evidence on the grammar and processing of clitic placement in heritage languages. Building on earlier findings of divergent clitic placement in heritage European Portuguese and Serbian, this study extends this line of inquiry to Bulgarian, a language where clitic placement is subject to strong prosodic constraints. We found that, in heritage Bulgarian, clitic placement is processed and rated differently than in the baseline, and we asked whether such clitic misplacement results from the transfer from the dominant language or follows from language-internal reanalysis. We used a self-paced listening task and an aural acceptability rating task with 13 English-dominant, highly proficient heritage speakers and 22 monolingual speakers of Bulgarian. Heritage speakers of Bulgarian process and rate the grammatical proclitic and ungrammatical enclitic clitic positions as equally acceptable, and we contend that this pattern is due to language-internal reanalysis. We suggest that the trigger for such reanalysis is the overgeneralization of the prosodic Strong Start Constraint from the left edge of the clause to any position in the sentence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Language Contact and Individual Multilingualism)

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13 pages, 314 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gender Affirmation through Correct Pronoun Usage: Development and Validation of the Transgender Women’s Importance of Pronouns (TW-IP) Scale

by Jae M. Sevelius, Deepalika Chakravarty, Samantha E. Dilworth, Greg Rebchook and Torsten B. Neilands

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(24), 9525; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249525 - 19 Dec 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 7765

Abstract

Social interactions where a person is addressed by their correct name and pronouns, consistent with their gender identity, are widely recognized as a basic and yet critical aspect of gender affirmation for transgender people. Informed by the Model of Gender Affirmation, we developed [...] Read more.

Social interactions where a person is addressed by their correct name and pronouns, consistent with their gender identity, are widely recognized as a basic and yet critical aspect of gender affirmation for transgender people. Informed by the Model of Gender Affirmation, we developed a self-report measure of the importance of social gender affirmation, the Transgender Women’s Importance of Pronouns (TW-IP) scale, which measures gender affirmation through the usage of correct pronoun by others. Data were from self-administered surveys in two independent samples of transgender women living with HIV in the US (N1 = 278; N2 = 369). Using exploratory factor analysis with data from Study 1 and confirmatory factor analysis with data from Study 2, we obtained a four-item scale with a single-factor structure and strong reliability (α = 0.95). We present evidence of TW-IP’s convergent and discriminant validity through its correlations with select mental health and HIV-related measures. Further, scores on TW-IP were linked in expected directions to several hypothesized mental health and HIV care outcomes, demonstrating its predictive validity. The resulting brief measure of importance of pronouns among transgender women shows strong psychometric properties. Validation evidence offers highly promising opportunities for use of the measure in clinical and research settings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Measuring Health Inequities Among Vulnerable Populations)

22 pages, 5423 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Celebrities’ Green Messages on Twitter Influence Public Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions to Mitigate Climate Change

by Sejung Park

Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 7948; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12197948 - 25 Sep 2020

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 9794

Abstract

This research adds to the growing body of literature on the role of celebrities as emergent spokespersons in climate advocacy using Twitter. This study investigates the effects of framing of celebrities’ messages (emotional framing and framing of celebrity involvement) on public attitudes and [...] Read more.

This research adds to the growing body of literature on the role of celebrities as emergent spokespersons in climate advocacy using Twitter. This study investigates the effects of framing of celebrities’ messages (emotional framing and framing of celebrity involvement) on public attitudes and behaviors to address climate change. A sequential mediation process is examined with structural equation modeling. In addition, this study assesses the role of parasocial relationship (PSR) with celebrities as predictors and moderators of the impact of framing of celebrity involvement. The results indicate that fear appeals were more effective than hope appeals in driving participation in activism, but emotional framing did not affect any other variables. Framing of celebrity involvement appeals using first-person pronouns led to more positive attitudes, but had no effect on behaviors. In addition, PSR was a strong positive predictor of attitudes and behaviors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Air, Climate Change and Sustainability)

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20 pages, 862 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Acquisition of L2 French Object Pronouns by Advanced Anglophone Learners

by Julia Herschensohn and Randall Gess

Languages 2018, 3(2), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages3020015 - 3 May 2018

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4619

Abstract

The role native language transfer plays in L2 acquisition raises the question of whether L1 constitutes a permanent representational deficit to mastery of the L2 morphosyntax and prosody or if it can eventually be overcome. Earlier research has shown that beginning and low [...] Read more.

The role native language transfer plays in L2 acquisition raises the question of whether L1 constitutes a permanent representational deficit to mastery of the L2 morphosyntax and prosody or if it can eventually be overcome. Earlier research has shown that beginning and low intermediate Anglophone L2 French learners are insensitive to French morphosyntactic and prosodic constraints in using in situ pronouns transferred from the L1. The prosodic transfer hypothesis (PTH) proposes that native prosodic structures may be adapted to facilitate acquisition of L2 prosodic structure. Our study presents new evidence from three Anglophone advanced learners of L2 French that indicates ceiling performance for pronoun production (99% accuracy in 300 tokens over nine interviews) and grammaticality judgment (98% accuracy). This native-like performance demonstrates target French morphosyntax and prosody, built—as predicted by the PTH—by licensing pronominal free clitics in a new pre-verbal L2 position distinct from post-verbal L1. Furthermore, the learners’ data confirms accurate prosody by way of appropriate prominence patterns in clitic + host sequences, correct use of clitics with prefixed verbs, use of stacked pronouns, as well as correct prosodic alternations involving liaison and elision. These results counter impaired representation approaches and suggest early missing inflection may be overcome. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Romance Languages at the Forefront of Language Acquisition Research—Volume 1)

2 pages, 486 KiB

Open AccessBrief Report

Are We Strong Enough to Assert Our Rights in Quality Healthcare?

by Loris Brunetta

Thalass. Rep. 2014, 4(3), 4882; https://doi.org/10.4081/thal.2014.4882 - 4 Dec 2014

Viewed by 538

Abstract

The title of this speech is an important challenge for me, for a patient I mean, to face because it’s not easy to state today if we are really strong enough to assert our rights for a quality healthcare. At first sight, and [...] Read more.

The title of this speech is an important challenge for me, for a patient I mean, to face because it’s not easy to state today if we are really strong enough to assert our rights for a quality healthcare. At first sight, and in an optimistic vision, we could answer to this question YES, we are, but I think we need to explore better the field before to confirm that this is the right answer to the question. The first thing to assess is what we mean with the pronoun WE: the patients and parents’ community represented from TIF? The whole community that plays around thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies, meaning patients and parents and scientists? What else? Full article

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