Can L2 sentence processing strategies be native-like? Evidence from English speakers’ L2 processing of Chinese base-generated-topic sentences

This article reports on an empirical study examining English speakers’ L2 processing of Chinese base-generated-topic (BGT) sentences. Forty-four highly proficient English-speaking L2 learners of Chinese and 23 native Chinese speakers were involved in the study. Results of a self-paced reading task reveal that both native Chinese speakers’ and L2 Chinese learners’ processing of Chinese BGT sentences is syntactically induced in a top-down manner. English speakers are sensitive to and are able to make use of syntactic cues as well as semantic information in their processing of Chinese BGT sentences. The study provides disconfirming evidence against the Shallow Structure Hypothesis (Clahsen and Felser, 2006a,b), which predicts that unlike native speakers, L2 learners do not rely on structure-based processing strategies when solving ambiguities in L2 sentence processing

High incidence rate of asthma among elite endurance athletes: a prospective 4-year survey

Objective: The prevalence of asthma among elite endurance athletes is high, but less is known about the incidence of asthma among athletes. The aim of this study was to examine the incidence rate of physician-diagnosed asthma among elite endurance athletes. Method: An annual postal questionnaire was sent to an open prospective cohort of elite endurance athletes between 2011 and 2015. Athletes from Swedish National teams, students at universities with elite sport partnership, and pupils at Swedish National elite sport schools, competing in cross-country skiing, biathlon, ski orienteering, or orienteering were invited (n = 666). Incidence rate of physician-diagnosed asthma was calculated among those without asthma at baseline (n = 449). Risk factors for incident physician-diagnosed asthma were identified using a multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Response rate was 88.7% (n = 591) at baseline. The median age of participants was 17 (range 15–36) years at inclusion. The study population included 407 (69%) skiers and 184 (31%) orienteers. The prevalence of asthma at baseline was 23.9% (n = 141). Incidence rate (95% confidence interval [CI]) of physician-diagnosed asthma was 61.2 (45.7–80.3) per 1,000 person-years. Risk factors (odds ratio [OR (95% CI)]) for incident physician-diagnosed asthma were family history of asthma (1.97 [1.04–3.68]), being a skier (3.01 [1.42–7.21]), and wheezing without having a cold (4.15 [1.81–9.26]). Conclusion: The incidence rate of physician-diagnosed asthma is high among Swedish elite endurance athletes.</p

Age-related differences in associations between uncontrolled asthma, comorbidities and biomarkers in adult-onset asthma

Adult-onset asthma is a recognized but heterogeneous phenotype and has been described to associate with poor asthma control. Knowledge about associations between clinical characteristics including comorbidities and control of adult-onset asthma is limited, especially in older populations. We aimed to study how clinical biomarkers and comorbidities associate with uncontrolled asthma among middle-aged and older individuals with adult-onset asthma. Clinical examinations including structured interview, asthma control test (ACT), spirometry, skin prick test (SPT), blood sampling and measurement of exhaled fractional nitric oxide (FeNO) was performed in a population-based adult-onset asthma cohort in 2019-2020 (n = 227, 66.5% female). Analyses were performed among all included, and separately in middle-aged (37-64y, n = 120) and older (≥65y, n = 107) participants. In bivariate analysis, uncontrolled asthma (ACT ≤ 19) was significantly associated with a blood neutrophil count ≥5/µl, BMI ≥ 30 and several comorbidities. In multivariable regression analysis, uncontrolled asthma was associated with neutrophils ≥5/µl (OR 2.35; 95% CI 1.11-4.99). In age-stratified analysis, BMI ≥ 30 (OR 3.04; 1.24-7.50), eosinophils ≥0.3/µl (OR 3.17; 1.20-8.37), neutrophils ≥5/µl (OR 4.39; 1.53-12.62) and allergic rhinitis (OR 5.10; 1.59-16.30) were associated with uncontrolled asthma among the middle-aged. Among the older adults, uncontrolled asthma was only associated with comorbidities: chronic rhinitis (OR 4.08; 1.62-10.31), ischemic heart disease (OR 3.59; 1.17-10.98), malignancy (OR 3.10; 1.10-8.73) and depression/anxiety (OR 16.31; 1.82-146.05). In adult-onset asthma, comorbidities were strongly associated with uncontrolled asthma among older adults, while clinical biomarkers including eosinophils and neutrophils in blood were associated with uncontrolled asthma among middle-aged.</p

Additional file 2: of Ischemic heart disease among subjects with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – ECG-findings in a population-based cohort study

Ischemic ECG changes in all subjects ( n  = 1625), comparing non-COPD and COPD. (PDF 92 kb

Author_response_v.1 – Supplemental material for The impact of comorbidities on mortality among men and women with COPD: report from the OLIN COPD study

Supplemental material, Author_response_v.1 for The impact of comorbidities on mortality among men and women with COPD: report from the OLIN COPD study by Sami Sawalha, Linnea Hedman, Helena Backman, Nikolai Stenfors, Eva Rönmark, Bo Lundbäck and Anne Lindberg in Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease</p

Supplemental_Table_1_SS_pek_190510 – Supplemental material for The impact of comorbidities on mortality among men and women with COPD: report from the OLIN COPD study

Supplemental material, Supplemental_Table_1_SS_pek_190510 for The impact of comorbidities on mortality among men and women with COPD: report from the OLIN COPD study by Sami Sawalha, Linnea Hedman, Helena Backman, Nikolai Stenfors, Eva Rönmark, Bo Lundbäck and Anne Lindberg in Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease</p

Additional file 1: of Proteolytic biomarkers are related to prognosis in COPD- report from a population-based cohort

Table S1. Serum biomarkers in 2005, comparing subjects participating respectively alive but not participating in examination 2010. Table S2. Univariate Cox regression analyses of risk for death expressed as HR (95% CI), analyses stratified for non–COPD and COPD. Table S3. Risk for death expressed as HR (95% CI), analyses stratified for non-COPD and COPD in a Cox regression model adjusting for sex, age, smoking-status, heart disease and FEV1%. Table S4. Risk for death expressed as HR (95% CI), analyses for COPD in a Cox regression model adjusting for sex, age, smoking-status, heart disease and productive cough. Table S5. Risk for death expressed as HR (95% CI), analyses stratified for non-COPD and COPD in a Cox regression model adjusting for sex, age, pack-years and heart disease. (DOCX 23 kb

Reviewer_1,_v.1 – Supplemental material for The impact of comorbidities on mortality among men and women with COPD: report from the OLIN COPD study

Supplemental material, Reviewer_1,_v.1 for The impact of comorbidities on mortality among men and women with COPD: report from the OLIN COPD study by Sami Sawalha, Linnea Hedman, Helena Backman, Nikolai Stenfors, Eva Rönmark, Bo Lundbäck and Anne Lindberg in Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease</p

Reviewer_2,_v.1. – Supplemental material for The impact of comorbidities on mortality among men and women with COPD: report from the OLIN COPD study

Supplemental material, Reviewer_2,_v.1. for The impact of comorbidities on mortality among men and women with COPD: report from the OLIN COPD study by Sami Sawalha, Linnea Hedman, Helena Backman, Nikolai Stenfors, Eva Rönmark, Bo Lundbäck and Anne Lindberg in Therapeutic Advances in Respiratory Disease</p

Comparisons of sensory measures and reaction time between COPD and the reference group.

Comparisons of sensory measures and reaction time between COPD and the reference group.</p