Phonetic convergence and auditory imagery in reading

This study aimed to address whether phonetic convergence (speech imitation) and auditory imagery in reading are fundamentally governed by the same process — episodic encoding (c.f., Goldinger, 1998). A set of participants (talkers; N = 12) were recorded speaking sentences at a baseline level. Talkers were then exposed model speaker with either a fast or slow speech rate and then engaged in a reading phase where they read sentences thought to be written by that speaker. If episodic encoding predicts effects of phonetic convergence and auditory imagery in reading style, then talkers should be influenced by a speaker on three dimensions: pronunciation of words, duration of words, and duration of sentences. A different set of participants (raters; N = 68) engaged in an AXB perceptual similarity ratings task. Raters were presented with three sets of recordings of individual target words in a row — A (baseline), X (model), and B (reading) — and made perceptual similarity ratings, indicating whether A or B is more similar in pronunciation to X . If episodic encoding predicts effects of phonetic convergence then talkers should be rated as being perceptually similar to the speaker. The results of the study suggest that episodic may not play a role in either phonetic convergence or auditory imagery and speech

Climate Change, Markets, and Technology

Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Q15, Q25, Q38,

CELLO: Compiler-Assisted Efficient Load-Load Ordering in Data-Race-Free Regions

Efficient Total Store Order (TSO) implementations allow loads to execute speculatively out-of-order. To detect order violations, the load queue (LQ) holds all the in-flight loads and is searched on every invalidation and cache eviction. Moreover, in a simultaneous multithreading processor (SMT), stores also search the LQ when writing to cache. LQ searches entail considerable energy consumption. Furthermore, the processor stalls upon encountering the LQ full or when its ports are busy. Hence, the LQ is a critical structure in terms of both energy and performance. In this work, we observe that the use of the LQ could be dramatically optimized under the guarantees of the datarace-free (DRF) property imposed by modern programming languages. To leverage this observation, we propose CELLO, a software-hardware co-design in which the compiler detects memory operations in DRF regions and the hardware optimizes their execution by safely skipping LQ searches without violating the TSO consistency model. Furthermore, CELLO allows removing DRF loads from the LQ earlier, as they do not need to be searched to detect consistency violations. With minimal hardware overhead, we show that an 8-core 2- way SMT processor with CELLO avoids almost all conservative searches to the LQ and significantly reduces its occupancy. CELLO allows i) to reduce the LQ energy expenditure by 33% on average (up to 53%) while performing 2.8% better on average (up to 18.6%) than the baseline system, and ii) to shrink the LQ size from 192 to only 80 entries, reducing the LQ energy expenditure as much as 69% while performing on par with a mainstream LQ implementation

Economic Analysis of the 2016 California Drought on Agriculture: A report for the California Department of Food and Agriculture

UC Davis researchers forecast the socio-economic effects of the drought on California agriculture for 2014 and beyond. Economists use computer models and the latest estimates of water deliveries, well-pumping capacities and acres fallowed. The researchers exploit new satellite remote-sensing technologies to estimate fallowed acreage as the drought unfolds.UC Davis researchers forecast the socio-economic effects of the drought on California agriculture for 2014 and beyond. Economists use computer models and the latest estimates of water deliveries, well-pumping capacities and acres fallowed. The researchers exploit new satellite remote-sensing technologies to estimate fallowed acreage as the drought unfolds

Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccine Among Unvaccinated Filipinos

Background: Access to COVID-19 vaccines was one of the global measures for containing the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is still not known whether Filipinos accept it.  Methods: Cross-sectional study based on a modified version of the community COVID-19 vaccine acceptance survey, disseminated and collected through Google Forms to Filipinos within the Philippines aged 18-65 years old. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between the willingness to be vaccinated and sociodemographic characteristics using odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI).  Results: Among the 1,011 participants, 79.5% were willing to accept the COVID-19 vaccine. Significant determinants (p<0.05) were age, region of residence, sex, profession, income, religion, practice of alternative medicine, and previous contact with COVID-19 positive individuals. Essential healthcare workers (OR=11.0, 95%CI=1.3-93.5), practiced alternative medicine (OR=2.4, 95%CI=1.3-4.4), with previous contact with a COVID-19 positive person (OR=2.9, 95%CI=1.4-6.0), and females>males (OR=0.6, 95%CI=.3-1.0) were also more likely to accept COVID-19 vaccination. 63.7% preferred Pfizer the most, and 54.4% preferred Sinovac the least. In contrast, married individuals, essential non-healthcare workers and private/self-employed sectors were less likely to accept COVID-19 vaccines. Many individuals who refused to be vaccinated were unsure of its safety (59.70%) and had no trust in vaccines (56.50%). Conclusion: Despite a high prevalence of acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine in our study, there were significant sociodemographic disproportions in vaccine acceptance. Better policies urging Filipinos to get vaccinated and more effective dissemination of unified information regarding vaccines from verified sources are recommended to boost vaccine confidence in the Philippines

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF THE USMC FUTURE VERTICAL LIFT (FVL) LIVING LAB

The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is developing the Future Vertical Lift (FVL) system that will rely heavily on Marine-machine teaming, a complex process that requires further development. The development of a living lab (LL)—a multi-function network of simulators that will serve as the platform for testing, experimenting, and training new technologies and ideas for how the FVL will operate—will help mitigate Marine-machine collaboration and trust issues. This capstone studies the options and requirements for developing a LL through interviews, research that focuses on existing technologies and operational concepts, and Model-Based Systems Engineering tools using a systems engineering approach. The report includes a detailed needs and requirements analysis, stakeholder analysis, and functional design. The team presents a conceptual design, that includes the system architecture, comprising of system, function and physical views, system lifecycle, and the evaluation criteria for a LL. The final product is a set of use cases and concepts of operation. The USMC needs a new approach that supports rapid and relevant upgrades that optimizes the system lifecycle and keeps the Marine in mind. This team recommends the USMC consider these findings and continue researching and developing a LL.ONR Arlington, VA 22203Civilian, Department of the NavyCivilian, Department of the NavyCivilian, Department of the NavyCivilian, Department of the NavyCivilian, Department of the NavyCivilian, Department of the NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

An educational initiative for Mexican school-aged children to promote the consumption of fruit, vegetables and physical activity

Aim: To present the results of a community initiative focused on strengthening physical activity and the consumption of fruits, vegetables and natural water while discouraging the use of highly energetic food and sugary drinks in public schools of Morelos. Methods: A quasi-experimental study with an educational initiative focused on the school community of two primary schools and two junior high schools. Pre- and-post initiative measurements were made. The study took place in the municipality of Yautepec, Morelos, Mexico, in a rural area and an urban area, from August 2010 to July 2011.   Results: Water consumption among school-aged children increased from 15.1% to 20.1% and soda consumption decreased from 21.4% to 13.2%. A slight increase in the consumption of fruits and vegetables was also measured (oranges, jicamas, bananas, tomatoes, prickly pear pads, lettuces), that are accessible in the region. It was found that the supply of fresh food is limited and that high energy density foods have an oversupply in both study areas. Physical activity increased with actions such as football and dancing, in accordance with the baseline measurement. No changes were observed in the nutritional condition of school-aged children (n=150; 13.3% with overweight and 7.3% with emaciation), or in adults who presented a body mass index higher than normal, 60.2% to 88.4%. Conclusion: In addition to educational activities, schools need to implement strategies to improve the access and availability of fresh foods while limiting the access of high energy-density foods.   &nbsp

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence study in Lambayeque, Peru. June–July 2020

Background: Estimating the cumulative prevalence of SARS-COV-2 will help to understand the epidemic, contagion, and immunity to COVID-19 in vulnerable populations. The objective is to determine the extent of infection in the general population and the cumulative incidence by age group. Methods: It was carried out with a longitudinal analytical study, in the population of the Lambayeque region, located in the north of Peru. The selection was carried out in multistages (districts, area, household, and finally choosing the interviewee within the house). Seroprevalence was estimated as a positive result of the rapid test whether it was positive IgM or positive IgG. An adjustment was made for the sampling weights used. Results: The seroprevalence found in the region was 29.5%. Young people between 21 and 50 years old presented the highest seroprevalence frequencies. A total of 25.4% were asymptomatic. The most frequent complaint was dysgeusia and dysosmia (85.3% and 83.6%). Dysosmia (PR = 1.69), chest pain (PR = 1.49), back pain (PR = 1.45), cough (PR = 1.44), fever (PR = 1.41), general malaise (PR = 1.27) were associated factors with the higher the frequency of seropositivity for SARS-CoV-2. Reporting of complete isolation at home decreased the frequency of positivity (PR = 0.80), however, reporting having ARI contact (PR = 1.60), having contact with a confirmed case (PR = 1.51), and going to market (PR = 1.26) increased the frequency of positivity for SARS-CoV-2. Conclusion: These results suggest that Lambayeque is the region with the highest seroprevalence in the world, well above Spain, the United States and similar to a study in India