The impact of immediate task repetition on breakdown fluency

The focus of the present study is to explore the relationship between the task repetition including a tightly structured narrative and the breakdown fluency, i.e. number of pauses per minute, average duration of pauses, and phonation-time ratio. Thirty-three Croatian learners of English performed the narrative task twice. The temporal fluency variables were extracted by speech analysis program Praat in order to be automatically measured for evaluation (Boersma & Weenink, 2017). The results show that during the immediate, second encounter with the same task, the subjects employ significantly less pauses and their average length also decreases significantly. The significant difference is also obtained for the phonation-time ratio. The recorded progress in fluency measures can be explained by the priming effect and, consequently, the reduced cognitive load. The presented results point to the conclusion that well-known topics with a tightly structured storyline are connected with improvements in fluency, regarding breakdown fluency variables, even in the case of learners at a higher level of language proficiency. The findings of the study have implications for L2 pedagogy, highlighting the effective impact of task repetition on the development of oral fluency

Green Chemistry Approach to the Synthesis of Biscoumarins from 4-Hydroxycoumarin

Numerous biological and pharmacological properties of coumarins have designated them as significant synthetic target in many fields. Biscoumarins are considered as an important class of coumarin derivatives that show remarkable pharmacological properties. Therefore, development of the efficient new methods for their synthesis, based on green methodology, would be of a great importance in medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry. In this work, the ultrasound and microwave assisted synthesis of biscoumarins, starting from corresponding aldehydes and 4-hydroxycoumarin is reported. Molecular iodine was used as an efficient and inexpensive catalyst for a simple synthesis, to obtain excellent yields using ethanol as a solvent. It was found that 10 % (n/n) of molecular iodine catalyzes biscoumarin synthesis in high yields (80–94 %) and in short reaction times, using both ultrasound, as well as microwave promoted conditions. Furthermore, when those two methods are compared, ultrasound promoted reactions were proven to be more suitable for this kind of reaction. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Utjecaj ponavljanja zadatka na brzinu govorne izvedbe

Cilj je ovoga rada ispitati utjecaj ponavljanja kognitivno manje zahtjevnoga i vrlo strukturiranoga zadatka na brzinu govora i brzinu artikulacije na uzorku ispitanika s položenom višom razinom Engleskoga jezika na državnoj maturi. Brzina govora kao vremenska varijabla govorne izvedbe neizravno upućuje na stupanj govornikove kontrole nad lingvističkim znanjem te na sveukupnu učinkovitost i automatizaciju svih mehanizama uključenih u proizvodnju govora. U istraživanju su sudjelovala 33 ispitanika koja su ostvarila visok postotak na višoj razini državne mature iz Engleskoga jezika. Zadatak je bio osmisliti i oblikovati priču na temelju slikovnih prikaza te je ponoviti sugovorniku. Razmatrane vremenske varijable izmjerene su u programu za analizu govora Praat. Zaključuje se da je brzina govora značajno veća u ponovljenome zadatku u odnosu na brzinu artikulacije kod koje nije ustanovljena značajna razlika. Rezultati se mogu objasniti umanjenim procesnim zahtjevima na razini oblikovanja makroplana te znatnim utjecajem prve izvedbe na ostale razine govorne proizvodnje. Slijedi da je, bez obzira na dobre rezultate državne mature i činjenicu da je zadatak kognitivno manje zahtjevan i vrlo strukturiran, ponavljanje zadatka aktivnost koja pozitivno djeluje na automatizaciju govornih mehanizama te posljedično na brzinu govora

Utjecaj kognitivne složenosti zadatka na samoispravljanja

This paper investigates the influence of the cognitive complexity of a certain task  type on the distribution of different categories of error self-repairs and appropriacy  repairs. A recorded speech sample, in the Croatian language, lasting for approximately  eight hours has been transcribed on a speech sample of 101 students at the  Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture  in Split. The classification of self-repairs is based on Levelt’s model of speech production,  as the empirically best supported theory of monolingual speech processing.  The students have been individually tested by performing five speech tasks and their  speech has been recorded. The tasks included: a) narration of the chronological order  of events on the example of a cartoon, b) room description, c) repeated room description  with different furniture arrangement, d) semantically unrelated utterance  formulation based on pictures, and e) story telling based on a sequence of pictures.  The retelling of the chronological order of events resulted in a higher frequency of  syntactic and morphological error repairs compared to other tasks, whereas the frequency  of lexical and phonological error repairs was not influenced by the task type.  Furthermore, different information repairs occurred more frequently in the cartoon  retelling task, compared to the description of rooms and the formulation of semantically  unrelated utterances.  This paper investigates the influence of the cognitive complexity of a certain task  type on the distribution of different categories of error self-repairs and appropriacy  repairs. A recorded speech sample, in the Croatian language, lasting for approximately  eight hours has been transcribed on a speech sample of 101 students at the  Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture  in Split. The classification of self-repairs is based on Levelt’s model of speech production,  as the empirically best supported theory of monolingual speech processing.  The students have been individually tested by performing five speech tasks and their  speech has been recorded. The tasks included: a) narration of the chronological order  of events on the example of a cartoon, b) room description, c) repeated room description  with different furniture arrangement, d) semantically unrelated utterance  formulation based on pictures, and e) story telling based on a sequence of pictures.  The retelling of the chronological order of events resulted in a higher frequency of  syntactic and morphological error repairs compared to other tasks, whereas the frequency  of lexical and phonological error repairs was not influenced by the task type.  Furthermore, different information repairs occurred more frequently in the cartoon  retelling task, compared to the description of rooms and the formulation of semantically  unrelated utterances. 

Speech rate as an indicator of perceived fluency in German as foreign language

597

COMPARISON OF SPEECH RATE IN CROATIAN AS A NATIVE LANGUAGE (L1) AND ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (L2)

Cilj je ovog istraživanja uspoređivanje brzine govora između hrvatskoga (J1) i engleskoga (J2) jezika. Odabrani zadatci uključuju opise dinamičnih konstelacija u kojima je potrebno planirati i kronološki organizirati govorne činove u stvarnom vremenu te opise prostorno-statičkih konstelacija i njihovih međusobnih odnosa. Ispitanici su govorne zadatke najprije izvršili na materinskome, a potom na stranome jeziku. Pretpostavilo se da bi zbog neautomatizirane uporabe stranoga jezika govornici trebali znatno sporije govoriti na stranome jeziku u svakom zadatku. Dobiveni rezultati upućuju na to da je brzina govora značajno sporija kod naracije duljeg trajanja u J2 zbog konceptualne složenosti zadatka. S druge strane, nisu zabilježene statistički značajne razlike u brzini govora između uspoređivanih jezika kod vrlo strukturiranih zadataka kraćeg trajanja i ponovljenih zadataka. Budući da su zadatci već napravljeni na materinskome jeziku, umanjuju se zahtjevi za procesiranjem govora na razini konceptualizacije te govorniku više vremena i pažnje preostaje za fazu formulacije i artikulacije u J2. Također, nepostojanje značajnih razlika može se objasniti postojanjem jakih asocijativnih veza između J1 i J2 te pojavljivanjem iznimno učestalih riječi koje se brže prizivaju iz mentalnog leksikona, posebice ako su prethodno prizvane na materinskome jeziku. Uvođenje novih tema veći je kognitivni napor u fazi konceptualizacije, što rezultira osjetno sporijom brzinom govora u materinskome i u stranome jeziku.This paper aims at investigating the differences regarding speech rate between the Croatian (L1) and the English language (L2). The selected tasks include descriptions of dynamic entities which require careful planning and a chronological sequence of speech acts in real time, as well as the description of static spatial arrangements and their relations. The speech tasks were first performed in the native language, followed by the performance of the same tasks in the foreign language. A significantly faster speech rate was hypothesized in the foreign language condition for each investigated speech task due to the unautomated nature of L2 speech production mechanisms. The obtained results point to the conclusion that the speech rate is significantly slower in L2 in narrative tasks due to the conceptual complexity of the task. However, no significant differences in the speech rate were found between the two languages in the case of highly structured tasks with shorter duration, or in the case of repeated tasks. Due to the fact that the tasks have already been performed in the native language, the processing demands on the level of conceptualization decrease, freeing up the attentional resources, which, in turn, assist the formulation and articulation stage by reducing the processing pressure. Also, the fact that no significant differences were found might be explained by the existence of strong associative links between L1 and L2, as well as by the occurrence of highly frequent words which can be easily retrieved from the mental lexicon, especially if they have previously been activated in the native language. Introduction of new topics, on the other hand, implies higher cognitive demands in the conceptualization stage, resulting in a slower speech rate in both languages

The c.-1639g>A polymorphism of the VKORC1 gene and his influence on the therapeutic response during oral anticoagulants use

Background/Aim. A single nucleotide polymorphism c.- 1639G>A in the promoter region of vitamin K-epoxide reductase (VKORC1) gene has been found to account for most of the variability in response to oral anticoagulants (OA). The aim of the study was to determine the incidence and the effect of c.-1639G>A polymorphism on the acenocoumarol dosage requirements in the group of patients under stable anticoagulation, and to estimate the variability in response to OA. Methods. Our study included 200 consecutive patients requiring low (n = 43), medium (n = 127) and high (n = 30) acenocoumarol dose. Results. Out of 43 low dose patients, 40 (93 %) carried the A allele. The A allele was less frequent in the group of 30 patients requiring high dose: among these patients 13 (43.3%) carried the A allele in the heterozygous form and none of them carried AA genotype. The patients with GG genotype required 2.6 times higher dose than the patients carriers of AA genotype (p < 0.0001). In 33 patients (16.5%) the overdose occurred during the initiation of anticoagulant therapy and in 11 patients (5.5%) it was associated with bleeding. Out of the group of 33 overdosed patients, 27 and 6 patients carried AA and GA genotype, respectively (p < 0.000001). Conclusion. VKORC1 significantly influenced OA dose and predicted individuals predisposed to unstable anticoagulation. The carriers of AA genotype required 2.6 time lower doses of OA than the carriares of GG genotype. Pharmacogenetic testing could predict a high risk of overdose among 28.5 % of our patients - carriers of AA genotype, before anticoagulation therapy initiation

The 'VKORC1' and 'CYP2C9' gene variants as pharmacogenetic factors in acenocoumarol therapy in Serbian patients: Consideration of hypersensitivity and resistance

Uvod/Cilj Terapija kumarinima predstavlja jedan od najboljih modela za primenu farmakogenetike. Doprinos faktora koji utiču na terapiju kumarinima može značajno da varira između etničkih grupa, što opravdava sprovođenje studija specifičnih za populaciju. Cilj ove studije je bio da se analizira uticaj najvažnijih genetičkih faktora (geni VKORC1 i CYP2C9) koji utiču na terapiju kumarinima kod bolesnika iz Srbije. Metode Sprovedena je retrospektivna studija koja je obuhvatila 207 bolesnika na terapiji acenokumarolom. Genetičke analize su vršene direktnim sekvenciranjem. Analiziran je uticaj na dozu acenokumarola varijanti (VKORC1*2, CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3) koje izazivaju preosetljivost i varijanti gena VKORC1 koje izazivaju rezistenciju na kumarine. Višestruka regresiona analiza je korišćena u cilju dizajniranja matematičkog modela za predviđanje individualne doze leka na osnovu kliničko-demografskih i genetičkih podataka. Rezultati Studija je potvrdila značajan uticaj analiziranih genetičkih faktora na održavanje doze acenokumarola. Dizajniran je matematički model za predviđanje individualne doze acenokumarola i njegov nekorigovani R2 je bio 61,8. Prilikom testiranja, naš model je dao R2 vrednost od 42,6 i pokazao bolje predviđanje u poređenju sa modelom koji su dali drugi autori. Kod analiziranih bolesnika pronađeno je devet različitih varijanti u kodirajućem regionu gena VKORC1. Među nosiocima ovih varijanti 78% je bilo potpuno rezistentno, te nije bilo moguće postići terapeutski efekat čak ni sa visokim dozama acenokumarola. Zaključci Populacioni model za predviđanje individualne doze acenokumarola može pokazati prednosti u odnosu na modele koji se koriste na generalizovan način. Takođe, VKORC1 varijante koje izazivaju rezistenciju na kumarin treba uzeti u obzir prilikom planiranja terapije.Introduction/Objective Coumarin therapy represents one of the best models for applying pharmacogenetics. The contribution of factors influencing coumarin therapy can vary significantly between ethnic groups, which justifies conducting population-specific studies. The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of the most important genetic factors (VKORC1 and CYP2C9 genes) that affect coumarin therapy in patients from Serbia. Methods A retrospective study involving 207 patients on acenocoumarol therapy was conducted. Genetic analyses were performed by direct sequencing. Influence on acenocoumarol dose of variants (VKORC1, CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3) causing hypersensitivity and VKORC1 variants causing resistance to acenocoumarol were analyzed. Multiple regression analysis was used to design a mathematical model for predicting individual drug dosage based on clinical-demographic and genetic data. Results The study confirmed significant influence of the analyzed genetic factors on acenocoumarol maintenance dose. We designed mathematical model for predicting individual acenocoumarol dose and its unadjusted R2 was 61.8. In the testing cohort, our model gave R2 value of 42.6 and showed better prediction in comparison with model given by other authors. In the analyzed patients, nine different variants in the VKORC1 coding region were found. Among carriers of these variants 78% were completely resistant, and it was not possible to achieve therapeutic effect even with high doses of acenocoumarol. Conclusions Population-specific model for prediction individual dose of acenocoumarol, may show advantages over protocols that are used in a generalized manner. Also, VKORC1 variants which cause coumarin resistance should be considered when planning therapy

SAMOISPRAVLJANJA U HRVATSKOM JEZIKU

U ovom se radu ispituje distribucija različitih kategorija samoispravljanja te omjeri samoispravljanja i pogrešaka. Zvučni zapis u trajanju od gotovo osam sati transkribiran je na uzorku od 101-og ispitanika, studenata Fakulteta elektrotehnike, strojarstva i brodogradnje u Splitu. Zabilježeno je preko tisuću samoispravljanja koja su raspoređena u različite kategorije. Klasifikacija samoispravljanja temelji se na Leveltovu modelu govorne proizvodnje, kao empirijski najbolje potvrđenom modelu za monolingvalno procesiranje govora. Studenti su individualno ispitani tako da su ispunili pet govornih zadataka, a njihovi su odgovori auditivno snimljeni. Zadaci uključuju: a) prepričavanje radnje crtanog filma; b) opis slike prostorije; c) opis slike prostorije s drugačijim rasporedom namještaja u odnosu na prethodni zadatak; d) oblikovanje rečenica na temelju slika predmeta i e) oblikovanje priče na temelju predloženog niza slika. Apsolutnu većinu čine samoispravljanja pogrešaka, pri čemu su dominantne kategorije sintaktička i leksička samoispravljanja. Dominacija samoispravljanja pogrešaka nad samoispravljanjima neprikladnog izričaja može se protumačiti činjenicom da bi neispravljanje pogrešaka moglo ozbiljnije ugroziti razumijevanje poruke, dok se samoispravljanjima neprikladnog izričaja dorađuje obavijesni sadržaj iskaza i povećava se njegova informativnost. Samoispravljanja neprikladnog izričaja i samoispravljanja različitom informacijom pojedinačno ne prelaze jednu petinu od ukupnog broja samoispravljanja. Omjeri samoispravljanja i pogrešaka ukazuju da se natpolovična većina pogrešaka ispravlja, pri čemu se fonološke i leksičke pogreške uvjerljivom većinom samoispravljaju, što upućuje na veću osjetljivost monitora na sadržajne riječi, dok se morfološke i sintaktičke pogreške približno polovično samoispravljaju. Veća učestalost ispravljanja leksičkih pogrešaka može se objasniti njihovom informativnom važnošću, dok je kod fonoloških samoispravljanja prisutan kraći mentalni put i veća automatiziranost pri ispravljanju