An eye movement corpus study of the age-of-acquisition effect

In the present study, we investigated the effects of word-level age of acquisition (AoA) on natural reading. Previous studies, using multiple language modalities, showed that earlier-learned words are recognized, read, spoken, and responded to faster than words learned later in life. Until now, in visual word recognition the experimental materials were limited to single-word or sentence studies. We analyzed the data of the Ghent Eye-tracking Corpus (GECO; Cop, Dirix, Drieghe, & Duyck, in press), an eyetracking corpus of participants reading an entire novel, resulting in the first eye movement megastudy of AoA effects in natural reading. We found that the ages at which specific words were learned indeed influenced reading times, above other important (correlated) lexical variables, such as word frequency and length. Shorter fixations for earlier-learned words were consistently found throughout the reading process, in both early (single-fixation durations, first-fixation durations, gaze durations) and late (total reading times) measures. Implications for theoretical accounts of AoA effects and eye movements are discussed

Putting sustainability into sustainable human development

Abating the threat climate change poses to the lives of future people clearly challenges our development models. The 2011 Human Devel- opment Report rightly focuses on the integral links between sustainability and equity. However, the human development and capabilities approach emphasizes the expansion of people’s capabilities simpliciter, which is ques- tionable in view of environmental sustainability. We argue that capabilities should be defined as triadic relations between an agent, constraints and poss- ible functionings. This triadic syntax particularly applies to climate change: since people’s lives and capabilities are dependent on the environment, sus- tainable human development should also include constraining human activi- ties in order to prevent losses in future people’s well-being due to the adverse effects of exacerbated climate change. On this basis, we will advocate that the goals of sustainable human development should be informed by a fra- mework that consists of enhancing capabilities up to a threshold level, as well as constraining the functionings beyond this threshold in terms of their green- house gas emissions

Presenting GECO : an eyetracking corpus of monolingual and bilingual sentence reading

This paper introduces GECO, the Ghent Eye-tracking Corpus, a monolingual and bilingual corpus of eye-tracking data of participants reading a complete novel. English monolinguals and Dutch-English bilinguals read an entire novel, which was presented in paragraphs on the screen. The bilinguals read half of the novel in their first language, and the other half in their second language. In this paper we describe the distributions and descriptive statistics of the most important reading time measures for the two groups of participants. This large eye-tracking corpus is perfectly suited for both exploratory purposes as well as more directed hypothesis testing, and it can guide the formulation of ideas and theories about naturalistic reading processes in a meaningful context. Most importantly, this corpus has the potential to evaluate the generalizability of monolingual and bilingual language theories and models to reading of long texts and narratives

Перспективность применения новых технических решений по усовершенствованию подготовки машинных классов на ЦОФ "Червоноградская"

Виконано аналіз існуючої технології і апаратурного оформлення вузла мокрого підготовчого грохотіння на ЦЗФ "Червоноградська". Запропоновані нові технічні рішення по удосконаленню технології підготовки машинних класів: прив’язка агрегатно установлених нерухомого гідрогрохота ГГН-4,2 і рухомого грохота ГІСТ-72, а також застосування комбінованого гідровібраційного метода розділення частинок на рухомій поверхні. Приведено опис і переваги нових технічних рішень по удосконаленню технології підготовки машинних класів на ЦЗФ "Червоноградська".Выполнен анализ существующей технологии и аппаратурного оформления узла мокрого подготовительного грохочения на ЦОФ "Червоноградская". Предложены новые технические решения по совершенствованию технологии подготовки машинных классов: привязка агрегатно установленных неподвижного гидрогрохота ГГН-4,2 и подвижного грохота ГИСТ-72, а также применение комбинированного гидровибрационного метода разделения частиц на подвижной поверхности. Приведено описание и преимущества новых технических решений по совершенствованию технологии подготовки машинных классов на ЦОФ "Червоноградская"

2.45 GHz Class E Power Amplifier for a Transmitter Combining LINC and EER

A 10 W class-E RF power amplifier (PA) is designed and fabricated using a Cree GaN HEMT. The proposed PA uses an innovative input circuit to optimize band with. At 2.45 GHz the PA achieves a PAE of 60 % at an outputpower of 40 dBm. The resulting amplifier is simulated and constructed using a transmissionline topology. Two of these amplifiers are fabricated on a single board for outphasing application. Their suitability for outphasing application and supply modulation is investigated.

Is the clean development mechanism delivering benefits to the poorest communities in the developing world? : a critical evaluation and proposals for reform

This paper explores whether the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), a flexibility mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol, has contributed to poverty alleviation in countries that host CDM projects. We argue that the CDM should deliver pro-poor benefits to the communities in which projects are established, since poverty alleviation is integral to sustainable development, which is one of the main purposes of the CDM. After briefly discussing the background of the CDM, we discuss assessment difficulties to which research is prone when evaluating CDM projects for alleged sustainable development contributions. Section 4 brings together and analyses available empirical research on the pro-poor benefits the CDM purportedly delivers to host country communities, concluding that the CDM has failed to deliver poverty alleviation. Therefore, without attempting to be exhaustive, we suggest policy reforms that aim to redirect the CDM to those most in need of assistance

Adjuvant radiotherapy after radical cystectomy for patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer : a phase II trial

Background: Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy with extended pelvic lymph node dissection is considered to be the treatment of choice for patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Despite this aggressive treatment the outcome is poor and ultimately, 30% of the patients with >= pT3 tumors develop a pelvic recurrence. We hypothesize that postoperative adjuvant external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) might prevent local and lymph node recurrence and improve disease free-and overall survival as loco-regional recurrence is linked to the development of distant metastasis. Methods: We plan to perform a multicentric prospective phase two study including 76 patients. Eligible patients are patients with MIBC, treated with radical cystectomy and presenting with >= 1 of the following characteristics: - Pathological (p) T3 stage + presence of lymphovascular invasion on pathological examination - pT4 stage - < 10 lymph nodes removed - positive lymph nodes - positive surgical margins Patients will have a F-18-FDG PET-CT to rule out the presence of distant metastasis prior to EBRT. A median dose of 50 Gy in 25 fractions is prescribed to the pelvic lymph node regions with inclusion of the operative bladder bed in case of a positive surgical margin. Patients with suspected lymph nodes on PET-CT can still be included in the trial, but a simultaneous integrated boost to 74Gy to the positive lymph nodes will be delivered. Blood and urine samples will be collected on day-1 and last day of EBRT for evaluation of biomarkers. The primary endpoint is evaluation of acute >= Grade 3 intestinal or grade 4 urinary toxicity, in case of a neo-bladder reconstruction, within 12 weeks after EBRT. Secondary endpoints are: assessment of QOL, late RTOG toxicity, local control, disease free survival and overall survival. Biomarkers in urine and blood will be correlated with secondary survival endpoints. Discussion: This is a prospective phase 2 trial re-assessing the feasibility of adjuvant radiotherapy in high-risk MIBC