Naming Accuracy Research Articles

Common and proper nouns in mild Alzheimer’s disease

Introduction Disturbance in naming accuracy and reaction time (RT) is one of the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Naming performance can be considered a diagnostic key in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which has remained diagnostically challenging. Although most of the studies in this field have been conducted on the naming accuracy of common nouns, others have shown that proper nouns are more sensitive for detecting the onset of AD. This study aims to compare the naming of common and proper nouns. Method Eighty pictures of common and proper nouns (40 items each) were presented to 18 healthy older adults and 18 people with mild Alzheimer’s disease using DMDX software on a laptop computer. The patients’ responses were transcribed into a pre-designed form, and their reaction times were captured by DMDX. Results Study results indicated a significant difference in the number of errors and RTs between proper and common nouns in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease (p-value=), implying that proper nouns may be more sensitive to mild AD. Moreover, patients with mild Alzheimer’s had more problems in common and proper nouns than healthy older adults. Conclusion This study demonstrated that individuals with mild AD experienced greater difficulty recalling proper nouns, which were found to be more susceptible to the effects of AD.

Microstructural properties in subacute aphasia: concurrent and prospective relationships underpinning recovery.

Few investigations examined the relationship between microstructural white matter integrity and subacute post-stroke linguistic performance or the relationship between microstructural integrity and the recovery of language function. We examined two key questions: (1) How does subacute language performance, measured in single words and discourse, relate to the microstructural integrity of key white matter regions of interest in the language network? and (2) Does the integrity of these regions before treatment predict the improvement or resolution of linguistic symptoms immediately and chronically following treatment? 58 participants within the first three months of stroke were enrolled in a randomized, single-center, double-blind, sham-controlled, study of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation combined with a computer-delivered speech and language naming therapy for subacute aphasia and were asked to complete magnetic resonance imaging at enrollment. Microstructural integrity was evaluated using diffusion tensor imaging processed with atlas-based segmentation. Regression and correlation analyses were conducted. A subset of 22 participants received diffusion tensor imaging. Picture naming accuracy significantly correlated with lower mean diffusivity (higher microstructural integrity) in the left posterior inferior temporal gyrus. Recovery of naming performance was predicted by days since stroke and baseline microstructural integrity of the left posterior middle temporal gyrus, arcuate fasciculus, and superior longitudinal fasciculus. Recovery of discourse efficiency was significantly predicted by the same model. This study demonstrates an association between picture naming and discourse and microstructural integrity of the key regions in the language network for patients with subacute post-stroke aphasia. Baseline microstructural integrity significantly predicts language recovery.

Revisiting which language declines more in Spanish-English bilinguals with Alzheimer's disease: Longitudinal decline patterns on the multilingual naming test

Theories of bilingual language production predict that bilinguals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) should exhibit one of two decline patterns. Either parallel decline of both languages (if decline reflects damage to semantic representations that are accessed by both languages), or asymmetrical decline, with greater decline of the nondominant language (if decline reflects reduced ability to resolve competition from the dominant language with disease progression). Only two previous studies examined decline longitudinally with one showing parallel, and the other asymmetrical, decline. We examined decline over 2–7 years (3.9 on average) in Spanish-English bilinguals (N = 23). Logistic regression revealed a parallel decline pattern at one year from baseline, but an asymmetrical decline pattern over the longer decline period, with greater decline of the nondominant language (when calculating predicted probabilities of a correct response). The asymmetrical decline pattern was significantly greater for the nondominant language only when including item-difficulty in the model. Exploratory analyses across dominance groups looking at proportional decline relative to initial naming accuracy further suggested that decline of the nondominant language may be more precipitous if that language was acquired later in life, but the critical interaction needed to support this possibility was not statistically significant in a logistic regression analysis. These results suggest that accessibility of the nondominant language may initially be more resilient in early versus more advanced AD, and that AD affects shared semantic representations before executive control declines to a point where the ability to name pictures in single-language testing block is disrupted. Additional work is needed to determine if asymmetrical decline patterns are magnified by late age of acquisition of the nondominant language, and if more subtle impairments to executive control underlie impairments to language switching that occur in the earliest stages of AD (even preclinically).

Neuromodulation of the Right Motor Cortex of the Lips With Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Reduce Phonological Impairment and Improve Naming in Three Persons With Aphasia: A Single-Case Experimental Design.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can enhance aphasia recovery. Most studies have used inhibitory stimulation targeting the right inferior frontal gyrus. However, the motor cortex, observed to contribute to the prediction of aphasia recovery, is involved in word production and could be an appropriate target for rTMS. We aimed to observe behavioral changes in a picture naming task induced by inhibitory rTMS targeting the right motor cortex of the lips in people with poststroke aphasia. Using a single-case experimental design, we included three participants with chronic poststroke aphasia who had phonological deficits. Each participant performed a verbal picture naming task 3 times a week for 2, 3, or 4 weeks (pseudorandom across participants) to establish a baseline naming ability for each participant. These were not therapy sessions, and no feedback was provided. Then, each participant received the intervention, inhibitory continuous theta burst stimulation targeting the right motor cortex of the lips, 3 times a week for 2 weeks. Naming testing continued 3 times a week, for these latter 2 weeks. No therapy was performed at any time during the study. Visual analysis of the graphs showed a positive effect of rTMS for P2 and P3 on picture naming accuracy and a tendency toward improvement for P1. Statistical analysis showed an improvement after rTMS for P1 (τ = 0.544, p = .013, SETau = 0.288) and P2 (τ = 0.708, p = .001, SETau = 0.235). For P3, even if the intervention allowed some improvement, this was statistically nonsignificant due to a learning effect during the baseline naming testing, which lasted the longest, 4 weeks. Regarding specific language features, phonological errors significantly decreased in all patients. The motor cortex of the lips could be an appropriate target for rTMS to improve naming in people with poststroke aphasia suffering from a phonological deficit. This suggests the possibility to individualize the target for rTMS, according to the patient's linguistic impairment.

Daylighting Through Electrochromic Glazing Under Overcast Skies: Impacts on Visual Task Performance and Perception

ABSTRACT Electrochromic (EC) glazing allows modulating the intensity of visual and solar transmission by dynamically switching between bleached (clear) and tinted (colored) states, leading to changes in spectral power distribution (SPD), correlated color temperature (CCT), and illuminance of the incoming daylight. In this experimental study, we investigated the impact of spectral composition of daylight filtered through a 6-pane EC façade on visual task performance and visual perception. In a semi-controlled test room, 19 subjects were exposed to five setting scenarios of the EC façade (fully bleached, mixed setting after fully bleached, fully tinted, mixed setting after fully tinted, and user-controlled). Test subjects performed a series of visual tasks, and their assessments of the indoor environment and of the outside view were collected along with luminous and spectral measurements under each condition. The analysis provided statistical evidence that the changes in spectral composition of daylight do not have a practically relevant effect on visual task performance in terms of visual acuity and color naming accuracy. However, the daylight filtered through the fully tinted glazing had a substantive impact on visual perception, evoking negative responses to the color rendering of the indoor environment and of the outside view. A mixed settings of the EC façade could improve a natural assessment of the incoming light compared to the fully tinted state, achieving better ratings in terms of perception of the indoor and outdoor environments. When given control of the EC glazing, subjects expressed higher acceptance and satisfaction compared to the tinted and mixed scenarios.

The relationship between semantics, phonology, and naming performance in aphasia: a structural equation modeling approach

ABSTRACT The exploration of naming error patterns in aphasia provides insights into the cognitive processes underlying naming performance. We investigated how semantic and phonological abilities correlate and how they influence naming performance in aphasia. Data from 296 individuals with aphasia, drawn from the Moss Aphasia Psycholinguistics Project Database, were analyzed using a structural equation model. The model incorporated latent variables for semantics and phonology and manifest variables for naming accuracy and error patterns. There was a moderate positive correlation between semantics and phonology after controlling for overall aphasia severity. Both semantic and phonological abilities influenced naming accuracy. Semantic abilities negatively related to semantic, mixed, unrelated errors, and no responses. Interestingly, phonology positively affected semantic errors. Additionally, phonological abilities negatively related to each of phonological and neologism errors. These results highlight the role of semantic and phonological skills on naming performance in aphasia and reveal a relationship between these cognitive processes.

The role of cognitive control and naming in aphasia

The classical aphasia literature has placed considerable emphasis on the language-centered understanding of aphasia and failed to consider the role of executive functions (EFs) regarding different aspects of patients’ performance. Many current studies suggest deficits in EFs in individuals with aphasia, however, the available data is still limited. Here, our aim was to investigate the impairment of EFs and its potential negative effects on naming (slower performance, increased reaction time and/or decreased accuracy). We sought to determine whether the poor performance observed in word fluency task correlated with similar outcomes in naming. Our study involved five Hungarian post stroke aphasic patients (2 males and 3 females) between the ages of 60 and 70, as well as a control group matched for age and gender. The participants were diagnosed with different types of aphasia (global, Wernicke’s, anomic and conduction). This study employed various neuropsychological and linguistic batteries. By comparing the patients’ performance to that of the control group, we aimed to investigate the impacts of stroke. Within the aphasia group, we observed difficulties in following complex commands and a connection between general slowness and reduced accuracy in naming. We concluded that impairment of executive functions may have a negative impact on naming, comprehension, and fluency. Therefore, it is important to consider functional variations in neural networks, and to base our interpretations on the available psychophysiological data in literature. Our findings provide an alternative perspective to the traditional assessment of aphasia and highlight the importance of considering the role of executive functions.

Integrating Cognitive Factors and Eye Movement Data in Reading Predictive Models for Children with Dyslexia and ADHD-I.

This study reports on several specific neurocognitive processes and eye-tracking predictors of reading outcomes for a sample of children with Developmental Dyslexia (DD) and At-tention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder - inattentive subtype (ADHD-I) compared to typical readers. Participants included 19 typical readers, 21 children diagnosed with ADHD-I and 19 children with DD. All participants were attending 4th grade and had a mean age of 9.08 years. The psycholinguistic profile of each group was assessed using a battery of neuropsy-chological and linguistic tests. Participants were submitted to a silent reading task with lex-ical manipulation of the text. Multinomial logistic regression was conducted to evaluate the predictive capability of developing dyslexia or ADHD-I based on the following measures: (a) a linguistic model that included measures of phonological awareness, rapid naming, and reading fluency and accuracy; (b) a cognitive neuropsychological model that included measures of memory, attention, visual processes, and cognitive or intellectual functioning, and (c) an additive model of lexical word properties with manipulation of word-frequency and word-length effects through eye-tracking. The additive model in conjunction with the neuropsychological model classification improved the prediction of who develops dyslexia or ADHD-I having as baseline normal readers. Several of the neuropsychological and eye-tracking variables have power to predict the degree of reading outcomes in children with learning disabilities.

Feasibility Study of the Boston Naming Test for the Arab Population.

Introduction The Boston Naming Test (BNT) is a widely used USneuropsychological evaluation of confrontation naming for the examination of adults and children with learning disabilities and diagnosis of communication disorders, aphasia, dementia, and acquired brain injury or dysfunction. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the practicality of the original English version of the 60-item BNT (BNT-60) on an Arab population and the need for a new adaptive Arabic version sensitive to cultural biases and to offer normative data that can serve as a reference for researchers and clinicians in the Gulf region, especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Data relating to the familiarity degree of the BNT-60 were also collected. Methods This research involved 105 randomly selected and cognitively healthy college students who were native Arabic speakers recruited in Jeddah. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) was administered with a cutoff score of 26. The participants were examined for naming accuracy, naming agreement, and familiarity in using theBNT-60. The data were then analyzed and compared with the findings from studies conducted in the United States. Results The BNT-60 was administered to 105 university students from the KSA, and the results were compared with the BNT-60 booklet norms (second edition). Their average performance was noticeably below the norms established by the original test standards. Compared with the participants in the USstudies, the participants made approximately 65% more errors on the items including pretzel, wreath, beaver, harmonica, acorn, stilts, harp, hammock, knocker, pelican, muzzle, unicorn, funnel, accordion, asparagus, tripod, yoke, and trellis and 25% more errors on the items including seahorse, dart, igloo, sphinx, palette, and abacus. The item "boomerang" was not compared with the USsample because of differences in the version of the BNT, but the errors in naming this item were as frequent as those in naming the other misrecognized items. The internal consistency among the items' degrees of familiarity was also very high (α = 0.966), and a significant connection (r = 0.837, P < 0.001) was observed between object familiarity and naming accuracy. The Arabic-speaking population in the KSA and English-speaking population in the United States showed very different levels of familiarity with numerous items. Conclusion The participants' familiarity with the BNT objects varied depending on their culture and impacted their naming accuracy and overall scores on the test. Accordingly, the possibility of cultural biases should be considered when administering the BNT to the population of the KSA and the possibility of making changes so that the test better reflects the Arab culture as suggested.

Multilingual Language Diversity Protects Native Language Production under Different Control Demands.

The use of multiple languages has been found to influence individuals' cognitive abilities. Although some studies have also investigated the effect of multilingualism on non-native language proficiency, fewer studies have focused on how multilingual experience affects native language production. This study investigated the effect of multilingualism on native language production, specifically examining control demands through a semantic Go/No-Go picture naming task. The multilingual experience was quantified using language entropy, which measures the uncertainty and diversity of language use. Control demands were achieved by manipulating the proportion of Go (i.e., naming) trials in different conditions. Results showed that as control demands increased, multilingual individuals exhibited poorer behavioral performance and greater brain activation throughout the brain. Moreover, more diverse language use was associated with higher accuracy in naming and more interconnected brain networks with greater involvement of domain-general neural resources and less domain-specific neural resources. Notably, the varied and balanced use of multiple languages enabled multilingual individuals to respond more efficiently to increased task demands during native language production.

Erythrina velutina Willd.: A review of its traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology

Ethnopharmacological relevanceErythrina velutina Willd., commonly known as “mulungu” in Brazil, is a leguminous tree with various traditional medicinal uses. These uses include treating insomnia, central nervous system disorders, convulsions, nervous cough, and inflammation. Aim of the reviewThis review aims to comprehensively summarize the ethnomedicinal uses, chemical constituents, pharmacology, and toxicology of E. velutina to explore its potential as a source for new therapeutic agents. Materials and methodsInformation was collected from scientific databases, dissertations, and books. Chemical structures were generated using ChemDraw. To ensure the accuracy of the plant names, “World Flora Online” (www.worldfloraonline.org) was consulted for the accepted names of plants. ResultsE. velutina is indigenous to Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Hispaniola. Approximately 244 compounds, mainly alkaloids and flavonoids, have been isolated from it. The plant and its extracts have exhibited various bioactivities, such as anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, neuroprotective, analgesic, antimicrobial, and antioxidant effects, validating some of its traditional medicinal uses. Erythrina velutina shows promising therapeutic potential for conditions like convulsion, central nervous disorders, anxiety, insomnia, and inflammation, primarily due to its alkaloid and flavonoid content. ConclusionThe traditional medicinal uses of the plant, combined with modern scientific research, underscore its pharmacological potential. This makes it a significant candidate for drug development. Further research should focus on conducting toxicological studies, clinical trials, and mechanistic investigations. These efforts will enable a comprehensive exploration of its pharmacological properties and potential applications in drug development.

ChineseCTRE: A Model for Geographical Named Entity Recognition and Correction Based on Deep Neural Networks and the BERT Model

Social media is widely used to share real-time information and report accidents during natural disasters. Named entity recognition (NER) is a fundamental task of geospatial information applications that aims to extract location names from natural language text. As a result, the identification of location names from social media information has gradually become a demand. Named entity correction (NEC), as a complementary task of NER, plays a crucial role in ensuring the accuracy of location names and further improving the accuracy of NER. Despite numerous methods having been adopted for NER, including text statistics-based and deep learning-based methods, there has been limited research on NEC. To address this gap, we propose the CTRE model, which is a geospatial named entity recognition and correction model based on the BERT model framework. Our approach enhances the BERT model by introducing incremental pre-training in the pre-training phase, significantly improving the model’s recognition accuracy. Subsequently, we adopt the pre-training fine-tuning mode of the BERT base model and extend the fine-tuning process, incorporating a neural network framework to construct the geospatial named entity recognition model and geospatial named entity correction model, respectively. The BERT model utilizes data augmentation of VGI (volunteered geographic information) data and social media data for incremental pre-training, leading to an enhancement in the model accuracy from 85% to 87%. The F1 score of the geospatial named entity recognition model reaches an impressive 0.9045, while the precision of the geospatial named entity correction model achieves 0.9765. The experimental results robustly demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed CTRE model, providing a reference for subsequent research on location names.

Lognom, Assisting in the Decision-Making and Management of Zoological Nomenclature

Nomenclature is the discipline of taxonomy responsible for managing the scientific names of groups of organisms. It ensures continuity in the transmission of all kinds of data and knowledge accumulated about taxa. Zoologists use the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 1999), currently in its fourth edition. The Code contains the rules that allow the correct understanding and application of nomenclature, e.g., how to choose between two names applying to the same taxon. Nomenclature became more complex over the centuries, as rules appeared, disappeared, or evolved to adapt to scientific and technological changes (e.g., the inclusion of digital media) (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature 2012). By adhering to nomenclatural rules, taxonomic databases, such as the Catalogue of Life (Bánki et al. 2023), can maintain the integrity and accuracy of taxon names, preventing confusion and ambiguity. Nomenclature also facilitates the linkage and integration of data across different databases, allowing for seamless collaboration and information exchange among researchers. However, unlike its final result, which is also called a nomenclature, the discipline itself has remained relatively impervious to computerization, until now. Lognom*1 is a free web application based on algorithms that facilitate decision-making in zoological nomenclature. It is not based on a pre-existing database, but instead provides an answer based on the user input, and relies on interactive form-based queries. This software aims to help taxonomists determine whether a name or work is available, whether spelling rules have been correctly applied, and whether all the relevant rules have been respected before a new name or work is published. Lognom also allows the user to obtain the valid name between several pre-registered candidate names, including the list of synonyms and the reason for their synonymy. It also includes tools for answering various nomenclatural questions, such as determining if two different species names with the same derivation and meaning should be treated as homonyms; if a name should be treated as a nomen oblitum under Art. 23.9 of the Code; and another tool to determine a genus-series name's grammatical gender. Lognom includes most of the rules regarding availability and validity, with the exception of those needing human interpretation, usually pertaining to Latin grammar. At this point of its development, homonymy is not completely included in the web app, nor are the rules linked to the management of type-specimens (e.g., lectotypification, neotypification), outside of their use in determining the availability of a name. With enough data entered by the users, Lognom should be able to model a modification of the rules and calculate its impact on the potential availability or spelling of existing names. Other prospectives include the possibility of working simultaneously on common projects, which should lead to dynamic lists of available names, as well as automatically extracting nomenclatural data from pre-existing databases, where relevant information is disseminated. A link to attach semantic web labels to names throughout Zoonom (Saliba et al. 2021) or NOMEN (Yoder et al. 2017) is also under consideration.

Multilevel factors predict treatment response following semantic feature-based intervention in bilingual aphasia.

Semantic feature-based treatments (SFTs) are effective rehabilitation strategies for word retrieval deficits in bilinguals with aphasia (BWA). However, few studies have prospectively evaluated the effects of key parameters of these interventions on treatment outcomes. This study examined the influence of intervention-level (i.e., treatment language and treatment sessions), individual-level (baseline naming severity and age), and stimulus-level (i.e., lexical frequency, phonological length, and phonological neighborhood density) factors on naming improvement in a treated and untreated language for 34 Spanish-English BWA who completed 40 hours of SFT. Results revealed significant improvement over time in both languages. In the treated language, individuals who received therapy in their L1 improved more. Additionally, higher pre-treatment naming scores predicted greater response to treatment. Finally, a frequency effect on baseline naming accuracy and phonological effects on accuracy over time were associated with differential treatment gains. These findings indicate that multilevel factors are influential predictors of bilingual treatment outcomes.

Verbal ability in postmenopausal women in relation to age, cognitive and reproductive factors

Word-finding difficulties have been associated with age and, in women, lowered sex hormone levels following menopause. However, there is limited understanding of the ways that specific aspects of word-finding are shaped by women's age, reproductive histories, and background factors such as education. The current study investigated the effects of age, cognitive and reproductive factors on word-finding abilities in 53 healthy postmenopausal women aged 48–79. A questionnaire was used to gather demographic information and reproductive history. A battery of verbal fluency, continuous series, and naming tasks was designed to assess word-finding across different sensory modalities and cognitive demands. Category and letter fluency were quantified as total number of correct words produced on each task. For continuous series, switch rates and switch costs were computed. For the naming tasks, accuracy and latency measures were used. There were three key findings. Firstly, there was a consistent positive association between education and all word-finding measures, i.e., verbal fluency, continuous series, and naming. Secondly, age-related declines were seen on tasks heavily dependent on working memory such as the continuous series task. Thirdly, reproductive factors across the lifespan such as age at menarche and reproductive years showed subtle effects on naming abilities, but not on verbal fluency or continuous series. The results highlight that word-finding abilities in healthy postmenopausal women are shaped by factors associated with their early years (education, age at menarche) and later adult life (age, reproductive years). The study also distinguished between the more global effects of education, and the more task-specific associations with age and reproductive variables, on verbal task performance after menopause.

Anomia in left hemisphere stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease – a comparative study

Purpose To explore quantitative and qualitative features of anomia in participants with left-hemisphere stroke, Parkinson’s disease, or multiple sclerosis. Materials and methods This descriptive cross-sectional study compares signs of anomia within and across participants (n = 87), divided into four groups; moderate to severe anomia after stroke (MSAS, n = 19), mild anomia after stroke (MAS, n = 22), PD (n = 19) and MS (n = 27). Aspects analysed include naming accuracy and speed, the nature of incorrect responses, semantic and phonemic verbal fluency, information content in re-telling, and the relationship between test results and self-reports on word-finding difficulties and communicative participation. Results All groups had impaired verbal fluency, prolonged response times and reduced information content in re-telling. The MSAS group had significantly more signs of anomia than the other groups. Results from the other groups overlapped on a MAS—PD—MS continuum. Both semantically and phonologically incorrect responses were common in the stroke groups, while semantically incorrect ones predominated in the PD and MS groups. All four groups reported a similar negative impact on self-perceived communicative participation. Correlations between self-reports and test results were inconsistent. Conclusions Anomia features have quantitative and qualitative similarities and differences across neurological conditions.

Brain Areas Critical for Picture Naming: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Lesion-Symptom Mapping Studies.

Lesion-symptom mapping (LSM) studies have revealed brain areas critical for naming, typically finding significant associations between damage to left temporal, inferior parietal, and inferior fontal regions and impoverished naming performance. However, specific subregions found in the available literature vary. Hence, the aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of published lesion-based findings, obtained from studies with unique cohorts investigating brain areas critical for accuracy in naming in stroke patients at least 1 month post-onset. An anatomic likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of these LSM studies was performed. Ten papers entered the ALE meta-analysis, with similar lesion coverage over left temporal and left inferior frontal areas. This small number is a major limitation of the present study. Clusters were found in left anterior temporal lobe, posterior temporal lobe extending into inferior parietal areas, in line with the arcuate fasciculus, and in pre- and postcentral gyri and middle frontal gyrus. No clusters were found in left inferior frontal gyrus. These results were further substantiated by examining five naming studies that investigated performance beyond global accuracy, corroborating the ALE meta-analysis results. The present review and meta-analysis highlight the involvement of left temporal and inferior parietal cortices in naming, and of mid to posterior portions of the temporal lobe in particular in conceptual-lexical retrieval for speaking.

Odor-Color Associations Are Not Mediated by Concurrent Verbalization.

Odor and color are strongly associated. Numerous studies demonstrate consistent odor-color associations, as well as effects of color on odor perception and language. Yet, we know little about how these associations arise. Here, we test whether language is a possible mediator of odor-color associations, specifically whether odor-color associations are mediated by implicit odor naming. In two experiments, we used an interference paradigm to prevent the verbalization of odors during an odor-color matching task. If participants generate color associations subsequent to labeling an odor, interfering with verbalization during the task should affect the ability to make color associations. In Experiment 1, contrary to our hypothesis, verbal interference did not affect odor-color matches. However, since performance accuracy on the verbal interference task was high, it is possible our task did not sufficiently disrupt verbal processing. In Experiment 2, we, therefore, used an active verbal interference task, and still found no difference across interference conditions. Odor naming accuracy, odor familiarity, and odor pleasantness, however, did predict odor-color matches. This suggests that although color associations are related to semantic factors, they are not generated by recruiting odor labels in the moment. Overall, our results do not provide evidence that language plays an online role in odor-color associations, instead, they are consistent with the claim that language may have shaped associations during development.

Noun and Verb Impairment in Single-Word Naming and Discourse Production in Mandarin-English Bilingual Adults with Aphasia

ABSTRACT Background Previous studies on bilingualism and aphasia have identified a similar pattern of verb-noun dissociation in single-word naming (i.e., lower accuracy for verbs than nouns) in both languages. However, whether a similar pattern of verb and noun dissociation emerges in discourse production remains unknown, particularly in typologically dissimilar languages. Aims This study investigated patterns of verb and noun impairment in both single-word naming and discourse production, and whether naming was associated with lexical retrieval in discourse production in Mandarin-English bilingual adults with aphasia (BWA). Methods Twelve Mandarin-English bilinguals with chronic aphasia completed standardized assessments on object and action naming, and three discourse tasks from the AphasiaBank (i.e., sequential pictures, single-picture, storytelling) in both L1 (Mandarin) and L2 (English). Item-level accuracy of object and action naming was fit into a generalized mixed-effects model to estimate single-word naming ability as a function of grammatical category. The proportion of verb and noun production and the number of verbs and nouns per utterance were fit into multivariate linear regression models to assess lexical retrieval in discourse. Finally, another linear regression was performed to examine the association between naming and lexical retrieval in discourse production. Results The naming accuracy for verbs was lower than for nouns in both L1 and L2. Mandarin-English BWA also demonstrated less production of verbs than nouns in discourse. However, depending on the type of the task, the effect of word category was greater in L2 than in L1. This cross-linguistic difference of the verb-noun dissociation was diminished in individuals with lower aphasia severity. Our results further showed a direct relationship between naming and lexical retrieval in discourse, irrespective of the language. Conclusions Our findings suggest an overall similar pattern of verb and noun dissociation across different linguistic contexts. However, depending on the cognitive-linguistic demands of the task, the verb-noun dissociation may emerge in L1 and L2 to varying degrees in individuals with different levels of aphasia severity. This study facilitates better understanding of verb and noun retrieval in Mandarin-English BWA.

Prediction of Landslide Displacement Based on the Variational Mode Decomposition and GWO-SVR Model

Accurate prediction of landslide displacement is an effective way to reduce the risk of landslide disaster. Under the influence of periodic precipitation and reservoir water level, many landslides in the Three Gorges Reservoir area underwent significant displacement deformation, showing a similar step-like deformation curve. Given the nonlinear characteristics of landslide displacement, a prediction model is established in this study according to the variational mode decomposition (VMD) and support vector regression (SVR) optimized by gray wolf optimizer (GWO-SVR). First, the original data are decomposed into trend, periodic and random components by VMD. Then, appropriate influential factors are selected using the grey relational degree analysis (GRDA) method for constructing the input training data set. Finally, the sum of the three displacement components is superimposed as the total displacement of the landslide, and the feasibility of the model is subsequently tested. Taking the Shuizhuyuan landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir area as an example, the accuracy of the model is verified using the long time-series monitoring data. The results indicate that the newly proposed model achieves a relatively good prediction accuracy with data decomposition and parameter optimization. Therefore, this model can be used for the predict the accuracy of names and affiliations ion of landslide displacement in the Three Gorges Reservoir area.