EXPRESS: Trajectories of verbal fluency and executive functions in multilingual and monolingual children and adults: A cross-sectional study

The development of verbal fluency is associated with the maturation of executive function skills, such as the ability to inhibit irrelevant information, shift between tasks and hold information in working memory. Some evidence suggests that multilinguistic upbringing may underpin disadvantages in verbal fluency and lexical retrieval, but can also afford executive function advantages beyond the language system including possible beneficial effects in older age. This study examined the relationship between verbal fluency and executive function in 324 individuals across the lifespan by assessing the developmental trajectories of English monolingual and multilingual children aged 7 to 15 years (N=154) and adults from 18 to 80 years old (N=170). The childhood data indicated patterns of improvement in verbal fluency and executive function skills as a function of age. Multilingual and monolingual children had comparable developmental trajectories in all linguistic and non-linguistic measures used in the study with the exception of planning, for which monolingual children showed a steeper improvement over the studied age range relative to multilingual children. For adults, monolinguals and multilingual participants had comparable performance on all measures with the exception of non-verbal inhibitory control and response times on the Tower of London task: monolinguals showed a steeper decline associated with age. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that verbal fluency was associated with working memory and fluid intelligence in monolingual participants but not in multilinguals. These findings raise the possibility that early acquisition of an additional language may impact on the development of the functional architecture serving high-level human cognition

Staying in the science stream: patterns of participation in A-level science subjects in the UK.

This paper describes patterns of participation and attainment in A-level physics, chemistry and biology from 1961 to 2009. The A-level has long been seen as an important gateway qualification for higher level study, particularly in the sciences. This long term overview examines how recruitment to these three subjects has changed in the context of numerous policies and initiatives that seek to retain more young people in the sciences. The results show that recruitment to the pure sciences has stagnated, general trends have hardly varied and the track record of government policy in influencing change is not strong. There is no evidence for increasing achievement gaps between the sexes at A-level and even national policy requiring that all young people study science up to the age of 16 appears to have had little impact on recruitment at this leve

An Atom Michelson Interferometer on a Chip Using a Bose-Einstein Condensate

An atom Michelson interferometer is implemented on an "atom chip." The chip uses lithographically patterned conductors and external magnetic fields to produce and guide a Bose-Einstein condensate. Splitting, reflecting, and recombining of condensate atoms are achieved by a standing-wave light field having a wave vector aligned along the atom waveguide. A differential phase shift between the two arms of the interferometer is introduced by either a magnetic-field gradient or with an initial condensate velocity. Interference contrast is still observable at 20% with atom propagation time of 10 ms

Harvest index of lupins, Low tillering cereals and Maturity by sowing date in cereals.

Trial 87GE21 Effect of plant density on branching, pod setting and yield development of lupins. Location: Geraldton To determine the influence of plant density and between-plant variability in vegetative growth on the branching, pod setting and yield development of lupins Trial 87GE9 Chemicals to control vegetative growth and improve pod set in lupins. Location: West Binnu To examine the effect of a number of growth regulating chemicals on the branching, pod setting and yield of lupins under conditions favoring high biomass production. Trial 87GE19 Chemicals to control vegetative growth and improve pod set in lupins. Location: Nabawa To examine the effect of a number of growth regulating chemicals on the branching, pod setting and yield of lupins under conditions favouring high biomass production. Trial 87GE72 Effect of plant density on growth and yield of lupins. Location: South Yuna To determine the influence of plant density on the growth, branching, pod setting and yield development of branching and reduced branching lupins under conditions producing different levels of biomass Trial 87E34 Effect of sowing time on yield of lupin varieties. Location: Esperance Downs Research Station. Lupins are well adapted to the cooler, long-season environments of the southern coastal sandplain. of Western Australia. This trial aims to help establish varietal characteristics required to produce high-yielding lupin crops in the cool, long-season environment of southern Australia. The specific aim is to determine the influence of sowing date on the growth and yield of lupin varieties differing in maturity and branching habit in the south-coast environment. LVT Sampling - 1986 and 1987 seasons - Effect of genotype and environment on growth, yield components, harvest index and yield of lupins. Low harvest index (H.I.) is often suggested as the cause of poor lupin seed yields, and it is argued that all vegetative lupin crops have inherently poor pod set and low harvest index. By sampling LVT\u27s across a wide range of sites in 1986 and selected sites in 1987, we aimed to determine the effect of environment on lupin growth, branching, seed yield, H.I. and yield components. Sampling of two branching genotypes and a reduced branching line would permit the assessment of genotypic effects and any G x E interactions. Trial 87C66 Effect of maturity and sowing date on wheat and barley. Location Chapman Research Stations Two similar trials at North Mullewa and East Chapman were not harvested due to severe drought and high weed populations, respectively. Dr J. Hamblin\u27s summary reports the results of three further sowing date trials

Discourse and identity in a corpus of lesbian erotica

This article uses corpus linguistic methodologies to explore representations of lesbian desires and identities in a corpus of lesbian erotica from the 1980s and 1990s. We provide a critical examination of the ways in which “lesbian gender,” power, and desire are represented, (re-)produced, and enacted, often in ways that challenge hegemonic discourses of gender and sexuality. By examining word frequencies and collocations, we critically analyze some of the themes, processes, and patterns of representation in the texts. Although rooted in linguistics, we hope this article provides an accessible, interdisciplinary, and timely contribution toward developing understandings of discursive practices surrounding gender and sexuality

Effective Hamiltonian Approach to Hyperon Beta Decay with Final-State Baryon Polarization

Using an effective Hamiltonian approach, we obtain expressions for hyperon beta decay final-state baryon polarization. Terms through second order in the energy release are retained. The resulting approximate expressions are much simpler and more compact than the exact expressions, and they agree closely with them.Comment: 1 Figure Will appear in Phys Rev D 60 Article 117505 (Dec 1, 1999

The Ursinus Weekly, March 13, 1944

Girls grab gobs for gala gathering as leap-year Lorelei looms at last • Y will entertain at spring reception • Students sell $13,744.70 in war bond drive as Eileen Smith wins second individual prize • Dr. W. Fuller explains CED work after war • Rex Gregor is awarded silver star for bravery • Chaplain tells students progress is inevitable • Senators to direct Red Cross drive here • Curtain Club to give three one-act plays • Marian Martin becomes IRC secretary-treasurer • Freshmen to receive colors in ceremony on Thursday • World Student Service Fund helps Chinese students solve problems • Delegates to be chosen for Penn State conference • Coeds to hear Mrs. Mooney • Carpenters, painters give new face to rec center • Dr. Oppenheimer speaks to pre-medical society • Lt. Norris A. Johnson \u2736, Navy radioman, writes from southwest Pacific about Air Corps duties • Frosh end sorority blues • Loyal Irish to praise St. Patrick on Friday • Improved girls\u27 team upsets Beaver after deadlocking for three periods • J.V.\u27s take Jenkintown six; Mid Halbruegge sets pace • Baseball team practices indoors under Heffernan • One-act play will be given at Women\u27s Club session • Betty Tyson reviews poetryhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1726/thumbnail.jp