Diffuse Hard X-ray Sources Discovered with the ASCA Galactic Plane Survey

We found diffuse hard X-ray sources, G11.0+0.0, G25.5+0.0, and G26.6-0.1 in the ASCA Galactic plane survey data. The X-ray spectra are featureless with no emission line, and are fitted with both models of a thin thermal plasma in non-equilibrium ionization and a power-law function. The source distances are estimated to be 1-8 kpc, using the best-fit NH values on the assumption that the mean density in the line of sight is 1 H cm^-3. The source sizes and luminosities are then 4.5-27 pc and (0.8-23)x10^33 ergs/s. Although the source sizes are typical to supernova remnants (SNR) with young to intermediate ages, the X-ray luminosity, plasma temperature, and weak emission lines in the spectra are all unusual. This suggests that these objects are either shell-like SNRs dominated by X-ray synchrotron emission, like SN 1006, or, alternatively, plerionic SNRs. The total number of these classes of SNRs in our Galaxy is also estimated.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures; to appear in Ap

Morphosyntactic processing in late second-language learners

The goal of the present study was to investigate the electro- physiological correlates of second-language (L2) morphosyn- tactic processing in highly proficient late learners of an L2 with long exposure to the L2 environment. ERPs were col- lected from 22 English–Spanish late learners while they read sentences in which morphosyntactic features of the L2 present or not present in the first language (number and gender agree- ment, respectively) were manipulated at two different sentence positions—within and across phrases. The results for a control group of age-matched native-speaker Spanish participants in- cluded an ERP pattern of LAN-type early negativity followed by P600 effect in response to both agreement violations and for both sentence positions. The late L2 learner results included a similar pattern, consisting of early negativity followed by P600, in the first sentence position (within-phrase agreement viola- tions) but only P600 effects in the second sentence position (across-phrase agreement violation), as well as significant am- plitude and onset latency differences between the gender and the number violation effects in both sentence positions. These results reveal that highly proficient learners can show electro- physiological correlates during L2 processing that are qualita- tively similar to those of native speakers, but the results also indicate the contribution of factors such as age of acquisition and transfer processes from first language to L

Second Language Processing Shows Increased Native-Like Neural Responses after Months of No Exposure

Although learning a second language (L2) as an adult is notoriously difficult, research has shown that adults can indeed attain native language-like brain processing and high proficiency levels. However, it is important to then retain what has been attained, even in the absence of continued exposure to the L2—particularly since periods of minimal or no L2 exposure are common. This event-related potential (ERP) study of an artificial language tested performance and neural processing following a substantial period of no exposure. Adults learned to speak and comprehend the artificial language to high proficiency with either explicit, classroom-like, or implicit, immersion-like training, and then underwent several months of no exposure to the language. Surprisingly, proficiency did not decrease during this delay. Instead, it remained unchanged, and there was an increase in native-like neural processing of syntax, as evidenced by several ERP changes—including earlier, more reliable, and more left-lateralized anterior negativities, and more robust P600s, in response to word-order violations. Moreover, both the explicitly and implicitly trained groups showed increased native-like ERP patterns over the delay, indicating that such changes can hold independently of L2 training type. The results demonstrate that substantial periods with no L2 exposure are not necessarily detrimental. Rather, benefits may ensue from such periods of time even when there is no L2 exposure. Interestingly, both before and after the delay the implicitly trained group showed more native-like processing than the explicitly trained group, indicating that type of training also affects the attainment of native-like processing in the brain. Overall, the findings may be largely explained by a combination of forgetting and consolidation in declarative and procedural memory, on which L2 grammar learning appears to depend. The study has a range of implications, and suggests a research program with potentially important consequences for second language acquisition and related fields

Multi-fixed point numerical conformal bootstrap:a case study with structured global symmetry

In large part, the future utility of modern numerical conformal bootstrap depends on its ability to accurately predict the existence of hitherto unknown non-trivial conformal field theories (CFTs). Here we investigate the extent to which this is possible in the case where the global symmetry group has a product structure. We do this by testing for signatures of fixed points using a mixed-correlator bootstrap calculation with a minimal set of input assumptions. This ‘semi-blind’ approach contrasts with other approaches for probing more complicated groups, which ‘target’ known theories with additional spectral assumptions or use the saturation of the single-correlator bootstrap bound as a starting point. As a case study, we select the space of CFTs with product-group symmetry O(15) ⊗ O(3) in d = 3 dimensions. On the assumption that there is only one relevant scalar (ℓ = 0) singlet operator in the theory, we find a single ‘allowed’ region in our chosen space of scaling dimensions. The scaling dimensions corresponding to two known large-N critical theories, the Heisenberg and the chiral ones, lie on or very near the boundary of this region. The large-N antichiral point lies well outside the ‘allowed’ region, which is consistent with the expectation that the antichiral theory is unstable, and thus has an additional relevant scalar singlet operator. We also find a sharp kink in the boundary of the ‘allowed’ region at values of the scaling dimensions that do not correspond to the (N, M ) = (3, 15) instance of any large-N -predicted O(N ) ⊗ O(M ) critical theory

Multi-fixed point numerical conformal bootstrap : a case study with structured global symmetry

MTD and CAH acknowledge financial support from UKRI via EPSRC grant numbers EP/R513337/1 and EP/R031924/1 respectively.In large part, the future utility of modern numerical conformal bootstrap depends on its ability to accurately predict the existence of hitherto unknown non-trivial conformal field theories (CFTs). Here we investigate the extent to which this is possible in the case where the global symmetry group has a product structure. We do this by testing for signatures of fixed points using a mixed-correlator bootstrap calculation with a minimal set of input assumptions. This ‘semi-blind’ approach contrasts with other approaches for probing more complicated groups, which ‘target’ known theories with additional spectral assumptions or use the saturation of the single-correlator bootstrap bound as a starting point. As a case study, we select the space of CFTs with product-group symmetry O(15) ⊗ O(3) in d = 3 dimensions. On the assumption that there is only one relevant scalar (ℓ = 0) singlet operator in the theory, we find a single ‘allowed’ region in our chosen space of scaling dimensions. The scaling dimensions corresponding to two known large-N critical theories, the Heisenberg and the chiral ones, lie on or very near the boundary of this region. The large-N antichiral point lies well outside the ‘allowed’ region, which is consistent with the expectation that the antichiral theory is unstable, and thus has an additional relevant scalar singlet operator. We also find a sharp kink in the boundary of the ‘allowed’ region at values of the scaling dimensions that do not correspond to the (N, M ) = (3, 15) instance of any large-N -predicted O(N ) ⊗ O(M ) critical theory.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Modulations of 'late' event-related brain potentials in humans by dynamic audiovisual speech stimuli

Lipreading reliably improve speech perception during face-to-face conversation. Within the range of good dubbing, however, adults tolerate some audiovisual (AV) discrepancies and lipreading, then, can give rise to confusion. We used event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to study the perceptual strategies governing the intermodal processing of dynamic and bimodal speech stimuli, either congruently dubbed or not. Electrophysiological analyses revealed that non-coherent audiovisual dubbings modulated in amplitude an endogenous ERP component, the N300, we compared to a 'N400-like effect' reflecting the difficulty to integrate these conflicting pieces of information. This result adds further support for the existence of a cerebral system underlying 'integrative processes' lato sensu. Further studies should take advantage of this 'N400-like effect' with AV speech stimuli to open new perspectives in the domain of psycholinguistics. © 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Modulations of 'late' event-related brain potentials in humans by dynamic audiovisual speech stimuli

International audienceLipreading reliably improve speech perception during face-to-face conversation. Within the range of good dubbing, however, adults tolerate some audiovisual (AV) discrepancies and lipreading, then, can give rise to confusion. We used event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to study the perceptual strategies governing the intermodal processing of dynamic and bimodal speech stimuli, either congruently dubbed or not. Electrophysiological analyses revealed that non-coherent audiovisual dubbings modulated in amplitude an endogenous ERP component, the N300, we compared to a `N400-like effect' reflecting the difficulty to integrate these conflicting pieces of information. This result adds further support for the existence of a cerebral system underlying `integrative processes' lato sensu. Further studies should take advantage of this `N400-like effect' with AV speech stimuli to open new perspectives in the domain of psycholinguistics. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Grey Matter Volume in the Cerebellum is Related to the Processing of Grammatical Rules in a Second Language: A Structural Voxel-based Morphometry Study

The experience of learning and using a second language (L2) has been shown to affect the grey matter (GM) structure of the brain. Importantly, GM density in several cortical and subcortical areas has been shown to be related to performance in L2 tasks. Here, we show that bilingualism can lead to increasedGMvolume in the cerebellum, a structure that has been related to the processing of grammatical rules. Additionally, the cerebellar GM volume of highly proficient L2 speakers is correlated to their performance in a task tapping on grammatical processing in an L2, demonstrating the importance of the cerebellum for the establishment and use of grammatical rules in an L2