Metalinguistic awareness in children with differing language learning experience

Theoretical research concerned with the notion of second language (L2) learning difficulty has resulted in specific criteria that can be used to predict the learning difficulty of different languages in terms of both explicit and implicit knowledge. The characteristics of the constructed language Esperanto suggest that this language has lower explicit and implicit learning difficulty than other languages. It may therefore be a suitable ?starter language? for child L2 learning in the classroom. Specifically, we propose that Esperanto may facilitate the development of metalinguistic awareness and, as a consequence, boost children?s budding capacity for explicit learning. This would be particularly advantageous in the minimal-input setting of the average foreign language classroom. We present findings from an empirical study which compared 11 to 12-year-old English-speaking children who had learned Esperanto and a European L2 (N = 35) with children who had learned various combinations of European and non-European L2s (N = 168) in terms of their performance on a measure of metalinguistic awareness. No significant differences in overall level of metalinguistic awareness were identified, but the Esperanto group significantly outperformed the comparison group on one of the eleven metalinguistic tasks included in the measure. Moreover, the Esperanto group displayed a more homogeneous performance than the other groups of children. This suggests that learning Esperanto may have a lasting levelling effect, reducing differences between children with varying metalinguistic abilities

Interindividual variability of atorvastatin treatment influence on the MPO gene expression in patients after acute myocardial infarction

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) and C-reactive protein (CRP) may play critical roles in generation of oxidative stress and the development of the systemic inflammatory response. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of atorvastatin therapy on the MPO gene expression and its plasma level in relation to lipids level lowering and an anti-inflammatory response in patients after acute myocardial infarction. The research material was represented by 112 samples. Thirty-eight patients with first AMI receiving atorvastatin therapy (40 mg/day) and followed up for one month were involved in the study. The relative MPO gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was examined using RT-qPCR in 38 patients before-, 38 patients after-therapy and in 36 patients as the control group. The plasma concentrations of MPO and serum concentrations of biochemical parameters were determined using commercially available diagnostic tests. After one month of atorvastatin therapy, in 60.5% patients a decrease of MPO gene expression, whereas in 39.5% patients an increase, was observed. The plasma MPO levels behaved in the same way as the MPO gene expression. However, the serum lipids and CRP concentrations were significantly lower after one month of atorvastatin therapy in both groups of patients - with decreased and increased MPO gene expression. Atorvastatin exhibited a different effect on MPO gene expression and its plasma level. Short-term atorvastatin therapy resulted in lipid lowering and anti-inflammatory activity in patients after AMI, independently of its effect on MPO gene expression. The molecular mechanisms of this phenomenon are not yet defined and require further research

On the almost everywhere properties of the kernel regression estimate

Regression function, kernel estimate, asymptotic expansions, distribution-free properties, asymptotic normality, bandwidth-selection, bias adjustment,

On the distributional properties of GARCH processes

SIGLEAvailable from Bibliothek des Instituts fuer Weltwirtschaft, ZBW, Duesternbrook Weg 120, D-24105 Kiel W 1160 (121) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekDEGerman

Pointwise consistency of the hermite series density estimate

The Hermite series estimate of a density f [epsilon] Lp, p> 1, convergessin the mean square to f (x) for almost all x [epsilon] R, if N (n) --> [infinity] and N (n) / n2 --> ) as n --> [infinity], where N is the number of the Hermite functions in the estimate while n is the number of observations. Moreover, the mean square and weak consistency are equivalent. For m times differentiable densities, the mean squares convergence rate is O(n-(2m-1)/2m). Results for complete convergence are also given.density estimate nonparametric orthogonal series Hermite series

Necessary and sufficient consistency conditions for a recursive kernel regression estimate

A recursive kernel estimate [summation operator]i = 1n YiK[+45 degree rule](x - Xi)hi)[+45 degree rule][summation operator]j = 1n K((x - Xj)[+45 degree rule]hj) of a regression m(x) = E{YX = x} calculated from independent observations (X1, Y1),..., (Xn, Yn) of a pair (X, Y) of random variables is examined. ForEY1 + [delta] 0, the estimate is weakly pointwise consistent for almost all ([mu]) x [set membership, variant] Rd, [mu] is the probability measure of X, if and only if[summation operator]i-1n hid I{hi > [var epsilon] } [+45 degree rule] [summation operator]j = 1n hjd --> 0 as n --> [infinity], all [var epsilon] > 0, and[summation operator]i = 1[infinity] hid = [infinity], d is the dimension of X. For EY1 + [delta] 0, the estimate is strongly pointwise consistent for almost all ([mu]) x [set membership, variant] Rd, if and only if the same conditions hold. ForEY1 + [delta] 0, weak and strong consistency are equivalent. Similar results are given for complete convergence.regression function nonparametric estimation kernel estimate recursive estimate consistency