Conflict Resolution Ability in Late Bilinguals Improves With Increased Second-Language Proficiency: ANT Evidence

Experimental data supporting the claim that bilingual speakers have superior cognitive control abilities are often questioned with respect to certain methodological limitations. One such limitation is the use of between-group design, potentially confounding bilingual status with other factors (e.g., socioeconomic status). Here, we used a homogeneous sample of 57 young adult Russian–English late unbalanced bilinguals who were administrated Attention Network Task (ANT) together with an L2 proficiency task. We tested the correlation of L2 vocabulary performance with conflict and alertness measures and overall reaction times in ANT performance. Overall, participants demonstrated better conflict resolution with the increase in their second language competence, with 8% of variance in conflict resolution explained by L2 proficiency. Our results support the notion of regular correspondence between bilingualism and cognitive control

Crosslinguistic interplay between semantics and phonology in late bilinguals: neurophysiological evidence

We investigated effects of crosslinguistic phonological and semantic similarity on the bilingual lexicon of late unbalanced bilinguals. Our masked priming paradigm used L1 (Russian) words as masked primes and L2 (English) words as targets. The primes and the targets either overlapped – phonologically, semantically, both phonologically and semantically – or did not overlap. Participants maintained the targets in memory and matched them against occasionally presented catch stimuli. N170 and N400 components of the word-elicited high-density ERPs were identified and analysed in signal and source space. Crosslinguistic semantic similarity shortened the reaction times. The semantics-related N400 amplitude difference correlated with individual L2 proficiency, while phonological similarity suppressed the N400 amplitude in the semantically unrelated condition. ERP source analysis suggests that these ERP dynamics are underpinned by cortical generators in the left IFG and the temporal pole. We conclude that the semantic and phonological interplay between L1 and L2 suggest an integrated bilingual lexicon

Features of brain functioning in bilinguals while performing speech and general cognitive tasks

This article gives an overview of the current status of the problem of plastic brain changes in connection with the study of a foreign language. It links learning of languages with bilingualism, which is a widespread phenomenon in contemporary world. Recent surveys indicate that learning and using additional languages has a direct impact on the overall human cognitive functions whose mechanisms are relatively unknown. In this regard, the most important challenge facing the world today is neuro-biological mechanisms of interaction of languages in the brain of a bilingual and their impact on verbal and nonverbal brain function. Despite the large amount of experimental material on this issue, the data remains controversial, and many authors put under question the existence of such benefits. Possible reason for the discrepancy is a great heterogeneity among bilinguals. In conclusion the article stresses the importance of research of cognitive control in bilinguals in different groups of bi-and multilingual subjects

Definition of the appropraite magnetic blocks utilization for rail systems in mine locomotive

В работе представлены результаты теоретических исследований эффективности магниторельсовых систем с магнитными блоками различной компоновки, при работе в горных выработках с геометрическими несовершенствами рельсового пути.The paper presents the results of theoretical research of the effectiveness of magnetic rail systems with magnetic blocks of different layout while working in mines with geometric imperfections of the track

die Gewährleistung der elektromagnetischen Verträglichkeit und einer optimalen Blindleistungskompensation in Elektrostahlwerksnetzen mit nichtlinearen Belastungen unter dem Aspekt der Minimierung der harmonischen Störungen

Es wird die allgemeine Problematik der Blindleistungskompensation der modernen Elektrostahlwerksbelastungen erläutert. Die vom Autor entwickelte neue Methodik der Blindleistungskompensation der Drehstrom-Lichtbogenstahlschmelzofenbelastungen auf der Basis der Analyse der Resonanzerscheinungen liefert einen Komplex von Maßnahmen zur Verminderung der Netzrückwirkungen von hochleistungsstarken Ofenanlagen und gewährleistet die elektromagnetische Verträglichkeit der Stahlwerke mit elektrischen Netzen

The Role of Foxp3-Expressing Regulatory T Cells and T Helpers in Immunopathogenesis of Multidrug Resistant Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Subpopulation structure of regulatory T cells and T helpers of peripheral blood in patients with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis depending on the clinical form of disease and sensitivity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to antituberculosis drugs has been analyzed in this work. It has been shown that the leading part in immune suppression at infiltrative, dissemination, and fibrosis-cavity pulmonary tuberculosis is played by natural regulatory CD4+CD25+Foxp3+-T lymphocytes. Thus we estimate increase of their number in blood by drug-resistance and drug-susceptible patients. It has been demonstrated that in patients with fibrocavernous and infiltrative form of the disease and drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis the number of CD4+CD25−Foxp3+-regulatory T cells was increasing. In patients with infiltrative pulmonary tuberculosis, including multidrug-resistant M. tuberculosis, an increased number of CD3+CD4+CD25− T helpers is determined by the pathogenic features of the development of the tuberculosis infection and is connected with the activation of Th1-dependent immune response. Reduction in the number of T-helpers in the blood of patients with dissemination and fibrosis-cavity pulmonary tuberculosis mediates inefficient implementation of cell-mediated protective immunity

ХХІІІ Международная научная конференция "Актуальные научные исследования в современном мире"

Dependences of intellectual efficiency of men and women of 17-22 years on peculiarities of temperament are considered and analysed. Gender differences and dynamics of changes in dependences of intellectual activity on temperament and intellectual emotions are shown.Рассмотрены и проанализированы зависимости интеллектуальной работоспособности мужчин и женщин 17-22-х лет от свойств темперамента. Показаны гендерные отличия и динамика изменений в зависимостях интеллектуальной работоспособности от темперамента и интеллектуальной эмоциональности

Identification of the dominant harmonic source in the LV network on the base of anomalous power flow considerations

The localization of the dominant harmonic distortion source in the electrical network is one of the practical tasks in the consideration of the power quality in electric power systems. The conventional methods of the estimating of the impacts of the utility and the customer to the harmonic distortion at the network node are the harmonic power flow analysis as well as the correlation analysis of the harmonic voltage and current phasors. The practical use of both methods is discussed below by means of the example of the identification of the dominant harmonic source in the LV supply feeder of an industrial consumer. Based on the analysis carried out it is shown that the direction of harmonic active power flows is a more common and reliable criterion in comparison with the correlation analysis for the identification of dominant harmonic sources in electric power systems