“Jo wunderbar so im apriu kann man nicht mehr erwarten, capisci?” Multilingualism in a German language class for retired Italian migrants in Berne

Our proposal presents some aspects and results of a project of the University of Bern dealing with the consequences of retirement on multilingual competences. Referring to De Bot (2007), who defined "language related major life events" as moments in life relevant for changes in multilingual competences, we assume that retirement can be a turning point in a language biography. Firstly, there are phenomena, such as the cessation of the use of a foreign language, which was formerly related to work. Secondly, retirement might elicit the improvement of foreign language skills as a way to spend excess time after retirement or as a “cognitive exercise”. Many language schools have identified the people of advanced age as a group of major interest and increasingly offer so-called 50+ (fifty plus) courses in their curriculum. Furthermore, the concept of lifelong learning is increasingly gaining importance, as the reference by the European commission (LLP) indicates. However, most of the programs are intended for educated middle-class people and there are considerably fewer offers for people who are less familiar with learning environments in general. The present paper aims at investigating the multilingual setting of an offer of the second kind: a German language course designed for retired, established Italian workforce migrants living in the city of Berne, Switzerland. The multilingual setting is given by the facts that migrants living in Berne are confronted with diglossia (Standard German and Swissgerman dialects), that the Canton of Berne is bilingual (German and French) and that the migrants' mother tongue, Italian, is one of the Swiss national languages. As previous studies have shown, most of the Italian migrants have difficulties with the acquisition of Standard German due to the diglossic situation (Werlen, 2007) or never even learnt any of the German varieties. Another outcome of the linguistic situation the migrants are confronted with in Berne, is the usage of a continuum of varieties between Swissgerman dialect and Standard German (Zanovello-Müller, 1998). Therefore, in the classroom we find several varieties of German, as well as the Italian language and its varieties. In the present paper we will investigate the use of multilingual competences within the classroom and the dynamics of second language acquisition in a setting of older adults (>60 years old), learning their host country’s language after 40 years or more of living in it. The methods applied are an ethnographic observation of the language class, combined with qualitative interviews to gain in-depth information of the subjects’ life stories and language biographies.

Vitamin D time profile based on the contribution of non-genetic and genetic factors in HIV-infected individuals of European ancestry

BACKGROUND Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in HIV-infected individuals and vitamin D supplementation is proposed according to standard care. This study aimed at characterizing the kinetics of 25(OH)D in a cohort of HIV-infected individuals of European ancestry to better define the influence of genetic and non-genetic factors on 25(OH)D levels. These data were used for the optimization of vitamin D supplementation in order to reach therapeutic targets. METHODS 1,397 25(OH)D plasma levels and relevant clinical information were collected in 664 participants during medical routine follow up visits. They were genotyped for 7 SNPs in 4 genes known to be associated with 25(OH)D levels. 25(OH)D concentrations were analyzed using a population pharmacokinetic approach. The percentage of individuals with 25(OH)D concentrations within the recommended range of 20-40ng/ml during 12 months of follow up and several dosage regimens were evaluated by simulation. RESULTS A one-compartment model with linear absorption and elimination was used to describe 25(OH)D pharmacokinetics, while integrating endogenous baseline plasma concentrations. Covariate analyses confirmed the effect of seasonality, body mass index, smoking habits, the analytical method, darunavir/r and the genetic variant in GC (rs2282679) on 25(OH)D concentrations. 11% of the interindividual variability in 25(OH)D levels was explained by seasonality and other non-genetic covariates and 1% by genetics. The optimal supplementation for severe vitamin D deficient patients was 300000 IU two times per year. CONCLUSIONS This analysis allowed identifying factors associated with 25(OH)D plasma levels in HIV-infected individuals. Improvement of dosage regimen and timing of vitamin D supplementation is proposed based on those results.

Uniform approach to linear and nonlinear interrelation patterns in multivariate time series

Currently, a variety of linear and nonlinear measures is in use to investigate spatiotemporal interrelation patterns of multivariate time series. Whereas the former are by definition insensitive to nonlinear effects, the latter detect both nonlinear and linear interrelation. In the present contribution we employ a uniform surrogate-based approach, which is capable of disentangling interrelations that significantly exceed random effects and interrelations that significantly exceed linear correlation. The bivariate version of the proposed framework is explored using a simple model allowing for separate tuning of coupling and nonlinearity of interrelation. To demonstrate applicability of the approach to multivariate real-world time series we investigate resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) data of two healthy subjects as well as intracranial electroencephalograms (iEEG) of two epilepsy patients with focal onset seizures. The main findings are that for our rsfMRI data interrelations can be described by linear cross-correlation. Rejection of the null hypothesis of linear iEEG interrelation occurs predominantly for epileptogenic tissue as well as during epileptic seizures.

Real-time closed-loop electrophysiology: towards new frontiers in in vitro investigations in the neurosciences

Reflected at any level of organization of the central nervous system, most of the processes ranging from ion channels to neuronal networks occur in a closed loop, where the input to the system depends on its output. In contrast, most in vitro preparations and experimental protocols operate autonomously, and do not depend on the output of the studied system. Thanks to the progress in digital signal processing and real-time computing, it is now possible to artificially close the loop and investigate biophysical processes and mechanisms under increased realism. In this contribution, we review some of the most relevant examples of a new trend in in vitro electrophysiology, ranging from the use of dynamic-clamp to multi-electrode distributed feedback stimulation. We are convinced these represents the beginning of new frontiers for the in vitro investigation of the brain, promising to open the still existing borders between theoretical and experimental approaches while taking advantage of cutting edge technologies.

Assessment of a real-time PCR test to diagnose syphilis from diverse biological samples

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the contribution of a real-time PCR assay for the detection of Treponema pallidum in various biological specimens with the secondary objective of comparing its value according to HIV status. METHODS: Prospective cohort of incident syphilis cases from three Swiss hospitals (Geneva and Bern University Hospitals, Outpatient Clinic for Dermatology of Triemli, Zurich) diagnosed between January 2006 and September 2008. A case-control study was nested into the cohort. Biological specimens (blood, lesion swab or urine) were taken at diagnosis (as clinical information) and analysed by real-time PCR using the T pallidum 47 kDa gene. RESULTS: 126 specimens were collected from 74 patients with primary (n = 26), secondary (n = 40) and latent (n = 8) syphilis. Among primary syphilis, sensitivity was 80% in lesion swabs, 28% in whole blood, 55% in serum and 29% in urine, whereas among secondary syphilis, it was 20%, 36%, 47% and 44%, respectively. Among secondary syphilis, plasma and cerebrospinal fluid were also tested and provided a sensitivity of 100% and 50%, respectively. The global sensitivity of T pallidum by PCR (irrespective of the compartment tested) was 65% during primary, 53% during secondary and null during latent syphilis. No difference regarding serology or PCR results was observed among HIV-infected patients. Specificity was 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Syphilis PCR provides better sensitivity in lesion swabs from primary syphilis and displays only moderate sensitivity in blood from primary and secondary syphilis. HIV status did not modify the internal validity of PCR for the diagnosis of primary or secondary syphilis.

Executive functions and their differential contribution to sustained attention in 5- to 8-year-old children

ABSTRACT Everyday routine in general and school settings in particular make high demands on children's abilities to sustain their focus of attention over longer time periods. School tasks thus require the child to accomplish the task on an appropriate level of performance while maintaining the focus of attention even under repetitious or distracting conditions. However, sustained attention (SA) may be a more heterogeneous construct than commonly assumed as it requires the individual not only to sustain attentional capacities but also to store and maintain the task rule (working memory), to inhibit inappropriate responses (inhibition), and to switch according to requirements (switching). It might thus involve processes counted among executive functions (EF). In the present study, performance in EF tasks (covering the core components inhibition, switching, and working memory) and in a SA task was assessed in 118 children, aged between 5;0 and 8;11 years. Similar age-dependent performance trajectories were found in EF components and SA, indicating ongoing performance improvements between 5 until at least 8 years of age in SA and in EF. Interrelations between single EF components and SA showed to be small to moderate. Finally, different patterns of SA performance predictions were found in age-homogeneous subgroups with inhibition being crucial for SA performance in the youngest and switching in the oldest age group. Taken as a whole, even though similarities in assumed developmental trajectories and substantial interrelations point to common underlying processes in EF and SA, age-dependent patterns of explained variance indicate clear discriminability.

Contribution of Starlette, Stella, and AJISAI to the SLR-derived global reference frame

The contribution of Starlette, Stella, and AJI-SAI is currently neglected when defining the International Terrestrial Reference Frame, despite a long time series of precise SLR observations and a huge amount of available data. The inferior accuracy of the orbits of low orbiting geodetic satellites is the main reason for this neglect. The Analysis Centers of the International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS ACs) do, however, consider including low orbiting geodetic satellites for deriving the standard ILRS products based on LAGEOS and Etalon satellites, instead of the sparsely observed, and thus, virtually negligible Etalons. We process ten years of SLR observations to Starlette, Stella, AJISAI, and LAGEOS and we assess the impact of these Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) SLR satellites on the SLR-derived parameters. We study different orbit parameterizations, in particular different arc lengths and the impact of pseudo-stochastic pulses and dynamical orbit parameters on the quality of the solutions. We found that the repeatability of the East and North components of station coordinates, the quality of polar coordinates, and the scale estimates of the reference are improved when combining LAGEOS with low orbiting SLR satellites. In the multi-SLR solutions, the scale and the Z component of geocenter coordinates are less affected by deficiencies in solar radiation pressure modeling than in the LAGEOS-1/2 solutions, due to substantially reduced correlations between the Z geocenter coordinate and empirical orbit parameters. Eventually, we found that the standard values of Center-of-mass corrections (CoM) for geodetic LEO satellites are not valid for the currently operating SLR systems. The variations of station-dependent differential range biases reach 52 and 25 mm for AJISAI and Starlette/Stella, respectively, which is why estimating station dependent range biases or using station-dependent CoM, instead of one value for all SLR stations, is strongly recommended.This clearly indicates that the ILRS effort to produce CoM corrections for each satellite, which are site-specific and depend on the system characteristics at the time of tracking,is very important and needs to be implemented in the SLR data analysis.

"Beyond Freud and Jung": Sabina Spielrein's Contribution to Child Psychoanalysis and Developmental Psychology

Up to the present day, Sabina Spielrein has been seen as a means to deeper understanding of Freud and Jung and, in particular, the relationship between these two “great men”. This is also the reason why her scholarly achievements after her 1912 essay "Destruction as the Cause of Coming Into Being” are hardly taken into account. This study shows that Spielrein's main research work was in the areas of child analysis and developmental psychology—that is, beyond the work and the persons of Freud and Jung—and that she made numerous significant contributions to the field, so many of them ahead of her time.

Multilingualism and age:The consequences of retirement on multilingual competence

OBJECTIVES: The research question for this project mainly concentrates on the sociolinguistic aspects of a socalled “language related major life event” (De Bot, 2007): retirement. “Language related major life events” are events in the lifespan that are important for changes happening in the linguistic setting which influence the language development. In my paper I will explore changes happening around retirement in regard to multilingual competence. The focus will be on two groups: Italian migrants living in the city of Berne and Swissgerman-speakers, both at the age around retirement. The above mentioned changes can take place on two levels. (1) On the one hand, people have more time for curricular activities after retirement, which they can use in order to learn new languages or to improve their language skills. In this case we are dealing with the concept of “lifelong learning”. (2) On the other hand, language competence can be lost due to the (partial) loss of the retiree’s social network at their former workplace. METHODS: I will first examine these processes by using quantitative questionnaires in order to obtain general information on demographic data, the social situation, and a self-assessment of linguistic skills. Secondly, I will use qualitative interviews to gain in-depth information on the linguistic changes happening around retirement and their link to different factors, such as social networks, education, gender or the language biography. RESULTS: Since the project is still in its early stages of development, clear results can’t be mentioned yet. By May 2012 I will be able to present results of the quantitative study as well as a first glance into the results of the qualitative part of the project. CONCLUSION: The results of this project are meant to benefit the better insight into different aspects that haven’t been looked at in detail till this point. (1) What is the general and linguistic situation of Italian migrants who decided to remain in Switzerland after retirement and how can their linguistic skills affect their quality of living? (2) Who decides to learn a new language after retirement and how should language courses for older people be designed?

Charm contribution to bulk viscosity

In the range of temperatures reached in future heavy ion collision experiments, hadronic pair annihilations and creations of charm quarks may take place within the lifetime of the plasma. As a result, charm quarks may increase the bulk viscosity affecting the early stages of hydrodynamic expansion. Assuming thermalisation, we estimate the charm contribution to bulk viscosity within the same effective kinetic theory framework in which the light parton contribution has been computed previously. The time scale at which this physics becomes relevant is related to the width of the transport peak associated with the trace anomaly correlator and is found to be ≲20 fm/c for T≳600 MeV.

Flavor tagged time-dependent angular analysis of the B0s → J/ψΦ decay and extraction of Δ Γs and the weak phase Φs in ATLAS

A measurement of the B 0 s →J/ψϕ decay parameters, updated to include flavor tagging is reported using 4.9  fb −1 of integrated luminosity collected by the ATLAS detector from s √ =7  TeV pp collisions recorded in 2011 at the LHC. The values measured for the physical parameters are ϕ s 0.12±0.25(stat)±0.05(syst)  rad ΔΓ s 0.053±0.021(stat)±0.010(syst)  ps −1 Γ s 0.677±0.007(stat)±0.004(syst)  ps −1 |A ∥ (0)| 2 0.220±0.008(stat)±0.009(syst) |A 0 (0)| 2 0.529±0.006(stat)±0.012(syst) δ ⊥ =3.89±0.47(stat)±0.11(syst)  rad where the parameter ΔΓ s is constrained to be positive. The S -wave contribution was measured and found to be compatible with zero. Results for ϕ s and ΔΓ s are also presented as 68% and 95% likelihood contours, which show agreement with the Standard Model expectations.

Temporal variability of damage potential on roads as a conceptual contribution towards a short-term avalanche risk simulation

The fatality risk caused by avalanches on road networks can be analysed using a long-term approach, resulting in a mean value of risk, and with emphasis on short-term fluctuations due to the temporal variability of both, the hazard potential and the damage potential. In this study, the approach for analysing the long-term fatality risk has been adapted by modelling the highly variable short-term risk. The emphasis was on the temporal variability of the damage potential and the related risk peaks. For defined hazard scenarios resulting from classified amounts of snow accumulation, the fatality risk was calculated by modelling the hazard potential and observing the traffic volume. The avalanche occurrence probability was calculated using a statistical relationship between new snow height and observed avalanche releases. The number of persons at risk was determined from the recorded traffic density. The method resulted in a value for the fatality risk within the observed time frame for the studied road segment. The long-term fatality risk due to snow avalanches as well as the short-term fatality risk was compared to the average fatality risk due to traffic accidents. The application of the method had shown that the long-term avalanche risk is lower than the fatality risk due to traffic accidents. The analyses of short-term avalanche-induced fatality risk provided risk peaks that were 50 times higher than the statistical accident risk. Apart from situations with high hazard level and high traffic density, risk peaks result from both, a high hazard level combined with a low traffic density and a high traffic density combined with a low hazard level. This provided evidence for the importance of the temporal variability of the damage potential for risk simulations on road networks. The assumed dependence of the risk calculation on the sum of precipitation within three days is a simplified model. Thus, further research is needed for an improved determination of the diurnal avalanche probability. Nevertheless, the presented approach may contribute as a conceptual step towards a risk-based decision-making in risk management.

Oxygen isotope record of oceanic and high-pressure metasomatism: a P-T-time-fluid path for the Monviso eclogites (Italy)

Fluids are considered a fundamental agent for chemical exchanges between different rock types in the subduction system. Constraints on the sources and pathways of subduction fluids thus provide crucial information to reconstruct subduction processes. The Monviso ophiolitic sequence is composed of mafic, ultramafic and minor sediments that have been subducted to ~80 km depth. In this sequence, both localized fluid flow and channelized fluids along major shear zones have been documented. We investigate the timing and source of the fluids that affected the dominant mafic rocks using microscale U-Pb dating of zircon and oxygen isotope analysis of mineral zones (garnet, zircon and antigorite) in high pressure rocks with variable degree of metasomatic modification. In mafic eclogites, Jurassic zircon cores are the only mineralogical relicts of the protolith gabbros and retain δ18O values of 4.5–6 ‰, typical of mantle melts. Garnet and metamorphic zircon that grew during prograde to peak metamorphism display low δ18O values between 0.2 and 3.8 ‰, which are likely inherited from high-temperature alteration of the protolith on the sea floor. This is corroborated by δ18O values of 3.0 and 3.6 ‰ in antigorite from surrounding serpentinites. In metasomatised eclogites within the Lower Shear Zone, garnet rim formed at the metamorphic peak shows a shift to higher δ18O up to 6‰. The age of zircons in high-pressure veins and metasomatised eclogites constrains the timing of fluid flow at high pressure at around 45–46 Ma. Although the oxygen data do not contradict previous reports of interaction with serpentinite-derived fluids, the shift to isotopically heavier oxygen compositions requires contribution from sediment-derived fluids. The scarcity of metasediments in the Monviso sequence suggests that such fluids were concentrated and fluxed along the Lower Shear Zone in a sufficient amount to modify the oxygen composition of the eclogitic minerals.