English compound and non-compound processing in bilingual and multilingual speakers: effects of dominance and sequential multilingualism

This article reports on a study investigating the relative influence of the first and dominant language on L2 and L3 morpho-lexical processing. A lexical decision task compared the responses to English NV-er compounds (e.g., taxi driver) and non-compounds provided by a group of native speakers and three groups of learners at various levels of English proficiency: L1 Spanish-L2 English sequential bilinguals and two groups of early Spanish-Basque bilinguals with English as their L3. Crucially, the two trilingual groups differed in their first and dominant language (i.e., L1 Spanish-L2 Basque vs. L1 Basque-L2 Spanish). Our materials exploit an (a)symmetry between these languages: while Basque and English pattern together in the basic structure of (productive) NV-er compounds, Spanish presents a construction that differs in directionality as well as inflection of the verbal element (V[3SG] + N). Results show between and within group differences in accuracy and response times that may be ascribable to two factors besides proficiency: the number of languages spoken by a given participant and their dominant language. An examination of response bias reveals an influence of the participants' first and dominant language on the processing of NV-er compounds. Our data suggest that morphological information in the nonnative lexicon may extend beyond morphemic structure and that, similarly to bilingualism, there are costs to sequential multilingualism in lexical retrieval.

On the dominance of roots of characteristic equations for neutral functional differential equations

We present a sufficient condition for a zero of a function that arises typically as the characteristic equation of a linear functional differential equations of neutral type, to be simple and dominant. This knowledge is useful in order to derive the asymptotic behaviour of solutions of such equations. A simple characteristic equation, arisen from the study of delay equations with small delay, is analyzed in greater detail. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Language Dominance in Early and Late Bilinguals

The proposed presentation is a progress report from a project which is aimed at establishing some phonetic correlates of language dominance in various kinds of bilingual situations. The current object of study is Swedish students starting in classes which prepare for the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme. The IB classes in Sweden are taught in English, except for classes in Swedish and foreign languages. This means that after they enter the programme the students are exposed to and speak a good deal more English than previously.The assumption made by many students that they will, on the one hand not “damage” their Swedish, and on the other will dramatically improve their English simply by attending an English-medium school will be tested. The linguistic background of the students studied and their reasons for choosing the IB programme will be established. Their English and Swedish proficiency will be tested according to various parameters (native-like syntax, perceived foreign accent, the timing of vowels and consonants in VC sequences, vocabulary mobilisation) on arrival at the school, and again after one and three years at the school. The initial recordings are now underway.In a preliminary study involving just three young people who were bilingual in Swedish and English, the timing of the pronunciation of (C)VC syllables in Swedish and English was studied. The results of this investigation indicate that it may be possible to establish language dominance in bilingual speakers using timing data. It was found that the three subjects differed systematically in their pronunciation of the target words. One subject (15 years old), who was apparently native-like in both languages, had the V-C timing of both Swedish and English words of a native speaker of English. His brother (17 years old), who had a noticeable Swedish accent in English, pronounced both Swedish and English words in this respect like a native speaker of Swedish. The boys’ sister (9 years old) apparently had native-like timing in both languages.

Temporal indicators of language dominance in bilingual children

In the field of bilingualism it is of particular interest to stablish which, if any, of a speaker’s languages is dominant. Earlier research has shown that immigrants who acquire a new language tend to use elements of the timing patterns of the new language in their native language. It is shown here that measurements of timing in the two languages spoken by bilingual children can give information about the relative dominance of the languages for the individual speaker.

Modelling dominance in a flexible intercross analysis

The aim of this paper is to develop a flexible model for analysis of quantitative trait loci (QTL) in outbred line crosses, which includes both additive and dominance effects. Our flexible intercross analysis (FIA) model accounts for QTL that are not fixed within founder lines and is based on the variance component framework. Genome scans with FIA are performed using a score statistic, which does not require variance component estimation. RESULTS: Simulations of a pedigree with 800 F2 individuals showed that the power of FIA including both additive and dominance effects was almost 50% for a QTL with equal allele frequencies in both lines with complete dominance and a moderate effect, whereas the power of a traditional regression model was equal to the chosen significance value of 5%. The power of FIA without dominance effects included in the model was close to those obtained for FIA with dominance for all simulated cases except for QTL with overdominant effects. A genome-wide linkage analysis of experimental data from an F2 intercross between Red Jungle Fowl and White Leghorn was performed with both additive and dominance effects included in FIA. The score values for chicken body weight at 200 days of age were similar to those obtained in FIA analysis without dominance. CONCLUSION: We have extended FIA to include QTL dominance effects. The power of FIA was superior, or similar, to standard regression methods for QTL effects with dominance. The difference in power for FIA with or without dominance is expected to be small as long as the QTL effects are not overdominant. We suggest that FIA with only additive effects should be the standard model to be used, especially since it is more computationally efficient.

The cost of seasonal respiratory illnesses in Australian children: the dominance of patient and family costs and implications for vaccine use

Respiratory viral infections are one of the next group of diseases likely to be targeted for prevention in childhood by the use of vaccines. To begin collecting necessary epidemiology and cost information about the illnesses caused by these viruses, we conducted a prospective cohort study in 118 Melbourne children between 12 and 71 months of age during winter and spring 2001. We were interested in calculating an average cost per episode of community-managed acute respiratory disease, in identifying the key cost drivers of such illness, and to identify the proportion of costs borne by the patient and family. There were 202 community-managed influenza-like illnesses identified between July and December 2001, generating 89 general practitioner visits, and 42 antibiotic prescriptions. The average cost of community-managed episodes (without hospitalisation) was $241 (95% CI $191 to $291), with the key cost drivers being carer time away from usual activities caring for the ill child (70% of costs), use of non-prescription medications (5.4%), and general practice visits (5.0%). The patient and family met 87per cent of total costs. The lowest average cost occurred in households from the highest income bracket. Acute respiratory illness managed in the community is common, with the responsibility for meeting the cost of episodes predominantly borne by the patient and family in the form of lost productivity. These findings have implications for preventive strategies in children, such as the individual use of, or implementation of public programs using, currently available vaccines against influenza and vaccines under development against other viral respiratory pathogens.

Variation in gametophyte dominance in populations of Chondrus verrucosus (Gigartinaceae, Rhodophyta)

We describe the abundance, including spatial and temporal variability, of phases of the isomorphic Chondrus verrucosus Mikami from Japan. Chondrus verrucosus occurred in a dense (∼90% cover) and temporally stable bed on a small, isolated rocky outcrop (Oyakoiwa) in Shizuoka Prefecture. Small vegetative fronds were always much more abundant than large vegetative and fertile fronds over the spring to late summer periods in 1999 and 2000. Over the same period, fertile carposporophytic fronds were generally more abundant than fertile tetrasporophytic fronds, and fertile male fronds appeared infrequently at low densities. Using the resorcinol-acetal test, we determined the proportion of gametophytes and tetrasporophytes in three populations of C. verrucosus: Oyakoiwa and Noroshi (Shizuoka) in the summers of 1999 and 2000 and Kamehana Point (Miyagi) in autumn 2000. All populations had a significantly higher proportion of gametophytes than tetrasporophytes in both years, although gametophytic proportions were lower at Noroshi (∼70%) than at Oyakoiwa (∼80%) and Kamehana Point (∼97%). However, examination of all isolated individuals sampled on Noroshi showed equal proportions of each phase in 1999, but gametophyte dominance (74%) in 2000. Differences in dispersal and spore production between phases are discussed as mechanisms potentially contributing to variation in gametophyte dominance.

Testosterone, dominance signalling and immunosuppression in the house sparrow, Passer domesticus

The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis (ICHH) suggests that dominance signals are costly because their development is controlled by testosterone, which is immunosuppressive. Signal control therefore links an increased disease risk with a high quality signal. The chest bib of the house sparrow, Passer domesticus, is a signal known to be related to dominance and under control of testosterone levels. We experimentally manipulated testosterone in male sparrows during the breeding season and again independently during the post-breeding period to test whether variation in levels of testosterone could cause variation in levels of immunocompetence. There was no effect of testosterone manipulation on the cell-mediated response of birds to phytohaemagglutinin injection, nor did testosterone levels appear to affect either white blood cell ratios or red blood cell counts. In contrast, both breeding season and post-breeding season testosterone levels had significant effects upon the humoral response of the birds to sheep red blood cell injections. However, whilst testosterone during the breeding season appeared to act immunosuppressively, the role of post-breeding levels is less clear. In concordance with a previous study, there was an indication that corticosterone is involved in mediating the immunosuppressive effects of testosterone. The strength of the secondary humoral response and the cell-mediated response were negatively related suggesting the possibility of a trade-off between the different arms of the immune system. These results provide some support for the ICHH as a mechanism promoting the evolution of costly badges of status, although the results question whether the immunosuppressive cost can be mediated by testosterone at the time of badge development.

Does testosterone determine dominance in the house sparrow Passer domesticus? An experimental test

Badges of status function in many birds within a social context to establish dominance hierarchies and reduce antagonistic encounters. In order to maintain the honesty of the signalling system, such badges must be costly to produce or to maintain. The chest bib of the house sparrow functions as a badge of status and changes in size are known to be controlled by testosterone levels. We sought to test the relative importance of testosterone as opposed to bib size in determining dominance within a group of male house sparrows. We did this by manipulating testosterone levels independently during both breeding and post-breeding seasons in experimental birds and examining the effect of testosterone titre, as well as corticosterone titre relative to bib size on dominance levels. Dominance hierarchies within the groups were tested during both the breeding and post-breeding phases. We compared the results of these tests with dominance among intact (unmanipulated) birds. Results suggested that the breeding season dominance levels were largely determined by testosterone levels as well as bib size, whereas the post-breeding dominance levels were determined by postbreeding testosterone titre and previous breeding season dominance level. Within unmanipulated birds, basal corticosterone levels were significantly, negatively correlated with dominance level, but only during the breeding season. The influence of breeding season dominance on post-breeding dominance suggests social history is important in determining dominance interactions as well as current testosterone levels and bib size.

Incorporation of fused tetrathiafulvalenes (TTFs) into polythiophene architectures : varying the electroactive dominance of the TTF species in hybrid systems

A novel polythienylenevinylene (PTV) and two new polythiophenes (PTs), featuring fused tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) units, have been prepared and characterized by ultraviolet−visible (UV−vis) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroelectrochemistry. All polymers undergo two sequential, reversible oxidation processes in solution. Structures in which the TTF species is directly linked to the polymer backbone (2 and 4) display redox behavior which is dictated by the fulvalene system. Once the TTF is spatially removed from the polymer chain by a nonconjugated link (polymer 3), the electroactivity of both TTF and polythiophene moieties can be detected. Computational studies confirm the delocalization of charge over both electroactive centers (TTF and PT) and the existence of a triplet dication intermediate. PTV 4 has a low band gap (1.44 eV), is soluble in common organic solvents, and is stable under ambient conditions. Organic solar cells of polymer 4:[6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁ butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) have been fabricated. Under illumination, a photovoltaic effect is observed with a power conversion efficiency of 0.13% under AM1.5 solar simulated light. The onset of photocurrent at 850 nm is consistent with the onset of the π−π absorption band of the polymer. Remarkably, UV−vis spectroelectrochemistry of polymer 4 reveals that the conjugated polymer chain remains unchanged during the oxidation of the polymer.

A possible anatomical and biomechanical explanation of the 10% rule used in the clinical assessment of prehensile hand movements and handed dominance

Abstract
A current doctrine in the dynamometric approach to determine lateralization of hand function states that in 10% of cases, the non-dominant hand will be stronger than the dominant hand. In this study, a novel MRI based modelling approach was applied to the first dorsal introsseus muscle (FDI), to determine whether the 10% rule may be applied to the FDI and may be partially explained by the arrangement of the anatomical components of the FDI.

Methods
Initially the force generated by the thumb segment during an isometric pushing task in the horizontal plane was measured from 25 strongly right-handed young males. Nine of these participants then had structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) of the thumb and index osseous compartment. A modelling technique was developed to extract the muscle data and quantify the muscle line of action onto to the first metacarpal bone segment in order to quantify the muscle force at the point of momentary rotation – equilibrium.

Results
Eight of 25 subjects exhibited stronger force from the left hand. Six out of nine subjects from the MRI possessed significantly greater angles of attachment of the index osseous compartment on the left (non-dominant) hand. These six subjects also generated greater maximal isometric forces from the FDI of the left side. There was a significantly greater muscle volume for the right FDI muscle as compared to the left as measured from the reconstructed MRI slice data.

Conclusions
The calculated force produced by the muscle is related to the angle of attachment of the muscle to bone in the index osseous compartment. The MRI findings indicate that the 10% rule may be anatomically and biomechanically explained.