The bilingual brain: Flexibility and control in the human cortex

The goal of the present review is to discuss recent cognitive neuroscientific findings concerning bilingualism. Three interrelated questions about the bilingual brain are addressed: How are multiple languages represented in the brain? how are languages controlled in the brain? and what are the real-world implications of experience with multiple languages? The review is based on neuroimaging research findings about the nature of bilingual processing, namely, how the brain adapts to accommodate multiple languages in the bilingual brain and to control which language should be used, and when. We also address how this adaptation results in differences observed in the general cognition of bilingual individuals. General implications for models of human learning, plasticity, and cognitive control are discussed.     

Some refinements concerning the boundary conditions at the macroscopic level

The study of boundary effects initiated in a previous paper is continued. New assumptions regarding the geometrical structure of the boundary surface are introduced. Under these assumptions, it is shown that macroscopic Neumann conditions do not generally affect the determination of the macroscopic field in the case of the transport process considered — heat conduction. For this type of boundary condition, the boundary effect is generally confined within a thin layer near the boundary. When heat sources are taken into account within the porous domain, the result is different. In this case, making use of a Neumann boundary condition, expressed in terms of macroscopic variables, amounts to introducing an extra flux. Under normal circumstances, however, this additional flux is negligible.Roman Letters A cross-sectional area of a unit cell - A _e cross-sectional area of a unit cell at the boundary surface - A _sf interfacial area of the s-f interface contained within the averaging volume - surface area per unit volume (A _sf/ ) - A _sf interfacial area of the s-f interface contained within the macroscopic system - g closure vector - h closure vector - k heat transfer coefficient at the s-f interface - K_eff effective thermal conductivity tensor - _x unit cell length - n unit vector - n_e outwardly directed unit normal vector at the boundary - n_sf outwardly directed unit normal vector for thes-phase at f-s interface - q heat flux density - T ^* macroscopic temperature defined by the macroscopic problem - s closure variable - V volume of the macroscopic system - V boundary surface of the macroscopic domain - V ₁ macroscopic sub-surface of the boundary surface - x local coordinate Greek Letters _s,_f volume fraction - _s, gl_f microscopic thermal conductivities - true microscopic temperature - ^* microscopic temperature corresponding toT ^* - microscopic error temperature - vector defined by Equation (34) - < > spatial average     

Gas cluster growth by solute diffusion in porous media. Experiments and automaton simulation on pore network

The study presented in this paper deals with the liquid–gas phase change by pressure decline of supersaturated CO₂ solutions in 2D porous media. The growth of the gas phase is studied experimentally and numerically as a function of supersaturation, wettability and gravity. Experiments are performed on a transparent etched network (micromodel) and simulations with a specific numerical automaton.In the experiments, the nucleation process, i.e. the occurrence of the gas bubbles, as well as the growth of these bubbles are visualised and analysed by means of a micro video camera and an image processing apparatus. The observations confirm the heterogeneous nature of nucleation and the disordered growth pattern of the gas phase. The analysis of the growth rate of a single gas cluster shows that this phenomenon is different from the compact growth of an isolated single bubble in the bulk. As previously predicted, the bubble growth by mass transfer and volume expansion in porous media is characterised by a pattern of the invasion percolation type under normal laboratory conditions.Numerical simulations of the growth pattern and the growth rate of a single gas cluster are performed with a numerical automaton. Based on a pore network modelling technique and a set of hypotheses derived from the observations, this automaton is first validated by comparing the numerical results with the experiments. Then, the automaton is used to conduct a sensitivity study. In particular, the influences of the Jakob number, pressure decline rate, Bond number, wettability and characteristics of the microstructure are investigated.     

Analysis of macrolide antibiotics in river water by solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry

A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method was developed for the determination of five macrolides in natural water samples, using kitasamycin as surrogate. The macrolides were extracted from water samples using Oasis HLB cartridges. Pre-concentration factors up to 250 were obtained. Separation was carried out in an end-capped silica-based C18 column and mobile phases consisting of water/acetonitrile mixtures containing ammonium acetate. Detection was performed by mass spectrometry with a single quadrupole and a triple quadrupole using an electrospray interface. The quality parameters obtained with these two approaches were compared. The detection limits of the whole process were about 1 ng l(-1). The recoveries from 250 ml of water samples spiked at 25-125 ng l(-1) level were in the range 85-115%, except for azithromycin levels, which were around 70%. Erythromycin-H2O, clarithromycin and azithromyzin were found, at the sub ng l(-1) level, in the studied rivers.     

Pore Network Simulation of Evaporation of a Binary Liquid from a Capillary Porous Medium

A pore-network model of evaporation of a binary liquid mixture into a ternary gas phase is developed. The model is applied to study the influence of surface tension gradients induced by composition variations of the liquid on the phase distribution within a capillary porous medium. Numerical simulations based on the proposed model show that the surface tension gradients lead to the accumulation of liquid near the open edge of the network. This surface tension gradient effect is only significant for weakly disordered porous media.     

On a weak sum theorem in dimension theory

A metric spaceX = U _i-0 ^x X is constructed such thatX _o={x _o} consists of a single pointx _o , X _i , i=0, 1, 2, … are disjoint and closed,X _i , i=1, 2, … are open, indX _i =0 fori=0, 1, … and indX=1. The above space (proved to be, in some sense, most simple) shows also that the dimension ind of a metric space can be raised by adjoining of a single point, a fact proved recently by E.K. Van Douwen and by T. Przymusiński. Some maximality property of the family {X; IndX=0} is proved and conditions implyingP-ind=P-Ind are given. This is part of a research thesis at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, towards an M.Sc. degree, directed by Professor M. Reichaw.     

Solid-phase microextraction coupled to liquid chromatography for the analysis of phenolic compounds in water

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has been applied to the analysis of priority pollutant phenolic compounds in water samples. Two types of polar fibers [50 microm Carbowax-templated resin (CW-TPR) and 60 microm polydimethylsiloxane-divinylbenzene (PDMS-DVB)] were evaluated. The effects of equilibration time and ionic strength of samples on the adsorption step were studied. The parameters affecting the desorption process, such as desorption mode, solvent composition and desorption time, were optimized. The developed method was used to determine the phenols in spiked river water samples collected in the Douro River, Portugal. Detection limits of 1-10 microg l(-1) were achieved under the optimized conditions.     

Determination of quinolones in water samples by solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection

A method is reported for the determination, in water samples, of 10 quinolones which are used as veterinary drugs. Analytes are isolated from samples by solid-phase extraction (SPE) and analysed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography using fluorimetric detection. A solid-phase extraction procedure based on retention on HBL OASIS cartridges and elution with a mixture of acetonitrile-water in basic medium is suitable for pre-concentration of the analytes. Pre-concentration factors up to 250 can be obtained. The quinolones are separated with an octyl silica-based column and mobile phases consisting of aqueous oxalic acid solutions and acetonitrile mixtures. The attained detection limits of the whole process are in the ng l(-1) level when 250 ml of water sample is processed. Recovery rates, from natural water samples spiked at 2060 ng l(-1) level, range from 70 to 100% and common standard deviation are about 6-12%.