Electroweak Nuclear Properties from Single Molecular Ions in a Penning Trap.

We present a novel technique to probe electroweak nuclear properties by measuring parity violation (PV) in single molecular ions in a Penning trap. The trap's strong magnetic field Zeeman shifts opposite-parity rotational and hyperfine molecular states into near degeneracy. The weak interaction-induced mixing between these degenerate states can be larger than in atoms by more than 12 orders of magnitude, thereby vastly amplifying PV effects. The single molecule sensitivity would be suitable for applications to nuclei across the nuclear chart, including rare and unstable nuclei.

[The effect of age in a planning and arranging task ('Mexican pyramid') among schoolchildren]. / Efecto de la edad en una tarea de planificación y organización ('pirámide de México') en escolares.

AIM: To analyze the influence of age on the performance of a planning and organization task, two skills included in the executive functions. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Performance of the task 'Mexican pyramid' from the Evaluacion Neuropsicologica Infantil (ENI) were analyzed on 239 school age children from México and Colombia, distributed in six age groups. Five measures were analyzed: number of correct designs, number of movements per design and execution time in the correct designs, number of correct designs built with the minimum of movements and its execution time. RESULTS: There was a significant effect of age on the five measures. Comparison between groups showed that younger children (5 to 6 years old) had a smaller number of correct designs, while children from 5 to 8 years old need more movements. Execution time showed a greater number of differences between groups. Analyzing the 11 items of the task, it was evident that difficulty level is related with the number of movements and the novelty of rules. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that accuracy of performance, the number of moves as well as the speed of performance are useful markers of the development of the executive functions. Our results support the notion that the development of planning and organization; is fast in the first years of the school age, and it slows down on adolescence.

Efecto de la edad en una tarea de planificación y organización (‘pirámide de México’) en escolares / The effect of age in a planning and arranging task (‘Mexican Pyramid’) among school children

Objetivo. Conocer los cambios relacionados con la edad en una tarea de planificación y organización, como componentes de las funciones ejecutivas. Sujetos y métodos. Se analizó la ejecución en la ‘pirámide de México’ de la evaluación neuropsi-cológica infantil en 239 escolares de México y Colombia de 5 a 16 años de edad, distribuidos en seis grupos. Se utilizaron cinco medidas: número de aciertos, número de movimientos y tiempo de ejecución en los diseños correctos, número de aciertos y tiempo de ejecución en los diseños correctos realizados con el mínimo de movimientos. Resultados. Se observó un efecto de la edad sobre las cinco medidas. En comparación con los otros grupos, los niños de 5 a 6 años tienen una menorcantidad de diseños correctos; los de 5 a 8 años requieren mayor número de movimientos. El tiempo de ejecución mostró un mayor número de diferencias intragrupales. El análisis por ensayo reveló que el grado de dificultad se relaciona con la cantidadde movimientos y lo novedoso de las reglas. Conclusiones. Además del número de aciertos y de movimientos invertidos para lograr cada acierto, el tiempo de ejecución es un indicador útil del desarrollo de estas funciones, dado que la rapidez enla ejecución es la que marca diferencias mayores entre los niños. Nuestros resultados apoyan la existencia de un desarrollo acelerado de las funciones de planificación y organización durante los primeros años de la etapa escolar, que sigue un cursomás lento en la adolescencia

Aim. To analyze the influence of age on the performance of a planning and organization task, two skills includedin the executive functions. Subjects and methods. Performance of the task ‘Mexican pyramid’ from the Evaluación Neuropsicológica Infantil (ENI) were analyzed on 239 school age children from México and Colombia, distributed in six age groups.Five measures were analyzed: number of correct designs, number of movements per design and execution time in the correct designs, number of correct designs built with the minimum of movements and its execution time. Results. There was a significant effect of age on the five measures. Comparison between groups showed that younger children (5 to 6 years old) hada smaller number of correct designs, while children from 5 to 8 years old need more movements. Execution time showed a greater number of differences between groups. Analyzing the 11 items of the task, it was evident that difficulty level is related with the number of movements and the novelty of rules. Conclusions. Our results suggest that accuracy of performance, the number of moves as well as the speed of performance are useful markers of the development of the executive functions. Our results support the notion that the development of planning and organization; is fast in the first years of the school age, and it slows down on adolescence