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Objective: The study aimed to analyse personality disorders among patients in the early phase of psychotherapy as a source of variance in the quality of the emerging alliance. Methods: The sample consisted of 131 individual psychotherapy patients with borderline (BPD), narcissistic (NPD), dependent (DPD) and obsessive–compulsive (OCPD) personality disorders and 131 psychotherapists. Different sources of alliance estimation were included. Therapeutic alliance was operationalized on several dimensions. The hypothesis was tested using an independent samples one‐way analysis of variance. Results: The study revealed a significant effect of personality disorder type on early therapeutic alliance quality. BPD patients rated their early alliance the lowest compared to NPD, DPD and OCPD patients. This trend was dominant and replicated regardless of who rated the alliance and which dimension of alliance was estimated. Conclusions: NPD, DPD and OCPD patients have better initial therapeutic alliances than BPD patients, and their alliances do not differ significantly. BPD patients build weaker alliances, and what poses a challenge for them is not only developing a strong and close bond but also conceptualizing goals and reaching agreement on tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flow is an intrinsic motivational state associated with full task engagement, positive affect, and enhanced performance. While research has examined how different language tasks interact with flow experiences, no study has examined learner flow experiences in a wide range of tasks using an experience sampling method to determine how universal basic task features (e.g., modality, participant structure, information distribution, and targeted skills) interact with flow. The present study aims to respond to this gap in the research. Participants were 13 teachers and 327 students from 18 intact French L2 classes in a Canadian postsecondary school. Teachers selected and implemented an average of six tasks from their personal repertoires at random moments throughout the semester. Immediately following each task, learners anonymously completed a flow experience questionnaire (N = 1408; α = 0.91), and teachers a task description questionnaire containing 17 basic task features (N = 81). Statistical analyses show that 10 of the 17 variables significantly interacted with learners' flow experiences. The results not only validate a frequently used flow measurement and establish norms for future research but also outline a framework language teachers can use to evaluate and modify practices to improve learners' subjective classroom experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In classrooms that use small‐group tasks, some groups may finish earlier than others and there may be concern that early finishers will become disengaged. However, early finishing remains relatively under‐examined. This paper uses conversation analysis to investigate how EFL students in a Japanese university finish tasks early. It describes a set of practices students use to finish tasks and reveals how students orient to the achievement of task outcomes. The study finds that students may have more to say on task topics than a task allows, and early finishers may develop these topics in post‐task talk in the target language. The paper argues that early finishing may lead to useful language practice and teachers should therefore be cautious when assigning extra work to early finishers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While task repetition is effective for improving oral fluency, some teachers are reluctant to use it in their classrooms due to the alleged negative perceptions of learners toward repetitive practice. To address this concern, the participants in the current study completed a posttask questionnaire probing their perceptions toward task repetition practice, focusing on metacognitive judgment (i.e., the number of task repetitions considered effective) and emotional engagement (i.e., enjoyment and concentration). Prior to taking the survey, 64 second language learners individually performed the same picture‐description task six times under one of the three repetition schedules (massed, short‐spaced, and long‐spaced condition). Their posttask questionnaire results indicated that task repetition was perceived as an effective and engaging activity (about four to five performances were deemed to be most optimal). Relative to massed task repetition, short‐ and long‐spaced schedules led to higher perceived effectiveness and emotional engagement. Moreover, while the short‐spaced group made accurate metacognitive judgment of their fluency gains, learners in the massed practice condition overestimated their fluency gains, possibly due to enjoyment and illusion of high competence. These findings indicate that spacing between task repetitions can influence learners' engagement in the task, which can impact their fluency development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A time interval can be presented as a duration (e.g., 10 days) or a calendar date (e.g., May 10). This study examines the influence of time descriptions on task scheduling. Results of 10 studies (N = 2,129) present evidence that people tend to schedule their tasks earlier when the time interval is described as a duration than a date. This time description effect is accounted for by different mindsets. People tend to have an implemental mindset when time is described as a duration (vs. date) because of stronger feelings of being inside the time frame. This mindset affects decisions on scheduling when to initiate future tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Cloud computing services are used to fulfill user requests, often expressed in the form of tasks and their execution in such environments requires efficient scheduling strategies that take into account both algorithmic and architectural characteristics. Unfortunately, this problem is known to be NP‐hard in its general form. Despite the fact that several studies have been published in the literature, there are still interesting and relevant questions to be addressed. Indeed, most of the previous studies focus on a single objective and in the case where they deal with a set of objectives, they use a simple compromise function and do not consider how each of the parameters might influence the others. To this end, we propose an efficient task scheduling algorithm which is based on the pollination behavior of flowers and makes use of both Pareto optimality principle and TOPSIS technique to improve the quality of the obtained solutions. Both single and multiobjective optimization variants are investigated. In the latter case, three optimization criteria are considered, namely, minimizing the time makespan or schedule length, the execution cost, and maximizing the overall reliability of the task mapping. Different test‐bed scenarios and QoS metrics were considered and the obtained results corroborate the merits of the proposed algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relations between two forms of joint action (JA)—movement coordination (MC) and goal attainment—and theory of mind (ToM), contrasting the interactionist and traditional cognitivist views. A custom task was carried out to measure the properties of the JAs between children and their parents, while classical tasks were performed to measure first‐ and second‐order ToM. Thereafter, cross‐recurrence quantification analysis was applied to quantify participants' movements. The children were from Poland and were aged 42, 66, and 78 months (N = 297, 133 girls, White, from a large city). The results suggested that the characteristics of dyad MC influence goal attainment and are related to children's first‐order ToM (R2 =.447) but not to their second‐order ToM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an ongoing debate on how different components of the event‐related potential (ERP) to threat‐related facial expressions are modulated by attentional conditions and interindividual differences in trait anxiety. In the current study (N = 80), we examined ERPs to centrally presented, task‐irrelevant fearful and neutral faces, while participants had to solve a face‐unrelated visual task, which differed in difficulty and spatial position. Critically, we used a fixation‐controlled experimental design and ensured the spatial attention manipulation by spectral analysis of the EEG. Besides the factors emotion, spatial attention, and perceptual load, we also investigated correlations between trait anxiety and ERPs. While P1 emotion effects were insignificant, the N170 was increased to fearful faces regardless of load and spatial attention conditions. During the EPN time window, a significantly increased negativity for fearful faces was observed only during low load and spatial attention to the face. We found no significant relationship between ERPs and trait anxiety, questioning the hypothesis of a general hypersensitivity toward fearful expressions in anxious individuals. These results show a high resistance of the N170 amplitude increase for fearful faces to spatial attention and task load manipulations. By contrast, the EPN modulation by fearful faces index a resource‐dependent stage of the ERP, requiring both spatial attention at the location of faces and low load of the face‐irrelevant task. The human brain responds differentially to fearful expressions. It remains unclear how and when attentional constraints attenuate differential processing. We systematically tested how spatial attention, task load, and trait anxiety affect neuronal processing to resolve this question. We found that early (N170) ERP responses to fearful faces were independent of attention task manipulations, in contrast to a subsequent resource‐dependent processing stage (EPN). Further, we found no significant relationship between ERP responses and trait anxiety, questioning the hypothesis of a general hypersensitivity toward fearful expressions in anxious individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Response conflict evoked by a distractor stimulus object in interference tasks is associated with longer reaction times and a pronounced ERP component referred to as the fronto‐central N2. Increasing the proportion congruency (PC, i.e., the proportion of trials in which target and distractor are associated with the same response) is assumed to enhance distractor‐evoked conflict via defocusing of attention. Findings concerning the effect of the PC on the N2 in Eriksen flanker task experiments have been inconsistent, however, lending little support to the notion that the N2 reflects a conflict monitoring process. Here, we analyze the N2 in a temporal flanker task, in which the distractor stimuli, presented in advance of the target, elicit pronounced activation of the associated responses (as inferred from the lateralized readiness potential) when the PC is high. Consistent with result pattern obtained in other tasks involving successive presentation of the distractor and the target, conflict trials in a high‐PC condition evoked a particularly large N2. These findings accord with the assumption that the N2 reflects either conflict monitoring or conflict‐induced regulatory measures (i.e., reactive control). In light of the discrepancy of results obtained under conditions of simultaneous and successive distractor–target presentation, we speculate that the N2 is pronounced in situations that offer strong hints for classifying dominating response activation as incorrect, possibly reflecting particular control to counter this activation. Additional properties of the temporal flanker task, related to ERP investigations, are discussed. We present novel evidence concerning the role of the fronto‐central N2 in conflict tasks. Although our results meet the predictions of a conflict monitoring account, they suggest particular sensitivity of the N2 to dominance of (discernibly) incorrect response activation. This may be helpful in reconciling discrepant findings of proportion congruency modulations obtained with different types of conflict tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Cloud computing has been progressively popular in the arenas of research and business in the recent years. Virtualization is a resource management approach used in today's cloud computing environment. Virtual Machine (VM) migration algorithms allow for more dynamic resource allocation, as well as improvement in computing power and communication capability in cloud data centers. This necessitates an intelligent optimization approach to VM allocation design for an improved performance of application. In this article, a multi‐objective optimal design approach is proposed to tackle the tasks of VM allocation. Multi‐Objective Optimization (MOO) is a strategy adopted by several methods to handle tasks and workflow scheduling issues that deal with numerous opposing goals. In the cloud computing context, effective task scheduling is critical for achieving cost effective implementation as well as resource utilization. To address the optimal solution, this article proposes an entropy‐based multi objective mayfly algorithm is assessed using a convergence pattern in MOO. The model is tested by implementing in a cloud simulator and results prove that the recommended model has an improved performance with regard to factors such as time and utilization rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: With the development of computing technology and the popularization of application in 5G network, mobile‐edge computing (MEC), which can effectively reduce time delay and save energy consumption, has attracted extensive attention from the academic community. How to make a suitable allocation decision for tasks becomes one of the critical issues in MEC systems. In order to yield the most benefit to a newly arriving task, by placing a decision making module (DMM) in a mobile device, a MEC system architecture is presented. Based on the net benefit of a newly arriving task, the DMM makes a decision of dropping the task, allocating the task to the local execution system, or offloading the task to the MEC server via the transmission system. From the observable perspective of task individuals, a pure threshold strategy is proposed to show that a Nash equilibrium is always allowed. By constructing a two‐dimensional continuous‐time Markov chain, a social optimal threshold strategy is proposed. Numerical results show that threshold under the pure threshold strategy is always greater than that under the social optimal threshold strategy. For this, a charging policy is presented to coincide the pure threshold strategy with the social optimal threshold strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edge computing is expected to be a promising paradigm to provide low‐latency services. Tasks from resource‐limited users can be offloaded to edge servers for efficient execution within a limit time. This innovative technique has attracted widespread attention. Task migration is one of the important problems in mobile edge computing (MEC). Taking vehicle network as an example, during the moving process, a vehicle passes through multiple edge servers and decisions about where to migrate the task need to be made. The moving direction should be emphasized since it directly determines a vehicle's trajectory. Nevertheless, few existing works take the moving direction into consideration. In this paper, task migration issue during the vehicle's mobility process is investigated and the moving direction is specifically considered. The direction helps exclude meaningless selections. The moving process can be formulated as a Markov decision process (MDP) and effort is made to design an adaptive algorithm with direction consideration, aiming at minimizing the total communication time while satisfying the deadline of each task. Based on deep Q network (DQN), we devise a Soft update and parameter Noise applied algorithm DQN‐SN, trying to enlarge action exploration space and stabilize the target network's parameter placement in training process. Besides, with the goal of building credible MEC, a credit‐based scheme is also introduced to establish a trusted edge environment. Extensive experiments are conducted to evaluate the performance of our proposed algorithm. Compared to Greedy algorithm and DQN, the total consumed task communication time of DQN‐SN shows 10–20% reduction. Furthermore, the algorithms with the direction factor always outperform the algorithms without direction consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of Internet‐of‐Things (IoT) and mobile devices, the IoT applications become more computation‐intensive and latency‐sensitive, which bring severe challenges to the resource‐limited devices. Mobile Edge Computing has served as a key promising method to enhance the network's computing capability by enabling resource‐constrained devices to offload tasks to the edge servers. A major challenge, which has been overlooked by most existing works on task offloading, is the dependencies among tasks and subtasks. In this paper, the subtask offloading with logical dependency for IoT applications is focused on. Specifically, subtask dependent graphs are employed to explore the dependency of subtasks and consider the priority of task scheduling. Further, an offloading scheme is put forward for minimizing both task latency and energy consumption of the device with dependency guarantees for all IoT tasks in multi‐server edge networks. Finaly, the simulation results demonstrate that the overall reduction rate is around 14% and relatively stable can effectively reduce task latency in multi‐server edge networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: This research article formulates contemporary approach named multi‐objective reliability‐based workflow scheduler. Numerous strategies have been proposed in the past to prioritize and map the tasks to cloud resources. Though the recent studies lead to efficient solutions however they are restrained in terms of performance due to lack of resource consideration based on utilization rate and reliability index. It is crucial to consider reliability parameter while mapping tasks onto the virtual machines and not just the reliability value, but the cost incurred must also be minimized. To this end, the proposed strategy has been categorized into four modules, (i) scrutiny of reliable VMs, (ii) task ranking, (iii) optimizing the task re‐ordering using flower pollination optimization, and (iv) task mapping onto the VM. It intends to map task onto the most suitable machine in terms of makespan, efficiency, and incurred cost. In the experimental setup, four scientific workflows have been considered namely, LIGO, Genome, Cybershake, and Montage, they have been tested on the proposed approach while making comparison with the existing approaches namely FPA, GWO, and GA. The simulation results justified the claims by allocating resources to the cloudlets efficiently and stabilizing all the aforementioned parameters by attaining performance measures adequately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Power equipment detection and localization is the key component of automatic inspection tasks in substations. To solve the challenges such as complex environment and lack of training data, utilization of context information is considered here. For substation scenes, object relation modelling (RM) is proven to be useful, but an end‐to‐end efficient framework which is suitable for non‐Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) is still missing. Therefore, an extended Transformer network with an elaborately designed RM module is proposed. As the foundation, transformer network is better than CNN in terms of context dependency construction. On top of that, an RM module is plugged to adjust the decoded feature embeddings based on their appearance, position and class information. The module is based on a graph attention neural network which uses similarity as weights of nodes. The experiments show that the proposed method has a 16.2% improvement in accuracy compared to pipeline, and even 6.4% higher than the most recent models, largely promoting the construction of intelligent substations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a three‐stage algorithm based on clustering decomposition and task allocation—improved clustering planning algorithm (iK‐iD‐N), aiming at the optimization task allocation problem of drones in actual application to meet the task demand constraints. The algorithm solves the problem of the number of drones demanded and the initial delivery range of each drone by introducing dual‐objective planning into the clustering decomposition. Combining improved Dijkstra algorithm (iK‐D) with neighbourhood insertion algorithm into task allocation, to get high‐quality solutions and solve efficiently. Compared with the existing ant colony algorithm, the iK‐iD‐N algorithm proposed in this paper is more efficient and can obtain the best and stable solutions while evenly distributing tasks. Then it is compared with the improved clustering algorithm combined with the basic iK‐D to get better solutions of the iK‐iD‐N algorithm at any time, and compared with the basic clustering algorithm with the improved task allocation algorithm (K‐iD‐N) that iK‐ iD‐N can get a better solution with high probability. The thesis also simulates and analyzes the impact of uncertainty requirements on the solutions based on drone demand and task allocation models, and discusses the impact of drone load capability and endurance capability constraints on the final solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel co‐operative mean field type game based task offloading strategy is proposed for multi‐access edge computing networks. The objective is to optimally determine the tasks offloaded to each edge computing node (ECN) in the network so that to balance the overall system performance and individual revenue of each ECN. To do so, the utility function of each ECN is first formulated, which is the payback of his time and energy cost for processing the tasks, tailed with the penalty from the network for not processing the tasks on time. A mean field type game is then formulated, where each ECN can either cooperate or compete with each other to maximize their own utility. With respect to the proposed game, the direct method is applied to find the final solutions. Simulation results reveal that the proposed strategy can well balance the utility of each ECN and the overall efficiency of the system, leading to a better performance compared with its cooperative‐ and competitive‐counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Therapist appropriate responsivity to client ambivalence and resistance is considered an important interpersonal skill to avoid disengagement and ensure a continued collaborative, productive process. The present study examined the predictive validity of the newly developed Resistance Vignette Task (RVT), a 10‐item rapidly administered measure of therapist ability to appropriately respond to various presentations of client resistance. Methods: Following a resistance management workshop, the concurrent and prospective predictive capacity of RVT scores were examined through test interviews with ambivalent simulators and volunteers. Results: Prospectively, in test interviews with ambivalent interviewees, higher RVT scores immediately postworkshop were associated with significantly greater responsivity (appropriate responsivity and fewer responsivity errors) at 4‐month follow‐up. RVT scores at the 4‐month follow‐up point were also concurrently associated with significantly greater therapist responsivity and lower levels of interviewee resistance. Conclusions: These findings provide further validation for the RVT as a measure of therapist responsivity in vivo, in actual interviews by predicting and being concurrently associated with therapist performance in response to client resistance. Thus, the RVT holds promise in advancing therapist training, as well as research on resistance as it represents an efficient measure of this key therapist skill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children engage cognitive control reactively when they encounter conflicts; however, they can also resolve conflicts proactively. Recent studies have begun to clarify the mechanisms that support the use of proactive control in children; nonetheless, sufficient knowledge has not been accumulated regarding these mechanisms. Using behavioral and pupillometric measures, we tested the novel possibility that 5‐year‐old children (N = 58) learn to use proactive control via the acquisition of abstract task knowledge that captures regularities of the task. Participants were assigned to either a proactive training group or a control training group. In the proactive training group, participants engaged in a training phase where using proactive control was encouraged, followed by a test phase using different stimuli where both proactive and reactive control could be used. In the control training group, participants engaged in a training phase where both cognitive control strategies could be used, followed by a similarly‐structured test phase using different stimuli. We demonstrated children in the control training group responded more quickly and accurately and showed greater cue‐related pupil dilation in the test phase than in the training phase. However, there were no differences in response times, accuracies, and pupil dilation between the proactive and control training groups in the training and test phases. These findings suggest that prior task experience, that goes beyond specific knowledge about the timing of task goal activation, can lead children to engage more proactive control endogenously, even if they are not directly encouraged to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2010, a new research stream began on collective intelligence (CI), defined as a group's general ability to perform consistently well across a wide variety of tasks. Subsequent empirical evidence presents a mixed picture. Some studies have found groups to exhibit CI while others have not. To resolve these disparate results, we compare 21 experimental studies to understand what influences whether groups exhibit CI. We find that task structure is a boundary condition for CI in that groups exhibit CI across well‐structured tasks but not across ill‐structured tasks. For ill‐structured tasks, CI has a more nuanced set of multiple factors that may be interpreted as different facets of CI. This research extends our understanding of CI by suggesting that the original definition of CI was too all‐encompassing. CI should be reconceptualized as a multi‐dimensional phenomenon, similar to research on individual intelligence. We highlight avenues for future research to continue to move CI research forward, particularly regarding ill‐structured tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We document that between 50% and 70% of changes in the U.S. wage structure over the last four decades are accounted for by relative wage declines of worker groups specialized in routine tasks in industries experiencing rapid automation. We develop a conceptual framework where tasks across industries are allocated to different types of labor and capital. Automation technologies expand the set of tasks performed by capital, displacing certain worker groups from jobs for which they have comparative advantage. This framework yields a simple equation linking wage changes of a demographic group to the task displacement it experiences. We report robust evidence in favor of this relationship and show that regression models incorporating task displacement explain much of the changes in education wage differentials between 1980 and 2016. The negative relationship between wage changes and task displacement is unaffected when we control for changes in market power, deunionization, and other forms of capital deepening and technology unrelated to automation. We also propose a methodology for evaluating the full general equilibrium effects of automation, which incorporate induced changes in industry composition and ripple effects due to task reallocation across different groups. Our quantitative evaluation explains how major changes in wage inequality can go hand‐in‐hand with modest productivity gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nudging interventions typically presume some asymmetry of sophistication and power between the choice architect and the nudged. But the nudged need not be relegated to a passive role. We present evidence that individuals have a capacity to counter their biases, and even to use them to their advantage. This capacity for behavioral self‐management ("BSM") can allow them to act as the choice architects of their future‐self. In our study, we provide participants with the autonomy to choose among a variety of loss‐ and gain‐framed contracts that govern the terms under which they perform a real effort task. The results show that subjects strategically harness their own loss aversion to counter their present bias and significantly improve their performance. The loss‐framed contracts give individuals a tool they can use to self‐nudge. This possibility of self‐nudging should widen our perspective on biases. Biases can cause cognitive error and dampen motivation, but they can also be a valuable tool for individual decision making. And giving subjects the autonomy to choose their favored contract adds to the effectiveness of their BSM strategy. We show that subjects' experience self‐determination utility separate from performance benefits driven by a better adjustment of work tasks to subjects' production functions. To demonstrate the policy relevance of our results, we expand on an application of BSM strategies to retirement savings plans, which we suggest may lift participation and savings rates at no additional cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The behavior of account‐holders has been a blind spot in the accountability literature. Relatively little is known about why account‐holders prioritize certain aspects of their account‐holding mandates and emphasize certain account‐holding tasks over others. A reputational perspective has the potential to fill this knowledge gap. This article illustrates how reputational considerations shape the ways in which account‐holders manage their account‐holding roles through a critical case study of the European Court of Auditor's shifting focus toward a more salient account‐holding role. Amid concerns about a lack of visibility, generating audience attention is found to be a central characteristic of this shift. The study demonstrates how reputational strategies for managing account‐holding roles depend on the reputational threats and audience expectations that account‐holders face in their environments. With a lack of visibility being a pressing reputational threat, the European Court of Auditors is accordingly shifting its account‐holding focus toward the spotlight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enabling shared experiences could be key to managing technology projects successfully. The advantages gained from the experience of working together can be complemented, but also offset, by common aspects of technology projects—like the dispersion of team members and the integration of heterogeneous tasks across global sites. This study develops and tests a conceptual framework that scrutinizes the impact of team familiarity and task allocation challenges. It identifies three elements of task allocation in technology projects that affect the familiarization process: (i) team (im)balance, (ii) task (im)balance, and (iii) task heterogeneity. An examination of 27,948 software tasks in six projects involving teams working apart on heterogeneous and dispersed tasks in the Netherlands and India shows that the experience of working together apart reduces the average cost of software tasks. This positive effect is enhanced by task heterogeneity and team balance, despite being hampered by task balance. These findings shed new light on task allocation challenges in cross‐organizational technology projects distributed over the world. Highlights: Experience of working together involving teams operating remotely on technology projects increases the familiarization process, leading to a reduction in costs.Balancing team members across remote locations enhances this cost‐reducing familiarization process, while tasks should not be balanced across remote locations because this hampers familiarization.Task heterogeneity in globally distributed technology projects encourages knowledge sharing, which improves the cost‐reducing familiarization process.Managers can stimulate balancing team members and imbalanced task allocations within a technology project, while optimizing task‐personnel allocation across multiple technology projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the near future, robots are believed to be assistants and collaborators for mankind, and robots will operate the same user interfaces with humans. Therefore, a question naturally arises whether an interface originally designed for humans is also suitable for an ordinary robot. The question is explored and discussed by considering the kinematic difference between those of humans and ordinary robots in their natural operation ways on user interface. Methodologically, Fitts' law and several motor‐related factors, such as touch accuracy, tapping efficiency, etc, are used as the evaluation principles in operations. The operation difference between humans and robot on a classic pointing task on 2D touch screen is symmetrically analysed and compared. It was found that whether the robot could finish the tasks largely related to the ratio of robot's max touch error and target width. It is believed the exploration in this work provides valuable cues for future design of user interface and intelligent algorithm in human–robot collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore the role of CRNs in Sweden and differences in competences and tasks, using the Clinical Trial Nursing Questionnaire – Swedish version (CTNQ‐SWE). Design: A cross‐sectional survey. Methods: Participants were identified through strategic sampling. Data were analysed by descriptive and comparative statistics. Results: The respondents were experienced nurses who felt proficient in their role, they felt more acceptance by the principal investigators than by nursing colleagues. A majority of CRNs are involved in all procedures specified in the CTNQ‐SWE. The most often performed tasks, also rated as the most important by the CRNs, concerned informed consent and management of investigational products. The education was often informal: with a lack of job descriptions and professional development plans. Need of formal specialist education was expressed. Conclusions: Knowledge about the role description can be used by clinical research enterprise internationally and healthcare organizations aiming to support CRNs in their role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Cloud computing is the provision of on‐demand computing resources over the internet and on a pay‐as‐you‐go basis, ranging from software to computation power. Task scheduling and its execution is a fundamental requirement of cloud environment. However, dynamic scheduling of tasks on basis of priority is a challenging area such that the tasks finish before their deadline. Earliest Deadline First (EDF) has been considered in literature for task scheduling to meet the deadlines. However, basic EDF (i.e., which schedules tasks on basis of deadline only)is not suitable for cloud environment. Therefore, this work proposes modified Preemptive EDF (p‐EDF) and Non‐Preemptive EDF (np‐EDF) algorithms considering task priority and cloud provider cost. As both algorithms have their own merits and de‐merits, a hybrid EDF is further proposed which makes decision dynamically whether to cause preemption or not, using a Determiner function. The objective of the work is to avoid unnecessary wastage of CPU power and time due to unnecessary preemptions, along with avoiding unnecessary deadline misses such that the high priority task does not wait for the low priority task to end. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms other considered benchmark scheme for different performance parameters such as Deadline Miss Count, Preemption Count and average waiting time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review and meta‐analysis considered evidence of guided play compared to direct instruction or free play to support children's learning and development. Interventions from 39 studies were reviewed (published 1977–2020); 17 were included in meta‐analysis (Ntotal = 3893; Mchildage = 1–8 years; Mgirls 49.8%; Methnicity White 41%, African American/Black 28%, Hispanic 19%). Guided play had a greater positive effect than direct instruction on early maths skills (g = 0.24), shape knowledge (g = 0.63), and task switching (g = 0.40); and than free play on spatial vocabulary (g = 0.93). Differences were not identified for other key outcomes. Narrative synthesis highlighted heterogeneity in the conceptualization and implementation of guided play across studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates whether symbolic cues that are relevant biologically (e.g., eye gaze) and behaviorally (e.g., arrows) have analogous characteristics and function similarly in terms of attentional resource consumption. Both cues induce attentional orienting when they do not indicate a target location, but it remains unclear whether cuing effects by those cues have similar characteristics. We recently found that cuing effects by non‐predictive gaze cues remain intact when a spatial working memory task is concurrently performed. Here, we examined whether non‐predictive arrow cues induce cuing effects when spatial working memory is occupied. To this end, we conducted a dual‐task paradigm consisting of cuing (gaze and arrow) and spatial working memory tasks. In the cuing task, participants judged whether a peripherally presented target was positioned at left or right while ignoring the centrally presented cues. In the spatial working memory task, participants performed a change‐detection task. In the dual‐task condition, participants performed the two tasks on the same trial. In Experiment 1, we observed cuing effects by both gaze and arrows, even when the spatial working memory task was concurrently performed, although reaction times were overall faster in the gaze than arrow conditions. In Experiment 2, we rejected the possibility that automatic visual orienting found in Experiment 1 had been induced by simple motion perception of gaze and arrow cues. The present study suggests that biologically and behaviorally relevant symbolic cues have analogous traits with respect to resource processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing energy consumption under processors' temperature constraints has recently become a pressing issue in real‐time multiprocessor systems on chips (MPSoCs). The high temperature of processors affects the power and reliability of the MPSoC. Low energy consumption is necessary for real‐time embedded systems, as most of them are portable devices. Efficient task mapping on processors has a significant impact on reducing energy consumption and the thermal profile of processors. Several state‐of‐the‐art techniques have recently been proposed for this issue. This paper proposes Q‐scheduler, a novel technique based on the deep Q‐learning technology, to dispatch tasks between processors in a real‐time MPSoC. Thousands of simulated tasks train Q‐scheduler offline to reduce the system's power consumption under temperature constraints of processors. The trained Q‐scheduler dispatches real tasks in a real‐time MPSoC online while also being trained regularly online. Q‐scheduler dispatches multiple tasks in the system simultaneously with a single process; the effectiveness of this ability is significant, especially in a harmonic real‐time system. Experimental results illustrate that Q‐scheduler reduces energy consumption and temperature of processors on average by 15% and 10%, respectively, compared to previous state‐of‐the‐art techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gaining autonomy is a key aspect of growing up and cognitive control development across childhood. However, little is known about how children engage cognitive control in an autonomous (or self‐directed) fashion. Here, we propose that in order to successfully engage self‐directed control, children identify, and achieve goals by tracking contextual information and using this information to select relevant tasks. To disentangle the respective contributions of these processes, we manipulated the difficulty of context‐tracking via altering the presence or absence of contextual support (Study 1) and the difficulty of task selection by varying task difficulty (a)symmetry (Study 2) in 5–6 and 9‐10‐year‐olds, and adults. Results suggested that, although both processes contribute to successful self‐directed engagement of cognitive control, age‐related progress mostly relates to context‐tracking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of hemispheric specialization have traditionally cast the left hemisphere as specialized for language and the right hemisphere for spatial function. Much of the supporting evidence for this separation of function comes from studies of healthy adults and those who have sustained lesions to the right or left hemisphere. However, we know little about the developmental origins of lateralization. Recent evidence suggests that the young brain represents language bilaterally, with 4–6‐year‐olds activating the left‐hemisphere regions known to support language in adults as well as homotopic regions in the right hemisphere. This bilateral pattern changes over development, converging on left‐hemispheric activation in late childhood. In the present study, we ask whether this same developmental trajectory is observed in a spatial task that is strongly right‐lateralized in adults—the line bisection (or "Landmark") task. We examined fMRI activation among children ages 5–11 years as they were asked to judge which end of a bisected vertical line was longer. We found that young children showed bilateral activation, with activation in the same areas of the right hemisphere as has been shown among adults, as well as in the left hemisphere homotopic regions. By age 10, activation was right‐lateralized. This strongly resembles the developmental trajectory for language, moving from bilateral to lateralized activation. We discuss potential underlying mechanisms and suggest that understanding the development of lateralization for a range of cognitive functions can play a crucial role in understanding general principles of how and why the brain comes to lateralize certain functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual search is speeded when a target item is positioned consistently within an invariant (repeatedly encountered) configuration of distractor items ("contextual cueing"). Contextual cueing is also observed in cross‐modal search, when the location of the—visual—target is predicted by distractors from another—tactile—sensory modality. Previous studies examining lateralized waveforms of the event‐related potential (ERP) with millisecond precision have shown that learned visual contexts improve a whole cascade of search‐processing stages. Drawing on ERPs, the present study tested alternative accounts of contextual cueing in tasks in which distractor‐target contextual associations are established across, as compared to, within sensory modalities. To this end, we devised a novel, cross‐modal search task: search for a visual feature singleton, with repeated (and nonrepeated) distractor configurations presented either within the same (visual) or a different (tactile) modality. We found reaction times (RTs) to be faster for repeated versus nonrepeated configurations, with comparable facilitation effects between visual (unimodal) and tactile (crossmodal) context cues. Further, for repeated configurations, there were enhanced amplitudes (and reduced latencies) of ERPs indexing attentional allocation (PCN) and postselective analysis of the target (CDA), respectively; both components correlated positively with the RT facilitation. These effects were again comparable between uni‐ and crossmodal cueing conditions. In contrast, motor‐related processes indexed by the response‐locked LRP contributed little to the RT effects. These results indicate that both uni‐ and crossmodal context cues benefit the same, visual processing stages related to the selection and subsequent analysis of the search target. Current theories of the memory‐guided search almost entirely draw on findings from unisensory visual search tasks. By tracking preattentive and postselective attentional processes in milliseconds precisions in uni‐ and cross‐modal search, our results provide new evidence that both visual and tactile context cues benefit the same, visual processing stages related to the selection and subsequent analysis of the search target, supporting a single, supramodal mechanism underlying contextual cueing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endurance limit is essential for intermittent physical operations, as physical task designs with inappropriate endurance estimation could potentially lead to work‐related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Here, we propose a general approach to estimate the endurance limits of the duration and workload in intermittent operations, namely the endurance time (ET) and maximum acceptable exertion (MAE). This general endurance limit approach was developed based on physiology‐based muscle fatigue and recovery models, considering task parameters and individual fatigue attributes. This approach was preliminarily validated by (1) conducting experimental studies to check the feasibility of predicting individual and group ETs in simplified isometric intermittent operations, and (2) demonstrating its utility in interpreting existing empirical MAE models and their experimental results. The findings suggest that the proposed model offers a promising approach to estimate the endurance limits in intermittent physical operations, and could help future studies aimed at modeling the relationship between endurance limits and intermittent task characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine how mobile information and communication technologies (ICTs) and mediated interaction transform daily work activity in contemporary, extended telework. We expand on the concepts of mediated bundles and pacesetters to understand how the rhythms and employee control of work activity change. We draw on in‐depth interviews with 22 teleworkers with varying skills and work tasks. We find that mobile technology not only relaxes the time–space constraints of telework but fosters countering processes of recoupling and fixity. New ICTs shift the relative importance of individually defined and work‐related pacesetters. The rhythm of daily work is increasingly set by horizontal interaction between spatially dispersed coworkers. It is informally regulated through practices of the continuous‐mediated interweaving of workflows and synchronised responsivity in relation to changing work intensity. Highly qualified teleworkers more often signal that they are in control and setting the pace compared to less qualified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from international speed skating events in the 2012–13 through 2018–19 seasons, I investigate heterogeneous peer effects by gender, task, and monetary incentive. While I do not detect peer effects among men, I find evidence for such effects in some race distances among women. In the women's sprint races of 500 and 1000 meters, a 10% improvement in a peer's personal best prior to this event makes one's time faster by 0.30–0.38%, and a 10% improvement in a peer's time makes one's time faster by 0.93–1.02%. However, in 1000‐meter races for women, peer effects decrease sharply in events without monetary prizes. These results imply that monetary incentives are more effective than peer effects to improve one's performance in a middle‐ or long‐term task that requires patience. This article indicates that the effectiveness of peer effects depends on task characteristics and monetary incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tablets are becoming increasingly important in the classroom. They enable the augmentation of established teaching forms (e. g., working on tasks) but also new formats (e. g., creation of explanatory videos by the learners). In the study presented here, the effectiveness of using tablets in the acquisition phase and internalization phase is evaluated. For this purpose, a digital learning environment for introducing the basic concept of the chemical reaction is evaluated to guide the students through the two teaching phases. The intervention takes place within the framework of a project day in initial chemistry tuition with six teaching units of 45 minutes each. During the acquisition phase, the students are provided with input in form of interactive information. After that, this information is applied and consolidated by experiments. For the internalization phase, the class is divided into two groups: One half of the learners creates their own explanatory videos, while the other half works on tasks on the iPads. In particular, the evaluation is carried out with regard to the increase in knowledge and the assessment of the learning materials by the students. The comparison of the two groups allows conclusions concerning the effectiveness of both internalization methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with left unilateral spatial neglect (USN) typically place the subjective midpoint to the right of the objective centre. Based on the previous findings (e.g., Ishiai et al. 1989, Brain, 112, 1485), we hypothesized that the patients with left USN may see the representational image of a line that extends equally towards either side of the subjective midpoint depending not upon the information about the leftward extent. The present study tested whether patients with left USN would place the subjective midpoint at the centre of their mental representation of the line. The participants were 10 patients with left USN and 10 neurologically healthy controls. We devised a new 'endpoint reproduction task' using a computer display with a touch panel to seek the representational image when patients with left USN bisect lines and asked the participants to reproduce the location of the right or left endpoint after bisecting lines. The results showed that the representational image of the bisected line depends primarily on the location of the objective right endpoint, not on the location of the objective left endpoint in space. The analyses of the estimated right and left representational extents confirmed our hypotheses that patients with left USN would bisect a line seeing the representational line image that centred across their subjective midpoint. We believe that the findings of the present study with the use of the endpoint reproduction task will contribute to a better understanding of the visuospatial process underlying line bisection of patients with left USN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guidance has been proposed as a conceptual framework to understand how mixed‐initiative visual analytics approaches can actively support users as they solve analytical tasks. While user tasks received a fair share of attention, it is still not completely clear how they could be supported with guidance and how such support could influence the progress of the task itself. Our observation is that there is a research gap in understanding the effect of guidance on the analytical discourse, in particular, for the knowledge generation in mixed‐initiative approaches. As a consequence, guidance in a visual analytics environment is usually indistinguishable from common visualization features, making user responses challenging to predict and measure. To address these issues, we take a system perspective to propose the notion of guidance tasks and we present it as a typology closely aligned to established user task typologies. We derived the proposed typology directly from a model of guidance in the knowledge generation process and illustrate its implications for guidance design. By discussing three case studies, we show how our typology can be applied to analyze existing guidance systems. We argue that without a clear consideration of the system perspective, the analysis of tasks in mixed‐initiative approaches is incomplete. Finally, by analyzing matchings of user and guidance tasks, we describe how guidance tasks could either help the user conclude the analysis or change its course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A free sorting task was applied to sort chocolate proteins bars by trained and untrained panelists. Trained and untrained panelists sorted the nine chocolate proteins bars samples into groups. They were then asked to describe in their own words after the sorting was done. Multidimensional Scaling and Correspondence Analysis were performed on these data. Results showed that trained and untrained panels sorted the chocolate proteins bars in a similar way (RV coefficient value). The results also show that the trained panel was significantly more objective than the untrained panel. However, comparable terms were used similarly by both panels and statistical results indicated that untrained and trained panels could be used for free sorting tasks as both panels were able to perform the test being discriminative. Practical Applications: The free sorting task method was used for the first time to differentiate a complex food product with trained and untrained panelists. This task associated with word association was a success and enable the use of this sensory method to potentially understand a strategic local market with consumer feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the effect of combined top‐down and bottom‐up attentional control sources, using known attention‐related EEG components that are thought to reflect target selection (N2pc) and distractor suppression (PD). We used endogenous cues (valid vs. neutral) for top‐down attentional control, and salience in the form of color singletons (either the target or a distractor) for bottom‐up attentional control in visual search. Crucially, in two experiments, the task was of increasing difficulty, reporting the orientation of a tilted target (Experiment 1), or the position of a small gap within the target among tilted non‐targets (Experiment 2). Our results showed strong cueing effects on RT and accuracy in both experiments, demonstrating a general facilitation of responses to validly cued targets. Whereas the processing of salient targets was not improved compared with non‐salient targets, the presence of a salient distractor consistently worsened performance. The N2pc and PD were only observed in trials where targets were preceded by neutral cues in Experiment 1, and for validly cued targets and salient neutrally cued targets in Experiment 2. A cueing effect was found on the PD in Experiment 1, showing an amplitude reduction in trials where the target was validly cued. These results support the idea that bottom‐up attentional allocation occurs only when top‐down allocation of attention is absent or inefficient. Therefore, these results indicate that attentional selection and suppression during visual search are both influenced by top‐down cueing and give support to theories that focus on the interaction between the two types of attention. Our study provides an extensive examination of the combination of top‐down attentional guidance via endogenous cues and bottom‐up attentional allocation by salience. Our findings demonstrate the interaction between these sources as reflected in EEG markers related to selection (N2pc) and distractor suppression (PD). Critically, we demonstrate that bottom‐up capture of attention is enabled when top‐down guidance is inefficient as a result of task difficulty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a meta‐analysis to examine the relations of individual differences in reflective (or rational) and intuitive thinking styles with workplace task performance. We meta‐analyzed 113 effect sizes from 71 independent samples (N = 11,713). Results indicate that reflective thinking style has a positive and non‐zero meta‐analytic relation with task performance (ρ =.213). This positive relation is stronger in environments characterized by higher task complexity, greater importance of creativity and innovation for work tasks, and higher time pressure associated with work tasks. Intuitive thinking style, conversely, has a very small but positive meta‐analytic relation with task performance (ρ =.051), and this relation is stronger in environments characterized by higher task complexity. Finally, incremental validity analyses reveal that reflective thinking style explains unique variance in task performance, beyond conscientiousness and intelligence (general mental ability). Overall, this meta‐analysis demonstrates that reflective thinking style is an important antecedent to task performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study revisits the relationship between job enrichment and worker well‐being by analysing worker‐level data from around 20 countries. Job enrichment, which vertically expands jobs, is primarily measured by the novel 'boss‐like tasks' indicator, constructed from 42 task‐frequency data. The aim of job enrichment is to motivate workers. However, the study finds that even though average non‐boss workers doing more boss‐like tasks earn higher wages, they are not necessarily more satisfied with their jobs. The non‐positive or slightly negative association with satisfaction becomes positive when workers have low‐skilled blue‐collar jobs or when tasks involving planning and organizing are enriched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study documents that worker‐level variation in tasks has played a key role in the widening of the German Native‐Foreign Wage Gap. I find idiosyncratic differences account for up to 34 per cent of the wage gap. Importantly, natives specialize in high‐paying interactive activities not only between, but also within occupations. In contrast, foreign workers specialize in low‐paying manual activities. This enhanced degree of task specialization accounts for 11 per cent of the gap among high‐wage earners and 25 per cent among low‐wage earner, thus offering new insight into sources for imperfect substitution of native and foreign workers and consequently small migration‐induced wage effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past decade witnessed a remarkable increase in deep learning (DL) workloads which require GPU resources to accelerate the training process. However, the existing coarse‐grained scheduling mechanisms are agnostic to information other than the number of GPUs or GPU memory, which results in performance degradation of DL tasks. Moreover, the common assumption held by the existing balance‐aware DL task scheduling strategies, a DL task consumes resources once it starts, fails to reduce resource contention, and further limits execution efficiency. To address these problems, this article proposes a fine‐grained and balance‐aware scheduling model (FBSM) which considers the resource consumption characteristic of the DL task. Based on FBSM, we propose customized GPU sniffer (GPU‐S) and balance‐aware scheduler (BAS) modules to construct a scheduling system called KubFBS. The experimental results demonstrate KubFBS accelerates the execution of DL tasks while improving the load balancing capability of the cluster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Which dimension of a set of objects is more salient to young children: number or size? The 'Build‐A‐Train' task was developed and used to examine whether children spontaneously use a number or physical size approach on an un‐cued matching task. In the Build‐A‐Train task, an experimenter assembles a train using one to five blocks of a particular length and asks the child to build the same train. The child's blocks differ in length from the experimenter's blocks, causing the child to build a train that matches based on either the number of blocks or length of the train, as it is not possible to match on both. One hundred and nineteen children between 2 years 2 months and 6 years 0 months of age (M = 4.05, SD = 0.84) completed the Build‐A‐Train task, and the Give‐a‐Number task, a classic task used to assess children's conceptual knowledge of verbal number words. Across train lengths and verbal number knowledge levels, children used a number approach more than a size approach on the Build‐A‐Train task. However, children were especially likely to use a number approach over a size approach when they knew the verbal number word that corresponded to the quantity of blocks in the train, particularly for quantities smaller than four. Therefore, children's attention to number relates to their knowledge of verbal number words. The Build‐A‐Train task and findings from the current study set a foundation for future longitudinal research to investigate the causal relationship between children's acquisition of symbolic mathematical concepts and attention to number. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Losses usually have greater subjective value (SV) than gains of equal nominal value but often cause a relative deterioration in effortful performance. Since losses and gains induce differing approach/avoidance behavioral tendencies, we explored whether incentive type interacted with approach/avoidance motor‐sets. Alpha‐ and beta‐band event‐related desynchronization (ERD) was hypothesized to be weakest when participants expected a loss and prepared an inhibitory motor‐set, and strongest when participants expected a gain and prepared an active motor‐set. It was also hypothesized that effort would modulate reward and motor‐set–related cortical activation patterns. Participants completed a cued Go/NoGo task while expecting a reward (+10p), avoiding a loss (−10p), or receiving no incentive (0p); and while expecting a NoGo cue with a probability of either.75 or.25. Pre‐movement alpha‐ and beta‐band EEG power was analyzed using the ERD method, and the SV of effort was evaluated using a cognitive effort discounting task. Gains incentivized faster RTs and stronger preparatory alpha band ERD compared to loss and no incentive conditions, while inhibitory motor‐sets resulted in significantly weaker alpha‐band ERD. However, there was no interaction between incentive and motor‐sets. Participants were more willing to expend effort in losses compared to gain trials, although the SV of effort was not associated with ERD patterns or RTs. Results suggest that incentive and approach/avoidance motor tendencies modulate cortical activations prior to a speeded RT movement independently, and are not associated with the economic value of effort. The present results favor attentional explanations of the effect of incentive modality on effort. This study investigates the effect of gains and losses on cognitive effort using pre‐movement event‐related desynchronization to measure attention and approach/avoidance motor tendencies. The results showed, for the first time, that approach/avoidance motor tendencies act independently of incentive modality, and that monetary gains contributed to improved effortful performance through increased attentional engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Logistics problems lie at the core of industries' everyday operations. These types of problems are also one of the main points of interest in the operational research field of study. In recent years, the workforce scheduling and routing problems (WSRP) class of optimization problems has gained significant attention from researchers. In this paper, a recently proposed WSRP is studied: the multiperiod WSRP with dependent tasks. In this problem, a given company provides services by means of heterogeneously skilled mobile teams. Service requests are known beforehand and each service is composed of one or more activities. Execution of one activity may depend on the completion of another. A feasible schedule in which the requested activities are completed in the minimum amount of days must be provided. Two matheuristic algorithms are proposed. Several new upper bounds for a set of instances from the literature are discovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: GPGPU‐powered supercomputers are vital for various science and engineering applications. On each cluster node, the GPU works as a coprocessor of the CPU, and the computing task runs alternatively on CPU and GPU. Due to this characteristic, traditional task scheduling strategy tends to result in significant workload imbalance and underutilization of GPUs. We design an adaptive scheduling strategy to alleviate such imbalance and underutilization. Our strategy proposes to logically treats all GPUs in the cluster as a whole. Every cluster node maintains a local information table of all GPUs. Once a GPU call request is received, a node selects a GPU to run the task in an adaptive manner based on this table. In addition, our strategy does not rely on a global queue, and thus avoids excessive internode communication overhead. Moreover, we encapsulate our strategy into an intermedia module between the cluster and users. Consequently, underlying details of task scheduling is transparent to users, which enhances usability. We validate our strategy through experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]