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Traditional light field rendering techniques, relying on dense sampling data, can faithfully reproduce photo-realistic and view-dependent effects such as reflection and refraction. However, they consume substantial memory resources for rapid access to light rays. Light field compression can significantly reduce disk storage requirements, but it cannot mitigate the memory overhead associated with rendering. We propose a novel rendering approach that combines the strengths of light field techniques and overcomes their memory limitations. By computing light ray parameters during the rasterization stage, our method enables rapid acquisition of light ray coordinates corresponding to pixels in the image plane. By incorporating a texture compression technology to compress light field images, our method can dramatically reduce memory consumption for dense light field rendering. Experimental evaluation on multiple light field scenes demonstrates that our method can effectively minimize memory usage to 12.5% compared to the baseline technique, without compromising visual quality. Moreover, it enables real-time rendering of photo-realistic and view-dependent effects within standard WebGL-supported browsers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essence of the Single Image Super Resolution (SISR) task revolves around learning and memorizing the mapping relationship between low-resolution and high-resolution images. Presently, prevailing SISR methods predominantly depend on simplistic long-range connections and intricate dense connections to establish long-term memory within the network. However, a notable limitation is the absence of a transitioning mechanism from short-term to long-term memory, impeding the smooth transfer of information. The intermediate-term memory mechanism assumes a critical role in the human memory system, acting as a vital bridge between short-term and long-term memory. Its ability to integrate fragmented neuronal information through specific intermediate-term connectivity patterns facilitates the formation of long-term memory. Inspired by this mechanism, we propose a deep feature extraction and fusion method based on intermediate-term connectivity, addressing the challenges associated with smooth information transfer between short-term and long-term memory. In this study, we introduce IMSR (Intermediate-term Memory Super Resolution), a lightweight model that efficiently aggregates features from different temporal and spatial levels within the network. By doing so, IMSR enhances the representation of both global and local information, contributing to improved performance. Additionally, we incorporate the Reconstructive Attention Mechanism (RAM) at the end of IMSR, allowing for precise tuning and fine-grained control of features to facilitate the integration of complementary information. Through extensive experimental evaluations, we demonstrate that IMSR surpasses other state-of-the-art lightweight models across four benchmark datasets, while maintaining a low parameter count and computational complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High utility itemset mining is an essential new task in data mining, which is obtained from the extension of frequent itemset mining problems. The difference between these two groups is that in high utility itemset mining, the utilities of the items are essential in addition to the number of items. To find the itemsets with more utilities, defining a minimum utility threshold is necessary by testing different solutions to obtain the desired outcome. This is challenging and needs more time to reach the appropriate value. In this article, we propose a method called TKU-BChOA to explore top-k high utility itemsets according to the number of required itemsets based on the Chimp meta-heuristic algorithm. Because, in comparison with the meta-heuristic methods, the deterministic methods require more time and memory. Experimental results on five datasets show that the proposed approach outperforms the previous deterministic methods in memory usage. The proposed method performs better in terms of time and memory on large datasets than other approximate methods and is more accurate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans are often tasked to remember new faces so that they can recognize the faces later in time. Previous studies found that memory reports for basic visual features (e.g., colors and shapes) are susceptible to systematic distortions as a result of comparison with new visual input, especially when the input is perceived as similar to the memory. The current study tested whether this similarity-induced memory bias (SIMB) would also occur with more complex face stimuli. The results showed that faces that are just perceptually encoded into visual working memory as well as retrieved from visual long-term memory are also susceptible to SIMB. Furthermore, once induced, SIMB persisted over time across cues through which the face memory was accessed for memory report. These results demonstrate the generalizability of SIMB to more complex and practically relevant stimuli, and thus, suggest potential real-world implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Insomnia is more common as people age. Several common hypnotics used to treat insomnia often do not adequately alleviate sleep issues in older adults and may be associated with negative residual effects such as an increased risk of falls, cognitive impairment, automobile accidents, and lack of response to auditory stimuli. The objective of these analyses of three clinical studies was to investigate the efficacy and safety of the dual orexin-receptor antagonist lemborexant (LEM) in older adults. Methods: Study E2006-G000-304 (Study 304; NCT02783729) was a randomized, double-blind, placebo (PBO)-controlled, active-comparator trial where subjects with insomnia disorder received LEM 5 mg (LEM5), LEM 10 mg (LEM10), zolpidem tartrate extended-release 6.25 mg (ZOL), or PBO for 30 days. In crossover Study E2006-E044-106 (Study 106; NCT02583451), healthy subjects (good sleepers) received LEM 2.5 mg, LEM5, LEM10, or PBO for eight nights or zopiclone on days 1 and 8 (and PBO on days 2–7). In crossover Study E2006-A001-108 (Study 108; NCT03008447), healthy subjects received a single dose of LEM5, LEM10, PBO, or ZOL. Sleep assessments included polysomnography-based latency to persistent sleep (LPS), wake after sleep onset (WASO), WASO in the second half of the night (WASO2H), sleep efficiency, postural stability, middle-of-the-night and next-day cognitive performance, middle-of-the-night auditory awakening threshold and return-to-sleep latency, and driving performance. Results: Overall, 453 of 1006 (45%; Study 304), 24 of 48 (50%; Study 106), and 28 of 56 (50%; Study 108) subjects were aged ≥ 65 years. In Study 304, LEM decreased (improved) LPS, WASO, and WASO2H from baseline more than ZOL and PBO; subjects treated with LEM had greater increases in sleep efficiency (improved) than with ZOL or PBO. In both Studies 304 and 108, postural stability was not impaired at waketime in subjects who received LEM compared with PBO. At waketime, LEM did not impair memory compared with PBO. In Study 108, following middle-of-the-night awakening, LEM and ZOL did not affect subjects' ability to awaken to auditory stimuli; LEM did not affect tests of memory and attention. In Study 106, LEM did not impair next-day driving performance in healthy elderly compared with PBO. LEM was well tolerated in subjects aged ≥ 65 years. Conclusions: LEM provided benefits on sleep variables without next-morning residual effects in subjects aged ≥ 65 years, supporting LEM as a treatment option for older adults with insomnia. Trial Registration Numbers and Dates of Registration: Study 304: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT02783729, date of registration, 26 May 2016. Study 106: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT02583451, date of registration, 22 October 2015. Study 108: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT03008447, date of registration, 2 January 2017. Plain Language Summary: The prevalence of insomnia increases with age; however, some hypnotics used for treating insomnia do not adequately resolve sleep problems in older adults and may be associated with adverse residual effects. Specifically, some hypnotics pose safety concerns in this population of patients who are generally more vulnerable to treatment-related effects, including increasing the risk of falls, risks of cognitive impairment, automobile accidents, and unresponsiveness to auditory stimuli. Safer and more effective insomnia medications are needed to reduce sleep problems with improved side-effect profiles. This analysis of lemborexant clinical studies conducted in adult subjects at least 65 years old found the drug to be effective without impairing memory, attention or balance the following day compared with placebo. These subjects were normal sleepers (for age) or had insomnia disorder. Furthermore, lemborexant was not associated with impaired ability to drive the next morning or awaken to loud middle-of-the-night sounds. Lemborexant was well tolerated in these older adults, similar to findings for adults aged at least 18 years. These findings indicate that lemborexant may be an appropriate treatment option for insomnia in older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Short-term intake of the egg-protein hydrolysate Newtricious (NWT)-03 improved executive function, but underlying mechanisms and long-term effects, including other cognitive domains, are unknown. Methods: A 36-week randomized controlled trial involving 44 overweight/obese individuals experiencing elevated Subjective Cognitive Failures (SCF; aged 60–75 years) assessed the impact of daily consumption of 5.7 g of NWT-03 or placebo powders on cognitive performance (psychomotor speed, executive function, memory) and Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF), a marker of brain vascular function. Cognitive performance was evaluated using a neurophysiological test battery (CANTAB) and CBF was measured using magnetic resonance imaging perfusion method Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL). Serum samples were collected to determine brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentrations. Results: Anthropometrics, and energy and nutrient intakes remained stable throughout the trial. NWT-03 was well tolerated, and compliance was excellent (median: 99%; range: 87–103%). No overall intervention effects were observed on cognitive performance or CBF, but post-hoc analyses revealed significant improvements on executive function in women, but not men. Specifically, a reduction of 74 ms in reaction latency on the multitasking task (95% CI: −134 to −15; p = 0.02), a reduction of 9 between errors (95%CI: −14 to −3; p < 0.001), and a reduction of 9 total errors (95%CI: −15 to −3; p < 0.001) on the spatial working memory task were found in women. No intervention effects were observed on serum BDNF concentrations (p = 0.31). Conclusion: Long-term consumption of NWT-03 improved multitasking abilities and working memory in women with elevated SCF. Brain vascular function remained unaffected. Sex differences in executive function require additional clarification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the storage capacity is limited, accumulating studies have indicated that working memory (WM) can be improved by cognitive training. However, understanding how exactly the brain copes with limited WM capacity and how cognitive training optimizes the brain remains inconclusive. Given the hierarchical functional organization of WM, we hypothesized that the activation profiles along the posterior-anterior gradient of the frontal and parietal cortices characterize WM load and training effects. To test this hypothesis, we recruited 51 healthy volunteers and adopted a parametric WM paradigm and training method. In contrast to exclusively strengthening the activation of posterior areas, a broader range of activation concurrently occurred in the anterior areas to cope with increased memory load for all subjects at baseline. Moreover, there was an imbalance in the responses of the posterior and anterior areas to the same increment of 1 item at different load levels. Although a general decrease in activation after adaptive training, the changes in the posterior and anterior areas were distinct at different memory loads. Particularly, we found that the activation gradient between the posterior and anterior areas was significantly increased at load 4-back after adaptive training, and the changes were correlated with improvement in WM performance. Together, our results demonstrate a shift in the predominant role of posterior and anterior areas in the frontal and parietal cortices when approaching WM capacity limits. Additionally, the training-induced performance improvement likely benefits from the elevated neural efficiency reflected in the increased activation gradient between the posterior and anterior areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing methods for sentiment classification normally ignore that the past experiences retrieved by users under particular situations would affect their sentiment expressions. Furthermore, related research may underutilize user personality to personalize the analysis of storage and retrieval of past experiences. Inspired by the cognition process of human memory, we propose a Personality-Driven Experience Storage and Retrieval (PDESR) model for sentiment classification. Concretely, we first selectively store the user's past experiences in her/his experience bank via personalized input and forget gates. We then adopt personalized output gate to retrieve past experiences from the experience bank. Finally, we integrate the current experience with the retrieved past experiences to classify user sentiment. Specifically, personality is used to personalize the control of which past experiences should be stored in experience bank and which past experiences should be retrieved from experience bank. The experimental results show that PDESR model outperforms the related models in accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses a collection of school essays of world-wide uniqueness, written by Polish children and young people in the years 1945–1946. This collection consists of two independent collections. The first is the 99 wartime memories of pupils from Greater Poland schools, created between May and September 1945. The second contains over 1,200 war memories written by pupils from schools in the Kielce region (south-eastern part of Poland) in the second half of 1946. A common feature of wartime memories is that the young authors combine elements of private written forms with elements of text intended to function in the public space (public literary forms). They smoothly switch between confessional style, full of dramatic details related to the war, and the style typical of a school essay, the aim of which was to test language skills and proficiency in creating a story based on real events. The themes in both collections were imposed on pupils by a programme of writing campaign for writing war memories. Thanks to the conditions provided by the educational system of the time, pupils usually honestly and directly described the traumatic war experiences which they had participated in. In the article, wartime memories in the form of a school essay are treated as a record of a microhistory, containing many details related to local wartime events, such as round-ups, public executions, secret education, and Nazi violence against adults and children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Word learning depends on attention – children must focus on the right things at the right times. However, autistic children often display restricted interests, limiting their intake of stimuli during word learning. This study investigates how category interests influence word learning in autism and neurotypical development. Autistic and neurotypical children matched on receptive vocabulary used a touch-screen computer to learn novel words associated with animals (high-interest stimuli) and objects (neutral-interest stimuli) via fast mapping. Response accuracy and speed were examined at referent selection, 5-minute retention, and 24-hour retention. Both groups identified meanings of novel words associated with unfamiliar animals and objects via mutual exclusivity with comparable accuracy. After 5 minutes, autistic children retained animal names with greater accuracy than neurotypical children. Autistic children showed a greater increase in their accuracy between 5-minute and 24-hour retention and outperformed neurotypical children across conditions after a night's sleep. Across groups, 24-hour retention was predicted by number of target word repetitions heard at referent selection, indicating a relationship between fast mapping input and retention. However, autistic children were slower to respond correctly, particularly in the animal condition. For autistic children, superior word learning associated with high-interest stimuli was relatively short-term, as sleep appeared to consolidate their memory representations for neutral-interest stimuli. Although these results demonstrate that fundamental word learning mechanisms are not atypical in autism, slower response times may signal a speed-accuracy trade-off that could have implications for naturalistic language acquisition. Our findings also indicate favourable environmental conditions to scaffold word learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quorum systems are a key abstraction in distributed fault-tolerant computing for capturing trust assumptions. They can be found at the core of many algorithms for implementing reliable broadcasts, shared memory, consensus and other problems. This paper introduces asymmetric Byzantine quorum systems that model subjective trust. Every process is free to choose which combinations of other processes it trusts and which ones it considers faulty. Asymmetric quorum systems strictly generalize standard Byzantine quorum systems, which have only one global trust assumption for all processes. This work also presents protocols that implement abstractions of shared memory, broadcast primitives, and a consensus protocol among processes prone to Byzantine faults and asymmetric trust. The model and protocols pave the way for realizing more elaborate algorithms with asymmetric trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a new perspective on the constitutive role of material culture for memory using the Knossian Kamares pottery style as a case study. It challenges prevalent approaches in mainstream memory studies, which confine memory to individuals' brains or minds, suggesting a deeper relationship between material culture and memory. Presenting a novel methodology rooted in cognitive archaeology to study the long-term making of Knossian Kamares decorations, I suggest that the Knossian Kamares pottery style is a transgenerational memory that enabled generations of artisans to remember, learn, and update technological skills and knowledge. I also claim that, in assuming this distributed, enactive, and non-representational stance on style as memory, it becomes evident that remembering is something we do: an active engagement that emerges with and through material culture in specific sociomaterial settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Place is everywhere as geography, location, territory, and landscape permeates everyday encounter. In contrast, memory is embedded in the physical setting as the burgeoning narratives of cities. In recent instances, literary settings of novels and characters are interpretations of actual life events. An immigrant from New York City returns to Lagos after a long period in Teju Cole's Every Day is for the Thief (2007) and (2014) investigates the correlation of the past self within the present state of the setting. Exploring interrelated memories and places to revisit the sense of self, the present study aims to analyse how autobiographical memory distinguishes personal memory from social events and defines place attachment and identity in society. This article also explores the lack of conformity to the tendency to find the past self in different time and spatial aspects through which this research tries to bridge the past with the present using narrators' autobiographical memories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attentional engagement is known to vary on a moment-to-moment basis. However, few self-report methods can effectively capture dynamic fluctuations in attentional engagement over time. In the current paper, we evaluated the utility of stimulated recall, a method wherein individuals are asked to remember their subjective states while using a mnemonic cue, for the measurement of temporal changes in attentional engagement. Participants were asked to watch a video lecture, during which we assessed their in-the-moment levels of attentional engagement using intermittent thought probes. Then, we used stimulated recall by cueing participants with short video clips from the lecture to retrospectively assess the levels of attentional engagement they had experienced when they first watched those clips within the lecture. Experiment 1 assessed the statistical overlap between in-the-moment and video-stimulated ratings. Experiment 2 assessed the generalizability of video-stimulated recall across different types of lectures. Experiment 3 assessed the impact of presenting video-stimulated probe clips in non-chronological order. Experiment 4 assessed the effect of video-stimulated recall on its own. Across all experiments, we found statistically robust correspondence between in-the-moment and video-stimulated ratings of attentional engagement, illustrating a strong convergence between these two methods of assessment. Taken together, our findings indicate that stimulated recall provides a new and practical methodological approach that can accurately capture dynamic fluctuations in subjective attentional states over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integer-order methods may fail to adequately describe the behavior of many real-world inventory systems. A fractional order inventory model can be developed to examine the memory effect on the demand. In this article, we develop a fractional order inventory control policy related to non-immediately degrading goods by incorporating memory and selling price sensitive demand. The mathematical model is developed using Caputo fractional derivatives and analyzed using Laplace transform approach. An appropriate preservation policy is established to reduce the degradation in the inventory system. It is evident from the literature that the advanced payment schemes for memory-based inventory systems have not been investigated. A partial pre-payment plan where the vendor provides a discount on the purchasing price is studied by considering memory-based demand. Particle swarm optimization and differential evolution metaheuristics are employed to handle the profit maximization problem. The usefulness of the memory-based model is examined by taking a numerical example. The proposed study also reveals that the memory indices significantly impact the optimal profit. Management insights are established by considering the model's applicability by taking numerical illustrations and performing sensitivity tests on the key inventory parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One may not only represent the same objects of one’s past, but also represent them as the same objects across time. I call this phenomenon “Remembering as the Same” (RaS). In this article, I aim to bring out the connection between the simulationist model of cognitive memory and this underexplored aspect of memory experience. I shall suggest that, unlike the causalist contender, the simulationist is in an advantageous position to properly capture RaS, especially when subjects represent past objects as the same in cross-temporal trains of thought that are also future-oriented. In the course of defending this claim, I will highlight the significance of RaS in the study of memory and cross-temporal reference, critically examine the resources available to causalist approaches, and reject too simplistic incorporations of RaS within the simulationist framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a component of polycarbonate plastics that has been implicated in memory impairment. The present study investigated the effect of carnosic acid (CA) on memory deficit induced by BPA and the role of Akt in this mechanism. First, SH-SY5Y cells were treated with 20 nM BPA and 1 μM CA for 12 h. The results showed that treatment of CA with BPA improved the alternation of IRS-1/Akt/GSK-3β as well as the induction of ApoE and Ser396p-tau. Moreover, treatment of CA with BPA restored the signaling involved in long-term potentiation (LTP) effect, leading to induction of synaptic-related proteins, such as PSD-95, synapsin1a, and pro-BDNF. Wortmannin treatment alleviated the reversal by CA. Then, C57BL/6 J male mice were orally administered with CA to test the memory function in BPA treatment. The results showed that CA and RE can improve BPA-induced impairment of motor, recognition, and spatial memory by using open-field test (OFT), novel objective recognition test (NOR), and Y-maze test, respectively. Moreover, CA and RE improved the phosphorylation of tau and the reduction of PSD-95, synapsin1a, and pro-BDNF proteins induced by BPA. Therefore, the results indicated that CA decreased the phosphorylated tau and memory impairment induced by BPA through Akt pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identification of both closed frequent high average utility itemsets (CFHAUIs) and generators of frequent high average utility itemsets (GFHAUIs) has substantial significance because they play an essential and concise role in representing frequent high average utility itemsets (FHAUIs). These concise summaries offer a compact yet crucial overview that can be much smaller. In addition, they allow the generation of non-redundant high average utility association rules, a crucial factor for decision-makers to consider. However, difficulty arises from the complexity of discovering these representations, primarily because the average utility function does not satisfy both monotonic and anti-monotonic properties within each equivalence class, that is for itemsets sharing the same subset of transactions. To tackle this challenge, this paper proposes an innovative method for efficiently extracting CFHAUIs and GFHAUIs. This approach introduces novel bounds on the average utility, including a weak lower bound called wlbau and a lower bound named auvlb . Efficient pruning strategies are also designed with the aim of early elimination of non-closed and/or non-generator FHAUIs based on the wlbau and auvlb bounds, leading to quicker execution and lower memory consumption. Additionally, the paper introduces a novel algorithm, CG-FHAUI, designed to concurrently discover both GFHAUIs and CFHAUIs. Empirical results highlight the superior performance of the proposed algorithm in terms of runtime, memory usage, and scalability when compared to a baseline algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the effect of memory impairment on the Word Memory Test (WMT) and investigated whether multiple alternate interpretative algorithms, including the previously validated genuine memory impairment profile (GMIP) and a novel primary validity indices mean (PVIM) composite score, improved its accuracy as a performance validity test (PVT) among examinees with genuine memory impairment. Data from 91 veterans administered the WMT, Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R), and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R) during clinical evaluations were examined. Validity groups were established by four independent criterion PVTs (57 valid/34 invalid). Learning/memory impairment was determined by HVLT-R and BVMT-R. WMT primary validity subtests accurately differentiated valid from invalid groups overall and when the sample was subdivided by memory impairment; however, the optimal cut scores were lower than the WMT manual-recommended cutoff to maintain adequate specificity among those with memory impairment, which substantially decreased sensitivity. The GMIP significantly improved specificity (97%), but sensitivity remained weak (53%) when strict quantitative criteria were used. By contrast, use of the full GMIP criteria (quantitative criteria plus clinical history) resulted in 88% sensitivity/95% specificity. The novel PVIM had 85% sensitivity/88% specificity at optimal cutoff, supporting its utility as an alternate algorithm. Strictly adhering to the WMT manual-recommended cut score for patients with significant learning/memory impairment increases the risk of misclassifying these examinees as invalid performers. Alternate interpretive algorithms, such as the GMIP and PVIM, adequately mitigate this issue and enhance the accuracy of the WMT as a PVT, but should only be applied in clinical conditions empirically associated with significant neuropsychological impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we present the first yoyo attack to recover the secret round function of the 4-round Lai-Massey scheme with an affine orthomorphism. We first perform a yoyo attack on 3-round Lai-Massey scheme. However, the original method for constructing plaintext equations is not sufficiently effective. To solve this problem, we partition the ciphertext and plaintext spaces into 2 n subsets, which provides a fresh perspective on our yoyo attack. From this perspective, our study presents two improvements. One is that we devise an improved yoyo game in which the established ciphertext pool significantly narrows the search of good pairs compared with random selection, and the inserted filter can eliminate all wrong pairs using simple XOR calculations. Consequently, the yoyo game is advantageous for reducing the complexity of seeking good pairs, and we can avoid the complexity involved in solving equations generated using wrong pairs. The other is that we present a valid method for solving equations, which helps to reduce the number of yoyos required to recover the first-round function. After removing the first round, the look-up tables of the remaining two round functions of the 3-round Lai-Massey scheme can be retrieved by selecting the inputs and accessing the outputs. On the basis of this attack, we mount a yoyo attack on the 4-round Lai-Massey scheme to recover the fourth-round function and then apply the above attack to the remaining three rounds. In general, the complete recovery of the 4-round Lai-Massey scheme requires time complexity O (k 1 2 2 n) and memory O (2 2 n) , where n ≤ k 1 < 2 n . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although we encounter objects from a particular perspective, what we perceive and remember are typically whole objects. In 'amodal completion' our mind automatically fills in objects' spatially occluded parts, and our memory then often discards information about the orientation from which the objects were perceived. An analogous phenomenon of 'event completion' has been demonstrated, which may be understood as the mind automatically filling in temporally occluded parts of events. Exemplifying typical experiments in this paradigm, Strickland and Keil (Strickland and Keil, Cognition 121:409–415, 2011) showed participants videos depicting a causal event (e.g., someone kicking a ball), which was edited so that a crucial part was missing (e.g., the moment of contact between foot and ball). Subjects were more likely to falsely remember having seen the moment of contact if (and only if) it was strongly implied by subsequent footage. We use this phenomenon of event completion as a test case for comparing different theories of reference in memory. We argue that event completion puts pressure on both pure causal and pure descriptive theories of reference, and favors more nuanced hybrids of causal and descriptive theories, which integrate insights from cognitive and epistemic approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lifestyle influences physical and cognitive development during the period of adolescence greatly. The most important of these lifestyle factors are diet and stress. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of high fat diet (HFD) and chronic mild stress on cognitive function and anxiety-like behaviors in young rats and to study the role of caffeic acid as a potential treatment for anxiety and cognitive dysfunction. Forty rats were assigned into 4 groups: control, HFD, HFD + stress, and caffeic acid-treated group. Rats were sacrificed after neurobehavioral testing. We detected memory impairment and anxiety-like behavior in rats which were more exaggerated in stressed rats. Alongside the behavioral changes, there were biochemical and histological changes. HFD and/or stress decreased hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and induced oxidative and inflammatory changes in the hippocampus. In addition, they suppressed Wnt/β-catenin pathway which was associated with activation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β). HFD and stress increased arginase 1 and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) levels as well. These disturbances were found to be aggravated in stressed rats than HFD group. However, caffeic acid was able to reverse these deteriorations leading to memory improvement and ameliorating anxiety-like behavior. So, the current study highlights an important neuroprotective role for caffeic acid that may guard against induction of cognitive dysfunction and anxiety disorders in adolescents who are exposed to HFD and/or stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Binge drinking causes a range of problems especially damage to the nervous system, and the specific neural mechanism of brain loss and behavioral abnormalities caused by which is still unclear. Extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) maintain neuronal survival, growth, and regulation of synaptic plasticity by phosphorylating specific transcription factors to regulate expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Dual-specific phosphatase 1 (DUSP1) and DUSP6 dephosphorylate tyrosine and serine/threonine residues in ERK1/2 to inactivate them. To investigate the molecular mechanism by which alcohol affects memory and emotion, a chronic intermittent alcohol exposure (CIAE) model was established. The results demonstrated that mice in the CIAE group developed short-term recognition memory impairment and anxiety-like behavior; meanwhile, the expression of DUSP1 and DUSP66 in the mPFC was increased, while the levels of p-ERK and BDNF were decreased. Micro-injection of DUSP1/6 inhibitor BCI into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) restored the dendritic morphology by reversing the activity of ERK-BDNF and ultimately improved cognitive and emotional impairment caused by CIAE. These findings indicate that CIAE inhibits ERK-BDNF by increasing DUSP1/6 in the mPFC that may be associated with cognitive and emotional deficits. Consequently, DUSP1 and DUSP6 appear to be potential targets for the treatment of alcoholic brain disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animals can adapt their reward expectancy to changes in delays to reward availability. When temporal relations are altered, associative models of interval timing predict that the original time memory is lost due to the updating of the underlying associative weights, whereas the representational models render the preservation of the original time memory (as previously demonstrated in the extinction of conditioned fear). The current study presents the critical test of these theoretical accounts by training mice with two different intervals in a consecutive fashion (short → long or long → short) and then testing timing behaviors during extinction where neither temporal relation is in effect. Mice that were trained with the long interval first clustered their anticipatory responses around the average of two intervals (indirect higher-order manifestation of two memories in the form of temporal averaging), whereas mice trained with the short interval first clustered their responses either around the short or long interval (direct manifestation of memory representations by their independent indexing). We assert that the original memory representation formed during training with the long interval "metrically affords" the integration of subsequent experiences with a shorter interval, allowing their co-activation during extinction. The original memory representation formed during training with the short interval would not metrically afford such integration and thus result in the formation of a new (mutually exclusive) time memory representation, which does not afford their co-activation during extinction. Our results provide strong support for the representational account of interval timing. We provide a new theoretical account of these findings based on the "metric affordances" of the original memory representation formed during training with the original intervals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stroke causes death of brain tissue leading to long-term deficits. Behavioral evidence from neurorehabilitative therapies suggest learning-induced neuroplasticity can lead to beneficial outcomes. However, molecular and cellular mechanisms that link learning and stroke recovery are unknown. We show that in a mouse model of stroke, which exhibits enhanced recovery of function due to genetic perturbations of learning and memory genes, animals display activity-dependent transcriptional programs that are normally active during formation or storage of new memories. The expression of neuronal activity-dependent genes are predictive of recovery and occupy a molecular latent space unique to motor recovery. With motor recovery, networks of activity-dependent genes are co-expressed with their transcription factor targets forming gene regulatory networks that support activity-dependent transcription, that are normally diminished after stroke. Neuronal activity-dependent changes at the circuit level are influenced by interactions with microglia. At the molecular level, we show that enrichment of activity-dependent programs in neurons lead to transcriptional changes in microglia where they differentially interact to support intercellular signaling pathways for axon guidance, growth and synaptogenesis. Together, these studies identify activity-dependent transcriptional programs as a fundamental mechanism for neural repair post-stroke. A transcriptomic study at different time points with modulation of learning and memory genes after stroke shows robust expression of activity dependent transcriptional programs during motor recovery that are normally expressed during memory formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the attentional boost effect (ABE), detecting a target in a dual-task paradigm can facilitate memory encoding of concurrently presented stimuli, but the detection stimuli always appears transiently (only for 100 ms). In order to gain deeper insights into the mechanisms behind ABE, it is crucial to investigate whether the brief presentation of the detection stimulus is a necessary prerequisite for generating ABE. To address this issue, the present study manipulated the presentation time of the detection stimulus (500-ms vs. 100 ms) and controlled the study-testing time interval (immediate test vs. 24 h test). It turned out that, the short-duration (100 ms) detection condition produced an ABE similar to that of the long-duration (500 ms) condition at the immediate test, but only the ABE produced by the short-duration condition could be continued until the 24 h test (Experiments 1), and the ABE produced by the long-duration condition disappeared in the 24 h test. Nonetheless, when a retrieval practice session was introduced before the 24 h test, the ABE generated by the long-duration condition also extended to the 24 h test (Experiment 2). Regarding ERP components, the short-duration detection condition elicited a more negative mean amplitude in the 500–700 ms time window compared to the long detection-duration condition (Experiment 3). This implies that the duration of the detection stimulus likely plays a central role in influencing ABE through its effect on engram stability, with the short-duration condition potentially leading to a more stable engram compared to the long-duration condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The field of long COVID research is rapidly evolving, however, tools to assess and monitor symptoms and recovery of the disease are limited. The objective of the present study was to develop a new patient-reported outcomes instrument, the Symptoms Evolution of Long COVID‑19 (SE-LC19), and establish its content validity. Methods: The 40-item SE-LC19 instrument was developed based on patient-relevant empirical evidence from scientific literature and clinical guidelines that reported symptoms specific to long COVID. A 2-part mixed-method approach was employed. Part 1: Qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of 41 patients with confirmed long COVID were conducted for the content validation of SE-LC19. During cognitive debriefing interviews, patients were asked to describe their understanding of the instrument's instructions, specific symptoms, response options, and recall period to ensure its relevance and comprehensiveness. Five clinicians of different medical specialties who regularly treated patients with long COVID were also interviewed to obtain their clinical expert opinions on SE-LC19. Part 2: Exploratory Rasch Measurement Theory (RMT) analysis was conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of the SE-LC19 data collected during the interviews. Results: Overall, patients reported that the instructions, questions, recall period, and response options for SE-LC19 were comprehensive and relevant. Minor conceptual gaps reported by patients captured nuances in the experience of some symptoms that could be considered in future studies. Some patients suggested a revision of the recall period from 24 h to 7 days to be able to capture more symptoms given the waxing and waning nature of some symptoms. Clinicians found the instrument comprehensive with minimal suggestions regarding its content. Exploratory RMT analyses provided evidence that the SE-LC19 questionnaire performed as intended. Conclusion: The present mixed-methods study in patients with confirmed long COVID supports the content validity and applicability of the SE-LC19 instrument to evaluate the symptoms of patients with long COVID. Further research is warranted to explore the psychometric properties of the instrument and refine a meaningful and robust patient-relevant endpoint for use in different settings such as clinical trials and clinical practice to track the onset, severity, and recovery of long COVID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This perspective article explores the challenges and potential of using speech as a biomarker in clinical settings, particularly when constrained by the small clinical datasets typically available in such contexts. We contend that by integrating insights from speech science and clinical research, we can reduce sample complexity in clinical speech AI models with the potential to decrease timelines to translation. Most existing models are based on high-dimensional feature representations trained with limited sample sizes and often do not leverage insights from speech science and clinical research. This approach can lead to overfitting, where the models perform exceptionally well on training data but fail to generalize to new, unseen data. Additionally, without incorporating theoretical knowledge, these models may lack interpretability and robustness, making them challenging to troubleshoot or improve post-deployment. We propose a framework for organizing health conditions based on their impact on speech and promote the use of speech analytics in diverse clinical contexts beyond cross-sectional classification. For high-stakes clinical use cases, we advocate for a focus on explainable and individually-validated measures and stress the importance of rigorous validation frameworks and ethical considerations for responsible deployment. Bridging the gap between AI research and clinical speech research presents new opportunities for more efficient translation of speech-based AI tools and advancement of scientific discoveries in this interdisciplinary space, particularly if limited to small or retrospective datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applying 10 Hz (α-rate) sensory stimulation, not 5 Hz (θ-rate), prior to introducing novel speech-print pairs can reset the phase of θ oscillations and enhance associative learning. This rapid gain indicates coordinated mechanisms to regulate attentional/cognitive resources (α oscillations) and facilitate memory storage (θ oscillations) early in learning. The present findings may inform educational practices for children with reading difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research discusses that cognitive processes such as memory, attention and creativity differ in students and professionals, among musicians and non-musicians, dealing with musical performance. The purpose of the study was to evaluate and compare the role of memory, attention and creativity as cognitive processes in musical performance, focusing on the differences between non-musicians and musicians. The sample involved 400 individuals, students and professionals, specialising in music and economics. The research instruments used by the scholars were the Wechsler Memory Scale, the Conners Performance Test, and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. Musical students possessed better-developed auditory and short-term memory, while professional musicians had better auditory, visual working and short-term memory. Analysis of attention reveals that music students score better than non-musicians on all four aspects: inattention, impulsivity, sustained attention, and vigilance. For professionals, the key aspects are impulsivity and sustained attention with better results revealed in musicians. Creative thinking was the only factor where the differences were statistically significant in all five scales and the findings proved that creativity was better developed among musicians. This study provides an in-depth analysis and adds new knowledge to existing literature and empirical data on the cognitive processes associated with musical performance, focusing on memory, attention and creativity. By examining the differences between non-musicians and musicians, as well as students and professionals, the study provides insight into how musical performance can be used as a way to develop these cognitive processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most exciting benefits of solar small-scale brightening is their oscillations. This study investigated the properties of small-scale brightening (SSBs) in different regions of the Sun and found that there are differences and similarities in the properties of oscillated and non-oscillated SSBs in different regions of the Sun, including quiet Sun (QS), the adjacent to active regions (AAR), and coronal hole (CH). The damping per period (Q-factor) and maximum Doppler velocity of SSBs varied depending on the region, with the less bright internetwork SSBs in QS having lower damping time (120 seconds) and higher maximum Doppler velocities (47 km s−1) compared to the brighter network SSBs (with 216 seconds & 37 km s−1, respectively), while in AAR, internetwork SSBs tend to have higher damping time (about of 220 seconds) and wider maximum Doppler velocity (10 to 140 km s−1) ranges compared to network SSBs (130 seconds and 10 to 85 km s−1). In CH, both types of SSBs show similar damping time (120 seconds), but internetwork SSBs tend to have higher maximum Doppler velocities (100 km s−1) compared to network SSBs (85 km s−1). It was also pointed out that the majority of network SSBs in AARs are in the overdamping mode, while in QS, internetwork SSBs demonstrate overdamping behavior and oscillated network SSBs exhibit critical damping behavior. However, it is important to remember that the physical mechanisms underlying the damping of SSBs may vary depending on the local plasma conditions and magnetic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing alcohol use is challenging due to the volume of alcohol shown in media and the relationship between exposure and use. It is unclear to what degree people are aware of and able to estimate alcohol exposure in the media, such as in movies. In this study, 609 Australian adults estimated the amount of alcohol exposure in up to 10 of 102 popular movies they remembered best. They reported when they last saw each movie, their alcohol use, age, and gender. Participants underestimated the amount of alcohol in movies by an average of 35.39 times. Movies classified as featuring adult content (PG-13 or R) and movies with the greatest amount of alcohol were particularly underestimated. Individual's age, gender, alcohol use, or when the movie was last viewed had no effect on underestimation. In conclusion, due to the severe underestimation, alcohol exposure should be more seriously reviewed by governmental and medial organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Evidence on the potential beneficial effects of anthocyanin-rich foods and supplements on cognitive performance is mainly based on acute or long-term studies in older adults. However, short-term studies focusing on a younger population are lacking. Therefore, short-term effects of Aronia melanocarpa extract (AME) supplementation on cognitive performance were investigated in healthy young adults. Potential underlying mechanisms were also addressed. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over study was performed involving 35 apparently healthy young adults. Participants consumed AME (180 mg anthocyanins/day) or a placebo for 1 week, separated by at least 2 weeks of wash-out. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Furthermore, arterial stiffness (carotid-to-femoral pulse wave velocity), retinal microvascular calibers (fundus photography), and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentrations were measured at baseline and after 1 week. Results: Participants had a mean age of 25 ± 4 years and an average BMI of 23.4 ± 2.7 kg/m2. Compliance was excellent and the study product was well-tolerated. As compared to placebo, movement time was significantly reduced by 4.8% within the five-choice reaction time test after 1 week of AME supplementation (intervention effect: – 12 ms; p < 0.05). Memory and executive function did however not change. Serum BDNF concentrations were significantly higher after AME supplementation as compared to placebo (+ 5.7%; intervention effect: 1.8 ng/mL; p < 0.05). However, arterial stiffness and retinal microvascular calibers were not affected. Conclusion: Short-term AME supplementation beneficially affected cognitive performance as attention and psychomotor speed improved. Serum BDNF concentrations were increased, but vascular function markers were not affected. Clinical trial registration: The study was registered on Clinical Trials under NCT03793777 on January 4th, 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a problem which describes the heat diffusion in a complex media with fading memory. The model involves a fractional time derivative of order between zero and one instead of the classical first order derivative. The model takes into account also the effect of a neutral delay. We discuss the existence and uniqueness of a mild solution as well as a classical solution. Then, we prove a Mittag-Leffler stability result. Unlike the integer-order case, we run into considerable difficulties when estimating some problematic terms. It is found that even without the memory term in the heat flux expression, the stability is still of Mittag-Leffler type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Memory for truth and falsity has recently been investigated from the perspective of the dual-recollection theory, showing better context and target recollection for truth than falsity. In this paper, we examine whether these memory effects obtained for true statements are similar to the value effect, whereby true statements are given higher priority in encoding. For this purpose, we implemented value-directed remembering (VDR) into the conjoint-recognition paradigm. In our first experiment, the primary goal was to verify how VDR influences the processes defined by dual-recollection theory. At study, prioritized/important items were linked to higher numerical values (e.g., 10), while unimportant ones had lower values (e.g., 1). At test, the participants' task was to recognize whether a particular sentence was important, unimportant, or new. We found that both context and target recollection were better for important items. In the second experiment, the main goal was to study the combined effects of importance and veracity on memory. In the between-subjects design, participants were monetarily rewarded for memorizing true or false sentences. The results demonstrated differences in the ability to prioritize truth over falsity. Specifically, we found a substantial increase in context recollection for prioritized true information but not for prioritized false information. Moreover, we found higher context recollection for true than false sentences in the true-prioritized condition, but not in the false-prioritized condition. These results indicated that people are able to prioritize true information better than false, and suggested that memory for truth may be a special case of the value effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevailing model of landmark integration in location memory is Maximum Likelihood Estimation, which assumes that each landmark implies a target location distribution that is narrower for more reliable landmarks. This model assumes weighted linear combination of landmarks and predicts that, given optimal integration, the reliability with multiple landmarks is the sum of the reliabilities with the individual landmarks. Super-optimality is reliability with multiple landmarks exceeding optimal reliability given the reliability with each landmark alone; this is shown when performance exceeds predicted optimal performance, found by aggregating reliability values with single landmarks. Past studies claiming super-optimality have provided arguably impure measures of performance with single landmarks given that multiple landmarks were presented at study in conditions with a single landmark at test, disrupting encoding specificity and thereby leading to underestimation in predicted optimal performance. This study, unlike those prior studies, only presented a single landmark at study and the same landmark at test in single landmark trials, showing super-optimality conclusively. Given that super-optimal information integration occurs, emergent information, that is, information only available with multiple landmarks, must be used. With the target and landmarks all in a line, as throughout this study, relative distance is the only emergent information available. Use of relative distance was confirmed here by finding that, when both landmarks are left of the target at study, the target is remembered further right of its true location the further left the left landmark is moved from study to test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated whether, during visual word recognition, semantic processing is modulated by attentional control mechanisms directed at matching semantic information with task-relevant goals. In previous research, we analyzed the semantic Stroop interference as a function of response latency (delta-plot analyses) and found that this phenomenon mainly occurs in the slowest responses. Here, we investigated whether this pattern is due to reduced ability to proactively maintain the task goal in these slowest trials. In two pairs of experiments, participants completed two semantic Stroop tasks: a classic semantic Stroop task (Experiment 1A and 2A) and a semantic Stroop task combined with an n-back task (Experiment 1B and 2B). The two pairs of experiments only differed in the trial pace, which was slightly faster in Experiments 2A and 2B than in Experiments 1A and 1B. By taxing the executive control system, the n-back task was expected to hinder proactive control. Delta-plot analyses of the semantic Stroop task replicated the enhanced effect in the slowest responses, but only under sufficient time pressure. Combining the semantic Stroop task with the n-back task produced a change in the distributional profile of semantic Stroop interference, which we ascribe to a general difficulty in the use of proactive control. Our findings suggest that semantic Stroop interference is, to some extent, dependent on the available executive resources, while also being sensitive to subtle variations in task conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing a referent of a to-be-remembered word often results in better recognition and recall of this word relative to a control task in which the word is written, a pattern dubbed the drawing effect. Although this effect is not always found in pure lists, we report three experiments in which the drawing effect emerged in both pure- and mixed-lists on recognition and recall tests, though the effect was larger in mixed lists. Our experiments then compared drawing effects on memory between pure- and mixed-list contexts to determine whether the larger mixed-list drawing effect reflected a benefit to draw items, a cost to write items, or a combination. In delayed recognition and free-recall tests, a mixed-list benefit emerged for draw items in which memory for mixed-list draw items was greater than pure-list draw items. This mixed-list drawing benefit was accompanied by a mixed-list writing cost compared to pure-list write items, indicating that the mixed-list drawing effect does not operate cost-free. Our findings of a pure-list drawing effect are consistent with a memory strength account, however, the larger drawing effect in mixed lists suggest that participants may also deploy a distinctiveness heuristic to aid retrieval of drawn items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saving one list of words, such as on a computer or by writing them down, can improve a person's ability to learn and remember a second list of words that are not saved. This phenomenon, known as the saving enhanced memory effect, is typically observed by comparing the recall of nonsaved items when other items are saved versus when they are not saved. In past research, the effect has been shown to occur when participants save an entire list before learning a new list. In the current research, we examined whether the effect can be observed when participants save a subset of items within a single list. The results of two experiments confirmed that partial saving can lead to a saving enhanced memory effect, with the effect observed regardless of whether participants saved items by clicking a button on the computer or writing them out by hand. The effect was observed on an item-specific cued-recall test (Experiment 1) as well as a free recall test that did not control the order of output (Experiment 2). However, the effect size did vary as a function of how participants attempted to recall the items on the final test. Specifically, participants who initiated their output by recalling nonsaved items exhibited a significantly larger saving enhanced memory effect than those who initiated their output by reproducing saved items. Together, these findings expand our understanding of the saving enhanced memory effect and shine new light on the impacts of cognitive offloading on human memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional short- and long-term storage view of information processing and the levels-of-processing view both discuss the forgetting of information over time. In the traditional stage view, there is loss of at least poorly encoded information across several seconds when the information cannot be rehearsed (e.g., Ricker et al., 2020, Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 46, 60–76). In the levels-of-processing approach, information that is encoded in a shallow manner is lost more quickly over time than deeply-encoded information (Craik & Lockhart, 1972, Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 11, 671–684.). Previous studies of the depth of encoding, however, have mostly been conducted using delayed tests, so there are few studies directly comparing the rate of forgetting over time for information as a function of different depths of encoding. We manipulated the level of processing with immediate recall in a modified Brown–Peterson task. An effect of the level of processing was robust, but evidence of forgetting across retention intervals was not always observed. When encoding time was curtailed (in Experiments 3 and 4), we found main effects of both the level of processing and the retention interval, but no interaction between the two variables. The results suggest that the depth-of-encoding effect may occur during the initial encoding of items, but without differential forgetting within the range of retention intervals that we examined (0–18 s), in contrast to the suggestion by Craik and Lockhart. Further work is needed to determine whether the depth-of-processing effect would grow over longer intervals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Items associated with higher values during encoding are later recognized and recalled better than are lower valued items. During recall paradigms, these value directed encoding (VDE) effects heavily depend upon learned strategies acquired during repeated testing with earnings feedback. However, because VDE effects also occur in single test recognition designs, precluding such learning, it has been suggested that high value may automatically induce good encoding. We tested this by manipulating encoding instructions (Experiments 1a and 1b) and manipulating concurrent levels of processing (LOP) requirements during encoding (Experiment 2a and 2b). Two main findings emerged. First, subject initiated strategies played a dominant role in VDE effects with little evidence for automaticity. This was demonstrated in Experiment 1 by a more than three-fold increase in the VDE recognition effect when instructions specifically encouraged selective elaboration of high-value items. It was also shown by the complete elimination of VDE recognition effects in Experiment 2 when LOP tasks were concurrently performed during encoding. Critically, the blocking of VDE effects occurred even though a catch trial procedure verified that value was being processed during encoding and remained even when subjects had unlimited time to process the materials during encoding. Second, the data showed, for the first time, that when subjects attempted to specify the value of recognized items, they heavily depended upon a recognition heuristic in which increases in recognition strength, even when nondiagnostic, were inferred to reflect high encoding value. The tendency for subjects to conflate recognition strength and value may have important implications for behavioral economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although people commonly remember and recreate the tempo of musical pieces with high accuracy, comparatively less is known regarding sources of potential variation in musical tempo memory. This study therefore aimed to investigate musical tempo memory accuracy and the effects of reference tempo, reproduction method, musical expertise, and their interaction. A sample of 403 individuals with varying levels of musical training participated in the experimental online study, including nonmusicians, amateur musicians, and professional musicians. Participants were tasked with reproducing the tempos of 19 popular pop/rock songs using two methods: tempo tapping and adjusting the tempo of the audio file based on the previously tapped tempo. Results from multilevel models revealed overall high accuracy in tempo memory, with tempo adjusting yielding greater accuracy compared with tempo tapping. Higher musical expertise was associated with increased accuracy in tempo production. In addition, we observed a quadratic effect of reference tempo, with the greatest accuracy in tempo reproduction around 120 bpm. Gender, age, familiarity with the pieces, and accompaniment strategies were also associated with greater accuracy. These findings provide insights into the factors influencing musical tempo memory and have implications for understanding the cognitive processes involved in tempo perception and reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite research showing that perceptually fluent stimuli (i.e., stimuli that are easier to process) are given higher judgment of learning (JOL) ratings than perceptually disfluent stimuli, it remains unknown whether the influence of perceptual fluency on JOLs is driven by the fluent or disfluent items. Moreover, it is unclear whether this difference hinges on relative differences in fluency. The current study addressed these unanswered questions by employing (Fiacconi et al., Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 46:926–944, 2020), Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 46[5], 926–944) letter set priming procedure. In this procedure, participants are first exposed to words containing only a subset of letters. Following this exposure, JOLs to new words composed of the same letters (i.e., fluent), and new words composed of nonexposed letters (i.e., disfluent) are compared with isolate the contribution of perceptual fluency. Because this procedure does not rely on parametric variations in perceptual features, we can directly assess the potential benefit and/or cost of fluent and disfluent items, respectively, by including neutral baseline conditions. Moreover, implementing both a mixed- and pure-list design allowed us to assess the comparative nature of perceptual fluency on JOLs. Counter to previous assumptions, our results are the first to demonstrate that perceptual disfluency decreases JOLs. Moreover, we found that the influence of perceptual disfluency on JOLs hinges on the relative differences in fluency between items even in the absence of a belief about the mnemonic impact of the fluency manipulation. These findings have important implications as they provide evidence that the difficulty, rather than ease, of information form the basis of individuals metacognitive judgments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dual-tasks at the memory encoding stage have been shown to decrease recall performance and impair concurrent task performance. In contrast, studies on the effect of dual-tasks at the memory retrieval stage observed mixed results. Which cognitive mechanisms are underlying this dual-task interference is still an unresolved question. In the present study, we investigated the influence of a concurrent reaction-time task on the performance in a long-term memory task in two experiments. In Experiment 1, participants performed an auditory-verbal free recall memory task and a visual-manual spatial Stroop task in a single or dual-task condition, either at the encoding or retrieval stage of the memory task. In Experiment 2, we examined the influence of processing conflicts in a concurrent RT task on memory encoding. Both experiments showed detrimental effects on recall accuracy and concurrent RT task performance in dual-task conditions at the encoding stage. Dual-task conditions at the retrieval stage led to a slowdown in recall latency and impaired concurrent RT task performance, but recall accuracy was maintained. In addition, we observed larger Stroop congruency effects in the dual-task conditions, indicating an increased processing conflict. However, in Experiment 2, we analyzed the effect of the processing conflict in a time-locked manner and could not find a significant influence on success of memory encoding. These findings suggest that processes in both tasks share the same limited capacity and are slowed down due to parallel processing, but we could not find evidence that this is further influenced by task-specific processing conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effort and the perception of effort (PE) have been extensively studied across disciplines, resulting in multiple definitions. These inconsistencies block scientific progress by impeding effective communication between and within fields. Here, we present an integrated perspective of effort and PE that is applicable to both physical and cognitive activities. We define effort as the energy utilized to perform an action. This definition can be applied to biological entities performing various voluntary or involuntary activities, irrespective of whether the effort contributes to goal achievement. Then, we define PE as the instantaneous experience of utilizing energy to perform an action. This definition builds on that of effort without conflating it with other subjective experiences. We explore the nature of effort and PE as constructs and variables and highlight key considerations in their measurement. Our integrated perspective aims to facilitate a deeper understanding of these constructs, refine research methodologies, and promote interdisciplinary collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the potential mediating role of sleep quality in the effect of physical activity (PA) intervention for improving executive functions (EFs) in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants aged 6 to 12 years old with a formal ADHD diagnosis were recruited from a local hospital. A total of 80 eligible children with ADHD were randomized to an intervention group for 12 consecutive weeks of PA training (three times per week, 60 min per session) (n = 40; Mage = 8.37, 75% boys) or a wait-list control group (n = 40; Mage = 8.29, 80% boys). Three core EFs (inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) were assessed by neurocognitive tasks, and sleep quality was measured by the Chinese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The bootstrapping method was used to test PA intervention effects on EFs and on potential variables of sleep quality after intervention and to test whether there were indirect effects of the intervention on EFs via mediators of sleep. The results showed that the PA intervention had a direct effect on sleep latency reduction (β = − 0.26, 95%CI − 0.47 to − 0.06) and cognitive flexibility improvement (decrease in completion time) (β = − 0.30, 95%CI − 0.50 to − 0.09). Furthermore, change in sleep latency significantly mediated the effects of PA intervention on cognitive flexibility (β = − 0.084, 95%CI − 0.252 to − 0.001). The findings suggest that sleep latency could be a crucial behavioral mediator of PA intervention in improving cognitive flexibility among children with ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent developments in flexible memories, neuromorphic computing, and other fields have generated a lot of interest in memristive devices based on two-dimensional materials. Due to its capacity for data storage and quick working speed, two-terminal non-volatile memory devices are more efficient and incredible. The need for memory that is flexible, low-powered, and ultra-thin is rising as a result of the rapidly developing fields of healthcare, wearable electronics, and the Internet of Things. The current study observes the effects of pure hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) inclusion on the resistive switching properties of tin oxide (SnO2)-based flexible resistive memory device, which was synthesized by a straightforward hydrothermal method. The synthesized nanocomposite powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopic methods. A pure SnO2 and SnO2-hBN (5, 7, and 10 wt.%) nanocomposite film was spin-coated on an ITO-PET flexible substrate to create the memory device. To finish the memory device, thermal evaporation was used to create Al top electrodes with a thickness of less than 100 nm. After comparing the resistive switching performance of the created devices, it was found that the memory device using 7% hBN in SnO2 had a higher ION/IOFF ratio of 1000, whereas the samples including 5 and 10 wt.% hBN had ratios of 96 and 10, respectively. In addition, the retention and endurance behaviour of the fabricated 7%SnO2-hBN composite film-based device was studied for up to 1.5 × 104 and 100 cycles, respectively, with no degradation in the memory window. It has been noted that the current metal oxide–2D hybrid nanocomposite is a promising option for low-power, flexible, and enduring non-volatile memory applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shape memory polymers are smart materials that remember their original shape and respond to external stimuli. They have tremendous applications in engineering and bio-medical fields. Having lower mechanical strength and high cost opens the scope to work on creating certain structures as a combination of conventional and shape memory polymers. Conventional and shape memory sandwich structures are suitable for working with various material combinations. The present study deals with developing 4D-printed conventional and shape memory sandwich structured combinations to understand their mechanical, shape memory, and failure phenomena. The present study showed the feasibility of using such combinations with improved mechanical properties with a small reduction in shape recovery. Further, the present study showed the delamination of conventional and shape memory polymer layers after a few cycles of shape recovery when subjected to severe bending deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Memory plays an essential role in daily life and is one of the first functions to deteriorate in cognitive impairment and dementia. Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) is a promising therapeutic method; however, its ability to enhance memory is underexplored, especially considering long-term stimulation. We aimed to investigate the effect of a 2-week course of auricular tVNS (taVNS) on memory in a non-clinical population. Methods: This single-blind randomized placebo-wait-list controlled trial recruited 76 participants (30 men; mean age 48.32 years) and randomized them into four groups: early active/sham taVNS and late active/sham taVNS. Participation in the study lasted 4 weeks; early groups underwent 2 weeks intervention immediately following the first study site visit (days 0–13) and late groups 2 weeks after the first study site visit (days 14–27). Active and sham taVNS included 2 weeks of daily 4-h neurostimulation at the tragus or earlobe, respectively. To assess memory, we used the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Results: Two weeks of active taVNS, but not sham taVNS, improved immediate recall and short-term memory score both in early and late groups. Furthermore, the improvements persisted over subsequent follow-up in early active taVNS. Importantly, the effect of active taVNS was superior to sham for immediate recall in both early and late groups. There were no statistical differences in delayed recall. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that taVNS has potential to improve memory, particularly immediate recall, and may be an effective method in preventing memory loss and mitigating cognitive aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serverless computing has become very popular in recent years due to its flexibility and cost efficiency. Serverless computing is a cloud computing model that allows developers to write and deploy code without managing the underlying infrastructure. Serverless computing has been welcomed due to its scalability, affordability, and ease of use. However, memory orchestration in serverless computing can be challenging due to the ephemeral nature of serverless functions, which are short-lived and stateless. This article has reviewed memory orchestration mechanisms and then presented a classification of memory orchestration mechanisms in serverless computing, which are classified into three main methods: Machine learning-based approach, Heuristic-based approach, and framework-based approach. The advantages and disadvantages of each mechanism as well as the challenges and performance metrics affecting their effectiveness have been investigated. Each memory orchestration approach, whether heuristic-based, framework-based, or machine learning-based, has its own advantages and disadvantages. Different mechanisms are suitable for different use cases. Therefore, it is important to carefully evaluate the trade-offs between performance, cost, and complexity when choosing a memory orchestration mechanism. Finally, the paper identifies several future research directions for memory orchestration in serverless computing, which include developing memory orchestration mechanisms and dynamic memory management, integrating memory orchestration mechanisms with other resource management mechanisms, security, memory sharing, compression, pricing, and investigating the relationships between memory orchestration with cost and performance in serverless computing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]