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This study investigated the neural substrate of processing gesture-speech semantic variation which arises when the same entity word is uttered along with an iconic gesture that depicts object knowledge or event knowledge of the entity concept, or with a beat gesture that enacts a rhythmic movement, or with a grooming gesture. The fMRI results attested that the observation of gestures with speech, as compared to speech alone, centers on the high-level visual processing and recognition of complex stimuli in the bilateral fusiform gyrus, and the association of various sensory information in spatio-motoric and semantic processing of the inputs in the left inferior/superior parietal gyrus, upon which multiple functional networks are engaged in response to cross-modal semantic variation. The visuo-sensorimotor network of gesture processing with speech does not resemble the processing of hand actions on real objects in the frontal and parietal lobes for the recognition of object-directed motor acts.

Abstract With recent proposal suggesting the multifaceted nature of impulsivity, researchers have been intrigued by the question of whether the impulsive behaviour measured in the traditionally psychological paradigms is unitary. One such paradigm, the differential reinforcement of low-rate responding (DRL), has been used to assess response inhibition, but its underlying mechanism has still been debated. In present research, we examined and differentiated the effects of both response inhibition and interval timing on a multisession DRL-10 s (DRL-10 s) in a large sample of normally developing young adults, as well as with three other measures including the stop-signal reaction task (SSRT), time production task-10 s (TPT-10 s), and the Barrett impulsivity scale-11 (BIS-11). The results showed that behavioural changes existed in DRL. As the task sessions progressed, there was an increase in both reinforcement probability and peak time, but a decrease in burst responses. Most importantly, both principal component analysis and generalized multilevel modeling yielded consistent results that as the task progressed, there was an increasing involvement of the TPT in the late sessions of DRL. However, none of the effect of SSRT was found. In sum, the differential degrees of involvement of the timing process, relative to response inhibition, were observed in DRL.

This paper empirically studies the extent to which career concerns as part of a typical contract offer influence employees' work performance in a Japanese auto dealership firm. Because career movements and base-wage adjustments rely on performance evaluation over time, we develop a dynamic structural model that allows concerns for future payoffs to impact an employee's current work effort. A reform in personnel-management policies of the firm during the data period enables us not only to compare the performances across individuals, but also to compare within an individual the performance before and after the reform—this enhances the model identification. Our estimation results show that the added value from career movements on top of the monetary payoffs is more important than the monetary payoffs. Individuals respond to career movements and commissions differently, mainly due to varying cost of effort and different payoffs from career movements. Our counterfactual exercises suggest that, compared with the scenario when there is only monetary compensation, adding career movements in a contract package will greatly improve the firm's gross profit. The firm can improve its net profit by making commission and promotion more performance-based. This paper was accepted by Matt Shum, marketing. Funding: Financial support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [Grant 20190410-01] is gratefully acknowledged. Supplemental Material: The data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4956. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development and refinement of functional brain circuits crucial to human cognition is a continuous process that spans from childhood to adulthood. Research increasingly focuses on mapping these evolving configurations, with the aim to identify markers for functional impairments and atypical development. Among human cognitive systems, nonsymbolic magnitude representations serve as a foundational building block for future success in mathematical learning and achievement for individuals. Using task‐based frontoparietal (FPN) and salience network (SN) features during nonsymbolic magnitude processing alongside machine learning algorithms, we developed a framework to construct brain age prediction models for participants aged 7–30. Our study revealed differential developmental profiles in the synchronization within and between FPN and SN networks. Specifically, we observed a linear increase in FPN connectivity, concomitant with a decline in SN connectivity across the age span. A nonlinear U‐shaped trajectory in the connectivity between the FPN and SN was discerned, revealing reduced FPN‐SN synchronization among adolescents compared to both pediatric and adult cohorts. Leveraging the Gradient Boosting machine learning algorithm and nested fivefold stratified cross‐validation with independent training datasets, we demonstrated that functional connectivity measures of the FPN and SN nodes predict chronological age, with a correlation coefficient of.727 and a mean absolute error of 2.944 between actual and predicted ages. Notably, connectivity within the FPN emerged as the most contributing feature for age prediction. Critically, a more matured brain age estimate is associated with better arithmetic performance. Our findings shed light on the intricate developmental changes occurring in the neural networks supporting magnitude representations. We emphasize brain age estimation as a potent tool for understanding cognitive development and its relationship to mathematical abilities across the critical developmental period of youth. Practitioner Points: This study investigated the prolonged changes in the brain's architecture across childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, with a focus on task‐state frontoparietal and salience networks.Distinct developmental pathways were identified: frontoparietal synchronization strengthens consistently throughout development, while salience network connectivity diminishes with age. Furthermore, adolescents show a unique dip in connectivity between these networks.Leveraging advanced machine learning methods, we accurately predicted individuals' ages based on these brain circuits, with a more mature estimated brain age correlating with better math skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Introduction Math anxiety severely impacts individuals’ learning and future success. However, limited is understood about the profile in East Asian cultures where students genuinely show high‐level math anxiety, despite that they outperform their Western counterparts. Here, we investigate the relation between math anxiety and math achievement in children as young as first and second graders in Taiwan. Further, we evaluate whether intensive exposure to digital game‐based learning in mathematics could ameliorate math anxiety. Methods The study first evaluated a group of 159 first and second graders’ math anxiety and its correlation with math performance. Subsequently, a quasi‐experimental design was adopted: 77 of the children continued and participated in multi‐component digital game training targeting enumeration, speeded calculation, and working memory. Post‐assessment was administered afterward for further evaluation of training‐associated effects. Results Results confirmed that math anxiety was negatively associated with school math achievement, which assessed numerical knowledge and arithmetic calculation. Furthermore, children's math anxiety was remarkably reduced via digital training in mathematics after 6‐week intensive remediation. Crucially, this math anxiety relief was more prominent in those with high‐level math anxiety. Although the children who underwent the training showed training‐induced math achievement and working memory enhancement, this cognitive improvement appeared to be independent of the math anxiety relief. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that students can show highly negative emotions and perceptions toward learning even in high‐achieving countries. Auspiciously, the feeling of distress toward learning has the feasibility to be relieved from short‐term intensive training. Our study suggests a new approach of early treatments to emotional disturbance that can lead to permanent consequences in individuals.

This paper investigates the economic value of online reviews for consumers and restaurants. We use a data set from Dianping.com , a leading Chinese website providing user-generated reviews, to study how consumers learn, from reading online reviews, the quality and cost of restaurant dining. We propose a learning model with three novel features: (1) different reviews offer different informational value to different types of consumers; (2) consumers learn their own preferences, and not the distribution of preferences among the entire population, for multiple product attributes; and (3) consumers update not only the expectation but also the variance of their preferences. Based on estimation results, we conduct a series of counterfactual experiments and find that the value from Dianping is about 7 CNY for each user, and about 8.6 CNY from each user for the reviewed restaurants in this study. The majority of the value comes from reviews on restaurant quality, and contextual comments are more valuable than numerical ratings in reviews.

The connection between indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) and tumour dormancy – a quiescent state of tumour cells which has been consistently linked to metastasis and cancer recurrence – is rarely discussed despite the pivotal role of IDO1 in cancer development and progression. Whilst the underlying mechanisms of IDO1-mediated dormancy are elusive, we summarize the IDO1 pathways which potentially contribute to dormancy in this review. Critically, distinct IDO1 activities are involved in dormancy initiation and maintenance; factors outside the well-studied IDO1/kynurenine/aryl hydrocarbon receptor axis, including the mammalian target of rapamycin and general control nonderepressible 2, appear to be implicated in dormancy. We also discuss various strategies for cancer treatment via regulating IDO1-dependent dormancy and suggest the application of nanotechnology to deliver effective treatment.

We study the behavior of an individual avoiding peer information from a natural field experiment of charity crowdfunding. The unique experimental design enables us to employ an instrumental variable strategy to identify how the behavior influences individual giving to and promotion of charity campaigns. We find that, even with free access, 89% of individuals chose not to seek peer information. These individuals were less likely, whereas their peers were more likely to give and help promote in the past. The behavior would reduce the total distribution of campaigns by 8.5% and the total donation amount by 7.7%. A stylized model is used to illustrate how the pressure from peer comparison drives the individuals not to seek the information and how this behavior could influence giving and promoting behaviors of a group of marginal individuals. This paper was accepted by Yan Chen, behavioral economics and decision analysis. Funding: The project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 72103110]. Supplemental Material: The data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4807. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) and asthma are associated with a variety of precipitating factors including infection. This study assessed the infective viral etiologies by real-time multiplex polymerase chain reaction of patients hospitalized with AECOPD and asthma exacerbations. In addition, infective etiologies were assessed for association with the clinical outcome of the patients. Methods Adults admitted with AECOPD and asthma exacerbations between August 2016 and July 2017 were recruited. Nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) samples were obtained from the patients within 1–2 days of admission and subjected to pathogen detection and human rhinovirus (HRV) typing. Results Altogether 402 patients with AECOPD, 80 stable COPD, 100 asthma exacerbation and 21 stable asthma subjects were recruited. Among those admitted for AECOPD and asthma exacerbations, 141(35.1%) and 45(45.0%) respectively had pathogens identified in the NPA specimens. The commonest virus identified was influenza A followed by HRV. HRV typing identified HRV-A and HRV-C as the more common HRV with a wide variety of genotypes. Identification of pathogens in NPA or HRV typing otherwise did not affect clinical outcomes including the hospital length of stay, readmission rates and mortality except that identification of pathogens in asthma exacerbation was associated with a lower rate of readmissions at 30 and 60 days. Conclusions Many respiratory viruses were associated with AECOPD and asthma exacerbation. HRV-A and HRV-C were the more common HRV associated with exacerbations. Identification of pathogens in NPA was associated with less readmissions for asthma patients at 30 and 60 days. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02866357.

The practice of mathematical word problem is ubiquitous and thought to impact academic achievement. However, the underlying neural mechanisms are still poorly understood. In this study, we investigate how lexical consistency of word problem description is modulated in adults' brain responses during word problem solution. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging methods, we examined compare word problems that included relational statements, such as “A dumpling costs 9 dollars. A wonton is 2 dollars less than a dumpling. How much does a wonton cost?” and manipulated lexical consistency (consistent: the relational term consistent with the operation to be performed, e.g., more—addition/inconsistent: e.g., less—addition) and problem operation (addition/subtraction). We found a consistency by operation interaction in the widespread fronto-insular-parietal activations, including the anterior insula, dorsoanterior cingulate cortex, middle frontal gyrus, and intraparietal sulcus, such that inconsistent problems engaged stronger activations than consistent problems for addition, whereas the consistency effect was inverse for subtraction. Critically, these results were more salient in the less successful problem solvers than their more successful peers. Our study is the first to demonstrate that lexical consistency effects on arithmetic neural networks are modulated during reading word problem that required distinct arithmetic operations. More broadly, our study has strong potentials to add linkage between neuroscience and education by remediating deficits and enhance instruction design in the school curriculum.