Aging and semantic integration in sentence processing: Testing the cognitive workload of wrap-up

The current study investigated the cognitive workload of sentence and clause wrap-up in younger and older readers. A large number of studies have demonstrated the presence of wrap-up effects, peaks in processing time at clause and sentence boundaries that some argue reflect attention to organizational and integrative semantic processes. However, the exact nature of these wrap-up effects is still not entirely clear, with some arguing that wrap-up is not related to processing difficulty, but rather is triggered by a low-level oculomotor response or the implicit monitoring of intonational contour. The notion that wrap-up effects are resource-demanding was directly tested by examining the degree to which sentence and clause wrap-up affects the parafoveal preview benefit. Older and younger adults read passages in which a target word N occurred in a sentence-internal, clause-final, or sentence-final position. A gaze-contingent boundary change paradigm was used in which, on some trials, a non-word preview of word N+1 was replaced by a target word once the eyes crossed an invisible boundary located between words N and N+1. All measures of reading time on word N were longer at clause and sentence boundaries than in the sentence-internal position. In the earliest measures of reading time, sentence and clause wrap-up showed evidence of reducing the magnitude of the preview benefit similarly for younger and older adults. However, this effect was moderated by age in gaze duration, such that older adults showed a complete reduction in the preview benefit in the sentence-final condition. Additionally, sentence and clause wrap-up were negatively associated with the preview benefit. Collectively, the findings from the current study suggest that wrap-up is cognitively demanding and may be less efficient with age, thus, resulting in a reduction of the parafoveal preview during normal reading.

Slow Oscillations in the Mouse Hippocampus Entrained by Nasal Respiration

Different types of network oscillations occur in different behavioral, cognitive, or vigilance states. The rodent hippocampus expresses prominentoscillations atfrequencies between 4 and 12Hz,which are superimposed by phase-coupledoscillations (30 –100Hz).These patterns entrain multineuronal activity over large distances and have been implicated in sensory information processing and memory formation. Here we report a new type of oscillation at near- frequencies (2– 4 Hz) in the hippocampus of urethane-anesthetized mice. The rhythm is highly coherent with nasal respiration and with rhythmic field potentials in the olfactory bulb: hence, we called it hippocampal respiration-induced oscillations. Despite the similarity in frequency range, several features distinguish this pattern from locally generatedoscillations: hippocampal respiration-induced oscillations have a unique laminar amplitude profile, are resistant to atropine, couple differentlytooscillations, and are abolished when nasal airflow is bypassed bytracheotomy. Hippocampal neurons are entrained by both the respiration-induced rhythm and concurrent oscillations, suggesting a direct interaction between endogenous activity in the hippocampus and nasal respiratory inputs. Our results demonstrate that nasal respiration strongly modulates hippocampal network activity in mice, providing a long-range synchronizing signal between olfactory and hippocampal networks.

A single theoretical framework for circular features processing in humans: orientation and direction of motion compared

Common computational principles underlie processing of various visual features in the cortex. They are considered to create similar patterns of contextual modulations in behavioral studies for different features as orientation and direction of motion. Here, I studied the possibility that a single theoretical framework, implemented in different visual areas, of circular feature coding and processing could explain these similarities in observations. Stimuli were created that allowed direct comparison of the contextual effects on orientation and motion direction with two different psychophysical probes: changes in weak and strong signal perception. One unique simplified theoretical model of circular feature coding including only inhibitory interactions, and decoding through standard vector average, successfully predicted the similarities in the two domains, while different feature population characteristics explained well the differences in modulation on both experimental probes. These results demonstrate how a single computational principle underlies processing of various features across the cortices.

Asymmetrical processing of olfactory input in the piriform cortex mediates "activation" of the avian navigation circuitry

The role of odors in the long-distance navigation of birds has elicited intense debate for more than half a century. Failure to resolve many of the issues fueling this debate is due at least in part to the absence of controls for a variety of non-specific effects that odors have on the navigational process. The present experiments were carried out to investigate whether the olfactory inputs are involved only in “activation” of neuronal circuitry involved in navigation or are also playing a role in providing directional information. Experienced adult pigeons were exposed to controlled olfactory stimuli during different segments of the journey (release site vs. displacement + release site). Protein levels of IEGs (immediate early genes used to mark synaptic activity) were analyzed in areas within the olfactory/navigation avian circuitry. The results indicate that 1) exposure to natural odors at the release site (and not before) elicit greater activation across brain regions than exposure to filtered air, artificial odors, and natural odors along the entire outward journey (from home to the release site, inclusive); 2) activation of the piriform cortex in terms of odor discrimination is lateralized; 3) activation of the navigation circuitry is achieved by means of lateralized activation of piriform cortex neurons. Altogether, the findings provide the first direct evidence that activation of the avian navigation circuitry is mediated by asymmetrical processing of olfactory input occurring in the right piriform cortex.

<The >effects of weight and injected dose in the liver’s Signal-to-Noise Ratio in patients submitted to PET/CT scans

The quality of the image of 18F-FDG PET/CT scans in overweight patients is commonly degraded. This study evaluates, retrospectively, the relation between SNR, weight and dose injected in 65 patients, with a range of weights from 35 to 120 kg, with scans performed using the Biograph mCT using a standardized protocol in the Nuclear Medicine Department at Radboud University Medical Centre in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Five ROI’s were made in the liver, assumed to be an organ of homogenous metabolism, at the same location, in five consecutive slices of the PET/CT scans to obtain the mean uptake (signal) values and its standard deviation (noise). The ratio of both gave us the Signal-to- Noise Ratio in the liver. With the help of a spreadsheet, weight, height, SNR and Body Mass Index were calculated and graphs were designed in order to obtain the relation between these factors. The graphs showed that SNR decreases as the body weight and/or BMI increased and also showed that, even though the dose injected increased, the SNR also decreased. This is due to the fact that heavier patients receive higher dose and, as reported, heavier patients have less SNR. These findings suggest that the quality of the images, measured by SNR, that were acquired in heavier patients are worst than thinner patients, even though higher FDG doses are given. With all this taken in consideration, it was necessary to make a new formula to calculate a new dose to give to patients and having a good and constant SNR in every patient. Through mathematic calculations, it was possible to reach to two new equations (power and exponential), which would lead to a SNR from a scan made with a specific reference weight (86 kg was the considered one) which was independent of body mass. The study implies that with these new formulas, patients heavier than the reference weight will receive higher doses and lighter patients will receive less doses. With the median being 86 kg, the new dose and new SNR was calculated and concluded that the quality of the image remains almost constant as the weight increases and the quantity of the necessary FDG remains almost the same, without increasing the costs for the total amount of FDG used in all these patients.

Identifying and enhancing risk thresholds in the detection of elder financial abuse: A signal detection analysis of professionals' decision making

Background: Financial abuse of elders is an under acknowledged problem and professionals' judgements contribute to both the prevalence of abuse and the ability to prevent and intervene. In the absence of a definitive "gold standard" for the judgement, it is desirable to try and bring novice professionals' judgemental risk thresholds to the level of competent professionals as quickly and effectively as possible. This study aimed to test if a training intervention was able to bring novices' risk thresholds for financial abuse in line with expert opinion. Methods: A signal detection analysis, within a randomised controlled trial of an educational intervention, was undertaken to examine the effect on the ability of novices to efficiently detect financial abuse. Novices (n = 154) and experts (n = 33) judged "certainty of risk" across 43 scenarios; whether a scenario constituted a case of financial abuse or not was a function of expert opinion. Novices (n = 154) were randomised to receive either an on-line educational intervention to improve financial abuse detection (n = 78) or a control group (no on-line educational intervention, n = 76). Both groups examined 28 scenarios of abuse (11 "signal" scenarios of risk and 17 "noise" scenarios of no risk). After the intervention group had received the on-line training, both groups then examined 15 further scenarios (5 "signal" and 10 "noise" scenarios). Results: Experts were more certain than the novices, pre (Mean 70.61 vs. 58.04) and post intervention (Mean 70.84 vs. 63.04); and more consistent. The intervention group (mean 64.64) were more certain of abuse post-intervention than the control group (mean 61.41, p = 0.02). Signal detection analysis of sensitivity (Á) and bias (C) revealed that this was due to the intervention shifting the novices' tendency towards saying "at risk" (C post intervention -.34) and away from their pre intervention levels of bias (C-.12). Receiver operating curves revealed more efficient judgments in the intervention group. Conclusion: An educational intervention can improve judgements of financial abuse amongst novice professionals.

Anaerobic bio-digestion of concentrate obtained in the process of ultra filtration of effluents from tilapia processing unit

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficiency of the process of biodigestion of the protein concentrate resulting from the ultrafiltration of the effluent from a slaughterhouse freezer of Nile tilapia. Bench digesters were used with excrements and water (control) in comparison with a mixture of cattle manure and effluent from the stages of filleting and bleeding of tilapias. The effluent obtained in the continuous process (bleeding + filleting) was the one with highest accumulated population from the 37th day, as well as greatest daily production. Gases composition did not differ between the protein concentrates, but the gas obtained with the use of the effluent from the filleting stage presented highest methane gas average (78.05%) in comparison with those obtained in the bleeding stage (69.95%) and in the continuous process (70.02%) or by the control method (68.59%).

Examining Levels of Automation in the Wood Processing Industry - A case study

Companies operating in the wood processing industry need to increase their productivity by implementing automation technologies in their production systems. An increasing global competition and rising raw material prizes challenge their competitiveness. Yet, too extensive automation brings risks such as a deterioration in situation awareness and operator deskilling. The concept of Levels of Automation is generally seen as means to achieve a balanced task allocation between the operators’ skills and competences and the need for automation technology relieving the humans from repetitive or hazardous work activities. The aim of this thesis was to examine to what extent existing methods for assessing Levels of Automation in production processes are applicable in the wood processing industry when focusing on an improved competitiveness of production systems. This was done by answering the following research questions (RQ): RQ1: What method is most appropriate to be applied with measuring Levels of Automation in the wood processing industry? RQ2: How can the measurement of Levels of Automation contribute to an improved competitiveness of the wood processing industry’s production processes? Literature reviews were used to identify the main characteristics of the wood processing industry affecting its automation potential and appropriate assessment methods for Levels of Automation in order to answer RQ1. When selecting the most suitable method, factors like the relevance to the target industry, application complexity or operational level the method is penetrating were important. The DYNAMO++ method, which covers both a rather quantitative technical-physical and a more qualitative social-cognitive dimension, was seen as most appropriate when taking into account these factors. To answer RQ 2, a case study was undertaken at a major Swedish manufacturer of interior wood products to point out paths how the measurement of Levels of Automation contributes to an improved competitiveness of the wood processing industry. The focus was on the task level on shop floor and concrete improvement suggestions were elaborated after applying the measurement method for Levels of Automation. Main aspects considered for generalization were enhancements regarding ergonomics in process design and cognitive support tools for shop-floor personnel through task standardization. Furthermore, difficulties regarding the automation of grading and sorting processes due to the heterogeneous material properties of wood argue for a suitable arrangement of human intervention options in terms of work task allocation.  The application of a modified version of DYNAMO++ reveals its pros and cons during a case study which covers a high operator involvement in the improvement process and the distinct predisposition of DYNAMO++ to be applied in an assembly system.

Investigating the Roles and Requirements, Manifestations and Management of Metadata in the Creation of Reliable and Preservation of Authentic Electronic Entities Created by Dynamic, Interactive and Experiential Systems: Report on the Work and Findings of the Interpares 2 Description Cross Domain Group

Metadata that is associated with either an information system or an information object for purposes of description, administration, legal requirements, technical functionality, use and usage, and preservation, plays a critical role in ensuring the creation, management, preservation and use and re-use of trustworthymaterials, including records. Recordkeeping1 metadata, of which one key type is archival description, plays a particularly important role in documenting the reliability and authenticity of records and recordkeeping systemsas well as the various contexts (legal-administrative, provenancial, procedural, documentary, and technical) within which records are created and kept as they move across space and time. In the digital environment, metadata is also the means by which it is possible to identify how record components – those constituent aspects of a digital record that may be managed, stored and used separately by the creator or the preserver – can be reassembled to generate an authentic copy of a record or reformulated per a user’s request as a customized output package.Issues relating to the creation, capture, management and preservation of adequate metadata are, therefore, integral to any research study addressing the reliability and authenticity of digital entities, regardless of the community, sector or institution within which they are being created. The InterPARES 2 Description Cross-Domain Group (DCD) examined the conceptualization, definitions, roles, and current functionality of metadata and archival description in terms of requirements generated by InterPARES 12. Because of the needs to communicate the work of InterPARES in a meaningful way across not only other disciplines, but also different archival traditions; to interface with, evaluate and inform existing standards, practices and other research projects; and to ensure interoperability across the three focus areas of InterPARES2, the Description Cross-Domain also addressed its research goals with reference to wider thinking about and developments in recordkeeping and metadata. InterPARES2 addressed not only records, however, but a range of digital information objects (referred to as “entities” by InterPARES 2, but not to be confused with the term “entities” as used in metadata and database applications) that are the products and by-products of government, scientific and artistic activities that are carried out using dynamic, interactive or experiential digital systems. The nature of these entities was determined through a diplomatic analysis undertaken as part of extensive case studies of digital systems that were conducted by the InterPARES 2 Focus Groups. This diplomatic analysis established whether the entities identified during the case studies were records, non-records that nevertheless raised important concerns relating to reliability and authenticity, or “potential records.” To be determined to be records, the entities had to meet the criteria outlined by archival theory – they had to have a fixed documentary format and stable content. It was not sufficient that they be considered to be or treated as records by the creator. “Potential records” is a new construct that indicates that a digital system has the potential to create records upon demand, but does not actually fix and set aside records in the normal course of business. The work of the Description Cross-Domain Group, therefore, addresses the metadata needs for all three categories of entities.Finally, since “metadata” as a term is used today so ubiquitously and in so many different ways by different communities, that it is in peril of losing any specificity, part of the work of the DCD sought to name and type categories of metadata. It also addressed incentives for creators to generate appropriate metadata, as well as issues associated with the retention, maintenance and eventual disposition of the metadata that aggregates around digital entities over time.

Discrimination capacity in species distribution models depends on the representativeness of the environmental domain

Aim When faced with dichotomous events, such as the presence or absence of a species, discrimination capacity (the ability to separate the instances of presence from the instances of absence) is usually the only characteristic that is assessed in the evaluation of the performance of predictive models. Although neglected, calibration or reliability (how well the estimated probability of presence represents the observed proportion of presences) is another aspect of the performance of predictive models that provides important information. In this study, we explore how changes in the distribution of the probability of presence make discrimination capacity a context-dependent characteristic of models. For the first time,we explain the implications that ignoring the context dependence of discrimination can have in the interpretation of species distribution models.

Contents and bioconversion of B-glycoside isoflavones to aglycones in the processing conditions of soybean tempeh.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the processing conditions of soybean tempeh on the contents of ??glycoside isoflavones and on their bioconversion into aglycones. Different times of soaking (6, 12, and 18 hours), cooking (15, 30, and 45 minutes), and fermentation (18, 24, and 30 hours) with Rhizopus oligosporus at 37°C were evaluated for tempeh preparation. Grains from the cultivar 'BRS 267' were used, and the experiment was carried out according to a central composite design (23). The response functions comprised the contents of genistin, malonyldaidzin, malonylgenistin, daidzein, and genistein, quantified by ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC). Soaking, cooking, and fermentation times change the content, profile, and distribution of the different forms of isoflavones in tempeh. The highest bioconversion of glycoside isoflavones into aglycones occurred in 6?hour soaked soybean grains, whose cotyledons were cooked for 15 minutes and subjected to 18?hour fermentation. RESUMO:O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito das condições de processamento do tempeh de soja sobre o conteúdo de isoflavonas ??glicosídeos e sobre sua bioconversão em agliconas. Diferentes tempos de maceração (6, 12 e 18 horas), cozimento (15, 30 e 45 minutos) e fermentação (18, 24 e 30 horas) com Rhizopus oligosporus a 37°C foram avaliados na preparação do tempeh. Foram utilizados grãos da cultivar 'BRS 267', e o experimento foi realizado de acordo com um delineamento composto central (23). As funções?respostas compreenderam o teor de genistina, malonildaidzina, malonilgenistina, daidzeína e genisteína, quantificadas por cromatografia líquida de ultraeficiência (CLUE). Os tempos de maceração, cozimento e fermentação alteraram o conteúdo, o perfil e a distribuição das diferentes formas de isoflavonas no tempeh. A maior bioconversão de ??glicosídeos em agliconas ocorreu em grãos de soja macerados por 6 horas, cujos cotilédones foram cozidos por 15 minutos e submetidos à fermentação por 18 horas.

Long-period oscillations in GPS Up time series. Study over the European/Mediterranean area

The surface of the Earth is subjected to vertical deformations caused by geophysical and geological processes which can be monitored by Global Positioning System (GPS) observations. The purpose of this work is to investigate GPS height time series to identify interannual signals affecting the Earth’s surface over the European and Mediterranean area, during the period 2001-2019. Thirty-six homogeneously distributed GPS stations were selected from the online dataset made available by the Nevada Geodetic Laboratory (NGL) on the basis of the length and quality of the data series. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is the technique applied to extract the main patterns of the space and time variability of the GPS Up coordinate. The time series were studied by means of a frequency analysis using a periodogram and the real-valued Morlet wavelet. The periodogram is used to identify the dominant frequencies and the spectral density of the investigated signals; the second one is applied to identify the signals in the time domain and the relevant periodicities. This study has identified, over European and Mediterranean area, the presence of interannual non-linear signals with a period of 2-to-4 years, possibly related to atmospheric and hydrological loading displacements and to climate phenomena, such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). A clear signal with a period of about six years is present in the vertical component of the GPS time series, likely explainable by the gravitational coupling between the Earth’s mantle and the inner core. Moreover, signals with a period in the order of 8-9 years, might be explained by mantle-inner core gravity coupling and the cycle of the lunar perigee, and a signal of 18.6 years, likely associated to lunar nodal cycle, were identified through the wavelet spectrum. However, these last two signals need further confirmation because the present length of the GPS time series is still too short when compared to the periods involved.

Assessing brain connectivity through electroencephalographic signal processing and modeling analysis

Brain functioning relies on the interaction of several neural populations connected through complex connectivity networks, enabling the transmission and integration of information. Recent advances in neuroimaging techniques, such as electroencephalography (EEG), have deepened our understanding of the reciprocal roles played by brain regions during cognitive processes. The underlying idea of this PhD research is that EEG-related functional connectivity (FC) changes in the brain may incorporate important neuromarkers of behavior and cognition, as well as brain disorders, even at subclinical levels. However, a complete understanding of the reliability of the wide range of existing connectivity estimation techniques is still lacking. The first part of this work addresses this limitation by employing Neural Mass Models (NMMs), which simulate EEG activity and offer a unique tool to study interconnected networks of brain regions in controlled conditions. NMMs were employed to test FC estimators like Transfer Entropy and Granger Causality in linear and nonlinear conditions. Results revealed that connectivity estimates reflect information transmission between brain regions, a quantity that can be significantly different from the connectivity strength, and that Granger causality outperforms the other estimators. A second objective of this thesis was to assess brain connectivity and network changes on EEG data reconstructed at the cortical level. Functional brain connectivity has been estimated through Granger Causality, in both temporal and spectral domains, with the following goals: a) detect task-dependent functional connectivity network changes, focusing on internal-external attention competition and fear conditioning and reversal; b) identify resting-state network alterations in a subclinical population with high autistic traits. Connectivity-based neuromarkers, compared to the canonical EEG analysis, can provide deeper insights into brain mechanisms and may drive future diagnostic methods and therapeutic interventions. However, further methodological studies are required to fully understand the accuracy and information captured by FC estimates, especially concerning nonlinear phenomena.

Data-driven Signal Processing per Jamming Detection in Sistemi Satellitari

In questo elaborato vengono analizzate differenti tecniche per la detection di jammer attivi e costanti in una comunicazione satellitare in uplink. Osservando un numero limitato di campioni ricevuti si vuole identificare la presenza di un jammer. A tal fine sono stati implementati i seguenti classificatori binari: support vector machine (SVM), multilayer perceptron (MLP), spectrum guarding e autoencoder. Questi algoritmi di apprendimento automatico dipendono dalle features che ricevono in ingresso, per questo motivo è stata posta particolare attenzione alla loro scelta. A tal fine, sono state confrontate le accuratezze ottenute dai detector addestrati utilizzando differenti tipologie di informazione come: i segnali grezzi nel tempo, le statistical features, le trasformate wavelet e lo spettro ciclico. I pattern prodotti dall’estrazione di queste features dai segnali satellitari possono avere dimensioni elevate, quindi, prima della detection, vengono utilizzati i seguenti algoritmi per la riduzione della dimensionalità: principal component analysis (PCA) e linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Lo scopo di tale processo non è quello di eliminare le features meno rilevanti, ma combinarle in modo da preservare al massimo l’informazione, evitando problemi di overfitting e underfitting. Le simulazioni numeriche effettuate hanno evidenziato come lo spettro ciclico sia in grado di fornire le features migliori per la detection producendo però pattern di dimensioni elevate, per questo motivo è stato necessario l’utilizzo di algoritmi di riduzione della dimensionalità. In particolare, l'algoritmo PCA è stato in grado di estrarre delle informazioni migliori rispetto a LDA, le cui accuratezze risentivano troppo del tipo di jammer utilizzato nella fase di addestramento. Infine, l’algoritmo che ha fornito le prestazioni migliori è stato il Multilayer Perceptron che ha richiesto tempi di addestramento contenuti e dei valori di accuratezza elevati.