Almost everywhere convergence of Fej\'er means of two-dimensional triangular Walsh-Fourier series

In 1987 Harris proved (Proc. Amer. Math. Soc., 101) - among others- that for each $1\le p<2$ there exists a two-dimensional function $f\in L^p$ such that its triangular Walsh-Fourier series diverges almost everywhere. In this paper we investigate the Fej\'er (or $(C,1)$) means of the triangle two variable Walsh-Fourier series of $L^1$ functions. Namely, we prove the a.e. convergence $\sigma_n^{\bigtriangleup}f = \frac{1}{n}\sum_{k=0}^{n-1}S_{k, n-k}f\to f$ ($n\to\infty$) for each integrable two-variable function $f$

The Neuroscience of Mathematical Cognition and Learning

The synergistic potential of cognitive neuroscience and education for efficient learning has attracted considerable interest from the general public, teachers, parents, academics and policymakers alike. This review is aimed at providing 1) an accessible and general overview of the research progress made in cognitive neuroscience research in understanding mathematical learning and cognition, and 2) understanding whether there is sufficient evidence to suggest that neuroscience can inform mathematics education at this point. We also highlight outstanding questions with implications for education that remain to be explored in cognitive neuroscience. The field of cognitive neuroscience is growing rapidly. The findings that we are describing in this review should be evaluated critically to guide research communities, governments and funding bodies to optimise resources and address questions that will provide practical directions for short- and long-term impact on the education of future generations

Numeracy Skills in Patients With Degenerative Disorders and Focal Brain Lesions: A Neuropsychological Investigation

Objective: To characterize the numerical profile of patients with acquired brain disorders. Method: We investigated numeracy skills in 76 participants—40 healthy controls and 36 patients with neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer dementia, frontotemporal dementia, semantic dementia, progressive aphasia) and with focal brain lesions affecting parietal, frontal, and temporal areas as in herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE). All patients were tested with the same comprehensive battery of paper-and-pencil and computerized tasks assessing numerical abilities and calculation. Degenerative and HSE patients also performed nonnumerical semantic tasks. Results: Our results, based on nonparametric group statistics as well as on the analysis of individual patients, and all highly significant, show that: (a) all patients, including those with parietal lesions—a key brain area for numeracy processing—had intact processing of number quantity; (b) patients with impaired semantic knowledge had much better preserved numerical knowledge; and (c) most patients showed impaired calculation skills, with the exception of most semantic dementia and HSE patients. Conclusion: Our results allow us, for the first time, to characterize the numeracy skills in patients with a variety of neurological conditions and to suggest that the pattern of numerical performance can vary considerably across different neurological populations. Moreover, the selective sparing of calculation skills in most semantic dementia and HSE suggest that numerical abilities are an independent component of the semantic system. Finally, our data suggest that, besides the parietal areas, other brain regions might be critical to the understanding and processing of numerical concepts