Sound can improve visual search in developmental dyslexia

We examined whether developmental dyslexic adults suffer from sluggish attentional shifting (SAS; Hari and Renvall in Trends Cogn Sci 5:525–532, 2001) by measuring their shifting of attention in a visual search task with dynamic cluttered displays (Van der Burg et al. in J Exp Psychol Human 34:1053–1065, 2008). Dyslexics were generally slower than normal readers in searching a horizontal or vertical target among oblique distracters. However, the addition of a click sound presented in synchrony with a color change of the target drastically improved their performance up to the level of the normal readers. These results are in line with the idea that developmental dyslexics have specific problems in disengaging attention from the current fixation, and that the phasic alerting by a sound can compensate for this deficit

The COGs (context, object, and goals) in multisensory processing

Our understanding of how perception operates in real-world environments has been substantially advanced by studying both multisensory processes and “top-down” control processes influencing sensory processing via activity from higher-order brain areas, such as attention, memory, and expectations. As the two topics have been traditionally studied separately, the mechanisms orchestrating real-world multisensory processing remain unclear. Past work has revealed that the observer’s goals gate the influence of many multisensory processes on brain and behavioural responses, whereas some other multisensory processes might occur independently of these goals. Consequently, other forms of top-down control beyond goal dependence are necessary to explain the full range of multisensory effects currently reported at the brain and the cognitive level. These forms of control include sensitivity to stimulus context as well as the detection of matches (or lack thereof) between a multisensory stimulus and categorical attributes of naturalistic objects (e.g. tools, animals). In this review we discuss and integrate the existing findings that demonstrate the importance of such goal-, object- and context-based top-down control over multisensory processing. We then put forward a few principles emerging from this literature review with respect to the mechanisms underlying multisensory processing and discuss their possible broader implications

Manejo de Diabrotica speciosa com atrativos naturais em horta orgânica Natural attractios for management of Diabrotica speciosa in a organic home garden

O controle de insetos associados ao cultivo de hortaliças é predominantemente realizado através de pesticidas sintéticos. Entretanto, os riscos do uso indiscriminado dos pesticidas sobre a saúde humana e o meio ambiente deve ser considerado. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a eficácia de atrativos naturais no controle da vaquinha Diabrotica speciosa (Germar) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), uma praga de importância econômica na América Latina. Os seguintes tratamentos foram testados: raiz de taiuiá (Cayaponia sp), frutos verdes de porongo/cuia (Lagenaria sp), extrato de folhas de couve-chinesa (Brassica pekinensis), fermentado de frutas, vinagre tinto e água como testemunha. O delineamento foi inteiramente ao acaso, com seis repetições. Os preparados foram acondicionados em armadilhas com garrafas PET de 2.000 ml, com oito aberturas laterais e distribuídas aleatoriamente na área experimental. Frutos verdes de porongo apresentaram captura de adultos de D. speciosa 5,4 vezes maior que raízes de taiuiá e as raízes de taiuiá capturaram 19,7 vezes mais adultos do que a testemunha. Ambas as iscas foram acondicionadas na forma sólida, suspensas internamente na garrafa PET. A menor atratividade foi apresentada pelo extrato aquoso de couve-chinesa, que não diferiu da testemunha. Independentemente do atrativo utilizado, o pico populacional da D. speciosa ocorreu nos meses de fevereiro e março.<br>The control of insects associated with home garden vegetable crops is usually done by sintetic pesticides. However, the risks of the indiscriminate use of pesticides on human health and the environment need to be considered. The objective of this work was to study the attractive efficacy of natural substances on D. speciosa, a very important pest in Latin America. The following treatments were tested: roots of Cayaponia sp., green fruits of Lagenaria sp., water extract of Brassica pekinensis, extract of fermented fruits, red vinegar and water as a control. The experimental design was randomized blocks with six replications. All the tested substances were put into PET plastic bottles of 2L with eight lateral holes and distributed at random in the experimental area. Green fruits of Lagenaria sp. captured the larger number of D. speciosa, 5.4 times more than roots of Cayaponia sp. that captured 19.7 times more than the control tratament. The water extract of Brassica pekinensis had no effect on D. speciosa attraction, and did not differ from the control treatment in the number of captured insects. Independently of the treatment, the population peak of D. speciosa occurred in February and March