Working memory, strategy execution, and strategy selection in mental arithmetic

A total of 72 participants estimated products of complex multiplications of two-digit operands (e.g., 63 x 78), using two strategies that differed in complexity. The simple strategy involved rounding both operands down to the closest decades (e.g., 60 _ 70), whereas the complex strategy required rounding both operands up to the closest decades (e.g., 70 _ 80). Participants accomplished this estimation task in two conditions: a no-load condition and a working-memory load condition in which executive components of working memory were taxed. The choice/no-choice method was used to obtain unbiased strategy execution and strategy selection data. Results showed that loading working memory resources led participants to poorer strategy execution. Additionally, participants selected the simple strategy more often under working-memory load. We discuss the implications of the results to further our understanding of variations in strategy selection and execution, as well as our understanding of the impact of working-memory load on arithmetic performance and other cognitive domains

Honoré de Balzac, Le Cousin Pons

La présence du Cousin Pons au programme de l’agrégation de lettres, en 2018, a relancé la dynamique des études balzaciennes autour de ce roman relativement délaissé par la critique, écrasé par la verve sensuelle de La Cousine Bette publié la même année. Ce recueil, destiné aux agrégatifs, condense une part importante des réflexions posées par une œuvre polymorphe, dont l’ambiguïté est à la mesure des contradictions de Balzac au crépuscule de sa vie. Aude Déruelle ouvre la réflexion en évoquan..

Assessing moisture in porous traditional building materials

Historic England is often asked for advice on damp problems in historic and traditional buildings. Whilst many different methods are commonly used to assess damp problems in walls, all have some drawbacks. There is lack of agreement over how they should be used and little information about how they compare one with another. This project developed a common methodology in the laboratory to compare the performance of a range of invasive and non-invasive moisture measurement methods used to assess moisture in porous masonry. The findings suggested that most of the measurement techniques can provide good semi-quantitative estimates of moisture levels in porous traditional building materials

In Process Citation

Objectifs Il semble exister une augmentation de la fréquence et de la sévérité des hypospadias dans les pays développés. La cause principalement évoquée est l’influence de l’environnement par l’utilisation croissante de produits phytosanitaire agissant comme des perturbateurs endocriniens. Nous avons donc réalisé une étude comparant deux séries d’hypospadias pris en charge dans notre centre à 20 ans d’intervalle, au sein d’une région viticole utilisant ces produits. Méthodes Nous avons revu les comptes rendus opératoires des enfants opérés pour hypospadias sur 2 périodes de 10 ans, une première de 1980 à 1990 comparée à une seconde de 2004 à 2014. Les hypospadias ont été classés dans les 3 grades habituels de sévérité croissante : antérieur (balanique ou balano-préputial), moyen (formes péniennes) ou postérieur (scrotal ou périnéal). Résultats Le nombre total d’interventions est passé de 285 pour la période 1980–1990 à 389 pour 2004–2014, parmi lesquelles respectivement 262 et 356 pour une chirurgie première, soit une augmentation de 37 %. Parmi ces premières interventions, les formes postérieures restaient stables, respectivement de 11 (4,2 %) en 1980–1990 à 13 (3,7 %) en 2004–2014 (NS). En revanche, la proportion de formes moyennes augmentait de 25,2 % à 40,6 % (p < 0,001) et celle des formes antérieures diminuait de 70,6 % à 56,1 % (p < 0,001). Notons que la natalité de notre région a légèrement diminuée entre les 2 périodes, passant de 10 617 en 1985 à 10 165 en 2009. Conclusion Le nombre d’enfants opérés pour hypospadias a significativement augmenté, même si la possible variation des recrutements entre ces périodes rend toute conclusion difficile. L’évaluation de la sévérité montre que les formes postérieures, très malformatives, ne changent pas au cours du temps ; néanmoins, la proportion des formes moyennes augmentent par rapport aux formes antérieures, par possible influence des perturbateurs endocriniens

Hygrothermal monitoring of replacement infill panels for historic timber-frame buildings: initial findings

Energy retrofits aim to improve the thermal performance of buildings’ external envelopes. With buildings of traditional construction there exists the risk that these improvements may lead to interstitial condensation and moisture accumulation. For historic timber-framed buildings, this potentially exposes the embedded historic timbers to conditions favouring fungal decay and insect infestation. Hygrothermal digital simulations can assess this risk, but these have limitations, especially regarding the study of historic and traditional materials, due to a lack of accurate material data. The research presented in this paper therefore uses the monitoring of physical test panels to examine the performance of four different infill solutions. These are, traditional wattle and daub, a composite of wood fibre and wood wool boards, expanded cork board, and hempcrete. The article focuses on the design and construction of the test cell and presents initial results from the first year of monitoring, following the initial drying phase. These showed no evidence of interstitial condensation in any of the panel build-ups, with increases in moisture content correlating directly with climatic measurements of wind-driven rain. Infill materials with low moisture permeability were seen to produce higher moisture contents at the interface with the external render due to the concentration of moisture at this point. Those panels finished in the more moisture permeable lime-hemp plaster, overall present lower moisture contents, with reduced drying times. The use of perimeter, non-moisture permeable, sealants would appear to potentially trap moisture at the junction between infill and historic timber-frame. The monitoring work is ongoing

Replacement infill panels for historic timber-framed buildings: measured and simulated hygrothermal behaviour

The historic built environment has a fundamental role to play in the future of our cities. It has been recognised to be instrumental in achieving social, economic, environmental, and cultural sustainability. However, operational carbon emissions must be reduced, and further research is required to achieve this. This paper presents the ongoing research by the authors, evaluating the energy retrofit of historic timber-framed buildings in the UK. The paper focuses on a funded research project where monitoring of replacement infill panels under real climatic conditions, and digital dynamic hygrothermal modelling, are utilised to determine the thermal performance of four infill materials, the hygrothermal conditions within and around the panels, and assess associated risk to the historic timber frame from moisture accumulation. The four materials monitored are traditional wattle-and-daub, expanded cork board, a composite detail of woodwool and wood fibre boards, and hempcrete. The results show wood fibre as the most susceptible to moisture accumulation. The use of impermeable perimeter sealants should be questioned; however, this requires further research. The results from simulations corroborated these main findings, however interstitial condensation was predicted at the inner face of the wood fibre insulation, which to date has not been measured. The monitoring is ongoing. KEYWORDS: Heritage Retrofit, Hygrothermal Monitoring, Hygrothermal Simulation, Timber-Fram

Anatomical substrates and neurocognitive predictors of daily numerical abilities in mild cognitive impairment.

Patients with mild cognitive impairment experience difficulties in mathematics that affect their functioning in the activities of everyday life. What are the associated anatomical brain changes and the cognitive correlates underlying such deficits? In the present study, 33 patients with Mild Cognitive Impairments (MCI) and 29 cognitively normal controls underwent volumetric MRI, and completed the standardized battery of Numerical Activities of Daily Living (NADL) along with a comprehensive clinical neuropsychological assessment. Group differences were examined on the numerical tasks and volumetric brain measures. The gray (GM) and white matter (WM) volume correlates were also evaluated. The results showed that relative to controls, the MCI group had impairments in number comprehension, transcoding, written operations, and in daily activities involving time estimation and money usage. In the volumetric measures, group differences emerged for the transcoding subtask in the left insula and left superior temporal gyrus. Among MCI patients, number comprehension and formal numerical performance were correlated with volumetric variability in the right middle occipital areas and right frontal gyrus. Money-usage scores showed significant correlations with left mesial frontal cortex, right superior frontal and right superior temporal cortex. Regression models revealed that neuropsychological measures of long-term memory, language, visuo-spatial abilities, and abstract reasoning were predictive of the patients' decline in daily activities. The present findings suggest that early neuropathology in distributed cortical regions of the brain including frontal, temporal and occipital areas leads to a breakdown of cognitive abilities in MCI that impacts on numerical daily functioning. The findings have implications for diagnosis, clinical and domestic care of patients with MCI

When is working memory important for arithmetic?: the impact of strategy and age

Our ability to perform arithmetic relies heavily on working memory, the manipulation and maintenance of information in mind. Previous research has found that in adults, procedural strategies, particularly counting, rely on working memory to a greater extent than retrieval strategies. During childhood there are changes in the types of strategies employed, as well as an increase in the accuracy and efficiency of strategy execution. As such it seems likely that the role of working memory in arithmetic may also change, however children and adults have never been directly compared. This study used traditional dual-task methodology, with the addition of a control load condition, to investigate the extent to which working memory requirements for different arithmetic strategies change with age between 9-11 years, 12-14 years and young adulthood. We showed that both children and adults employ working memory when solving arithmetic problems, no matter what strategy they choose. This study highlights the importance of considering working memory in understanding the difficulties that some children and adults have with mathematics, as well as the need to include working memory in theoretical models of mathematical cognition

Aging, working memory capacity and the proactive control of recollection:An event-related potential study

The present study investigated the role of working memory capacity (WMC) in the control of recollection in young and older adults. We used electroencephalographic event-related potentials (ERPs) to examine the effects of age and of individual differences in WMC on the ability to prioritize recollection according to current goals. Targets in a recognition exclusion task were words encoded using two alternative decisions. The left parietal ERP old/new effect was used as an electrophysiological index of recollection, and the selectivity of recollection measured in terms of the difference in its magnitude according to whether recognized items were targets or non-targets. Young adults with higher WMC showed greater recollection selectivity than those with lower WMC, while older adults showed nonselective recollection which did not vary with WMC. The data suggest that aging impairs the ability to engage cognitive control effectively to prioritize what will be recollected