Alien Registration- Guitard, Alphonse J. (Old Town, Penobscot County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/5967/thumbnail.jp

Dissociating visuo-spatial and verbal working memory: It’s all in the features

Echoing many of the themes of the seminal work of Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968), this paper uses the Feature Model (Nairne, 1988, 1990; Neath & Nairne, 1995) to account for performance in working memory tasks. The Brooks verbal and visuo-spatial matrix tasks were performed alone, with articulatory suppression, or with a spatial suppression task; the results produced the expected dissociation. We used Approximate Bayesian Computation techniques to fit the Feature Model to the data and showed that the similarity-based interference process implemented in the model accounted for the data patterns well. We then fit the model to data from Guérard and Tremblay (2008); the latter study produced a double dissociation while calling upon more typical order reconstruction tasks. Again, the model performed well. The findings show that a double dissociation can be modelled without appealing to separate systems for verbal and visuo-spatial processing. The latter findings are significant as the Feature Model had not been used to model this type of dissociation before; importantly, this is also the first time the model is quantitatively fit to data. For the demonstration provided here, modularity was unnecessary if two assumptions were made: (1) the main difference between spatial and verbal working memory tasks is the features that are encoded; (2) secondary tasks selectively interfere with primary tasks to the extent that both tasks involve similar features. It is argued that a feature-based view is more parsimonious (see Morey, 2018) and offers flexibility in accounting for multiple benchmark effects in the field

Intérêt du pâturage mixte entre ovins et bovins dans la gestion du parasitisme digestif en système d’élevage Agriculture Biologique

Gastrointestinal trichostrongylosis represent one of the main constraint associated with the breeding of ruminants on pastures which is associated with Organic Farming. Besides the repeated use of anthelmintic treatments, the control of these parasitic infections can also be based on an improvement of the host response and on the reduction of animal infection by decreasing the contact with infective larvae through pertinent grazing management. Mixed grazing between different hosts species, particularly between cattle and small ruminants, represents one of the method to reduce the infestivity of pastures. This method is based on the relatively high specificity of many nematode species for one host. The advantages and limits of mixed grazing practices, either by alternate or simultaneous mode, are discussed both in regard of parasite infection and production measurements

Order Recall in Verbal Short-Term Memory is Influenced by Semantic Activation

It has recently been suggested that order recall in short-term memory tasks is influenced by the level of activation of items in the lexico-semantic network. According to the Activated Network view, increasing the level of activation of an item would increase the probability of observing a migration of the item toward the beginning of the list (Poirier et al., 2015). We tested this prediction by manipulating the orthographic neighbourhood of to-be-recalled items. In Experiment 1, the first three items of a 7-item list were orthographic neighbours of the target item in Position 5. As predicted, at recall, the target item migrated more toward the beginning of the list than control items. In Experiment 2, all list items were orthographic neighbours of the target item located on Position 4, 5, or 6. Compared to control items, the target item migrated more toward the beginning than the end of the list

Mécanique de l'arbre sur pied : les relevés dendrométriques classiques pour quantifier les efforts gravitationnels supportés par un tronc - leurs limites

Le fût d'un arbre sur pied est soumis à l'action de la pesanteur, qui induit un effet de flexion sur un arbre déséquilibré. La qualification de cette action réclame donc d'évaluer non seulement la masse de l'arbre, mais aussi son déséquilibre, c'est-à-dire la position de son centre de gravité dans un plan horizontal. Une méthode d'estimation de cette position à partir de relevés dendrométriques simples (mesure d'une inclinaison du fût, de huit rayons de la projection au sol du houppier) est proposée. Appliquée à 9 peupliers, elle permet de classer les individus en trois groupes : droits, inclinés, flexueux. Confrontée aux résultats d'un essai mécanique de suppression de la masse supportée, elle apparaît suffisante pour estimer la direction de l'effort de flexion sur les individus de conformation simple, droits ou inclinés, mais doit être affinée dans les cas plus complexes. L'essai comme la modélisation confirment en outre la prépondérance des effets de flexion sur ceux de compression, même sur des individus apparemment équilibrés. (Résumé d'auteur

Forward and backward recall: Different visuospatial processes when you know what’s coming

In an immediate memory task, when participants are asked to recall list items in reverse order, benchmark memory phenomena found with more typical forward recall are not consistently reproduced. These inconsistencies have been attributed to the greater involvement of visuospatial representations in backward than in forward recall at the point of retrieval. In the present study, we tested this hypothesis with a dual-task paradigm in which manual-spatial tapping and dynamic visual noise were used as the interfering tasks. The interference task was performed during list presentation or at recall. In the first four experiments, recall direction was only communicated at the point of recall. In Experiments 1 and 2, fewer words were recalled with manual tapping than in the control condition. However, the detrimental effect of manual tapping did not vary as a function of recall direction or processing stage. In Experiment 3, dynamic visual noise did not influence recall performance. In Experiment 4, articulatory suppression was performed on all trials and manual tapping was added on half of them. As in the first two experiments, manual tapping disputed forward and backward recall to the same extent. In Experiment 5, recall direction was known before list presentation. As predicted by the visuospatial hypothesis, when manual tapping was performed during recall, its detrimental effect was limited to backward recall. Overall, results can be explained by calling upon a modified version of the visuospatial hypothesis

A Curved Honulo improves your Short-Term and Long-Term Memory

During his distinguished career, Bill Hockley contributed to memory research in many ways, with work characterized by rigorous and innovative experimental designs. One of the areas he has explored is that of memory for associative information. We echo this interest here and attempt to emulate his careful experimental attitude. We report four experiments which examined how previously established links can support the development of new episodic associations. More specifically, we tested the idea that sound-symbolism links can support learning of new associations. Sound-symbolism links are relationships between phonemes and object characteristics that participants find natural − even if they have never encountered the items before. For instance, the nonword “honulo” is more readily seen to refer to a shape with curved contours than to a shape that has sharp angles. In Experiment 1, 70 participants studied three pairs and their memory for the associations between the members of each pair was tested in a paired-recognition task. Results demonstrate that sound-symbolism associations support the learning of new associations. Experiment 2 confirmed that the effect is replicated in a between-participants design. In Experiment 3, we replicated the findings with a 30-second filled interval between presentation and test, and in Experiment 4, we extended the delay to 2 minutes, establishing that the pattern is also found with a paradigm more typical of episodic memory. The results are discussed in terms of the importance of associative memory, while referring to some of the ideas Bill Hockley championed in his own work

Situaciones estresantes asociadas a la presentación del síndrome de fatiga crónica.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a complex and multifactorial disease. Stressful situations experienced could be related to the presentation of the disease. Few studies have determined which factors could trigger CFS. The main objective of this study was to explore the stressful situations which can be associated with CFS presentation. METHODS: Retrospective observational case-control study with CFS diagnosed patients according to the Fukuda's criteria. Controls were matched to cases by sex, age and educational level with a 1:1 ratio. Participants aged between 18 and 75 years from the province of Lleida. Information was obtained through personal questionnaires. The measure of association was the odds ratio. RESULTS: In total, 77 cases and 77 controls were included. Association found between stressful life events and presentation of disease were pregnancy ORa=31.7 (CI95%:2.2-456.7), spousal abuse ORa= 10.2 (CI95%:1.2-88.4) and mobbing ORa=6.9 (CI95%:1.3-36.9), eating disorders=7.5 (CI95%:1.3-42.1), car accident ORa=5.5 (CI95%:1.7-17 9), economic problems ORa=5.1 (CI95%:2.1-12.6) and changes in sleep habits ORa=2.8 (CI95%:1.1-7.5). CONCLUSIONS: Stressful life events as pregnancy, spousal abuse, mobbing, eating disorders, car accident, economic problems and changes in sleep habits felt by those affected must be taken into consideration when compiling background information related to the onset of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Adequate identification of these stressful life events in risk people could contribute to early diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Genetic diversity and dynamics of the Noir Marron settlement in French Guyana : A study combining mitochondrial DNA, Y chromosome and HTLV-1 genotyping [Abstract]

The Noir Marron are the direct descendants of thousands of African slaves deported to the Guyanas during the Atlantic Slave Trade and later escaped mainly from Dutch colonial plantations. Six ethnic groups are officially recognized, four of which are located in French Guyana: the Aluku, the Ndjuka, the Saramaka, and the Paramaka. The aim of this study was: (1) to determine the Noir Marron settlement through genetic exchanges with other communities such as Amerindians and Europeans; (2) to retrace their origins in Africa. Buffy-coat DNA from 142 Noir Marron, currently living in French Guyana, were analyzed using mtDNA (typing of SNP coding regions and sequencing of HVSI/II) and Y chromosomes (typing STR and SNPs) to define their genetic profile. Results were compared to an African database composed by published data, updated with genotypes of 82 Fon from Benin, and 128 Ahizi and 63 Yacouba from the Ivory-Coast obtained in this study for the same markers. Furthermore, the determination of the genomic subtype of HTLV-1 strains (env gp21 and LTR regions), which can be used as a marker of migration of infected populations, was performed for samples from 23 HTLV-1 infected Noir Marron and compared with the corresponding database. MtDNA profiles showed a high haplotype diversity, in which 99% of samples belonged to the major haplogroup L, frequent in Africa. Each haplotype was largely represented on the West African coast, but notably higher homologies were obtained with the samples present in the Gulf of Guinea. Y Chromosome analysis revealed the same pattern, i.e. a conservation of the African contribution to the Noir Marron genetic profile, with 98% of haplotypes belonging to the major haplogroup E1b1a, frequent in West Africa. The genetic diversity was higher than those observed in African populations, proving the large Noir Marron’s fatherland, but a predominant identity in the Gulf of Guinea can be suggested. Concerning HTLV-1 genotyping, all the Noir Marron strains belonged to the large Cosmopolitan A subtype. However, among them 17/23 (74%) clustered with the West African clade comprizing samples originating from Ivory-Coast, Ghana, Burkina-Fasso and Senegal, while 3 others clustered in the Trans-Sahelian clade and the remaining 3 were similar to strains found in individuals in South America. Through the combined analyses of three approaches, we have provided a conclusive image of the genetic profile of the Noir Marron communities studied. The high degree of preservation of the African gene pool contradicts the expected gene flow that would correspond to the major cultural exchanges observed between Noir Marron, Europeans and Amerindians. Marital practices and historical events could explain these observations. Corresponding to historical and cultural data, the origin of the ethnic groups is widely dispatched throughout West Africa. However, all results converge to suggest an individualization from a major birthplace in the Gulf of Guinea

A Model of the Production Effect over the Short-Term: The Cost of Relative Distinctiveness

The production effect relates to the better memory of words read aloud during a study phase compared to silently read items. Here, we examined the production effect for memory over the short-term. In long-term memory tasks, the effect generates a complex pattern of results where production interacts with memory task and list composition. Within an immediate ordered recall paradigm, involving both item and order information, we tested the item-order account, recently called upon to explain the production effect. We also analysed results as a function of serial position. Results of the first five experiments were highly consistent, but hard to reconcile with the item-order account. Instead, we put forward an interpretation based on relative distinctiveness and the costs of the richer encoding associated with production. The predictions we derived from this interpretation were supported in the final experiment. Moreover, we tested the interpretation through a new version of the Feature Model. Overall, the work highlights the value of the production effect as a prototypical distinctiveness phenomenon illuminating the interaction of encoding and retrieval processes, the value of feature-rich representations, and the costs that can be associated with feature-generating distinctive processing