Additive Factors Do Not Imply Discrete Processing Stages: A Worked Example Using Models of the Stroop Task

Previously, it has been shown experimentally that the psychophysical law known as Piéron’s Law holds for color intensity and that the size of the effect is additive with that of Stroop condition (Stafford et al., 2011). According to the additive factors method (Donders, 1868–1869/1969; Sternberg, 1998), additivity is assumed to indicate independent and discrete processing stages. We present computational modeling work, using an existing Parallel Distributed Processing model of the Stroop task (Cohen et al., 1990) and a standard model of decision making (Ratcliff, 1978). This demonstrates that additive factors can be successfully accounted for by existing single stage models of the Stroop effect. Consequently, it is not valid to infer either discrete stages or separate loci of effects from additive factors. Further, our modeling work suggests that information binding may be a more important architectural property for producing additive factors than discrete stages

Fourteen-Days Spirulina Supplementation Increases Hemoglobin, but Does Not Provide Ergogenic Benefit in Recreationally Active Cyclists: A Double-Blinded Randomized Crossover Trial

Spirulina supplementation has been reported to increase hemoglobin concentration as well as a variety of cardiorespiratory and lactate-based performance parameters during maximal and submaximal states of exercise. This study investigates the efficacy of supplementing a 6 g/day dosage of spirulina for 14-days in recreationally active individuals, analyzing cardiorespiratory parameters during maximal and submaximal cycling as well as the potential mechanistic role of hemoglobin augmentation. 17 recreationally active individuals (Male = 14, Female = 3, Age 23 ± 5 years, V̇O2max 43.3 ± 8.6 ml/min·kg) ingested 6 g/day of spirulina or placebo for 14-days in a double-blinded randomized crossover study, with a 14-day washout period between trials. Participants completed a 20-min submaximal cycle at 40% maximal power output (WRmax), followed by a V̇O2max test. Hemoglobin (g/L), WRmax (watts), time to fatigue (seconds), heart rate (bpm), oxygen uptake (ml/min·kg), RER and blood lactate response (mmol/L) were measured and compared between conditions. Cardiorespiratory variables were recorded at 5-min intervals and lactate was measured at 10-min intervals during the submaximal exercise. There was a significant 3.4% increase in hemoglobin concentration after spirulina supplementation in comparison to placebo (150.4 ± 9.5 g/L Vs 145.6 ± 9.4 g/L, p = 0.047). No significant differences existed between either condition in both testing protocols for V̇O2max, WRmax, time to fatigue, heart rate, oxygen uptake, RER and blood lactate response (p > 0.05). 14-days of spirulina supplementation significantly improved hemoglobin concentration but did not lead to any considerable ergogenic improvements during maximal or submaximal exercise at a 6 g/day dosage in recreationally active individuals whilst cycling

Derivation and evaluation of a new extinction coefficient for use with the n-HUT snow emission model

In this study, snow slab data collected from the Arctic Snow Microstructure Experiment were used in conjunction with a six-directional flux coefficient model to calculate individual slab absorption and scattering coefficients. These coefficients formed the basis for a new semiempirical extinction coefficient model, using both frequency and optical diameter as input parameters, along with the complex dielectric constant of snow. Radiometric observations, at 18.7, 21.0, and 36.5 GHz at both horizontal polarization (H-Pol) and vertical polarization (V-Pol), and snowpit data collected as part of the Sodankylä Radiometer Experiment were used to compare and contrast the simulated brightness temperatures produced by the multi-layer Helsinki University of Technology snow emission model, utilizing both the original empirical model and the new semiempirical extinction coefficient model described here. The results show that the V-Pol RMSE and bias values decreased when using the semiempirical extinction coefficient; however, the H-Pol RMSE and bias values increased on two of the lower microwave bands tested. The unbiased RMSE was shown to decrease across all frequencies and polarizations when using the semiempirical extinction coefficient

Twenty-one days of spirulina supplementation lowers heart rate during submaximal cycling and augments power output during repeated sprints in trained cyclists

Spirulina supplementation is reported to improve time to exhaustion and V̇O2max. However, there is limited information on its influence over the multiple intensities cyclists experience during training and competition. Fifteen trained males (Age 40 ± 8 years, V̇O2max 51.14 ± 6.43 ml/min/kg) ingested 6g/day of spirulina or placebo for twenty-one days in a double-blinded randomized cross over design, with a fourteen-day washout period between trials. Participants completed a 1-hour submaximal endurance test at 55% external power output max and a 16.1km time trial (day 1), followed by a lactate threshold test and repeated sprint performance tests (RSPTs) (day 2). Heart rate (bpm), Respiratory Exchange Ratio, oxygen consumption (ml/min/kg), lactate and glucose (mmol/L), time (secs), power output (Watts), and hemoglobin (g/L) were compared across conditions. Following spirulina supplementation, lactate and heart rate were significantly lower (P0.05). Spirulina supplementation reduces homeostatic disturbances during submaximal exercise and augments power output during RSPTs.Novelty bullets:• Spirulina supplementation lowers heart rate and blood lactate during ≈1-hour submaximal cycling. • Spirulina supplementation elicits significant augmentations in hemoglobin and power outputs during RSPTs

T helper cell subsets specific for pseudomonas aeruginosa in healthy individuals and patients with cystic fibrosis

Background: We set out to determine the magnitude of antigen-specific memory T helper cell responses to Pseudomonas aeruginosa in healthy humans and patients with cystic fibrosis. Methods: Peripheral blood human memory CD4+ T cells were co-cultured with dendritic cells that had been infected with different strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The T helper response was determined by measuring proliferation, immunoassay of cytokine output, and immunostaining of intracellular cytokines. Results: Healthy individuals and patients with cystic fibrosis had robust antigen-specific memory CD4+ T cell responses to Pseudomonas aeruginosa that not only contained a Th1 and Th17 component but also Th22 cells. In contrast to previous descriptions of human Th22 cells, these Pseudomonal-specific Th22 cells lacked the skin homing markers CCR4 or CCR10, although were CCR6+. Healthy individuals and patients with cystic fibrosis had similar levels of Th22 cells, but the patient group had significantly fewer Th17 cells in peripheral blood. Conclusions: Th22 cells specific to Pseudomonas aeruginosa are induced in both healthy individuals and patients with cystic fibrosis. Along with Th17 cells, they may play an important role in the pulmonary response to this microbe in patients with cystic fibrosis and other conditions

Empirical experiments on intrinsic motivations and action acquisition: results, evaluation, and redefinition

This document presents Deliverable D3.2 of the EU-funded Integrated Project "IM-CLeVeR - Intrinsically Motivated Cumulative Learning Versatile Robots", contract n. FP7-ICT-IP-231722.The aims of the deliverable, as given in the original IM-CLEVER proposal were to identify new key empirical phenomena and processes, allowing the design of a second set of experiments. This report covers: (1) novelty detection and discovery of when/what/how of agency in experiments with humans ("joystick experiment") and Parkinson patients. (2) how object properties that stimulate intrinsically motivated interaction and facilitate the acquisition of adaptive knowledge and skills in monkeys and children ("board experiment")

Monthly trends of methane emissions in Los Angeles from 2011 to 2015 inferred by CLARS-FTS observations

This paper presents an analysis of methane emissions from the Los Angeles Basin at monthly timescales across a 4-year time period – from September 2011 to August 2015. Using observations acquired by a ground-based near-infrared remote sensing instrument on Mount Wilson, California, combined with atmospheric CH_4–CO_2 tracer–tracer correlations, we observed −18 to +22 % monthly variability in CH_4 : CO_2 from the annual mean in the Los Angeles Basin. Top-down estimates of methane emissions for the basin also exhibit significant monthly variability (−19 to +31 % from annual mean and a maximum month-to-month change of 47 %). During this period, methane emissions consistently peaked in the late summer/early fall and winter. The estimated annual methane emissions did not show a statistically significant trend over the 2011 to 2015 time period

A Novel Task for the Investigation of Action Acquisition

We present a behavioural task designed for the investigation of how novel instrumental actions are discovered and learnt. The task consists of free movement with a manipulandum, during which the full range of possible movements can be explored by the participant and recorded. A subset of these movements, the ‘target’, is set to trigger a reinforcing signal. The task is to discover what movements of the manipulandum evoke the reinforcement signal. Targets can be defined in spatial, temporal, or kinematic terms, can be a combination of these aspects, or can represent the concatenation of actions into a larger gesture. The task allows the study of how the specific elements of behaviour which cause the reinforcing signal are identified, refined and stored by the participant. The task provides a paradigm where the exploratory motive drives learning and as such we view it as in the tradition of Thorndike [1]. Most importantly it allows for repeated measures, since when a novel action is acquired the criterion for triggering reinforcement can be changed requiring a new action to be discovered. Here, we present data using both humans and rats as subjects, showing that our task is easily scalable in difficulty, adaptable across species, and produces a rich set of behavioural measures offering new and valuable insight into the action learning process