The population of New Hampshire, Station Bulletin, no.425

The Bulletin is a publication of the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire

Lateral Prefrontal Cortex Subregions Make Dissociable Contributions during Fluid Reasoning

Reasoning is a key component of adaptable “executive” behavior and is known to depend on a network of frontal and parietal brain regions. However, the mechanisms by which this network supports reasoning and adaptable behavior remain poorly defined. Here, we examine the relationship between reasoning, executive control, and frontoparietal function in a series of nonverbal reasoning experiments. Our results demonstrate that, in accordance with previous studies, a network of frontal and parietal brain regions is recruited during reasoning. Our results also reveal that this network can be fractionated according to how different subregions respond when distinct reasoning demands are manipulated. While increased rule complexity modulates activity within a right lateralized network including the middle frontal gyrus and the superior parietal cortex, analogical reasoning demand—or the requirement to remap rules on to novel features—recruits the left inferior rostrolateral prefrontal cortex and the lateral occipital complex. In contrast, the posterior extent of the inferior frontal gyrus, associated with simpler executive demands, is not differentially sensitive to rule complexity or analogical demand. These findings accord well with the hypothesis that different reasoning demands are supported by different frontal and parietal subregions

Immigration and asylum policy under Cameron's Conservatives

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in British Politics. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Partos, Rebecca, and Tim Bale. "Immigration and asylum policy under Cameron’s Conservatives." British Politics 10.2 (2015): 169-184 is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/bp.2015.20© 2015, Palgrave Macmilla

Influence of Acid Washing on the Surface Morphology of Ionomer Glasses and Handling Properties of Glass Ionomer Cements

Acid washing is known to influence the handling properties of ionomer glasses used in glass ionomer cements due to the production of an ion depleted zone on the surface of the glass particles. The influence of acid washing on the particle size distribution and surface area of four glasses was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size analysis (PSA) and accelerated surface area porosimetry (ASAP) and the working and setting times of cements, produced from the glasses, correlated to changes in surface morphology. A linear relationship was found between the specific surface area of acid-washed SiO2-Al2O3-XF2-P2O5 glasses (X being either calcium or strontium) and their cement working and setting times. These changes directly correlated with increases in the mesopore volume. However, the influence of acid washing on the surface morphology was also found to be glass composition-dependant with the addition of sodium into the glass network resulting in no significant change in the surface area or mesopore volume despite changes in the working and setting time. Through examination of the influence of acid washing and glass composition on the specific surface area improvements in the control of the working and setting times of glass ionomer cements may be achieved. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

Investigation into the Ultrasonic Setting of Glass Ionomer Cements : Part II Setting Times and Compressive Strengths

The ultrasonic setting of glass ionomer cements (GIC) was discussed. It was observed that the ultrasonic setting resulted in improvements of compressive strength. An increase in the PAA molecular weight from PAA50 to PAA200 resulted in an increase in the strength, but with a further increase in the PAA molecular weight to PAA450, there was a reduction in the strength. Results show that the strength of the ultrasonically set materials after 1 day were close to the values for the 7 days chemically set samples

Intergroup Dialogue in a High School Classroom

In this paper, we share our work using Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) for increasing group understanding, building relationships across difference, and enhancing understanding of social inequities. IGD is an emerging area of research in K–12 settings and with adolescents. Taking this into consideration, we used this well-developed critical pedagogy in higher education–related settings to design a qualitative case study that explored its use in a high school classroom. We worked with ninth- and tenth-grade students in their sociology class to examine how IGD affected their understanding of gender and society. We found evidence that IGD enhances empathy across different lived experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. Furthermore, findings show IGD’s impact on improving intergroup understanding and relationships

Spatial structure normalises working memory performance in Parkinson\u27s disease

Cognitive deficits are a frequent symptom of Parkinson\u27s disease (PD), particularly in the domain of spatial working memory (WM). Despite numerous demonstrations of aberrant WM in patients, there is a lack of understanding about how, if at all, their WM is fundamentally altered. Most notably, it is unclear whether span – the yardstick upon which most WM models are built – is compromised by the disease. Moreover, it is also unknown whether WM deficits occur in all patients or only exist in a sub-group who are executively impaired. We assessed the factors that influenced spatial span in medicated patients by varying the complexity of to-be-remembered items. Principally, we manipulated the ease with which items could enter – or be blocked from – WM by varying the level of structure in memoranda. Despite having similar levels of executive performance to controls, PD patients were only impaired when remembering information that lacked spatial, easy-to-chunk, structure. Patients\u27 executive function, however, did not influence this effect. The ease with which patients could control WM was further examined by presenting irrelevant information during encoding, varying the level of structure in irrelevant information and manipulating the amount of switching between relevant and irrelevant information. Disease did not significantly alter the effect of these manipulations. Rather, patients\u27 executive performance constrained the detrimental effect of irrelevant information on WM. Thus, PD patients\u27 spatial span is predominantly determined by level of structure in to-be-remembered information, whereas their level of executive function may mitigate against the detrimental effect of irrelevant information

The importance of sustained attention in early Alzheimer\u27s disease

Introduction: There is conflicting evidence regarding impairment of sustained attention in early Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD). We examine whether sustained attention is impaired and predicts deficits in other cognitive domains in early AD. Methods: Fifty-one patients with early AD (MMSE \u3e 18) and 15 healthy elderly controls were recruited. The sustained attention to response task (SART) was used to assess sustained attention. A subset of 25 patients also performed tasks assessing general cognitive function (ADAS-Cog), episodic memory (Logical memory scale, Paired Associates Learning), executive function (verbal fluency, grammatical reasoning) and working memory (digit and spatial span). Results: AD patients were significantly impaired on the SART compared to healthy controls (total error β = 19.75, p = 0.027). SART errors significantly correlated with MMSE score (Spearman\u27s rho = −0.338, p = 0.015) and significantly predicted deficits in ADAS-Cog (β = 0.14, p = 0.004). Discussions: Patients with early AD have significant deficits in sustained attention, as measured using the SART. This may impair performance on general cognitive testing, and therefore should be taken into account during clinical assessment, and everyday management of individuals with early AD. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd