Working memory enhances target detection in the blind hemifield

Visual perception can be influenced by the content of working memory. Previous studies have shown this influence can be enough to improve unconscious visual discrimination in healthy participants and conscious visual discrimination in neuropsychological patients with extinction. Here, these findings are extended by examining the effects of holding an object in working memory on unconscious visual perception in a person with hemianopia. The results revealed significantly enhanced detection accuracy when there was an exact match between the colour and orientation of the discrimination target and the item in working memory. However, the facilitatory effect was greatly reduced when only colour or orientation was matched with the item being held in memory. A control experiment confirmed these effects were not due to visual priming. These results are consistent with the proposal that working memory guided perceptual facilitation is driven by signal enhancement. More broadly, the data are interpreted in terms of a biased competition account of visual perception

The effects of induced optical blur on visual search performance and training

Visual Search is a task often used in the rehabilitation of patients with cortical and non-cortical visual pathologies such as visual field loss. Reduced visual acuity is often co-morbid with these disorders and it remains poorly defined how low visual acuity may impact upon a patient’s ability to recover visual function through visual search training. The two experiments reported here investigated whether induced blurring of vision (from 6/15 to 6/60) in a neurotypical population differentially affected various types of feature search task, if there is a minimal acceptable level of visual acuity required for normal search performance, and whether these factors affected the degree to which participants could improve with training. From the results it can be seen that reducing visual acuity did reduce search speed, but only for tasks where the target was defined by shape or size (not colour), and only when acuity was worse than 6/15. Furthermore, searching behaviour was seen to improve with training in all three feature search tasks, irrespective of the degree of blurring that was induced. The improvement also generalised to a non-trained search task indicating that an enhanced search strategy had been developed. These findings have important implications for the use of visual search as a rehabilitation aid for partial visual loss, indicating that individuals with even severe comorbid blurring should still be able to benefit from such training

The Behavioral Effects of tDCS on Visual Search Performance Are Not Influenced by the Location of the Reference Electrode

We investigated the role of reference electrode placement (ipsilateral v contralateral frontal pole) on conjunction visual search task performance when the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) cathode is placed over right posterior parietal cortex (rPPC) and over right frontal eye fields (rFEF), both of which have been shown to be causally involved in the processing of this task using TMS. This resulted in four experimental manipulations in which sham tDCS was applied in week one followed by active tDCS the following week. Another group received sham stimulation in both sessions to investigate practice effects over 1 week in this task. Results show that there is no difference between effects seen when the anode is placed ipsi or contralaterally. Cathodal stimulation of rPPC increased search times straight after stimulation similarly for ipsi and contralateral references. This finding does not extend to rFEF stimulation. However, for both sites and both montages, practice effects as seen in the sham/sham condition were negated. This can be taken as evidence that for this task, reference placement on either frontal pole is not important, but also that care needs to be taken when contextualizing tDCS “effects” that may not be immediately apparent particularly in between-participant designs

One Step Beyond: Is the Public Sector Ready to Let Go of Budgeting?

There have been numerous attempts at reforming public sector budgeting in recent years, with most of these attempting to improve efficiency and effectiveness by switching emphasis from inputs to outputs and outcomes. However, proponents of Beyond Budgeting claim the problems associated with traditional budgeting systems are such that the solution is not to reform budgeting, but to abandon it in its traditional form entirely, advocating the need for a more flexible approach based on the principals of devolved managerial responsibility and adaptive management process. Before attempting to implement such a fundamental change in approach it is necessary to determine firstly, whether the organisation is dissatisfied with the current budget system, secondly, the extent to which the organisation is currently working according to beyond budgeting principles or has the structures and systems capable of supporting the beyond budgeting philosophy, and finally, the extent to which the organisation would be in a position to satisfy the preconditions needed for the successful implementation of beyond budgeting. The focus of this study is to review the current position of a sample of Irish Local Authorities in respect of these three questions. The research targeted twenty two senior and front line managers in three different types of authority using data gathered in the field by means of a structured questionnaire and a series of semistructured interviews administered in tandem. The results suggest considerable dissatisfaction with the current budget process suggesting that it is time consuming , out of touch with reality and largely incremental , but indicate that the structures and systems currently in place in this area of the public sector are not yet conducive to the introduction of an approach based on Beyond Budgeting principals. The research indicates that the biggest obstacle to the introduction of these changes may be a lack of commitment to change and the unwillingness of management and in particular, the finance function, to loosen central control over the budget process

Climate change impact on the magnitude and timing of hydrological extremes across Great Britain

Climate change could intensify hydrological extremes, changing not just the magnitude but also the timing of flood and drought events. Understanding these potential future changes to hydrological extremes at the national level is critical to guide policy decisions and ensure adequate adaptation measures are put in place. Here, climate change impact on the magnitude and timing of extreme flows is modelled across Great Britain (GB), using an ensemble of climate data from the latest UK Climate Projections product (UKCP18) and a national grid-based hydrological model. All ensemble members show large reductions in low flows, of around −90 to −25% for 10-year return period low flows by 2050–2080. The direction of change for high flows is uncertain, but increases in 10-year return period high flows of over 9% are possible across most of the country. Simultaneous worsening of both extremes (i.e., a reduction in low flows combined with an increase in high flows) are projected in the west. Changes to flow timing are also projected; with mostly earlier annual maximum flows across Scotland, later annual maximum flows across England and Wales, and later low flows across GB. However, these changes are generally not statistically significant due to the high interannual variability of annual maximum/minimum flow timing. These results highlight the need for adaptation strategies that can cope with a wide range of future changes in hydrological extremes, and consider changes in the timing as well as magnitude