Manifestations of Higher Mental Functions in Actors in Virtual Reality

Background. The study of the professional activities of actors from the standpoint of modern psychological theories is an urgent task for psychology of art. In particular, the question of whether there is a significant difference in the functioning of cognitive processes in actors as a result of training in acting techniques is considered. The answer can be revealed not only by classical measurements of the development of higher mental functions using standardized methods, but also, to a large extent, by the assessment of cognitive abilities in special conditions of virtual reality. Objectives. The study is aimed at measuring success parameters for actors performing tasks to assess the level of cognitive functioning in virtual reality in comparison with a group of students who are not actors. Methods. During the experiment, the control (students who are not actors) and experimental (novice actors) groups were asked to complete tasks to assess the level of cognitive functioning in two-dimensional and virtual reality formats. In order to do this, the experiment participants first performed two-dimensional tests to assess visual attention and working memory, and then did tasks to assess attention and memory in the HTC Vive Pro virtual reality helmet in a special virtual environment “Upgrade VR”. Sample. Two groups of subjects took part in the experiment. The experimental group consisted of 10 students of the O. Tabakov School (average age 17 years). The control group included 20 subjects (18 women, 2 men, average age 18 years) — students of the Faculty of Psychology at Lomonosov Moscow State University. Results. Comparing the performance of actors before and after immersion in virtual reality on two-dimensional computerized task assessing working memory, no significant differences were found (t = –1.35, df = 9, p = 0.209). Also, no significant differences were found when comparing the results of actors performing tasks to assess attention parameters (t = –0.070, df = 9, p = 0.946). When comparing the results of actors and students in performing tasks in virtual reality, significant differences were revealed in the success of completing a spatial orientation task (t = –4.44, df = 28, p < 0.001) and a task assessing working memory (t = –2.34, df = 28, p = 0.027). In addition, significant differences were identified in the average success rates in completing two-dimensional tasks between actors and students before immersion in VR according to the results of the N-back technique (t = 2.4, df = 28, p < 0.023) and the SART technique (t = –3.95, df = 28, p < 0.001). Conclusions. The study revealed differences in parameters of cognitive functioning between actors and students, especially noticeable when performing tasks in virtual reality related to spatial orientation and working memory. The use of virtual reality allows you to simulate a stage situation and create training conditions for the development of cognitive skills, reactions to unexpected events and emotional expression of actors. The results of the study showed that the use of digital technologies in art opens up new opportunities for the creative process and for the construction of unique artistic images

Instabilities and Bifurcations of Nonlinear Impurity Modes

We study the structure and stability of nonlinear impurity modes in the discrete nonlinear Schr{\"o}dinger equation with a single on-site nonlinear impurity emphasizing the effects of interplay between discreteness, nonlinearity and disorder. We show how the interaction of a nonlinear localized mode (a discrete soliton or discrete breather) with a repulsive impurity generates a family of stationary states near the impurity site, as well as examine both theoretical and numerical criteria for the transition between different localized states via a cascade of bifurcations.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, Phys. Rev. E in pres

The Dependence of the Superconducting Transition Temperature of Organic Molecular Crystals on Intrinsically Non-Magnetic Disorder: a Signature of either Unconventional Superconductivity or Novel Local Magnetic Moment Formation

We give a theoretical analysis of published experimental studies of the effects of impurities and disorder on the superconducting transition temperature, T_c, of the organic molecular crystals kappa-ET_2X and beta-ET_2X (where ET is bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene and X is an anion eg I_3). The Abrikosov-Gorkov (AG) formula describes the suppression of T_c both by magnetic impurities in singlet superconductors, including s-wave superconductors and by non-magnetic impurities in a non-s-wave superconductor. We show that various sources of disorder lead to the suppression of T_c as described by the AG formula. This is confirmed by the excellent fit to the data, the fact that these materials are in the clean limit and the excellent agreement between the value of the interlayer hopping integral, t_perp, calculated from this fit and the value of t_perp found from angular-dependant magnetoresistance and quantum oscillation experiments. If the disorder is, as seems most likely, non-magnetic then the pairing state cannot be s-wave. We show that the cooling rate dependence of the magnetisation is inconsistent with paramagnetic impurities. Triplet pairing is ruled out by several experiments. If the disorder is non-magnetic then this implies that l>=2, in which case Occam's razor suggests that d-wave pairing is realised. Given the proximity of these materials to an antiferromagnetic Mott transition, it is possible that the disorder leads to the formation of local magnetic moments via some novel mechanism. Thus we conclude that either kappa-ET_2X and beta-ET_2X are d-wave superconductors or else they display a novel mechanism for the formation of localised moments. We suggest systematic experiments to differentiate between these scenarios.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figure

Abnormal push-pull benzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2-a][1,2,3]triazolo[4,5-e]pyrimidine fluorophores in planarized intramolecular charge transfer (PLICT) state: Synthesis, photophysical studies and theoretical calculations

The combination of excellent luminescence with high solvent polarity effect and aggregation induced emission (AIE) is an ideal combination for creating fluorophores/probes with high microenvironmental sensitivity. However, many push-pull chromophores of the D−A type in common intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state with a significant solvatochromic effect and AIE activity, have poor luminescent properties. Herein, to overcome this problem by using reactions of nucleophilic aromatic hydrogen substitution (SNH), we have designed a series of novel 4-heteroaryl-substituted 2-aryl-2H-benzo[4,5]imidazo[1,2-a][1,2,3]triazolo[4,5-e]pyrimidine fluorophores possessing a planarized intramolecular charge transfer (PLICT) state. All these fluorophores exhibited high luminescence quantum yields (up to 60%) and large Stokes shift values of up to 7459 cm−1. Among them, the fluorophore 4h was found to exhibit the most pronounced positive solvatochromic effect and the probe 4f exhibited the most pronounced aggregation induced emission characteristics. This AIE behavior was further confirmed by means of time-resolved fluorescence lifetime measurements as well as DFT-assisted geometry optimization studies. In the presence of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) compound 4h exhibited a well-pronounced acidochromism via visible color change from yellow-green to orange which returned to the original yellow-green solution after the addition of triethylamine (TEA). The Stern-Volmer constant for the probe 4h towards TFA was 38 M−1. Finally, for the compounds 4f, g, h theoretical calculations in the ground and excited states in different solvents were carried out to confirm the PLICT process. Based on all above the herein reported PLICT fluorophores 4a-h can be successfully applied as biological probes and optical switches. © 202