An Investigation of the Effect of Irrelevant Sounds on Serial Order Recall in Children and Adults

Irrelevant sound is detrimental to performance on serial order recall for both adults and children. Many current models of the effects of irrelevant sound on serial order recall propose that the irrelevant sound interferes with rehearsal in adults. However a direct test of rehearsal on the irrelevant sound effect (ISE) had not been examined prior to the present study. Furthermore, the cause of the ISE in children remains unclear as children are less proficient at rehearsal, yet typically show larger effects. We examined how certain factors hypothesized to relate to the size of the ISE correlate to performance in both adults and children in order to investigate the underlying mechanisms causing the effect in the two populations. Results indicated that in adults, while rehearsal does significantly predict the size of the ISE, the size of the relationship is weak. In children, the relationship between rehearsal and the size of the ISE appears stronger, however further analysis leads to the conclusion that attention capture may be playing a unique role in causing the ISE in children despite being shown not to play a role in adults. The present study demonstrates the need for further investigation not only into the cause of the ISE, but also into developmental differences in auditory distraction

Experimentally Examining the Proposed Relationships Among “Rehearsal-based” Effects

Despite the importance of rehearsal to most models of verbal working memory, its role has been recently called into question. Much prior work in support of rehearsal models has centered on the experimental effects of word-length, phonological-similarity, and irrelevant sound on serial order recall performance and the interaction of all three with concurrent articulation. However, recent research has suggested that confounding effects of stimuli, such as orthographic neighborhood, may be the true cause of the word-length effect. While these findings alone have significant implications for modern models of rehearsal, to understand them within the context of modern theories of working memory, they must also be examined through the lens of the phonological-similarity and irrelevant-sound effects. Thus, through a series of three experiments, the influence of neighborhood in each of these effects was assessed, using strict controls for both orthographic and phonological neighborhood size. The word-length effect was significantly reversed; longer words were significantly better recalled than short words. However, the phonological-similarity effect remained significant even when neighborhood size was controlled. The irrelevant-sound effect was significant when stimuli had no orthographic or phonological neighbors, but was eliminated when stimuli had both. These findings present significant problems for common memory models that include a role for rehearsal, as the relationship between “rehearsal-based” effects was more tenuous than may have otherwise been anticipated

Ventilation Performance and Hygrothermal Conditions in New-build UK Housing

Providing a high quality indoor environment is important to protect occupant’s health and well-being, particularly in the home where we spend a significant amount of time. This paper explores indoor environmental conditions in mechanically and naturally ventilated new-build low-energy housing in the UK. Indoor air temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide data were collated and analysed from 53 dwellings across 20 different new-build demonstration projects (consisting of public and private developments). The results raise concerns regarding ventilation performance in new-build homes, particularly homes with natural/mechanical extract ventilation (MEV). Significantly less variation of temperature and relative humidity levels were observed in homes with balanced mechanical ventilation with heat recovery systems (p=<0.001), suggesting these systems may help to provide a more stable indoor hygrothermal environment. Average indoor air relative humidity levels were consistently higher in MVHR dwellings. The findings suggest that the type of ventilation strategy can play a significant role in regulating indoor relative humidity and air temperature in new- build thermally efficient homes

Population-based detection of systolic and diastolic dysfunction with amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide

Background: There is limited information regarding the clinical utility of amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) for the detection of left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in the community. We evaluated predictors of circulating NT-proBN

Are spherulitic lacustrine carbonates an expression of large-scale mineral carbonation? : A case study from the East Kirkton Limestone, Scotland

BP Exploration Co. is thanked for funding, and particularly the Carbonate Team for supporting this research and for fruitful discussions. West Lothian Council and Scottish Natural Heritage are thanked for allowing access and permission for sampling the site. The Core Store Team at BGS Keyworth is particularly acknowledged for their assistance. Mark Anderson, Tony Sinclair (University of Hull), and Bouk Lacet (VU University Amsterdam) are thanked for technical support. Anne Kelly (SUERC) for carrying out the Strontium Isotope analyses. Mark Tyrer is thanked for his advice on PHREEQC modelling.Peer reviewedPostprin

Using internal standards in time-resolved X-ray micro-computed tomography to quantify grain-scale developments in solid-state mineral reactions

X-ray computed tomography has established itself as a crucial tool in the analysis of rock materials, providing the ability to visualise intricate 3D microstructures and capture quantitative information about internal phenomena such as structural damage, mineral reactions, and fluid–rock interactions. The efficacy of this tool, however, depends significantly on the precision of image segmentation, a process that has seen varied results across different methodologies, ranging from simple histogram thresholding to more complex machine learning and deep-learning strategies. The irregularity in these segmentation outcomes raises concerns about the reproducibility of the results, a challenge that we aim to address in this work.In our study, we employ the mass balance of a metamorphic reaction as an internal standard to verify segmentation accuracy and shed light on the advantages of deep-learning approaches, particularly their capacity to efficiently process expansive datasets. Our methodology utilises deep learning to achieve accurate segmentation of time-resolved volumetric images of the gypsum dehydration reaction, a process that traditional segmentation techniques have struggled with due to poor contrast between reactants and products. We utilise a 2D U-net architecture for segmentation and introduce machine-learning-obtained labelled data (specifically, from random forest classification) as an innovative solution to the limitations of training data obtained from imaging. The deep-learning algorithm we developed has demonstrated remarkable resilience, consistently segmenting volume phases across all experiments. Furthermore, our trained neural network exhibits impressively short run times on a standard workstation equipped with a graphic processing unit (GPU). To evaluate the precision of our workflow, we compared the theoretical and measured molar evolution of gypsum to bassanite during dehydration. The errors between the predicted and segmented volumes in all time series experiments fell within the 2 % confidence intervals of the theoretical curves, affirming the accuracy of our methodology. We also compared the results obtained by the proposed method with standard segmentation methods and found a significant improvement in precision and accuracy of segmented volumes. This makes the segmented computed tomography images suited for extracting quantitative data, such as variations in mineral growth rate and pore size during the reaction.In this work, we introduce a distinctive approach by using an internal standard to validate the accuracy of a segmentation model, demonstrating its potential as a robust and reliable method for image segmentation in this field. This ability to measure the volumetric evolution during a reaction with precision paves the way for advanced modelling and verification of the physical properties of rock materials, particularly those involved in tectono-metamorphic processes. Our work underscores the promise of deep-learning approaches in elevating the quality and reproducibility of research in the geosciences

Direct radiative effect of aerosols emitted by transport from road, shipping and aviation

Aerosols and their precursors are emitted abundantly by transport activities. Transportation constitutes one of the fastest growing activities and its growth is predicted to increase significantly in the future. Previous studies have estimated the aerosol direct radiative forcing from one transport sub-sector, but only one study to our knowledge estimated the range of radiative forcing from the main aerosol components (sulphate, black carbon (BC) and organic carbon) for the whole transportation sector. In this study, we compare results from two different chemical transport models and three radiation codes under different hypothesis of mixing: internal and external mixing using emission inventories for the year 2000. The main results from this study consist of a positive direct radiative forcing for aerosols emitted by road traffic of +20±11 mW m−2 for an externally mixed aerosol, and of +32±13 mW m−2 when BC is internally mixed. These direct radiative forcings are much higher than the previously published estimate of +3±11 mW m−2. For transport activities from shipping, the net direct aerosol radiative forcing is negative. This forcing is dominated by the contribution of the sulphate. For both an external and an internal mixture, the radiative forcing from shipping is estimated at −26±4 mW m−2. These estimates are in very good agreement with the range of a previously published one (from −46 to −13 mW m−2) but with a much narrower range. By contrast, the direct aerosol forcing from aviation is estimated to be small, and in the range −0.9 to +0.3 mW m−2

Game Development for Computer Science Education (Extended Abstract)

Educators have long used digital games as platforms for teaching. Games tend to have several qualities that aren’t typically found in homework: they situate problems within a compelling alternate reality that unfolds through intriguing narrative, they draw more upon a player’s intrinsic motivations than extrinsic ones, they facilitate deliberate low intensity practice, and they emphasize a spirit of play instead of work. At ITiCSE 2016, this working group convened to survey the landscape of existing digital games that have been used to teach and learn computer science concepts. Our group discovered that these games lacked explicitly defined learning goals and even less evaluation of whether or not the games achieved these goals. As part of this process, we identified and played over 120 games that have been released or described in literature as means for learning computer science concepts. In our report, we classified how these games support the learning objectives outlined in the ACM/IEEE Computer Science Curricula 2013. While we found more games than we expected, few games explicitly stated their learning goals and even fewer were evaluated for their capacity to meet these goals. Most of the games we surveyed fell into two categories: short-lived proof-of-concept projects built by academics or closed-source games built by professional developers. Gathering adequate learning data is challenging in either situation. Our original intent for the second year of our working group was to prepare a comprehensive framework for collecting and analyzing learning data from computer science learning games. Upon further discussion, however, we decided that a better next step is to validate the design and development guidelines that we put forth in our final report for ITiCSE 2016. We extend this working group to a second year—with a mission to collaboratively develop a game with clearly defined learning objectives and define a methodology for evaluating its capacity to meet its goals

Meta-analysis of indoor temperatures in new-build housing

Despite growing concerns about overheating, a lack of evidence exists on the scale of the problem, particularly in contemporary UK housing. This paper presents the results of a meta-analysis of indoor temperatures in selected low-energy housing. Temperature data recorded at five-minute intervals in 60 dwellings across 19 demonstration projects (2012–14) were collated and analysed to investigate the prevalence of overheating. Findings evidence high summertime temperatures, with 27% of living rooms exceeding 28°C during August. Based on the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) threshold of 5% annual occupied hours > 25°C, 57% of bedrooms and 75% of living rooms were classified as having overheated. Overall, 30% of living rooms exceeded the adaptive comfort threshold of > 3% occupied hours ΔT ≥ 1 K. The results suggest a fundamental relationship between ventilation and indoor temperatures. The higher minimum and average summertime temperatures observed in mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) homes (p < 0.05) and lower temperature range (p < 0.001) suggest the need for greater attention to adequate summertime ventilation provision in airtight homes. The results demonstrate a high prevalence of overheating in exemplary housing, indicating the need for greater efforts to ensure the effective implementation of strategies to minimize overheating and improve ventilation in low-energy homes

Characterising the actual performance of domestic mechanical ventilation and heat recovery systems

This paper describes the findings and recommendations of a meta-study examining the actual in-use performance of whole-house mechanical ventilation heat recovery systems (MVHR) installed in 54 low energy dwellings in the UK, as part of a national research programme. The performance of the systems is assessed using monitored data on indoor air quality (temperature, relative humidity, CO2) and energy use, cross-related with actual experiences of operating these systems through resident surveys. Design/research team interviews were also used to ascertain the reasons for selecting MVHR as a ventilation strategy for a housing development. Cross-analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data helps to identify the key features of MVHR systems with respect to quality of design, installation and commissioning procedures. Overall the study indicates that the rationale behind the use of MVHR systems is borne out – the rates of ventilation as evidenced very generally by CO2 levels are better, and the energy use overall is lower. However the study also highlights the prevalence of sub-optimal systems and the possible implications on both energy efficiency and indoor air quality. This would lead to houses being naturally ventilated, but relying entirely on opening windows where there is no provision for background ventilation. In some spaces where this is not possible (for example due to external factors such as noise or security), or where there is less adaptive behaviour (for example bedrooms overnight), very poor levels of ventilation are experienced. In general the energy consumption in houses with MVHR systems was lower, but this needs to be contextualised – 77% of the MVHR dwellings with energy data were of Passivhaus construction, which in general have lower consumption within the domestic sample (albeit with MVHR as a key component). In some cases it was found that MVHR systems were selected to achieve compliance with the Code for Sustainable Homes, without much understanding of required air-tightness of the building envelope or the maintenance requirements of these systems. Key recommendations include better understanding of the design issues to ensure good airflow and avoid installation problems associated with ductwork; designing in maintenance requirements including unit location, filter cleaning and replacement; ensuring good communication of the design details with installers and commissioners in conjunction with better quality control onsite; along with improved handover processes and occupant guidance