Path Learning in Individuals With Down Syndrome: The Challenge of Learning Condition and Cognitive Abilities

Analyzing navigational abilities and related aspects in individuals with Down syndrome (DS) is of considerable interest because of its relevance to everyday life. This study investigates path learning, the conditions favoring it, and the cognitive abilities involved. A group of 30 adults with DS and 32 typically-developing (TD) children matched on receptive vocabulary were shown a 4 × 4 Floor Matrix and asked to repeat increasingly long sequences of steps by walking on the grid. The sequences were presented under two learning conditions, one called Oral instructions (participants received verbal instructions such as “turn right” or “turn left”), the other Observation (participants watched the experimenter's moves). Participants were also assessed on verbal and visuospatial cognitive measures. The results showed a similarly better performance in both groups when the Floor Matrix task was administered in the Observation as opposed to the Oral instructions condition. As for the relation with cognitive abilities, in the Floor Matrix task in the Oral instructions condition, individuals with DS showed an effect of both verbal and visuospatial abilities, which was only positive for verbal ability. The effect of verbal and visuospatial abilities was negligible in the TD group. In the Observation condition, performance was predicted by sequential working memory in both groups. Overall, these results shed light on path learning in individuals with DS, showing that they benefited from the Observation condition, and that the involvement of their cognitive abilities depended on the learning condition.

I Can But I Shall Not Always Be Empathic

Empathy, a core process for social interactions, is the capacity to understand and share others’ mental states and emotions. Each individual is thought to have a maximum level of empathy (empathic ability) and a spontaneous tendency to express it (empathic propensity), which can be affected by multiple factors. Two within-subject studies were conducted to assess the malleability of empathy by modulating contextual factors and measuring their interaction with psychological characteristics. In Study 1, 59 healthy adults evaluated their empathy for people showing facial expressions of pain following different instructions: Passive Observation and Instruction to Actively Empathize. In Study 2, 56 healthy adults performed a similar task under two conditions: Passive Observation and Observation under a Cognitive Load. The results revealed that empathy was significantly increased in the actively empathizing condition (Study 1) and under a cognitive load, but more importantly for men (Study 2). The level of change between the two conditions was associated with self-reported empathy, autistic, alexithymia and psychopathic traits (Study 1), as well as with working memory capacities and the level of empathy reported in the passive observation condition (Study 2). These findings suggest that an instruction to actively empathize and, surprisingly, a cognitive load can both increase empathy, but not for the same individuals. An instruction to actively empathize seems to increase empathy for individuals with good empathic dispositions, while a cognitive load enhances empathy in people for which empathic propensity is sub-optimal.

Kelimpahan Fitoplankton Penyebab Harmful Algal Bloom di Perairan Desa Bedono, Demak

ABSTRAK: Fitoplankton adalah produsen primer yang struktur komunitasnya mudah berubah oleh perubahan sifat fisik, kimia (zat-zat hara) dan biologi ekosistemnya, sehingga keberadaan fitoplankton dalam suatu perairan bukan hanya dapat dijadikan parameter biologi dalam analisis status kualitas lingkungan perairan. Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) merupakan fenomena yang sering terjadi di perairan laut. Definisi Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) adalah pertambahan populasi fitoplankton yang dapat menimbulkan kerugian bagi ekosistem di sekitarnya, biota laut yang hidup didalamnya, maupun manusia yang hidup di wilayah pesisir. Keberadaan fitoplankton HAB di perairan desa Bedono dipicu oleh beberapa faktor, antara lain: suhu, salinitas, DO, pH, nitrat dan fosfat. Kelimpahan adalah pengukuran sederhana jumlah spesies yang terdapat dalam suatu komunitas. Pengamatan terhadap kelimpahan fitoplankton yang dapat menyebabkan HAB serta kaitannya dengan kandungan unsur hara dalam perairan sangat menentukan nilai ekonomis dan daya guna perairan sebagai sumber pangan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melakukan identifikasi serta menghitung kelimpahan fitoplankton penyebab HAB di perairan desa Bedono, Demak. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada bulan Januari Tahun 2020. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode survey yang bersifat eksploratif dan bertaraf deskriptif dengan tujuan untuk mengetahui gambaran suatu objek pengamatan dan dapat menjelaskan perkembangan yang terjadi pada kondisi pengamatan. Hasil dari penelitian ini ditemukan 2 kelas fitoplankton penyebab Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB), yaitu Bacillariophyceae dan Dinophyceae dengan 9 genus fitoplankton penyebab Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB). Kelimpahan fitoplankton penyebab Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) < 2.000 ind/L dimana termasuk kedalam kondisi kesuburan rendah (Oligotrofik). Parameter lingkungan seperti suhu, salinitas, DO, pH, nitrat dan fosfat. di perairan desa Bedono masih memenuhi batas optimum pertumbuhan fitoplankton. ABSTRACT: Phytoplankton is a primary manufacturer whose community structure is easily transformed by changes in physical, chemical (nutrient) properties and its ecological biology, sothat the existence of phytoplankton in a water can not only be used as a biological parameter inthe analysis of the quality status of aquatic environments. Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) is a common phenomenon in marine waters. The definition of Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) is the increase in the population of phytoplankton that can cause harm to surrounding ecosystems, marine life, and human beings living in coastal areas. The presence of HAB phytoplankton in Bedono village waters is triggered by several factors, such as: temperature, salinity, DO, pH, nitrate and phosphate. Abundance is a simple measurement of the number of species found in a community. Observations of the abundance of phytoplankton that can cause the HAB as well as its relation to nutrient content in the water determine the economical value and the power of the water as a food source. This research aims to identify and calculate the abundance of phytoplankton causes HAB in the village waters of Bedono, Demak. The study was conducted in January 2020. The method used in this study is an exploratory and descriptive-grade survey method for the purpose of knowing the description of an object of observation and can explain the developments that occur in the observation condition. Results of this study found 2 classes of phytoplankton causes Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB), namely Bacillariophyceae and Dinophyceae with 9 genera of phytoplankton causes Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB). Abundance phytoplankton causes Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) < 2,000 ind/L which is included in low fertility conditions (oligotrophic). Environmental parameters such as temperature, salinity, DO, pH, nitrate and phosphate. The waters of Bedono village still meet the optimum limit of the growth of phytoplankton.

Seismogenic fault and tectonic significance of 1996 Karakoram Pass earthquake (Ms 7.1) based on InSAR

Due to hard observation condition of the western Tibet region, the slip behaviors of the Ms7.1 Karakoram Pass earthquake occurred in Hetian, Xinjiang on November 19, 1996 remains unclear. Using ERS 1/2 SAR data and InSAR technique, we obtain the co-seismic deformation of the earthquake. The north and south deformation areas show asymmetric pattern, with the maximum LOS displacement of the southern part approximately 24.6 cm, and the maximum LOS displacement in the northern part approximately − 18.5 cm. Nonlinear and linear inversion algorithms are used to determine the geometric parameters and slip distribution of the earthquake fault. Our results show that the co-seismic displacement is dominated by deformation fields are clearly visible sinistral strike-slip accompanied by a small amount of normal slip component. The co-seismic slip occurred between 0 and 18 km at depth. The maximum slip is ~ 81 cm, occurring at a depth of 8.5 ± 0.5 km at (35.36°N 78.03°E), indicating a shallow event with a moment magnitude of Mw 6.5. The seismogenic fault is a secondary fault in the Karakoram fault zone with strike 96°, dip 84°, and rake – 24°. This earthquake shows that the Karakoram fault zone undergoes a complex tectonic deformation process, with central part of the fault zone showing minor tensional deformation behaviors.

Real-time coseismic deformations from adaptively tight integration of high-rate GNSS and strong motion records

SUMMARY In traditional tight integration of high-rate GNSS and strong motion sensors, an appropriate process variance is crucial for obtaining accurate broad-band coseismic deformations. In this paper, instead of using a subjectively empirical value, we present an approach for determining the process variance adaptively based on the adaptive Kalman filter for real-time use. The performance of the approach was validated by the colocated stations collected during the 2010 Mw 7.2 earthquake in El-Mayor, 2016 Mw 7.8 earthquake in New Zealand and 2016 Mw 6.5 earthquake in central Italy. The results show that this method complements the advantages of GNSS and strong motion accelerometers and can provide more accurate coseismic waveforms especially during the strong shaking period, due to the ability of the method to adjust the process variance in real time according to the actual status of the station. In addition, this method is also free from the influence of the baseline shift. Testing of the new method for the integration of strong motion and multi-GNSS indicates that multi-GNSS has an obvious improvement in the precision while single GPS has a poor observation condition.

Clinical depression moderates effects of animal-assisted stress prevention program on college students’ emotion

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether clinical levels of depression moderated university students’ momentary emotional states (e.g. feeling content, anxious, irritable and depressed) in response to conditions commonly experienced during universal, college-based Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs). Design/methodology/approach During a real-life efficacy trial, students (N = 192) were randomly assigned to three common AVP conditions: a hands-on condition in which participants could freely pet cats and dogs in small groups, an observation condition in which participants observed students in the hands-on condition while awaiting one’s turn and a control condition in which participants viewed images of the same animals while refraining from socializing with peers. Using a checklist, students reported their momentary emotional states (e.g. feeling content, anxious, irritable and depressed) before and after the 10-min intervention. Findings Multivariate regression analyses showed that clinically depressed students reported significantly higher levels of momentary negative emotion including irritability, depression and anxiety after waiting in line compared to non-depressed students, suggesting that clinical depression may moderate potential stress-relieving effects of universal college-based AVPs depending on implementation practices. Originality/value This is the first study to examine the causal impact of a common yet unstudied feature of college-based AVPs aimed at reducing general college student stress. Results support the utility of targeted approaches for students presenting clinical levels of depression.