Intentional and incidental odour-colour binding in working memory.

The question of how features are bound together in working memory has become a topic of much research in recent years. However, this is typically focused on visual and/or auditory stimuli. The purpose of this study is to apply established feature binding procedures to investigate odour binding in working memory. Across three experiments, memory for intentionally and incidentally formed odour-colour pairings was tested. Experiment 1 showed that following explicit instruction to remember the odour-colour combinations, young adults can recall lists of 3-pairings at levels above that of chance and exhibit a recency advantage for the last pairing. In Experiment 2 participants were asked to prioritise the first pairing in the list or treat all pairings equally. We observed only limited evidence of prioritisation affecting the serial position function. Experiment 3 explored incidental odour-colour binding. Using a yes/no recognition procedure, accuracy did not differ for positive test probes presented in the same (bound) or different (unbound) colour to encoding. This study is one of the first to examine odour-colour binding in working memory and, taking the evidence together, suggests that odour-colour bindings can be formed in working memory; however, functionality may be limited compared to that of visual feature binding.

Angiotensin-II for vasoplegia following cardiac surgery.

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to describe the implementation and outcomes of a protocol outlining angiotensin-II utilization for vasoplegia following cardiac surgery. METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review at a single-center university hospital. Included patients received angiotensin-II for vasoplegia refractory to standard interventions, including norepinephrine 20 mcg/min and vasopressin 0.04 units/min, following cardiac surgery between April 2021 and April 2022. RESULTS: 30 patients received angiotensin-II for refractory vasoplegia. Adjunctive agents at angiotensin-II initiation included corticosteroids (26 patients; 87%), epinephrine (26 patients; 87%), dobutamine (17 patients; 57%), dopamine (9 patients; 30%), milrinone (2 patients; 7%), and hydroxocobalamin (4 patients; 13%). At 3 hours, the median mean arterial pressure increased from baseline (70 vs 61.5 mmHg, p = .0006). Median norepinephrine doses at angiotensin-II initiation, 1 hour, 3 hours, and angiotensin-II discontinuation were 0.22, 0.16 (p = .0023), 0.10 (p < .0001), and 0.07 (p < .0001) mcg/kg/min. Median dobutamine doses decreased throughout angiotensin-II infusion from eight to six mcg/kg/min (p = .0313). Other vasoactive medication doses were unchanged. Three patients (10%) subsequently received hydroxocobalamin. Thirteen (43.3%) and five (16.7%) patients experienced mortality by day 28 and venous or arterial thrombosis events, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The administration of angiotensin-II to vasoplegic patients following cardiac surgery was associated with increased mean arterial pressure, reduced norepinephrine dosages, and reduced dobutamine dosages.

Pharmacist Practice Patterns Regarding Direct Oral Anticoagulants for Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism.

Background: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are increasingly prescribed for the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, little is known regarding pharmacists' practice patterns and preferences in clinical areas of contention, such as initiation dosing, obesity, and renal impairment. Objective: To determine pharmacist trends in practice regarding DOACs for the treatment of VTE overall and within areas of clinical controversy. Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to pharmacists in the United States through national and state pharmacy organizations. Responses were collected for 30 days. Results: One hundred fifty-three complete responses were submitted. The majority of pharmacists preferred apixaban (90.2%) for the oral treatment of venous thromboembolism. When initiating apixaban or rivaroxaban for a new VTE, 76% and 64% of pharmacists surveyed, respectively, state the duration of the initiation dose phases are reduced if the patient received parenteral anticoagulation. Fifty-eight percent of pharmacists used body mass index to evaluate the appropriateness of DOACs in obese patients whereas 42% used total body weight. Preference for rivaroxaban (31.4%) was higher in this population compared to the global population (10%). Apixaban was preferred for patients with renal impairment (92.2%). However, as creatinine clearance as calculated by the Cockcroft-Gault equation (CrCl) reduced to ≤15 milliliters/minute (mL/min), preference for warfarin increased (36%). Conclusion: This national survey of pharmacists demonstrated an overall preference for apixaban and significant variability in practice patterns regarding DOACs for patients with new VTE, patients with obesity, and patients with renal impairment. Further research is warranted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DOAC initiation dosing phase modifications. Prospective evaluations of DOACs in obese and renal dysfunction populations would confirm the safety and efficacy of DOACs in these populations.

Preinvasion Assessment of Exotic Bark Beetle-Vectored Fungi to Detect Tree-Killing Pathogens.

Exotic diseases and pests of trees have caused continental-scale disturbances in forest ecosystems and industries, and their invasions are considered largely unpredictable. We tested the concept of preinvasion assessment of not yet invasive organisms, which enables empirical risk assessment of potential invasion and impact. Our example assesses fungi associated with Old World bark and ambrosia beetles and their potential to impact North American trees. We selected 55 Asian and European scolytine beetle species using host use, economic, and regulatory criteria. We isolated 111 of their most consistent fungal associates and tested their effect on four important southeastern American pine and oak species. Our test dataset found no highly virulent pathogens that should be classified as an imminent threat. Twenty-two fungal species were minor pathogens, which may require context-dependent response for their vectors at North American borders, while most of the tested fungi displayed no significant impact. Our results are significant in three ways; they ease the concerns over multiple overseas fungus vectors suspected of heightened potential risk, they provide a basis for the focus on the prevention of introduction and establishment of species that may be of consequence, and they demonstrate that preinvasion assessment, if scaled up, can support practical risk assessment of exotic pathogens.

Cash transfers and nutrition education to improve dietary diversity among children aged 6-23 months in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia: a cluster-randomized trial.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of a cash transfer and nutrition education program on dietary diversity among children in Liberia. We hypothesized that a multi-pronged intervention would result in improved dietary diversity among children. METHODS: We conducted a three-armed, cluster-randomized study in 42 communities (12 children per community) in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia, over a 12-month period. We randomly assigned communities to control (n = 14 communities), those that received both bimonthly cash transfers and a structured nutrition education program (n = 14 communities) and those that received bimonthly cash transfers alone (n = 14 communities). Community health assistants conducted bimonthly assessments in participants' homes. The primary outcome was the proportion of children aged 6-23 months who met minimum dietary diversity score (i.e., ≥4 food groups consumed per day). Secondary outcomes included meal frequency and healthcare utilization for illnesses (NCT04101487). RESULTS: There were 599 children enrolled; 533 (88.9%) were retained through the trial period. The proportion of children who consumed ≥4 food groups per day did not differ among the three arms. However, children randomized to receive cash transfers had higher dietary diversity scores than the control group. Children in communities that received cash transfers alone and with nutrition education consumed significantly more meals per day and were less likely to have visits to clinics or hospitals for illnesses than children in control communities. CONCLUSION: Bimonthly, unconditional cash transfers and nutrition education were associated with higher dietary diversity scores, greater meal frequency, and fewer healthcare visits for illnesses among children aged 6-23 months.

Worldwide, more than one in five children suffers from chronic malnutrition. Children aged <2 years who do not eat a diverse diet are at risk of chronic malnutrition and stunting of their height. Thus, interventions are needed to combat the common problem of chronic malnutrition, particularly in settings like rural Liberia where as much as 30% of children are stunted. In this study, caregivers of children aged 6­23 months in rural communities in Eastern Liberia were randomly assigned to receive either bimonthly cash transfers, bimonthly cash transfers and specific nutrition education, or routine support from community health assistants to see if giving caregivers money and nutrition education would increase the dietary diversity of their young children. There were 599 children enrolled and 533 were retained over a 12-month study period. Children in communities randomized to receive cash transfers had higher dietary diversity scores than the control group. Children in communities that received cash transfers alone and with nutrition education consumed significantly more meals per day and were less likely to have visits to clinics or hospitals for illnesses than children in control communities. Unconditional cash transfers in rural Liberia may be one way to reduce inadequate dietary diversity among young children.

The Aryne-Abramov Reaction as a 1,2-Benzdiyne Platform for the Generation and Solvent-Dependent Trapping of 3-Phosphonyl Benzynes.

Synthetic methodology utilizing two aryne intermediates (i.e., a formal benzdiyne) enables the rapid generation of structurally complex molecules with diverse functionality. This report describes the sequential generation of two ortho-benzyne intermediates for the synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted aryl phosphonates. Aryl phosphonates have proven useful in medicinal chemistry and materials science, and the reported methodology provides a two-step route to functionally dense variants by way of 3-phosphonyl benzyne intermediates. The process begins with regioselective trapping of a 3-trifloxybenzyne intermediate by an O-silyl phosphite in an Abramov-like reaction to bond the strained Csp carbons with phosphorus and silicon. Standard aryne-generating conditions follow to convert the resulting 2-silylphenyl triflate into a 3-phosphonyl benzyne, which readily reacts with numerous aryne trapping reactants to form a variety of 2,3-difunctionalized aryl phosphonate products. DFT computational studies shed light on important mechanistic details and revealed that 3-phosphonyl benzynes are highly polarizable. Specifically, the distortion in the internal bond angles at each of the Csp atoms was strongly influenced by both the electronegativity of the phosphonate ester groups as well as the dielectric of the computational solvation model. These effects were verified experimentally as the regioselectivity of benzyl azide trapping increased with more electronegative esters and/or increasingly polar solvents. Conversely, replacing the conventional solvent, acetonitrile, with nonpolar alternatives provided attenuated or even inverted selectivities. Overall, these studies showcase new reactivity of benzyne intermediates and extend the aryne relay methodology to include organophosphonates. Furthermore, this work demonstrates that the regioselectivity of aryne trapping reactions could be tuned by simply changing the solvent.

Fracto-eutectogels: SDS fractal dendrites via counterion condensation in a deep eutectic solvent.

Glyceline, a deep eutectic solvent comprising glycerol and choline chloride, is a green nonaqueous solvent with potential industrial applications. Molecular mechanisms of surfactant self-assembly in deep eutectic solvents are expected to differ from those in their constituent polar components and are not well understood. Here we report the observation of self-assembled SDS fractal dendrites with dimensions up to ∼mm in glyceline at SDS concentrations as low as cSDS ∼ 0.1 wt%. The prevalence of these dendritic fractal aggregates led to the formation of a gel phase at SDS concentrations above ≥1.9 wt% (the critical gelation concentration cCGC). The gel microscopic structure was visualised using polarised light microscopy (PLM); rheology measurements confirmed the formation of a colloidal gel, where the first normal stress difference was negative and the elastic modulus was dominant. Detailed nano-structural characterisation by small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) further confirmed the presence of fractal aggregates. Such SDS aggregation or gelation has not been observed in water at such low surfactant concentrations, whereas SDS has been reported to form lamellar aggregates in glycerol (a component of glyceline). We attribute the formation of the SDS fractal dendrites to the condensation of counterions (i.e. the choline ions) around the SDS aggregates - a diffusion-controlled process, leading to the aggregate morphology observed. These unprecedented results shed light on the molecular mechanisms of surfactant self-assembly in deep eutectic solvents, important to their application in industrial formulation.

HCV eradication in veterans with underlying mental health disorders and substance use.

OBJECTIVE: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) disproportionately affects those with mental health disorders and those with substance use, and the increasing HCV transmission in the United States is driven by the opioid epidemic. However, patients with a mental health disorder, substance use, or combination of both historically have had limited access to HCV treatment. The goal of our study was to compare sustained virologic response (SVR) rates of HCV treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) between subjects with and without a mental health disorder, substance use, or combination of both. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review at 1 Veterans affairs medical center of patients enrolled in the hepatitis C pharmacy clinic who completed DAA treatment from August 17, 2013 to August 17, 2017. The participants (N = 833 patients) were categorized into 2 groups: those with at least 1 mental health disorder, substance use, or combination of both and those without. Baseline variables relevant to HCV treatment, DAA regimen, number of documented efforts to engage patients, and SVR data were collected. RESULTS: Of the 833 study participants, 579 patients had a mental health disorder, substance use, or combination of both. The 3 most prevalent disorders were patient-reported substance use (n = 333), substance-related and addictive disorders (n = 176), and depressive disorders (n = 159). The SVR rates and number of documented efforts to engage patients before and during treatment through SVR laboratory completion between those with a mental health disorder, substance use, or combination of both and those without were not statically significant. CONCLUSION: DAA-based HCV treatment is highly effective with SVR rates exceeding 95% in the entire study cohort, including patients with or without mental health disorders, substance use, or combination of both.

A selective fungal transport organ (mycangium) maintains coarse phylogenetic congruence between fungus-farming ambrosia beetles and their symbionts.

Thousands of species of ambrosia beetles excavate tunnels in wood to farm fungi. They maintain associations with particular lineages of fungi, but the phylogenetic extent and mechanisms of fidelity are unknown. We test the hypothesis that selectivity of their mycangium enforces fidelity at coarse phylogenetic scales, while permitting promiscuity among closely related fungal mutualists. We confirm a single evolutionary origin of the Xylosandrus complex-a group of several xyleborine genera that farm fungi in the genus Ambrosiella. Multi-level co-phylogenetic analysis revealed frequent symbiont switching within major Ambrosiella clades, but not between clades. The loss of the mycangium in Diuncus, a genus of evolutionary cheaters, was commensurate with the loss of fidelity to fungal clades, supporting the hypothesis that the mycangium reinforces fidelity. Finally, in vivo experiments tracked symbiotic compatibility throughout the symbiotic life cycle of Xylosandrus compactus and demonstrated that closely related Ambrosiella symbionts are interchangeable, but the probability of fungal uptake in the mycangium was significantly lower in more phylogenetically distant species of symbionts. Symbiont loads in experimental subjects were similar to wild-caught beetles. We conclude that partner choice in ambrosia beetles is achieved in the mycangium, and co-phylogenetic inferences can be used to predict the likelihood of specific symbiont switches.

Olfactory working memory: exploring the differences in n-back memory for high and low verbalisable odorants.

We describe four experiments each examining n-back performance for high and low verbalisable odorants. Participants were presented with a sequence of odorants and were required to state if the current odorant was the same or different to the odorant presented two items earlier. Experiment 1 reported superior performance for high, relative to low, verbalisable odorants and was evident despite above-chance memory performance for the low verbalisable odorants. Experiment 2 showed that such superiority persisted with a concurrent articulation condition, suggesting that the memory benefit was not a consequence of verbal recording and rehearsal. Experiment 3 employed metacognitive judgments and showed that correct 2-back responses for high verbalisable odorants received more recollection responses compared to low verbalisable odorants. Experiment 4 compared n-back performance across different stimulus types and showed that, for high verbalisable odorants, performance correlated with both letters and abstract shapes, but such correlations were absent for low verbalisable odorants. Taken together, these findings show differences in n-back performance between high and low verbalisable odorants, and show that high verbalisable odorants exhibit performance similarities with both verbal and visual stimuli. We further argue that n-back performance for low verbalisable odorants operates differently to that of high verbalisable odorants.

Pharmacist-driven multidisciplinary pretreatment workup process for hepatitis C care: A novel model for same-day pretreatment workup.

OBJECTIVES: The objective is to describe and quantify the impact of a novel practice model for pharmacist involvement in care coordination and patient education in hepatitis C virus (HCV) care. SETTING: This practice model was implemented in the gastroenterology clinic at the Richard L. Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Indianapolis, Indiana. PRACTICE DESCRIPTION: Traditional pretreatment workup for HCV requires multiple on-site appointments to complete imaging and laboratory assessments and for provider and social work appointments. High pretreatment time burden and increasing psychosocial complexity of the patient population present significant barriers to HCV eradication. Patients frequently miss appointments, and each on-site visit creates a separate opportunity for patients to be lost to follow-up. PRACTICE INNOVATION: The pharmacist-driven multidisciplinary pretreatment workup process was launched by HCV pharmacists to mitigate barriers. Patients complete the pretreatment evaluation process, which includes same-day pharmacy education, provider visit, social work assessment, FibroScan, and laboratory assessments, in approximately 2.5 hours. EVALUATION: Forty-six patients who completed the pharmacist-driven multidisciplinary pretreatment workup process versus 235 patients who completed traditional workup were analyzed for time from date of HCV consultation placement to treatment start and time from most recent HCV provider visit to treatment start. RESULTS: From time of HCV consult entry to date of treatment start, patients were initiated on HCV treatment in an average of 42.2 ± 7.5 days and 184.1 ± 27.6 days (P = 0.0001) within the intervention and traditional workup groups, respectively. A decreased time from most recent HCV provider visit to treatment initiation was noted between groups with 38.2 ± 7.1 days and 54.7 ± 3.6 days (P = 0.04) in the intervention and traditional workup groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: The pharmacist-driven multidisciplinary pretreatment workup process is an effective way to engage patients and decrease time to treatment initiation. This model could be replicated in other practice settings, especially those challenged by multi-step care coordination.

Phylogenomics clarifies repeated evolutionary origins of inbreeding and fungus farming in bark beetles (Curculionidae, Scolytinae).

Bark and ambrosia beetles (Curculionidae, Scolytinae) display a conspicuous diversity of unusual genetic and ecological attributes and behaviors. Reconstructing the evolution of Scolytinae, particularly the large and ecologically significant tribe Cryphalini (pygmy borers), has long been problematic. These challenges have not adequately been addressed using morphological characters, and previous research has used only DNA sequence data from small numbers of genes. Through a combination of anchored hybrid enrichment, low-coverage draft genomes, and transcriptomes, we addressed these challenges by amassing a large molecular phylogenetic dataset for bark and ambrosia beetles. The resulting DNA sequence data from 251 protein coding genes (114,276 bp of nucleotide sequence data) support inference of the first robust phylogeny of Scolytinae, with a special focus on the species rich tribe Cryphalini and its close relatives. Key strategies, including inbreeding mating systems and fungus farming, evolved repeatedly across Scolytinae. We confirm 12 of 16 hypothesized origins of fungus farming, 6 of 8 origins of inbreeding polygyny and at least 11 independent origins of a super-generalist host range. These three innovations are statistically correlated, but their appearance within lineages was not necessarily simultaneous. Additionally, the evolution of extreme host plant generalism often preceded, rather than succeeded, fungus farming. Of the high-diversity tribes of Scolytinae, only Xyleborini is monophyletic, Corthylini is paraphyletic and Cryphalini is highly polyphyletic. Cryphalini sensu stricto is part of a clade containing the genera Hypothenemus, Cryphalus and Trypophloeus, and the tribe Xyloterini. Stegomerus and Cryptocarenus (Cryphalini) are part of a clade otherwise containing all Corthylini. Several other genera, including Ernoporus and Scolytogenes (Cryphalini), make up a distantly related clade. Several of the genera of Cryphalini are also intermixed. For example, Cryphalus and Hypocryphalus are intermingled, as well as Ernoporicus, Ptilopodius and Scolytogenes. Our data are consistent with widespread polyphyly and paraphyly across Scolytinae and within Cryphalini, and provides new insights into the evolution of inbreeding mating systems and fungus farming in the species rich and ecologically significant weevil subfamily Scolytinae.

Structure of the Ambrosia Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Mycangia Revealed Through Micro-Computed Tomography.

Ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae and Platypodinae) rely on a symbiosis with fungi for their nutrition. Symbiotic fungi are preserved and transported in specialized storage structures called mycangia. Although pivotal in the symbiosis, mycangia have been notoriously difficult to study, given their minute size and membranous structure. We compared the application of novel visualization methods for the study of mycangia, namely micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and laser ablation tomography (LATscan) with traditional paraffin sectioning. Micro-CT scanning has shown the greatest promise in new organ discovery, while sectioning remains the only method with sufficient resolution for cellular visualization. All three common types of mycangia (oral, mesonotal, and pronotal) were successfully visualized and presented for different species of ambrosia beetles: Ambrosiodmus minor (Stebbing) 1909, Euplatypus compositus (Say) 1823, Premnobius cavipennis Eichhoff 1878, Scolytoplatypus raja Blandford 1893, Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) 1866 and X. amputatus (Blandford) 1894. A reconstruction of the mycangium and the surrounding musculature in X. amputatus is also presented. The advantages of micro-CT compared to the previously commonly used microtome sectioning include the easy visualization and recording of three-dimensional structures, their position in reference to other internal structures, the ability to distinguish natural aberrations from technical artifacts, and the unprecedented visualizations of the anatomic context of mycangia enabled by the integrated software.

FHF2 isoforms differentially regulate Nav1.6-mediated resurgent sodium currents in dorsal root ganglion neurons.

Nav1.6 and Nav1.6-mediated resurgent currents have been implicated in several pain pathologies. However, our knowledge of how fast resurgent currents are modulated in neurons is limited. Our study explored the potential regulation of Nav1.6-mediated resurgent currents by isoforms of fibroblast growth factor homologous factor 2 (FHF2) in an effort to address the gap in our knowledge. FHF2 isoforms colocalize with Nav1.6 in peripheral sensory neurons. Cell line studies suggest that these proteins differentially regulate inactivation. In particular, FHF2A mediates long-term inactivation, a mechanism proposed to compete with the open-channel blocker mechanism that mediates resurgent currents. On the other hand, FHF2B lacks the ability to mediate long-term inactivation and may delay inactivation favoring open-channel block. Based on these observations, we hypothesized that FHF2A limits resurgent currents, whereas FHF2B enhances resurgent currents. Overall, our results suggest that FHF2A negatively regulates fast resurgent current by enhancing long-term inactivation and delaying recovery. In contrast, FHF2B positively regulated resurgent current and did not alter long-term inactivation. Chimeric constructs of FHF2A and Navß4 (likely the endogenous open channel blocker in sensory neurons) exhibited differential effects on resurgent currents, suggesting that specific regions within FHF2A and Navß4 have important regulatory functions. Our data also indicate that FHFAs and FHF2B isoform expression are differentially regulated in a radicular pain model and that associated neuronal hyperexcitability is substantially attenuated by a FHFA peptide. As such, these findings suggest that FHF2A and FHF2B regulate resurgent current in sensory neurons and may contribute to hyperexcitability associated with some pain pathologies.

Spectrophotometry of Thin Films of Light-Absorbing Particles.

Thin films of dispersions of light-absorbing solid particles or emulsions containing a light-absorbing solute all have a nonuniform distribution of light-absorbing species throughout the sample volume. This results in nonuniform light absorption over the illuminated area, which causes the optical absorbance, as measured using a conventional specular UV-vis spectrophotometer, to deviate from the Beer-Lambert relationship. We have developed a theoretical model to account for the absorbance properties of such films, which are shown to depend on the size and volume fraction of the light-absorbing particles plus other sample variables. We have compared model predictions with measured spectra for samples consisting of emulsions containing a dissolved light-absorbing solute. Using no adjustable parameters, the model successfully predicts the behavior of nonuniform, light-absorbing emulsion films with varying values of droplet size, volume fraction, and other parameters.

Hebb repetition effects for non-verbal visual sequences: determinants of sequence acquisition.

We report four experiments premised upon the work of Horton et al. [(2008). Hebb repetition effects in visual memory: The roles of verbal rehearsal and distinctiveness. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 61(12), 1769-1777] and Page et al. [(2013). Repetition-spacing and item-overlap effects in the Hebb repetition task. Journal of Memory and Language, 69(4), 506-526], and explore conditions under which the visual Hebb repetition effect is observed. Experiment 1 showed that repetition learning is evident when the items comprising the non-repeated (filler) sequences and the repeated (Hebb) sequences are different (no-overlap). However, learning is abolished when the filler and Hebb sequences comprise the same items (full-overlap). Learning of the repeated sequence persisted when repetition spacing was increased to six trials (Experiment 2), consistent with that shown for verbal stimuli (Page et al., 2013). In Experiment 3, it was shown that learning for the repeated sequence is accentuated when the output motor response at test is also repeated for the Hebb sequence, but only under conditions of no-overlap. In Experiment 4, repetition spacing was re-examined with a repeated motor output response (a closer methodological analogue to Page et al., 2013). Under these conditions, the gradient of Hebb repetition learning for six trial repetition intervals was markedly similar to that for three trial intervals. These findings further support the universality of the Hebb repetition effect across memory and are discussed in terms of evidence for amodality within-sequence memory.

Tactile Ranschburg effects: facilitation and inhibitory repetition effects analogous to verbal memory.

The present paper examines the effect of within-sequence item repetitions in tactile order memory. Employing an immediate serial recall procedure, participants reconstructed a six-item sequence tapped upon their fingers by moving those fingers in the order of original stimulation. In Experiment 1a, within-sequence repetition of an item separated by two-intervening items resulted in a significant reduction in recall accuracy for that repeated item (i.e., the Ranschburg effect). In Experiment 1b, within-sequence repetition of an adjacent item resulted in significant recall facilitation for that repeated item. These effects mirror those reported for verbal stimuli (e.g., Henson, 1998a . Item repetition in short-term memory: Ranschburg repeated. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 24(5), 1162-1181. doi:doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.24.5.1162). These data are the first to demonstrate the Ranschburg effect with non-verbal stimuli and suggest further cross-modal similarities in order memory.

Working memory prioritisation effects in tactile immediate serial recall.

There is a growing body of evidence that higher-value information can be prioritised for both visual and auditory working memory. The present study examines whether valuable items can similarly be prioritised for the tactile domain. Employing an immediate serial recall procedure (ISR), participants reconstructed a 6-item tactile sequence by moving their fingers in the order of original stimulation. Participants were informed either that one serial position was worth notionally more points (prioritisation condition) or that all items were of equal value (control condition). For Experiment 1 (N = 48), significant boosts in correct recall were evident when serial positions 4 or 5 were more valuable (i.e., prioritisation effects). Experiment 2 (N = 24) demonstrated that the prioritisation effect persisted with concurrent articulation, suggesting that task performance was not a function of verbal recoding and rehearsal of the tactile information. Importantly, a significant recall cost for low-value (non-prioritised) items within the sequence was evident for both experiments. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that (1) prioritisation effects transfer to the tactile domain and (2) finite attentional resources can be deliberately and strategically redistributed to specific items within a sequence, dependent upon the prevailing task demands.

Introduction and establishment of Euwallacea fornicatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Brazil.

Euwallacea fornicatus is an invasive tree pest able to infest healthy plants and cause damage to many host plants. This beetle has become established in several countries where it was introduced. It has now become established in Brazil, and while the original introduction site remains uncertain, there is a possibility of multiple introductions. We report the first evidence for the establishment of E. fornicatus with molecular confirmation, as well as its distribution, and host plants in Brazil. Euwallacea fornicatus has spread to main commercial avocado groves, other monocultures, and native vegetation in the country, and its pest status puts it as a threat, mainly to Brazilian avocado producers.

Chewing gum benefits sustained attention in the absence of task degradation.

OBJECTIVES: The present study examined the effect of chewing gum on sustained attention and associated changes in subjective alertness. METHODS: In a within-participants design, 20 participants completed an extended version of the sustained attention response task (SART: Robertson et al., 1997), both with and without chewing gum. Self-rated measures of alertness, contentedness, and calmness were taken before and after the SART. RESULTS: Chewing gum was associated with improved attentional task performance. This finding was not contingent upon a general decrease in attentional performance and was apparent at all stages of the task. Subjective measures of alertness, contentedness, and calmness were higher following the chewing of gum. Changes in sustained attention co-varied with subjective alertness. DISCUSSION: The effects of chewing gum on attention and alertness are consistent with past literature and were not contingent on declines in attention. Additionally, we found evidence that gum-induced changes in self-rated alertness and attention are related. We found no support for the proposition that chewing gum can impair attention due to the division of resources.