Off-line processing: reciprocal interactions between declarative and procedural memories

The acquisition of declarative (i.e., facts) and procedural (i.e., skills) memories may be supported by independent systems. This same organization may exist, after memory acquisition, when memories are processed off-line during consolidation. Alternatively, memory consolidation may be supported by interactive systems. This latter interactive organization predicts interference between declarative and procedural memories. Here, we show that procedural consolidation, expressed as an off-line motor skill improvement, can be blocked by declarative learning over wake, but not over a night of sleep. The extent of the blockade on procedural consolidation was correlated to participants' declarative word recall. Similarly, in another experiment, the reciprocal relationship was found: declarative consolidation was blocked by procedural learning over wake, but not over a night of sleep. The decrease in declarative recall was correlated to participants' procedural learning. These results challenge the concept of fixed independent memory systems; instead, they suggest a dynamic relationship, modulated by when consolidation takes place, allowing at times for a reciprocal interaction between memory systems

Inter- and Intra-specific variation in egg size among reef fishes across the Isthmus of Panama

Effects of planktonic food supplies and temperature on pelagic fish larvae are thought to be the primary environmental determinants of adaptive variation in egg size. Differences between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Panama in primary production (higher in the Pacific due to upwelling) and temperature (less seasonal in the non-upwelling Caribbean) allow testing such ideas. We compared the volumes, dry weights and energy content of eggs of 24 species of reef fishes from the two sides of the isthmus during the cool and warm seasons. Both egg volume and egg dry weight were good predictors of egg energy content among species, although not within species. Caribbean species produced larger eggs than their close relatives in the Pacific. In the Pacific, eggs were significantly larger during the cool upwelling season than during the warm, non-upwelling period, with a similar but weaker seasonal pattern evident in the Caribbean. The production of larger eggs in the low-productivity Caribbean is consistent with the hypothesis that species produce larger eggs and offspring when larval food supplies are lower. Parallel patterns of seasonal variation in eggs size and the greater strength of that relationship in the Pacific indicate that temperature drives seasonal variation in egg size within species. The decline in egg size with increasing temperature, a general pattern among ectotherms, may be a physiological side-effect, due to differing effects of temperature on various metabolic processes during oogenesis or on hormones that influence growth and reproduction. Alternatively, the seasonal pattern may be adaptive in these fishes, by affecting larval performance or maintaining a particular timeline of major events during embryonic development

Gender and school-level differences in students' moderate and vigorous physical activity levels when taught basketball through the tactical games model

The Tactical Games Model (TGM) prefaces the cognitive components of physical education (PE), which has implications for physical activity (PA) accumulation. PA recommendations suggest students reach 50% moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). However, this criterion does not indicate the contribution from vigorous physical activity (VPA). Consequently, this study investigated: a) the effects of TGM delivery on MVPA/VPA and, b) gender/school level differences. Participants were 78 seventh and 96 fourth/fifth grade coeducational PE students from two different schools. Two teachers taught 24 (middle) and 30 (elementary) level one TGM basketball lessons. Students wore Actigraph GT3× triaxial accelerometers. Data were analyzed using four one-way ANOVAs. Middle school boys had significantly higher MVPA/VPA (34.04/22.37%) than girls (25.14/15.47%). Elementary school boys had significantly higher MVPA/VPA (29.73/18.33%) than girls (23.03/14.33%). While TGM lessons provide a context where students can accumulate VPA consistent with national PA recommendations, teachers need to modify lesson activities to enable equitable PA participation

Big Read: Collaborations Between a University and a Community

University and community partners write about their collaborations around the reading of Ernest Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying. When an urban university received a National Endowment of the Arts Big Read Grant, they immediately began making connections to existing key initiatives within the university and in the surrounding community. As the partners collaborated within and among the university and community programs and events created for the Big Read they made multiple discoveries regarding the importance of planning together, analyzing the intended audience for each program and event, including multiple ways to access the text, and considering the ways that readers can personalize the issues, synthesize what they have learned and apply it in discussion or action

Low-Temperature Growth of Carbon Nanotube Forests Consisting of Tubes with Narrow Inner Spacing Using Co/Al/Mo Catalyst on Conductive Supports.

We grow dense carbon nanotube forests at 450 °C on Cu support using Co/Al/Mo multilayer catalyst. As a partial barrier layer for the diffusion of Co into Mo, we apply very thin Al layer with the nominal thickness of 0.50 nm between Co and Mo. This Al layer plays an important role in the growth of dense CNT forests, partially preventing the Co-Mo interaction. The forests have an average height of ∼300 nm and a mass density of 1.2 g cm(-3) with tubes exhibiting extremely narrow inner spacing. An ohmic behavior is confirmed between the forest and Cu support with the lowest resistance of ∼8 kΩ. The forest shows a high thermal effusivity of 1840 J s(-0.5) m(-2) K(-1), and a thermal conductivity of 4.0 J s(-1) m(-1) K(-1), suggesting that these forests are useful for heat dissipation devices.This work has been funded by the European projects Technotubes and Grafol. H.S. acknowledges a research fellowship from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsami.5b04846

Differing instructional needs for children of similar reading achievement grades two, four, and six

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

The transition to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: an exploratory qualitative study of health professionals' experiences

Background: Identifying the transition from relapsing-remitting to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) can be challenging for clinicians. Little previous research has explored how professionals experience working with patients during this specific stage of the disease. We explored the experiences of a group of multidisciplinary professionals who support patients in the transition to SPMS, to describe this stage from a professional perspective. Methods: Qualitative semistructured interview study with 11 professionals (medical, nursing, and allied professionals; both specialists and generalists) working with patients with MS in South Wales, United Kingdom. Thematic analysis of the interview data was performed. Results: Two overarching themes were identified: the transition and providing support. The theme “transition” comprised issues related to recognizing and communicating about SPMS. Uncertainty influenced both recognizing the transition and knowing how to discuss it with patients. “Providing support” included descriptions of challenging aspects of patient care, providing support for carers, utilizing the multidisciplinary team, and working within service constraints. Providing adequate psychological support and engaging patients with self-management approaches were seen as particularly challenging. Conclusions: Caring for patients in the transition to SPMS generates specific challenges for professionals. Further research on health-care interactions and patients'/professionals' experiences around the transition phase may help to identify strategies for professional development and learning, and how to optimize patient experience at this difficult stage of disease