Prior Prognostic Expectations as a Potential Predictor in Neurofeedback Training

The present study evaluated whether subjects’ expectations and neurofeedback training performance predict neurofeedback efficacy in cognitive training by controlling both factors as statistical variables. Twenty-two psychology students underwent neurofeedback training, employing beta/theta protocol to enhance beta1 power (13–21 Hz) and suppress theta (4–7 Hz) power. Neurofeedback efficacy was evaluated by behavioral components measured on pre-tests and post-tests employing a visual continuous performance task. The results revealed a significant interaction term between change in reaction time from pre-test to post-test and expectancy effect, indicating that participants with high prognostic expectations showed better improvement in reaction time scores. The data did not reveal that actual neurofeedback performance influenced the post-test measurements of the visual continuous performance task. No significant differences were found for reaction time variability, omission, or commission errors. Possible factors contributing to the results are discussed, and directions for future research are suggested.

Development and validation of a new MODIS snow-cover-extent product over China

Based on the MOD09GA/MYD09GA 500-m surface reflectance, a new MODIS snow-cover-extent (SCE) product over China has been produced by the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (NIEER), Chinese Academy of Sciences. The NIEER MODIS SCE product contains two preliminary clear-sky SCE datasets — Terra-MODIS and Aqua-MODIS SCE datasets, and a final daily cloud-gap-filled (CGF) SCE dataset. The formers are generated mainly through optimizing snow-cover discriminating rules over different land-cover types, and the latter is produced after a series of gap-filling processes such as aggregating the two preliminary datasets, reducing cloud gaps with adjacent information in space and time, and eliminating all gaps with auxiliary data. Validation against 362 China Meteorological Administration (CMA) stations shows during snow seasons the overall accuracies (OA) of the three datasets are all larger than 93 %, the omission errors (OE) are all constrained within 9 %, and the commission errors (CE) are all constrained within 10 %. Biases ranging from the lowest 0.98 to the medium 1.02, to the largest 1.03 demonstrate on a whole the SCEs given by the new product are neither overestimated nor underestimated significantly. Based on the same ground reference data, we found the new product’s accuracies are clearly higher than those of standard MODIS snow products, especially for Aqua-MODIS and CGF SCE. For examples, compared with the CE of 23.78 % that the standard MYD10A1 product shows, the CE of the new Aqua-MODIS SCE dataset is 6.78 %; the OA of the new CGF SCE dataset is up to 93.15 %, versus 89.54 % of the standard MOD10A1F product and 84.36 % of the standard MYD10A1F product. Besides, as expected snow discrimination in forest areas is also improved significantly. An isolated validation at four forest CMA stations demonstrates the OA has increased by 3–10 percentage points, the OE has dropped by 1–8 percentage points, and the CE has dropped by 4–21 percentage points. Therefore, our product has virtually provided more reliable snow knowledge over China, and thereby can better serve for hydrological, climatic, environmental, and other related studies there.

Cognitive Network Reconstruction in Opioid Users Compared To Non-Users: Topological Analysis of Cognitive Function Through Graph Model and Centrality Measures

Cognitive dysfunction related to opioid use disorder (OUD) requires investigation of the interconnected network of cognitive domains through behavioral experiments and graph data modeling. Here, we conducted n-back, selective and divided attention, and Wisconsin card sorting tests and then reconstructed the interactive cognitive network of subscales or domains for opioid users and non-users to identify the most central cognitive functions and their connections using graph model analysis. Then, each network was analyzed topologically based on the betweenness and closeness centrality measures. Results from the opioid users’ network show that in the divided attention module, the reaction time and the number of commission errors were the most central subscales of cognitive function. Whereas in non-users, the number of correct responses and commission errors were the most central cognitive measure. These findings corroborate that opioid users show impaired divided attention as higher reaction time and errors in performing the tasks. Divided attention is the most central cognitive function in both OUD subjects and non-users, although differences were observed between the subscales of the two groups. Therefore, divided attention is a promising target for future cognitive therapies, treatments and rehabilitation as its improvement may lead to an enhancement of overall cognitive domain performance.

Assessing a Prototype Database for Comprehensive Global Aquatic Land Cover Mapping

The monitoring of Global Aquatic Land Cover (GALC) plays an essential role in protecting and restoring water-related ecosystems. Although many GALC datasets have been created before, a uniform and comprehensive GALC dataset is lacking to meet multiple user needs. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of using existing global datasets to develop a comprehensive and user-oriented GALC database and identify the gaps of current datasets in GALC mapping. Eight global datasets were reframed to construct a three-level (i.e., from general to detailed) prototype database for 2015, conforming with the United Nations Land Cover Classification System (LCCS)-based GALC characterization framework. An independent validation was done, and the overall results show some limitations of current datasets in comprehensive GALC mapping. The Level-1 map had considerable commission errors in delineating the general GALC distribution. The Level-2 maps were good at characterizing permanently flooded areas and natural aquatic types, while accuracies were poor in the mapping of temporarily flooded and waterlogged areas as well as artificial aquatic types; vegetated aquatic areas were also underestimated. The Level-3 maps were not sufficient in characterizing the detailed life form types (e.g., trees, shrubs) for aquatic land cover. However, the prototype GALC database is flexible to derive user-specific maps and has important values to aquatic ecosystem management. With the evolving earth observation opportunities, limitations in the current GALC characterization can be addressed in the future.

Impulsive and Omission Errors: Potential Temporal Processing Endophenotypes in ADHD

Temporal processing (TP) is associated with functions such as perception, verbal skills, temporal perspective, and future planning, and is intercorrelated with working memory, attention, and inhibitory control, which are highly impaired in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Here we evaluate TP measures as potential endophenotypes in Caribbean families ascertained from probands affected by ADHD. A total of 232 individuals were recruited and clinically evaluated using an extensive battery of neuropsychological tasks and reaction time (RT)-based task paradigms. Further, the heritability (genetic variance underpinning phenotype) was estimated as a measure of the genetics apportionment. A predictive framework for ADHD diagnosis was derived using these tasks. We found that individuals with ADHD differed from controls in neuropsychological tasks assessing mental control, visual-verbal memory, verbal fluency, verbal, and semantic fluency. In addition, TP measures such as RT, errors, and variability were also affected in individuals with ADHD. Moreover, we determined that only omission and commission errors had significant heritability. In conclusion, we have disentangled omission and commission errors as possible TP endophenotypes in ADHD, which can be suitable to assess the neurobiological and genetic basis of ADHD. A predictive model using these endophenotypes led to remarkable sensitivity, specificity, precision and classification rate for ADHD diagnosis, and may be a useful tool for patients’ diagnosis, follow-up, and longitudinal assessment in the clinical setting.

A-30 Measures of Attention and Inhibitory Control: Comparing the TOVA to the NIH Toolbox Flanker Test in Children and Adolescents with ADHD

Objective The Attention Comparison Score for the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA) was developed as a “single score” method of differentiating individuals with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) from controls (Leark, Greenburg, Kindschi, Dupuy & Hughes, 2008). Recent literature has documented that a more nuanced interpretation of TOVA scores, including the Attention Comparison Score, Commission Errors, and Omission Errors, can be more useful in describing the nature of impairment (e.g., sustained attention and/or inhibitory control) experienced by individuals diagnosed with ADHD (Winstone, Logid, Foley & Nicholls, 2019). The NIH Toolbox Cognition battery also assesses attention and inhibitory control by means of a Flanker Test. The current study examines whether the TOVA Attention Comparison Score predicts performance on the NIH Toolbox Flanker Test, and if adding TOVA Commission Error and Omission Error variables would predict greater amounts of variance on the Flanker Test in a pediatric sample. Method A sample of 64 pediatric patients (62.7% male, 37.3% female) diagnosed with ADHD aged 4–17 years (M = 11.25; SD = 3.74) was administered the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery and TOVA as part of a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation in a private practice in Scottsdale, Arizona. Results Our data found support that the more nuanced approach of adding commission and omission information better predicted Flanker scores than the Attention Comparison Score alone. Conclusion Based on the findings, clinicians utilizing the TOVA as a means of assessing for ADHD in pediatric populations should consider omission and commission errors to better understand attention and inhibitory control abilities.

Increasing reality of species distribution models of consumers by including its food resources

Species distribution models are not usually calibrated with biotic predictors. Our study question is: does the use of biotic predictors matter in predicting species distribution? We aim to assess the importance of biotic predictors in the output of distribution models of the Brazilian squirrel (Sciurus aestuans) throughout South America based on fruits of Syagrus romanzoffiana – the most consumed food resource. We hypothesized that the distribution model of S. aestuans using its main food resource as a biotic predictor will be more accurate in comparison with the output of the model without the biotic predictor. We built three different distribution models: (i) distribution of S. romanzoffiana; (ii) distribution of S. aestuans without biotic predictor; and (iii) distribution of S. aestuans with biotic predictor. We evaluated performance scores, number of presence pixels and concordance between suitability maps. We found that performance scores may not vary between models with different predictors, but the output map changed significantly. We also found that models with biotic predictors seem to vary less in presence pixels. Furthermore, the main variable in the distribution model was the biotic variable. We conclude that the knowledge of a species’ biology and ecology can make better predictions of species distribution models mainly by avoiding commission errors.

A parametric approach to the acquisition of syntax

Three case-studies, using longitudinal records of children's spontaneous speech, illustrate what happens when a child's syntax changes. The first, examining acquisition of English verb-particle constructions, shows a near-total absence of commission errors. The second, examining acquisition of prepositional questions in English or Spanish, shows that children (i) may go as long as 9 months producing both direct-object questions and declaratives with prepositional phrases, before first attempting a prepositional question; and (ii) at some point, abrubtly begin producing prepositional questions that are correctly formed for the target language. The third case study shows that in children acquiring English, the onset of verb-particle constructions occurs almost exactly when that child begins using novel noun-noun compounds. After a discussion of the implications for the nature of syntactic knowledge, and for the mechanisms by which it is acquired, two examples are presented of as-yet untested acquisitional predictions of parametric proposals in the syntax literature.

Fasting reduces inhibitory and attentional control of food-related cues

The metabolic and cognitive systems interact to create the motivational drive that occasionally leads to disrupted consummatory eating behaviors. In this study, we investigated whether stimulus-specific alterations of the inhibitory function are present following a period of food deprivation. Twenty-six participants with normal weight performed the Stop Signal Task (SST) and the Go/No-go (GNG) task to measure response inhibition to food images containing high or low caloric content after following –or not- a 12-hour fasting period. Response inhibition performance in the SST did not exhibit significant differences when considering neither fasting, stimulus type nor food caloric content. We instead found a higher percentage of commission errors in the No-go trials of the GNG task in the fasting session, and specially with high-caloric food items. In contrast, the accuracy in the Go trials was similar between conditions. A mixed logistic regression model confirmed the remarkable impact of fasting on the performance of response inhibition. Overall, our findings support an interpretation of the motivational drive to eat strongly associated with aspects of the inhibitory function underlying high attentional control, rather than to a proper response inhibition per se.