Evolution of behavioural control from chordates to primates

This article outlines a hypothetical sequence of evolutionary innovations, along the lineage that produced humans, which extended behavioural control from simple feedback loops to sophisticated control of diverse species-typical actions. I begin with basic feedback mechanisms of ancient mobile animals and follow the major niche transitions from aquatic to terrestrial life, the retreat into nocturnality in early mammals, the transition to arboreal life and the return to diurnality. Along the way, I propose a sequence of elaboration and diversification of the behavioural repertoire and associated neuroanatomical substrates. This includes midbrain control of approach versus escape actions, telencephalic control of local versus long-range foraging, detection of affordances by the dorsal pallium, diversified control of nocturnal foraging in the mammalian neocortex and expansion of primate frontal, temporal and parietal cortex to support a wide variety of primate-specific behavioural strategies. The result is a proposed functional architecture consisting of parallel control systems, each dedicated to specifying the affordances for guiding particular species-typical actions, which compete against each other through a hierarchy of selection mechanisms. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory’.

NRC Designs—New Tools for Successful Agricultural Experiments

In a nested row–column design (NRC), the experimental units in each of n blocks are grouped into n1 rows and n2 columns. Due to its structure, this experimental design allows full control of the experimental material and a relatively simple feedback loop within the “statistical triangle”. By applying such designs in agricultural experiments, we provide an insurance policy against future unexpected problems. Until now, the cost of this policy has been a complex statistical analysis of experimental data. This paper proposes a new “direct” approach to ANOVA based on the latest literature on the subject. The paper provides the theoretical foundations of this approach, indicates the possibility of applying it to factorial and near-factorial experiments, and supplements the theory with a familiar letter-based representation of all-pairwise comparisons, which has so far been lacking in the literature. The methodology is illustrated by the analysis of a field experiment carried out to improve the use of fungicides against late blight in tomato processing. The presented analytical tools are supplemented with code in R.

Sustained effects of the INFORM cluster randomized trial: an observational post-intervention study

Background Numerous studies have examined the efficacy and effectiveness of health services interventions. However, much less research is available on the sustainability of study outcomes. The purpose of this study was to assess the lasting benefits of INFORM (Improving Nursing Home Care Through Feedback On perfoRMance data) and associated factors 2.5 years after removal of study supports. INFORM was a complex, theory-based, three-arm, parallel cluster-randomized trial. In 2015–2016, we successfully implemented two theory-based feedback strategies (compared to a simple feedback approach) to increase nursing home (NH) care aides’ involvement in formal communications about resident care. Methods Sustainability analyses included 51 Western Canadian NHs that had been randomly allocated to a simple and two assisted feedback interventions in INFORM. We measured care aide involvement in formal interactions (e.g., resident rounds, family conferences) and other study outcomes at baseline (T1, 09/2014-05/2015), post-intervention (T2, 01/2017-12/2017), and long-term follow-up (T3, 06/2019–03/2020). Using repeated measures, hierarchical mixed models, adjusted for care aide, care unit, and facility variables, we assess sustainability and associated factors: organizational context (leadership, culture, evaluation) and fidelity of the original INFORM intervention. Results We analyzed data from 18 NHs (46 units, 529 care aides) in simple feedback, 19 NHs (60 units, 731 care aides) in basic assisted feedback, and 14 homes (41 units, 537 care aides) in enhanced assisted feedback. T2 (post-intervention) scores remained stable at T3 in the two enhanced feedback arms, indicating sustainability. In the simple feedback group, where scores were had remained lower than in the enhanced groups during the intervention, T3 scores rose to the level of the two enhanced feedback groups. Better culture (β = 0.099, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.005; 0.192), evaluation (β = 0.273, 95% CI 0.196; 0.351), and fidelity enactment (β = 0.290, 95% CI 0.196; 0.384) increased care aide involvement in formal interactions at T3. Conclusions Theory-informed feedback provides long-lasting improvement in care aides’ involvement in formal communications about resident care. Greater intervention intensity neither implies greater effectiveness nor sustainability. Modifiable context elements and fidelity enactment during the intervention period may facilitate sustained improvement, warranting further study—as does possible post-intervention spread of our intervention to simple feedback homes.

Simple feedback of colonoscopy performance improved the number of adenomas per colonoscopy and serrated polyp detection rate

Background and study aims High-quality endoscopy requires improvement of not only the adenoma detection rate (ADR) but also the serrated polyp (SP) detection rate and the mean number of adenomas per positive procedure (MAP +). We evaluated whether a simple feedback of colonoscopy performance improves those quality indicators using propensity-score matching. Patients and methods Eleven endoscopists were evaluated regarding colonoscopy performance including ADRs, SP detection rates, mean numbers of adenomas per procedure (MAPs), and MAPs + with their ranking in the clinic. Endoscopic performance was compared before and after the feedback. Results Colonoscopies were performed for 874 patients before the feedback and 1,272 patients after the feedback. Using propensity-score matching, 803 patients before the feedback and 803 patients after the feedback were matched. ADR after the feedback was significantly higher than that before the feedback (50.8 % and 40.8 %, respectively). MAP after feedback was significantly larger than that before the feedback (0.92 and 0.69, respectively), as well as MAP + (1.96 and 1.69, respectively). Clinically significant SP detection rate was also improved from 10.0 % to 14.9 %. Conclusions Feedback including ADR, MAP, MAP +, and clinically significant SR detection rate could improve on those quality indicators. Further studies are needed to effectively prevent colorectal cancer in colonoscopy practice.

Instructor-learner neural synchronization during elaborated feedback predicts learning transfer

The provision of feedback with complex information beyond the correct answer, i.e., elaborated feedback, can powerfully shape learning outcomes such as transfer. However, an understanding of neurocognitive mechanisms that support elaborated feedback during instructor-learner interactions remains elusive. Here, a two-person interactive design is used during simultaneous recording of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) signals from adult instructor-learner dyads. Instructors either provided elaborated feedback (i.e., correct answer and an example) or simple feedback (i.e., correct answer only) to learners during a concept learning task. Our results showed that elaborated feedback produced comparable levels of retention to simple feedback, however, transfer was significantly enhanced by elaboration. We also noted significant instructor-learner neural synchronization in frontoparietal regions during the provision of elaborated feedback, especially when examples were provided. Further, interpersonal neural synchronization in the parietal cortex successfully predicted the transfer of knowledge to novel contexts. This prediction was retained for both learner-delayed and learner-preceding neural synchronization, supporting the interpretation that deeper-level representations of knowledge, such as abstract structure and personal interpretation, may promote the transfer of learning. These findings point toward interpersonal neural synchronization as a key neurocognitive mechanism that supports learning transfer effects, and may have important implications for real-world learning and pedagogical efficacy.Educational Impact and Implications StatementFeedback provides the information regarding the gap between what is achieved and what is aimed to be achieved, and thus plays a critical role in any learning processes. In real-world settings, feedback is oftentimes provided and received during social interactions, and contains complex information beyond the correct answer, that is elaborated feedback. This study sought to investigate neurocognitive mechanisms that support elaborated feedback during instructor-learner interactions using fNIRS hyperscanning. It was revealed that providing learners with elaborated feedback enhanced the transfer of knowledge to novel contexts relative to simple feedback. Instructor-learner neural synchronization was detected in frontoparietal regions during the provision of elaborated feedback, especially for examples. Parietal instructor-learner neural synchronization predicted the transfer. This study provides a novel lens, i.e., interpersonal neural synchronization, for people to understand more about how elaborated feedback takes effects on learning transfer, and may have critical implications for real-world learning and pedagogical efficacy.

Comparing effects of two higher intensity feedback interventions with simple feedback on improving staff communication in nursing homes—the INFORM cluster-randomized controlled trial

Background Effective communication among interdisciplinary healthcare teams is essential for quality healthcare, especially in nursing homes (NHs). Care aides provide most direct care in NHs, yet are rarely included in formal communications about resident care (e.g., change of shift reports, family conferences). Audit and feedback is a potentially effective improvement intervention. This study compares the effect of simple and two higher intensity levels of feedback based on goal-setting theory on improving formal staff communication in NHs. Methods This pragmatic three-arm parallel cluster-randomized controlled trial included NHs participating in TREC (translating research in elder care) across the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Facilities with at least one care unit with 10 or more care aide responses on the TREC baseline survey were eligible. At baseline, 4641 care aides and 1693 nurses cared for 8766 residents in 67 eligible NHs. NHs were randomly allocated to a simple (control) group (22 homes, 60 care units) or one of two higher intensity feedback intervention groups (based on goal-setting theory): basic assisted feedback (22 homes, 69 care units) and enhanced assisted feedback 2 (23 homes, 72 care units). Our primary outcome was the amount of formal communication about resident care that involved care aides, measured by the Alberta Context Tool and presented as adjusted mean differences [95% confidence interval] between study arms at 12-month follow-up. Results Baseline and follow-up data were available for 20 homes (57 care units, 751 care aides, 2428 residents) in the control group, 19 homes (61 care units, 836 care aides, 2387 residents) in the basic group, and 14 homes (45 care units, 615 care aides, 1584 residents) in the enhanced group. Compared to simple feedback, care aide involvement in formal communications at follow-up was 0.17 points higher in both the basic ([0.03; 0.32], p = 0.021) and enhanced groups ([0.01; 0.33], p = 0.035). We found no difference in this outcome between the two higher intensity groups. Conclusions Theoretically informed feedback was superior to simple feedback in improving care aides’ involvement in formal communications about resident care. This underlines that prior estimates for efficacy of audit and feedback may be constrained by the type of feedback intervention tested. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02695836), registered on March 1, 2016

Fixed-Time Synchronization of Neural Networks with Discrete Delay

In this paper, we establish a new fixed-time stability theorem, which provides a novel fixed-time stability criterion and a novel upper bound estimate formula for the settling time. Numerical simulations show that the upper bound estimate for the settling time in this paper is tighter than those given in the existing fixed-time stability theorems. By designing a simple feedback controller, the fixed-time synchronization of neural networks with discrete delay is investigated based on the fixed-time stability theorem established in this paper. A numerical example is included to validate the effectiveness of the obtained theoretical results.

Comparing effects of two higher intensity feedback interventions with simple feedback on improving staff communication in nursing homes – The INFORM cluster-randomized controlled trial

Background: Effective communication among interdisciplinary healthcare teams is essential for quality healthcare, especially in nursing homes (NHs). Care aides provide most direct care in NHs, yet are rarely included in formal communications about resident care (e.g., change of shift reports, family conferences). Audit and feedback is a potentially effective improvement intervention. This study compares the effect of simple and two higher intensity levels of feedback based on Goal Setting Theory on improving formal staff communication in NHs.Methods: This pragmatic three-arm parallel cluster-randomized controlled trial included NHs participating in TREC (Translating Research in Elder Care) across the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Facilities with at least one care unit with 10 or more care aide responses on the TREC baseline survey were eligible. At baseline, 4,641 care aides and 1,693 nurses cared for 8,766 residents in 67 eligible NHs. NHs were randomly allocated to a simple (control) group (22 homes, 60 care units) or one of two higher intensity feedback intervention groups (based on Goal Setting Theory): basic assisted feedback (22 homes, 69 care units) and enhanced assisted feedback 2 (23 homes, 72 care units). Our primary outcome was the amount of formal communication about resident care that involved care aides, measured by the Alberta Context Tool and presented as adjusted mean differences [95% confidence interval] between study arms at 12-month follow-up.Results: Baseline and follow-up data were available for 20 homes (57 care units, 751 care aides, 2,428 residents) in the control group, 19 homes (61 care units, 836 care aides, 2,387 residents) in the basic group, and 14 homes (45 care units, 615 care aides, 1,584 residents) in the enhanced group. Compared to simple feedback, care aide involvement in formal communications at follow-up was 0.17 points higher in both the basic ([0.03; 0.32], p=0.021) and enhanced groups ([0.01; 0.33], p=0.035). We found no difference in this outcome between the two higher intensity groups.Conclusions: Theoretically informed feedback was superior to simple feedback in improving care aides’ involvement in formal communications about resident care. This underlines that prior estimates for efficacy of audit and feedback may be constrained by the type of feedback intervention tested.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02695836), https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02695836, registered on March 1, 2016