Sequential Information Processing Research Articles

Sequential neural information processing in nidopallium caudolaterale of pigeons during the acquisition process of operant conditioning.

The avian nidopallium caudolaterale, a key region of information integration and processing, is considered to be playing an important role in operant conditioning acquisition and extinction. To reveal sequential neural information processing in the process, neural signals of different experimental periods (induction, acquisition, and extinction) from the nidopallium caudolaterale of pigeons were acquired and the energy of the specific frequency band was analyzed from the light stimulation input to the pecking action output. We found that during the induction period, the pigeons establish a relationship between the visual cue and decision behavior. The neural coding activities of pecking intention are earlier than that of light stimulation. Moreover, the neural coding activities of pecking intention move forward through strengthening and consolidation of the acquisition period. During the extinction period, the relationship of the visual cue and decision behavior is broken. The coding of light stimulation and pecking intention disappears gradually, and the disappearance of intention coding activities is earlier. The results show that there may be present an elaborate time-course contingency between the light stimulation and the pecking intention in the nidopallium caudolaterale. This study provides the electrophysiological experimental evidence for the dynamic coding mechanism of nidopallium caudolaterale.

Determining Trending Topics in Twitter with a Data-Streaming Method in R

Trending topics in Twitter is a collection of certain topics that are widely discussed by users. This study aims to design a model and strategy for finding trending topics from data streams on Twitter. The research approach was carried out in four stages, namely twitter data collection, preprocessing data, data analysis with sequential K-Means clustering and information processing. Sequential K-Means is used because it can receive input data sequentially and the cluster center can be updated. Testing of the model is carried out in three scenarios where each scenario is distinguished between the amount of data, time and parameter values. After that, evaluation of the results of clustering will be done using the Dunn Index method. Trending topics twitter application were created using the R language and produce output in the form of histograms. There are five topics being the trending topics in New York before the new year. The topic of "Times" relates to the presence of a new year's celebration night concert in Times Square. The "Hours" topic deals with the calculation of time and seconds towards 2017. "Eve" and "Party" topics relate to celebrations and the topic "Resolution" relating to hope and change for New Yorkers in in 2017.

Parallel and Sequential Sequences of Taste Detection and Discrimination in Humans

Highlighted Research Paper: As Soon as You Taste It: Evidence for Sequential and Parallel Processing of Gustatory Information by, Raphael Wallroth and Kathrin Ohla

Record Efficiency of Solar Cells Based on Graded-Gap Trinitrides of Quantum Enestors-Zonistors

This paper discusses the use of solid solutions of multicomponent semiconductors for solar energy converted and storage devices in some structural and technological formation options suitable for monolithic integration. The eight-component system under consideration makes it possible to obtain varizon layers from Eg = 6.4 eV (AlN) to Eg = 0.18 eV (InSb) with any set of heterogeneous macro-, micro- and nanosized LED (laser) structures, which allows conduct classical sequential and parallel electronic and optical processing of information, and convert photon fluxes into electric current and accumulate electrical energy in potential wells in the same chip. In this case, the entire spectrum of solar electromagnetic radiation from 200 nm (ultraviolet) to infrared radiation of 12000 nm is used, which is effectively absorbed in the gap layer practically without loss of energy transfer to one or several narrow-band regions specially created by the program in the epitaxy of the varizon layers. The article analyzes examples of the implementation of some heterostructures for converting solar energy into electrical energy, such as AlGaAsSb / GaSb and GaInAsP / InP. The options for optimizing the luminous flux and resistance of contacts in graded-gap construction are considered using the example of an optoelectronic converter. The constructive use of rektenna for energy conversion is considered. The possibilities of using III-nitrides and nanocarbonitrides for energy storage layers of enestors are analyzed. For the formation of optimal nano-templates, as it was established in the course of studies of a simplified model of the process of defect formation, with radii of nano-creations of less critical, dislocation can be achieved with any thickness of the nanotemple. In this case, the curves of the conditionally dislocation-free relief are dominated by three-dimensional limiting effects. Thus, thermodynamic parameters (temperature, pressure) and precursors were experimentally determined in terms of studies of nanocarbide processes in MOСVD epitaxy III-nitrides on nanoparticles of sapphire, in which self-formation of consolidated nanocarbides is realized for layers of energy accumulation on the basis of which, at the present time, the Research Institute of Micro Devices NASU continues research on working out and bringing to the industrial sample the technology of a super capacitor in an enestor chip. These studies and practical developments have demonstrated the great potential of zonistor heterogeneous structures on Iii-nitrides for highly efficient transformation and accumulation of solar radiation energy. The developed gas-phase technology of selective epitaxy makes it possible to obtain defect-free heterostructures, which ensures a high quantum yield of conversion of the whole broad spectrum of solar radiation into electric current and accumulate its energy in one integrated structure. The high quantum yield of the photoelectric effect in nanostructures of solid solutions of the BAlGaInNPAsSb system compensates for technological costs and significantly changes the very paradigm of not only providing energy to electronic functional devices, but also makes it possible in principle to develop a new perspective energy resource for many applications. Ref. 18, fig. 9, tabl. 1.</p

Optimal Boolean Logic Quantum Circuit Decomposition for Spin-Torque-Based &lt;inline-formula&gt; &lt;tex-math notation="LaTeX"&gt;$\boldsymbol{n}$ &lt;/tex-math&gt; &lt;/inline-formula&gt;-Qubit Architecture

The semiconductor industry is facing a twofold challenge at sub-nanometer level; first, the high power dissipation in irreversible computing architectures due to information loss and second, inability to handle large data due to sequential information processing. These issues create obstacles in producing the presumed low-power complex computing outcomes. The heat dissipation can be reduced by utilizing the complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor-based reversible computing architectures. However, these architectures fail to enhance the performance owing to inability to process large data. Quantum computing (QC) can circumvent these problems due to its fundamental ineffaceable characteristics of quantum mechanics-based reversible computing and parallelism. Spin-torque-based physical realization is the most suitable platform for reversible computing due to the electron spin analogous to the qubit. However, optimal quantum circuits are required to physically realize the complex Boolean logic due to spin-qubit decoherence and reduce the number of transistor switching activities for the spin generation and injection required for the spin-qubit rotation. Therefore, in this paper, optimal quantum circuit decompositions are presented with the help of developed elementary quantum library { $R_{y}^{(\theta)}$ , $R_{z}^{(\theta)}$ , $\sqrt {\text {SWAP}}$ } for the spin-torque-based QC architecture. The reversible Boolean logic performance is analyzed and compared for the conventional, reduced, and optimal decompositions on the first- and second-order transmission coefficient matrix-based spin-torque QC architecture. The results encourage to set a path toward QC-based reconfigurable complex computing systems in near future.

As Soon as You Taste It: Evidence for Sequential and Parallel Processing of Gustatory Information.

The quick and reliable detection and identification of a tastant in the mouth regulate nutrient uptake and toxin expulsion. Consistent with the pivotal role of the gustatory system, taste category information (e.g., sweet, salty) is represented during the earliest phase of the taste-evoked cortical response (Crouzet et al., 2015), and different tastes are perceived and responded to within only a few hundred milliseconds, in rodents (Perez et al., 2013) and humans (Bujas, 1935). Currently, it is unknown whether taste detection and discrimination are sequential or parallel processes, i.e., whether you know what it is as soon as you taste it. To investigate the sequence of processing steps involved in taste perceptual decisions, participants tasted sour, salty, bitter, and sweet solutions and performed a taste-detection and a taste-discrimination task. We measured response times (RTs) and 64-channel scalp electrophysiological recordings and tested the link between the timing of behavioral decisions and the timing of neural taste representations determined with multivariate pattern analyses. Irrespective of taste and task, neural decoding onset and behavioral RTs were strongly related, demonstrating that differences between taste judgments are reflected early during chemosensory encoding. Neural and behavioral detection times were faster for the iso-hedonic salty and sour tastes than their discrimination time. No such latency difference was observed for sweet and bitter, which differ hedonically. Together, these results indicate that the human gustatory system detects a taste faster than it discriminates between tastes, yet hedonic computations may run in parallel (Perez et al., 2013) and facilitate taste identification.

Cognitive Impairment in Children and Adolescents With Migraine

INTRODUCTION The presence and characteristics of cognitive alterations in children and adolescents affected by migraine have been largely under-investigated. Childhood and adolescence are key periods for personal growth and academic achievements, and migraine-related cognitive deficits may interfere with functioning levels across several settings. A careful analysis of cognitive impairment in the context of migraine is pivotal for making informed decisions on the most appropriate care pathways. METHODS We therefore critically evaluated the results of research studies conducted to date on cognitive function in children and adolescents affected by migraine using the Pubmed database. The literature search was limited to original articles published in English language and focused on current research trends. We operationally defined cognitive processing as the range of individual cognitive functions assessed by neuropsychological studies. Our analysis, which did not include findings on cognitive processing assessed by neurophysiological measures for methodological consistency, led us to formulate the opinion that young patients affected by migraine may present with specific cognitive deficits. RESULTS An early neuropsychological study on young patients with migraine was conducted in 1989 on a group of 20 children affected by migraine without aura, aged between 7 and 11. The authors of this study did not identify clinically relevant impairment in cognitive performance, with the exception of impaired functioning in short and long-term memory tasks (1). A few years later, Haverkamp et al. (2) reported no significant differences between children with migraine aged 6–12 years and their healthy siblings on a measure of sequential and simultaneous information processing (2). Contrarily, Riva et al. (3) reported significant alterations in the information processing rate only. Patients with migraine showed delayed reaction times to visual stimuli compared to healthy controls; interestingly, reaction times were the only parameters showing a significant correlation with the pattern of headache episodes. The authors hypothesized the existence of reduced rates of information processing speed within the posterior cortical areas involved in detecting visual stimuli and within the premotor areas responsible for programming and implementing motor responses. The findings of this study were however limited by the absence of a matched control group (3).

Working memory and discourse production in people with aphasia

Abstract This study explored the relationship between Working Memory (WM) and discourse production in people with aphasia, based on data from the AphasiaBank. The dataset comprised the children's story “Cinderella” and basic WM measures of span, collected from 45 participants (15 people with nonfluent Broca's aphasia, 15 people with anomic aphasia, 15 people with fluent Wernicke's aphasia). Discourse samples were coded for and analyzed in terms of content, micro- (words and sentences) and macro- (groups of sentences) linguistic components, known to demonstrate multi-level discourse ability. Comparisons were made among the different participant groups to identify differences and/or commonalities in performance. Results showed that WM, as measured by reduced word and sentential span, influences macrolinguistic narrative components and may be sensitive to aphasia type. Findings were interpreted in terms of a potential deficit to Baddeley's episodic buffer, affecting sequential and hierarchical narrative information processing.

The sequence of cortical activity inferred by response latency variability in the human ventral pathway of face processing

Variability in neuronal response latency has been typically considered caused by random noise. Previous studies of single cells and large neuronal populations have shown that the temporal variability tends to increase along the visual pathway. Inspired by these previous studies, we hypothesized that functional areas at later stages in the visual pathway of face processing would have larger variability in the response latency. To test this hypothesis, we used magnetoencephalographic data collected when subjects were presented with images of human faces. Faces are known to elicit a sequence of activity from the primary visual cortex to the fusiform gyrus. Our results revealed that the fusiform gyrus showed larger variability in the response latency compared to the calcarine fissure. Dynamic and spectral analyses of the latency variability indicated that the response latency in the fusiform gyrus was more variable than in the calcarine fissure between 70 ms and 200 ms after the stimulus onset and between 4 Hz and 40 Hz, respectively. The sequential processing of face information from the calcarine sulcus to the fusiform sulcus was more reliably detected based on sizes of the response variability than instants of the maximal response peaks. With two areas in the ventral visual pathway, we show that the variability in response latency across brain areas can be used to infer the sequence of cortical activity.

Neurorrehabilitación cognitiva: fundamentos y aplicaciones de la musicoterapia neurológica

Music is the result of a perception in the brain involving a number of cortical and subcortical areas in both brain hemispheres. Increased knowledge about brain plasticity and the numerous neuroimaging studies conducted in recent years have made it possible to further our understanding of the processing of musical stimuli in the brain. This has led to an interest in analysing and studying its application in the non-invasive treatment of certain dysfunctions or diseases with the aim of helping to achieve an improved quality of life. To outline the foundations and applications of the musical techniques that are used in cognitive neurorehabilitation. Following an initial summary of the processing of musical stimuli in the brain, the study goes on to explain the foundations of different techniques, as defined by neurologic music therapy, that are used efficaciously in cognitive neurorehabilitation. Sounds, which are the raw material of music, maintain a temporality and a sequencing that are a useful aid in the formation of temporal patterns of the cognitive functions, and constitute an assembly or framework that facilitates the learning of sequential information processing, such as memory. The techniques used in neurologic music therapy, which in recent years are being applied for cognitive neurorehabilitation, are not invasive and offer promising results that, together with further research, should be taken into account to be implemented alongside the conventional therapies of cognitive neurorehabilitation and stimulation.

Does the cerebellum contribute to human navigation by processing sequential information?

Several authors have proposed that the cerebellum has an important role in functions of higher order as a general mode of sequence detection, independently from the nature of the information. The aim of this study was to verify whether the cerebellum mediates the processing of navigational sequential information and to determine whether it is influenced by the modality of the stimuli presentation. We tested 12 cerebellar patients and 12 healthy age-matched participants in 2 comparable navigational tasks (Walking Corsi Test and the Magic Carpet) requiring to memorizing a sequence of spatial locations. The 2 tasks differ each other for the modality of stimuli presentation: in the Walking Corsi Test the sequence is shown by an examiner that walks on the carpet, whereas in the Magic Carpet it is shown by a computer that lights up the tiles in the sequence. We hypothesize that different mental processes are implicated between the Walking Corsi Test and the Magic Carpet. Indeed, whereas watching the examiner, who performs the sequence on the carpet, allows the patient to simulate the action mentally in the Walking Corsi Test, such simulation cannot be triggered in the Magic Carpet. Our results showed that cerebellar patients obtained scores significantly lower than control participants only in the Magic Carpet. We interpreted the patients' performance as a specific deficit in detecting and ordering single independent stimuli as a sequence, when the maintenance of stimulus-response associations is more demanding. (PsycINFO Database Record

단계적 의사결정이 속성의 진단성과 제품 선호에 미치는 효과*

단계적 의사결정이 속성의 진단성과 제품 선호에 미치는 효과*

The role of brain oscillations in predicting self-generated sounds

Being able to predict self-generated sensory consequences is an important feature of normal brain functioning. In the auditory domain, self-generated sounds lead to smaller brain responses (e.g., auditory evoked responses) compared to externally generated sounds, which is usually referred to as the sensory attenuation effect. Here we investigated the role of brain oscillations underlying this effect. With magnetoencephalography, we show that self-generated sounds are associated with increased pre-stimulus alpha power and decreased post-stimulus gamma power and alpha/beta phase locking in auditory cortex. All these oscillatory changes are correlated with changes in evoked responses, suggesting a tight link between these oscillatory events and sensory attenuation. Furthermore, the pre- and post- oscillatory changes correlate with each other across participants, supporting the idea that they constitute a neural information processing sequence for self-generated sounds. In line with findings of alpha oscillations reflecting feedback and gamma oscillations feedforward processes and models of predictive coding, we suggest that pre-stimulus alpha power represent prediction and post-stimulus gamma power represent prediction error, which is further processed with post-stimulus alpha/beta phase resetting. The correlation between these oscillatory events is further validated with cross-trial analysis, which provides additional support for the proposed information processing sequence that might reflect a general mechanism for the prediction of self-generated sensory input.

Investigation of system structure and information processing mechanism for cognitive skywave over-the-horizon radar

Based on the cognitive radar concept and the basic connotation of cognitive skywave over-the-horizon radar (SWOTHR), the system structure and information processing mechanism about cognitive SWOTHR are researched. Among them, the hybrid network system architecture which is the distributed configuration combining with the centralized cognition and its soft/hardware framework with the sense-detection integration are proposed, and the information processing frame based on the lens principle and its information processing flow with receive-transmit joint adaption are designed, which build and parse the work law for cognition and its self feedback adjustment with the lens focus model and five stages information processing sequence. After that, the system simulation and the performance analysis and comparison are provided, which initially proves the rationality and advantages of the proposed ideas. Finally, four important development ideas of future SWOTHR toward “high frequency intelligence information processing system” are discussed, which are scene information fusion, dynamic reconfigurable system, hierarchical and modular design, and sustainable development. Then the conclusion that the cognitive SWOTHR can cause the performance improvement is gotten.

Modality-specific spectral dynamics in response to visual and tactile sequential shape information processing tasks: An MEG study using multivariate pattern classification analysis

Brain regions that respond to more than one sensory modality are characterized as multisensory regions. Studies on the processing of shape or object information have revealed recruitment of the lateral occipital cortex, posterior parietal cortex, and other regions regardless of input sensory modalities. However, it remains unknown whether such regions show similar (modality-invariant) or different (modality-specific) neural oscillatory dynamics, as recorded using magnetoencephalography (MEG), in response to identical shape information processing tasks delivered to different sensory modalities. Modality-invariant or modality-specific neural oscillatory dynamics indirectly suggest modality-independent or modality-dependent participation of particular brain regions, respectively. Therefore, this study investigated the modality-specificity of neural oscillatory dynamics in the form of spectral power modulation patterns in response to visual and tactile sequential shape-processing tasks that are well-matched in terms of speed and content between the sensory modalities. Task-related changes in spectral power modulation and differences in spectral power modulation between sensory modalities were investigated at source-space (voxel) level, using a multivariate pattern classification (MVPC) approach. Additionally, whole analyses were extended from the voxel level to the independent-component level to take account of signal leakage effects caused by inverse solution. The modality-specific spectral dynamics in multisensory and higher-order brain regions, such as the lateral occipital cortex, posterior parietal cortex, inferior temporal cortex, and other brain regions, showed task-related modulation in response to both sensory modalities. This suggests modality-dependency of such brain regions on the input sensory modality for sequential shape-information processing.

Psychotherapeutic Perspective of Cerebral Lateralization

The human brain is composed of two hemispheres. Both hemispheres exhibit functional differences from one another, and each brain function is lateralized to their own respective side. The left hemisphere is responsible for linguistic functions, conscious problem solving, the processing of sequential information, social behaviors, positive emotions and secondary cognitive processes. Conversely, the right hemisphere is tasked with visuospatial functions, musical ability, physical emotional self consciousness, evasive behavior, low self esteem, sadness, shame, unconsciousness, and primary cognitive processes. Several psychopathologies may occur when the two hemispheres cannot be adequately integrated with one another. Thus, it is the mechanism of psychotherapy to reintegrate what was disconnected throughout this process. The therapist should be well versed and well aware of all of the distinct characteristics, attributes and functions that each hemisphere embodies, and after careful analysis, should be able to instruct the patient on strategies that will integrate the emotional components of the brain alongside with its logical components. In doing so, this can in addition, help patients to integrate their disconnected memory system or emotional system.

Reduced Efficiency and Capacity of Cognitive Control in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Cognitive control constrains mental operations to prioritize information that reaches conscious awareness and is essential to flexible, adaptive behavior under conditions of uncertainty. Cognitive control can be compromised by neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is characterized by the presence of social and communicative deficits, and restricted interests/repetitive behaviors. Although prior investigations have attempted to elucidate the nature of cognitive control in ASD, whether there is an underlying information processing deficit associated with cognitive control remains unclear. This study challenged cognitive control in 15 high-functioning adults with ASD and 15 typically developing (TD) controls using three novel tasks designed to systematically manipulate uncertainty. We aimed to investigate the efficiency of cognitive control in sequential information processing, cognitive control of nonsequential information processing across a range of cognitive loads and cognitive control capacity under time constraint. Results demonstrated that the ASD group performed less efficiently on sequential and nonsequential information processing, and had reduced cognitive control capacity under time constraint relative to the TD group. These findings suggest that inefficient cognitive control of information processing may be a fundamental deficit in ASD.

Haptic 3D Surface Representation of Table-Based Data for People With Visual Impairments

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Article 24 states that “States Parties shall ensure inclusive education at all levels of education and life long learning.” This article focuses on the inclusion of people with visual impairments in learning processes including complex table-based data. Gaining insight into and understanding of complex data is a highly demanding task for people with visual impairments. Especially in the case of table-based data, the classic approaches of braille-based output devices and printing concepts are limited. Haptic perception requires sequential information processing rather than the parallel processing used by the visual system, which hinders haptic perception to gather a fast overview of and deeper insight into the data. Nevertheless, neuroscientific research has identified great dependencies between haptic perception and the cognitive processing of visual sensing. Based on these findings, we developed a haptic 3D surface representation of classic diagrams and charts, such as bar graphs and pie charts. In a qualitative evaluation study, we identified certain advantages of our relief-type 3D chart approach. Finally, we present an education model for German schools that includes a 3D printing approach to help integrate students with visual impairments.

Being an agent or an observer: Different spectral dynamics revealed by MEG

Several neuroimaging studies reported that a common set of regions is recruited during action observation and execution and it has been proposed that the modulation of the μ rhythm, in terms of oscillations in the alpha and beta bands might represent the electrophysiological correlate of the underlying brain mechanisms. However, the specific functional role of these bands within the μ rhythm is still unclear. Here, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to analyze the spectral and temporal properties of the alpha and beta bands in healthy subjects during an action observation and execution task.We associated the modulation of the alpha and beta power to a broad action observation network comprising several parieto-frontal areas previously detected in fMRI studies. Of note, we observed a dissociation between alpha and beta bands with a slow-down of beta oscillations compared to alpha during action observation. We hypothesize that this segregation is linked to a different sequence of information processing and we interpret these modulations in terms of internal models (forward and inverse). In fact, these processes showed opposite temporal sequences of occurrence: anterior–posterior during action (both in alpha and beta bands) and roughly posterior–anterior during observation (in the alpha band). The observed differentiation between alpha and beta suggests that these two bands might pursue different functions in the action observation and execution processes.

Emotion word recognition: Discrete information effects first, continuous later?

Manipulations of either discrete emotions (e.g. happiness) or affective dimensions (e.g. positivity) have a long tradition in emotion research, but interactive effects have never been studied, based on the assumption that the two underlying theories are incompatible. Recent theorizing suggests, however, that the human brain relies on two affective processing systems, one working on the basis of discrete emotion categories, and the other working along affective dimensions. Presenting participants with an orthogonal manipulation of happiness and positivity in a lexical decision task, the present study meant to test the appropriateness of this assumption in emotion word recognition. Behavioral and electroencephalographic data revealed independent effects for both variables, with happiness affecting the early visual N1 component, while positivity affected an N400-like component and the late positive complex. These results are interpreted as evidence for a sequential processing of affective information, with discrete emotions being the basis for later dimensional appraisal processes.