Test Tasks Research Articles

Дослідження впливу фаз менструального циклу на функціональний стан кваліфікованої ветеранки спорту з дзюдо

Purpose: to investigate the influence of menstrual cycle phases on the functional status of a qualified female veteran judo athlete. Material and methods. The following methods were used in the study: analysis of scientific and methodological information and Internet sources; generalization of advanced practical experience; measurement of sensorimotor reactions and determination of heart rate variability indices; methods of mathematical statistics. A qualified veteran female judo athlete (Master of Sports of Ukraine) in the age category F2 (1983-1979) took part in the study. We performed 84 measurements of heart rate variability (n=42, HRV in the supine position; n=42, heart rate variability during the test task dedicated to measuring the choice reaction). The measurement was performed using two computer programs for mobile devices running iPadOS «Research HRV» and «HRV SR+CR» during morning hours (7-8 hours) and afternoon hours (17-18 hours). Results: analysis of the dynamics of changes in heart rate variability parameters obtained in the supine position indicates an increase in sympathetic activity in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. Analysis of comparisons of heart rate variability parameters in different phases of the menstrual cycle indicates that the greatest number of statistically significant (p<0,05) differences is observed in the first half of the day. These changes indicate the dynamics of the decrease in the tone of the sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system in the follicular phase when performing test tasks provided by the computer program «HRV SR+CR». Analysis of the study results indicates that the indicators of heart rate variability are also influenced by the measurement conditions. The test tasks of the computer program «HRV SR+CR» provide cognitive load and concentration of attention, especially in the second stage, where it is necessary to choose the sought-after figure. During cognitive tasks there is an increase in the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, which leads to an increase in heart rate variability. High level of heart rate variability is associated with better cognitive functions and adaptive response to stress. Consequently, these differences in heart rate variability obtained using the «Research HRV» and «HRV SR+CR» programs may be the result of interactions between physiological changes during the menstrual cycle as well as the influence of measurement conditions. Understanding the changes in heart rate variability indices during test tasks related to the manifestation of the choice reaction provides information about the influence of cognitive load and attention concentration on the functional state of the female athlete. This will allow to plan the training process of wrestling taking into account the phases of the menstrual cycle and functional capabilities that are inherent in high-skilled female athletes. Conclusions. The parameters of heart rate variability and sensorimotor reaction time provide information about the functional state of martial artists. Understanding of metabolic and hormonal processes in different phases of the menstrual cycle of qualified wrestlers will allow to optimize their training loads and recovery measures.

Research on Automatic Detection System of Drawing Defects based on Machine Vision

Background: For a long time, product packaging has been used as an instruction manual to connect consumers and factories. Product packaging is an important column in product image display and information presentation. However, missing prints, misprints, and surface stains during the manufacture of packaging bags will cause consumers to misunderstand product information. Based on machine vision, image processing technology, and Python language, this paper designs an automatic detection system for paper defects. Through the preprocessing of the image of the paper to be tested, after the paper area is extracted and compared with the standard template paper, the defective parts of the paper to be tested relative to the standard template paper can be quickly and accurately obtained. The system has a single drawing detection time of 2~3 seconds, and the measurement accuracy rate reaches 100%. The results show that the system has high measurement accuracy, high measurement precision, fast measurement speed, strong adaptability to the environment, and can meet the requirements of detecting defective paper. Objective: The purpose of this study is to develop an automatic detection system for packaging paper, which can detect all defective parts of defective paper compared with standard paper templates. This study aims to reduce the misprints or stains that may occur when producing high-volume bags. The system optimizes and controls the detection accuracy, detection time, detection accuracy and detection environment to ensure that the system can meet the real detection requirements. Method: First, the accompanying software of this system is used to import the standard template of the inspection paper and use the industrial camera to obtain the original image of the inspection drawing. Then, a series of necessary processing is performed on the image: grayscale, Gaussian filter, median filter, binarization, edge detection, contour detection, and the paper area covered with the image is extracted through inverse perspective transformation. Secondly, divide the picture into several blocks and measure the translation matrix of each block to achieve translation fine-tuning to achieve higher detection accuracy. Then, the defect mask is obtained by comparing it with the standard template, and the mask is fine-tuned and processed by the strong noise reduction algorithm. After median filtering, binarization, erosion, marking and other operations are performed to realize the final defect area finding and marking. Finally, all defective areas will be displayed in the designated area of the included software. Results: The detection accuracy rate of this system for the defect area reaches 100%, the minimum range of the recognition area reaches 1mm (2 pixels), the light intensity of the detection environment can adapt to 50 gray levels compared with the template, and the detection of a single drawing only takes 2 ~3 seconds, indicating the high detection efficiency of the system. A patent application for the system has already begun. Conclusion: The system has strong adaptability to the light intensity range of the testing environment, and the minimum testing area can meet the requirements of most production drawings. The accuracy of identifying the defect area of the testing drawings shows that the system can complete the testing task well when the testing environment is suitable.

Використання теорії невизначеності при дослідженні показників просторового сприйняття в єдиноборствах

Purpose: to study the indicators of spatial perception of martial artists using the provisions of uncertainty theories. Material and Methods. Research methods: analysis and synthesis of scientific and methodological literature, psychophysiological measurements, mathematical and statistical methods using licensed programs RStudio and Numbers. The study was conducted in several stages. At the first stage, taking into account the peculiarities of martial artists' sports activities, a mobile application «Spatial Perception» was developed to assess their spatial perception. At the second stage, the use of the application in the field was tested and the capabilities of the mobile application were expanded in terms of obtaining detailed characteristics of measurements using the provisions of the theory of uncertainty. The study involved junior taekwondo athletes aged 14-17 years (n=25, qualification: 1st category and candidates for master of sports of Ukraine). Results: according to the measurements of the studied martial artists, it can be noted that the highest frequency of reaction time indicators lies within 583 ms (n=291). At the second stage of the test exercise, where the performer needs to react to non-moving 3D figures, there is an increase in the interquartile range by 22 ms and a violation of the symmetry of the data. It was at this stage that the largest value of the standard deviation was noted (SD=172,0 ms). This indicates a high variability of reaction time (V=22,7 %). Also, we can see an increase in reaction time at the fourth stage compared to the result of the third stage by 11,5 ms and an increase in the percentage of errors by 1,4 % (at this stage, the highest percentage of errors was recorded at 8,2 %). Based on the use of membership functions, fuzzy sets were created, which made it possible to evaluate each indicator on a scale from 0 to 1. The analysis of the test exercise performance by martial artists who have the category of KMS (candidate for master of sports) shows that the overall score for the entire test is «Good», the weighting factor is 0,74, which is closer to the «Excellent» score. It should be noted that the highest weighting coefficient was observed in the second stage of the test task. The high weighting factor (0,79) at this stage reflects the ability to quickly recognize 3D shapes in space based on the analysis of individual parts of the shapes. We can also note the low percentage of errors (3 %) at the fourth, most difficult stage. This may indicate the ability to maintain attention on the object and resistance to disturbing visual stimuli. According to the results of the martial artists who have the 1st category, it was noted that they performed the test exercise with a score of «Good» and have a total weighting factor of 0,34. The score at each stage of the test is «Good», but the values of the weighting coefficients are closer to the «Satisfactory» score. The values of the weighting coefficients demonstrate that the level of spatial perception of this group of athletes is below average. It is also worth noting the increase in the percentage of errors, especially at the fourth stage (11,7 %), which indicates a negative impact on the reaction time of additional visual stimuli. The biggest difference between weight coefficients of the studied groups was noted at the second stage and made 49 %, the smallest at the fourth stage – 27 %. Conclusions. The use of fuzzy logic methods is a promising area of activity and finds its application in sports activities. The levels of manifestation of spatial perception by weight coefficients have been determined. Thus, a group of sportsmen with a category of CMS received an overall mark for the whole test «Good»with a weight coefficient of 0,74, and martial artists of the 1st category received an overall mark for the whole test «Good» with a weight coefficient of 0,34. Comparison of results of the estimation of reaction time of martial artists with a category of CMS with sportsmen of the 1st category testifies that there are statistically significant differences between indicators (p<0,05). The use of the theory of uncertainty in the assessment of spatial perception makes it possible to create flexible assessment systems and allows combining different indicators into one complex result.

Learning obstacles in the generalization process: In case number pattern topic

Generalization plays an important role in mathematics because it is considered inherent in mathematical thinking in general. Where number pattern is a topic that is closely related to generalization. Problems are still found in generalizing number patterns so this can cause learning obstacles. This research aims to identify learning obstacles for Junior high school students in the generalization process with a focus on number pattern topics. This research is qualitative research with a case study method. The research subjects consisted of 30 grade 8 students in Jakarta who had studied number pattern. Subjects were given three test tasks, the results of which were used to figure out learning obstacles in the generalization process experienced by students and then continued with interviews with ten subjects. The findings show that learning obstacles in the pattern generalization process occur primarily at the expression and symbolic stages. Most students bypassed the generalization method, relying instead on formulas or manual calculations. Based on these results, it is recommended that educators implement didactic designs that offer targeted interventions during the expression and symbolic stages, such as using more interactive and symbolic reasoning activities to strengthen students' understanding and generalization skills in number patterns.

Vibration Thresholds Using Conventional Audiometry are Clinically Useful Indicators of Postural Instability in Older Adults.

Falls are a major health concern with potentially dramatic consequences for people over 65 years of age. One crucial determinant in the risk of falls in older adults is postural control, a complex process that requires the contribution of different sensory modalities, namely visual, vestibular, auditory, and somatosensory. While there are well-established methods to screen for age-related vision, hearing, tactile, and vestibular impairments, there are very few widely available methods to screen for somatosensory function, but studies indicate that ankle audiometry (vibration thresholds) using a common B-71 bone vibrator can serve that purpose. To date, unfortunately, this technique has received little attention as a tool to measure postural instability in older adults. The objective of the present study was to examine postural control in older adults with and without degradation of the somatosensory functions, as determined with ankle audiometry. This was standard group comparison. In total, 36 healthy elderly aged between 65 and 80 years old were divided into two groups (low vibration threshold [n = 18] and high vibration threshold [n = 18]). Standard audiometry, video head impulse test, vibration thresholds (big toe, ankle, and tibia), and static postural control task using a force platform were performed. Greater postural instability in participants with higher (worse) vibration thresholds as compared with participants with lower (better) vibration thresholds was observed even though both groups were comparable on hearing threshold and vestibular function. The results indicate that performing a simple vibration threshold evaluation, using a clinically available B-71 with a cut-off value of 42 dB hearing loss, could be an effective, fast, and easy-to-use procedure for detecting people at risk of falls.

CIPHER: Cybersecurity Intelligent Penetration-Testing Helper for Ethical Researcher

Penetration testing, a critical component of cybersecurity, typically requires extensive time and effort to find vulnerabilities. Beginners in this field often benefit from collaborative approaches with the community or experts. To address this, we develop Cybersecurity Intelligent Penetration-testing Helper for Ethical Researchers (CIPHER), a large language model specifically trained to assist in penetration testing tasks as a chatbot. Unlike software development, penetration testing involves domain-specific knowledge that is not widely documented or easily accessible, necessitating a specialized training approach for AI language models. CIPHER was trained using over 300 high-quality write-ups of vulnerable machines, hacking techniques, and documentation of open-source penetration testing tools augmented in an expert response structure. Additionally, we introduced the Findings, Action, Reasoning, and Results (FARR) Flow augmentation, a novel method to augment penetration testing write-ups to establish a fully automated pentesting simulation benchmark tailored for large language models. This approach fills a significant gap in traditional cybersecurity Q&A benchmarks and provides a realistic and rigorous standard for evaluating LLM’s technical knowledge, reasoning capabilities, and practical utility in dynamic penetration testing scenarios. In our assessments, CIPHER achieved the best overall performance in providing accurate suggestion responses compared to other open-source penetration testing models of similar size and even larger state-of-the-art models like Llama 3 70B and Qwen1.5 72B Chat, particularly on insane difficulty machine setups. This demonstrates that the current capabilities of general large language models (LLMs) are insufficient for effectively guiding users through the penetration testing process. We also discuss the potential for improvement through scaling and the development of better benchmarks using FARR Flow augmentation results.

Graph neural processes for molecules: an evaluation on docking scores and strategies to improve generalization

Neural processes (NPs) are models for meta-learning which output uncertainty estimates. So far, most studies of NPs have focused on low-dimensional datasets of highly-correlated tasks. While these homogeneous datasets are useful for benchmarking, they may not be representative of realistic transfer learning. In particular, applications in scientific research may prove especially challenging due to the potential novelty of meta-testing tasks. Molecular property prediction is one such research area that is characterized by sparse datasets of many functions on a shared molecular space. In this paper, we study the application of graph NPs to molecular property prediction with DOCKSTRING, a diverse dataset of docking scores. Graph NPs show competitive performance in few-shot learning tasks relative to supervised learning baselines common in chemoinformatics, as well as alternative techniques for transfer learning and meta-learning. In order to increase meta-generalization to divergent test functions, we propose fine-tuning strategies that adapt the parameters of NPs. We find that adaptation can substantially increase NPs' regression performance while maintaining good calibration of uncertainty estimates. Finally, we present a Bayesian optimization experiment which showcases the potential advantages of NPs over Gaussian processes in iterative screening. Overall, our results suggest that NPs on molecular graphs hold great potential for molecular property prediction in the low-data setting.Scientific contributionNeural processes are a family of meta-learning algorithms which deal with data scarcity by transferring information across tasks and making probabilistic predictions. We evaluate their performance on regression and optimization molecular tasks using docking scores, finding them to outperform classical single-task and transfer-learning models. We examine the issue of generalization to divergent test tasks, which is a general concern of meta-learning algorithms in science, and propose strategies to alleviate it.

Multiparametric MRI Radiomics With Machine Learning for Differentiating HER2-Zero, -Low, and -Positive Breast Cancer: Model Development, Testing, and Interpretability Analysis.

BACKGROUND: MRI radiomics has been explored for three-tiered classification of breast cancer HER2 expression (i.e., HER2-zero, HER2-low, or HER2-positive), although understanding of how such models reach their predictions is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To develop and test multiparametric MRI radiomics machine-learning models for differentiating three-tiered HER2 expression levels in patients with breast cancer, and to explain the contributions of model features through local and global interpretations using SHapley Additive exPlanation (SHAP) analysis. METHODS: This retrospective study included 737 patients (mean age, 54.1±10.6 years) with breast cancer from two centers (center 1: n=578; center 2: n=159), who underwent breast MRI and had HER2 expression determined after excisional biopsy. Analysis entailed two tasks: differentiating HER2-negative (i.e., HER2-zero or HER2-low) from HER2-positive tumors (task 1), and differentiating HER2-zero from HER2-low tumors (task 2). For each task, patients from center 1 were randomly assigned in 7:3 ratio to training (task 1: n=405; task 2: n=284) or internal test (task 1: n=173; task 2: n=122) sets; those from center 2 formed an external test set (task 1: n=159; task 2: n=105). Radiomics features were extracted from early-phase dynamic contrast-enhanced images (DCE), T2-weighted images (T2WI), and DWI. For each task, a support vector machine (SVM) was used for feature selection; a multiparametric radiomics score (radscore) was computed using feature weights from SVM correlation coefficients; conventional MRI and combined models were constructed; and model performances were evaluated. SHAP analysis was used to provide local and global interpretations for model outputs. RESULTS: In the external test set, for task 1, AUCs for the conventional MRI model, radscore, and combined model were 0.624, 0.757, and 0.762, respectively; for task 2, AUC for radscore was 0.754, and no conventional MRI model or combined model could be constructed. SHAP analysis identified early-phase DCE features as having the strongest influence for both tasks; T2WI features also had a prominent role for task 2. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate suboptimal performance of MRI radiomics models for noninvasive characterization of HER2 expression. CLINICAL IMPACT: The study provides an example of the use of SHAP interpretation analysis to better understand predictions of imaging-based machine learning models.

Impact of goal orientation on moral competence development in youth

The study had two aims. The first was to investigate correlation between specific types of goal orientation as a predictor of prosocial and antisocial functioning and level of moral competences. The second, was to verify whether goal orientation has an impact on the development of moral competences of students participating in a pedagogical intervention based on non-linear pedagogy. Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire and Moral Competence Test were used to assess 468 secondary school students aged 15 in goal orientation and moral competences level. There was no correlation between the level of task and ego orientation and the level of moral competence. Under the influence of pedagogical experiment students with high level of task orientation achieved a statistically significantly higher change in the level of moral competences (η2 = 0.04). Study suggests that high level of task orientation is more susceptible to the development of moral competencies. Also, employing a non-linear pedagogy model in physical education, provides a conducive environment for the development of moral competences and should be implemented in the training of future physical education teachers.

ANALYSIS OF THE REGULATORY AND LEGAL BASE FOR THE FORMATION OF GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR TEST SLOTS FOR THE CHECKING OF DEMINING MACHINES (HUMANITARIAN) BY FUNCTIONAL PURPOSE

The relevance of the chosen topic is determined primarily by the need to organize testing and certification activities, the introduction of international demining standards and NATO standards in humanitarian demining. To assess the suitability of demining machines under the same controlled conditions. This makes it possible to evaluate products under the same conditions and determine the most productive samples. This actualizes the need to define general requirements for test sites for testing mechanized means of humanitarian demining by functional purpose. It is worth improving approaches to the organization and functioning of test sites based on the existing international experience and new domestic developments. In the course of the conducted research, it was established that there is an urgent need to organize demining of territories in Ukraine, both for military tasks and for humanitarian demining tasks. It has been established that the lack of general requirements for test sites for conducting tests and assessing the conformity of demining means approved as a normative legal act is an urgent problem that needs immediate resolution. During the research, a classification of demining tools was carried out, which are divided into machines for detonation, destruction, removal of mines; machines for soil preparation; machines for detecting sources of danger, have different types of working equipment (excavator or bulldozer type) and different types of attached equipment: roller trawls, milling-rotor trawls, knife trawls, chain trawls, fighting trawls, mulchers for soil treatment. In accordance with the set goal, the article developed recommendations for determining general requirements for test areas of demining machines equipment, substantiated the quantitative and qualitative indicators of objects and elements of test areas for conducting certification tests of mechanical (humanitarian) demining equipment according to their functional purpose, which are based on the practices of conducting such works in Ukraine and other countries. The necessity of forming requirements for test areas for assessing the survivability and productivity of demining means is substantiated. In particular, with the definition of requirements for test sites and related infrastructure. Recommendations are given for the placement of the main and additional elements on the test plots. Recommendations were provided and an approximate scheme for the placement of the main objects and elements of test areas for the organization of certification tests was provided, which will allow to ensure the performance of testing and certification tasks at the level established by state and international standards. In general, the substantiation of the requirements for test sites and the adoption of general requirements for test sites at the level of a normative document will allow normalizing the processes of testing samples of mechanized demining equipment and will allow the implementation of mine action tasks in Ukraine at a new, organizationally and practically improved level.

Reliability of Theory of Mind Tasks in Schizophrenia, ASD, and Nonclinical Populations: A Systematic Review and Reliability Generalization Meta-analysis.

Though theory of mind (ToM) is an important area of study for different disciplines, however, the psychometric evaluations of ToM tasks have yielded inconsistent results across studies and populations, raising the concerns about the accuracy, consistency, and generalizability of these tasks. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the psychometric reliability of 27 distinct ToM tasks across 90 studies involving 2771 schizophrenia (SZ), 690 autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and 15,599 nonclinical populations (NC). Findings revealed that while all ToM tasks exhibited satisfactory internal consistency in ASD and SZ, about half of them were not satisfactory in NC, including the commonly used Reading the Mind in the Eye Test and Hinting Task. Other than that, Reading the Mind in the Eye Test showed acceptable reliability across populations, whereas Hinting Task had poor test-retest reliability. Notably, only Faux Pas Test and Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition had satisfactory reliability across populations albeit limited numbers of studies. However, only ten studies examined the psychometric properties of ToM tasks in ASD adults, warranting additional evaluations. The study offered practical implications for selecting ToM tasks in research and clinical settings, and underscored the importance of having a robust psychometric reliability in ToM tasks across populations.

LOGICAL STYLE OF ANALYSIS OF TEXT AND OTHER INFORMATION FOR SOLVING TESTS ON GENERAL COMPETENCES

The article substantiates the effectiveness of using the logical style of analyzing text and other information for solving test tasks in conditions of time shortage. For this, a general classification of tasks was carried out, visual and other methods of their solution were selected, a generalized solution method based on the coding of available information, analysis and comparison of logical structures to identify contradictions, violations of completeness and integrity, etc.

ANALYSIS OF SCIENTIFIC-THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO THE EVALUATION OF EDUCATIONAL TASKS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHER KNOWLEDGE IN SPECIFIC SUBJECTS

In this article, a lot of work has been done on a national scale in the field of creating a new generation of textbooks for general secondary schools and educational-methodical complexes corresponding to it. Today, based on the requirements of the competency approach, it is required that the textbooks be compatible with the improved educational programs and express the democratic models that update the educational content and are directed to the student's personality. Because, inthe new models of the content of education, the social order set by the state and society for the educational process will be expressed. In the actual educational context of general secondary education, students' knowledge, skills, qualifications, competencies checked and evaluated mainly with the help of test tasks.

CHATGPT IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT: EXPLORING EFL INSTRUCTORS’ EXPERIENCE

The paper presents the results of the first stage of the research into the specifics of ChatGPT application in assessment development for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) courses. The article aims to investigate the perceptions of English language teachers regarding the utilization of ChatGPT in their teaching and assessment practices obtained through a survey in order to establish the degree of their familiarity with the possibilities of ChatGPT for teaching a foreign language and the mechanics of AI-generated test tasks design. The participants are mostly experienced English language instructors, affiliated with higher education institutions in Ukraine, the EU and the USA. Findings reveal varying levels of respondents’ confidence in ChatGPT's functionalities. A considerable proportion of educators appeared to be either unfamiliar with ChatGPT or possess limited knowledge of its capabilities. Hesitancy in implementing ChatGPT in teaching practice primarily stems from a lack of guidance as to its effective utilization closely followed by academic integrity concerns. However, educators who have employed ChatGPT recognize its potential as an assistant in lesson planning, content creation, task design, and assessment, especially for vocabulary, grammar, and writing. Despite acknowledging the tool's benefits, respondents express reservations about ChatGPT-generated tasks’ accuracy for assessment purposes. Challenges include the need for meticulous proofreading, issues with biased information, and insufficient task complexity. Nonetheless, overall satisfaction levels among educators implementing ChatGPT range from moderate to high, substantiating its value in foreign language teaching. Thus the survey stage of the research revealed the growing interest in ChatGPT’s potential for foreign language teaching and assessment among Ukrainian and international EFL and ESP instructors and underscored the need for guidelines and recommendations to create effective ChatGPT-generated test tasks. Future research will develop criteria for evaluating ChatGPT-generated tasks, provide prompt design guidelines, and formulate ethical policies for AI in assessment, addressing educators' concerns and

Using AI explainable models and handwriting/drawing tasks for psychological well-being

This study addresses the increasing threat to Psychological Well-Being (PWB) posed by Depression, Anxiety, and Stress conditions. Machine learning methods have shown promising results for several psychological conditions. However, the lack of transparency in existing models impedes practical application. The study aims to develop explainable machine learning models for depression, anxiety and stress prediction, focusing on features extracted from tasks involving handwriting and drawing.Two hundred patients completed the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and performed seven tasks related to handwriting and drawing. Extracted features, encompassing pressure, stroke pattern, time, space, and pen inclination, were used to train the explainable-by-design Entropy-based Logic Explained Network (e-LEN) model, employing first-order logic rules for explanation. Performance comparison was performed with XGBoost, enhanced by the SHAP explanation method.The trained models achieved notable accuracy in predicting depression (0.749 ±0.089), anxiety (0.721 ±0.088), and stress (0.761 ±0.086) through 10-fold cross-validation (repeated 20 times). The e-LEN model’s logic rules facilitated clinical validation, uncovering correlations with existing clinical literature. While performance remained consistent for depression and anxiety on an independent test dataset, a slight degradation was observed for stress prediction in the test task.

A Review of Factors Influencing Syntactic Priming in Chinese English Learners Over the Past Decade

Syntactic priming plays a crucial role in language teaching and learning. This paper reviews studies on syntactic priming among Chinese English learners over the past decade, highlighting the various research paradigms employed, such as picture-description paradigm, sentence-fragment completion paradigm and continuation paradigm, as well as their respective advantages and disadvantages. It also delves into three key factors that influence syntactic priming: learner characteristics, material features, and test task, examining these factors from multiple perspectives, including working memory, repetitive words, and task intensity. By comparing different studies, the paper points out how these factors function and discusses whether they have a positive relationship with syntactic priming. Also, possible reasons for the contradictory findings in some studies have been explored. The paper concludes by summarizing current research finding, putting forward problems existing in present studies, and identifying gaps for future exploration, aiming to offer insights and directions for ongoing research in this area.

The Moderating Role of Interest in the Relationship between Perceived Task Difficulty and Invested Mental Effort

Including motivational variables such as interest in the cognitive load framework is an ongoing process. Of particular interest is the question of how motivational variables influence the investment of mental effort. In this study, we investigated how topic interest affects the investment of mental effort in simple tasks. A total of 1543 students’ judgments regarding invested mental effort, perceived task difficulty, and topic interest for 32 tasks of a chemistry test were analyzed at the task level based on item response theory parameters. Additionally, objective task difficulty was calculated. The Rasch parameters were used for correlation and moderated regression analyses. The results indicated that when perceived task difficulty was low, students invested more mental effort in solving tasks of low topic interest compared to tasks of high topic interest. With increasing perceived task difficulty, the amount of invested mental effort rose for tasks of low as well as high topic interest. However, the difference between tasks of low and high topic interest in the amount of invested mental effort decreased as perceived task difficulty increased and even vanished when perceived task difficulty roughly corresponded to students’ performance capability. These results are in line with flow theory and the expectancy-value-cost model of motivation. When solving tasks that match their performance capability, students can experience a flow situation. However, when solving rather easy tasks of low interest, students can experience motivational costs in terms of additional effort, such as an increased need for motivational self-regulation. The results of this study provide a basis for systematically investigating and better understanding the relationship between interest, task difficulty, invested mental effort, flow experience, and emotional costs.

A comprehensive study on the impacts of thermal comfort on occupants’ thermophysiology and cognitive performances in a radiant cooling environment using physiological measurements

Radiant cooling (RC) systems are increasingly implemented in public buildings to enhance human thermal comfort and reduce building energy consumption. The quality of the indoor thermal environment significantly impacts occupants’ learning and work performance. This investigation explores indoor occupants’ dynamic physiological regulation, thermal comfort, and cognitive performance under radiant whole-wall cooling (RWWC) systems. Twenty-eight participants underwent a summer exposure test task at varying ambient temperatures, yielding four collected data types: indoor physical parameters, physiological parameters (including skin temperature (ST), heart rate (HR)/heart rate variability (HRV), and electroencephalography (EEG)), performance index (PI), and thermal perception. Results indicate that the RWWC system notably improves thermal perception and comfort, with 93 % of participants reporting comfort at a target temperature of 24℃. Air temperature (AT) exerted the most significant effect on changes in ST on the right upper arm (p < 0.01) and left hand back (p < 0.01) at 30℃ compared to the 22℃. The difference in whole-body mean skin temperature (MST) is 2.68℃. The HR decline was more pronounced in higher temperatures, and the HRV representativeness index approached ‘1′ at 24℃. PI was affected by temperature and task type, displaying a non-linear correlation with AT (R2 = 0.6056) and an inverted “U” shaped curve with TSV (R2 = 0.9523). Thermal perception correlates with MST, HRV, and EEG. The study carries implications for the reasonable design of comfortable and healthy RC environments.

Diaphragm Muscle Atrophy Contributes to Low Physical Capacity in COVID-19 Survivors.

Fatigue and dyspnea are the most commonly reported long-term complaints in individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate diaphragm muscle function in post-COVID-19 patients and investigate whether potential diaphragm dysfunction contributes to physical functioning impairment. A total of 46 patients who qualified for pulmonary rehabilitation were examined. Diaphragm muscle function parameters were evaluated using ultrasonography, while the severity of dyspnea, aerobic capacity, and the amount of energy used by the body during physical activity were assessed using the six-minute walk test, mMRC scale, and Metabolic Equivalent Task (MET), respectively. We identified that 69.5% of patients had diaphragm atrophy and 6.5% had diaphragm paralysis. The percentage of atrophy was not related to age, gender, BMI, oxygen therapy usage during the COVID-19 infection course, and disease severity. Patients who experienced cough, fever, and no loss of smell during the COVID-19 course had significantly greater diaphragm inspiratory thickness values, while patients with cough and no smell disorders had a significantly lower percentage of diaphragm atrophy. Diaphragm functional parameters were strongly associated with selected variables of exercise tolerance, such as distance in the six-minute walk test, oxygen saturation levels, fatigue, and exertion on the Borg scale. In conclusion, diaphragm muscle dysfunction is a serious long-term post-COVID-19 consequence and can be viewed as a major contributing factor to prolonged functional impairments.

Executive functions and functioning in women with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain that is associated with sleep, emotional, and cognitive disturbances, including in executive functions (EFs). To investigate the relationship between EFs and functionality in women with FM. The study included 17 women with FM, aged between 30 and 59 years, with no history of neurological disease. The EFs were assessed using the Digit Span Subtest (DS), Five Digit Test, Trail Making Test (TMT), Corsi Block-Tapping Task, Hayling Test (HT), and Verbal Fluency Task. Functionality was evaluated through the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire. The Beck Depression Inventory, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and Brief Pain Inventory were used to measure depression, anxiety, and pain, which were controlled in the statistical analyses. The FM patients showed longer response latency on the HT and TMT. They made fewer errors on part B of the HT, and they performed worse on the DS backward and on the Corsi Block-Tapping Task forward and backward. There were moderate correlations in the expected direction between performance on the Corsi Block-Tapping Task backward and interference at work, as well as between the time to complete part B of the Trail Making Test - B (TMT-B) and fatigue. An unexpected relationship was found between errors on part B of the HT and interference at work. The results suggest lower efficiency in processes such as inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility, difficulties in working memory and non-executive processes such as processing speed. Even with pain, anxiety, and depression controlled, some relationships between EFs and functionality were observed, indicating that these symptoms do not fully explain this relationship. We suggest that cognition, particularly EFs, and broader measures of functionality be considered in the evaluation of FM.