Changes in brain activation patterns according to cross-training effect in serial reaction time task An functional MRI study

Cross-training is a phenomenon related to motor learning, where motor performance of the untrained limb shows improvement in strength and skill execution following unilateral training of the homologous contralateral limb. We used functional MRI to investigate whether motor performance of the untrained limb could be improved using a serial reaction time task according to motor sequential learning of the trained limb, and whether these skill acquisitions led to changes in brain activation patterns. We recruited 20 right-handed healthy subjects, who were randomly allocated into training and control groups. The training group was trained in performance of a serial reaction time task using their non-dominant left hand, 40 minutes per day, for 10 days, over a period of 2 weeks. The control group did not receive training. Measurements of response time and percentile of response accuracy were performed twice during pre- and post-training, while brain functional MRI was scanned during performance of the serial reaction time task using the untrained right hand. In the training group, prominent changes in response time and percentile of response accuracy were observed in both the untrained right hand and the trained left hand between pre- and post-training. The control group showed no significant changes in the untrained hand between pre- and post-training. In the training group, the activated volume of the cortical areas related to motor function （i.e., primary motor cortex, premotor area, posterior parietal cortex） showed a gradual decrease, and enhanced cerebellar activation of the vermis and the newly activated ipsilateral dentate nucleus were observed during performance of the serial reaction time task using the untrained right hand, accompanied by the cross-motor learning effect. However, no significant changes were observed in the control group. Our findings indicate that motor skills learned over the 2-week training using the trained limb were transferred to the opposite homologous limb, and motor skill acquisition of the untrained limb led to changes in brain activation patterns in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum.

Procedural learning changes in patients with Wilson's disease

In the present study, we compared explicit memory performance, using the Wechsler Memory Scale and implicit memory performance, using the Nissen software version of the serial reaction time task, in patients with Wilson＇s disease to normal controls. The Wilson＇s disease patients exhibited deficits in explicit memory tasks, such as figure recall and understanding memory. Moreover, the Wilson＇s disease patients exhibited deficits in implicit memory tasks, including significantly prolonged response times. These findings indicate that Wilson＇s disease patients have explicit and implicit partial memory impairments.

Eccentric exercise-induced muscle weakness abolishes sex differences in fatigability during sustained submaximal isometric contractions

Background:Females are typically less fatigable than males during sustained isometric contractions at lower isometric contraction intensities.This sex difference in fatigability becomes more variable during higher intensity isometric and dynamic contractions.While less fatiguing than isometric or concentric contractions,eccentric contractions induce greater and longer lasting impairments in force production.However,it is not clear how muscle weakness influences fatigability in males and females during sustained isometric contractions.Methods:We investigated the effects of eccentric exercise-induced muscle weakness on time to task failure(TTF)during a sustained submaximal isometric contraction in young(18-30 years)healthy males(n=9)and females(n=10).Participants performed a sustained isometric contraction of the dorsiflexors at 35°plantar flexion by matching a 30%maximal voluntary contraction(MVC)torque target until task failure(i.e.,falling below 5%of their target torque for>2 s).The same sustained isometric contraction was repeated 30 min after 150 maximal eccentric contractions.Agonist and antagonist activation were assessed using surface electromyography over the tibialis anterior and soleus muscles,respectively.Results:Males were~41%stronger than females.Following eccentric exercise both males and females experienced an~20%decline in maximal voliuntary contraction torque.TTF was-34%longer in females than males prior to eccentic exercise-induced muscle weakness.However,following eccentric exercise-induced muscle weakness,this sex-related difference was abolished,with both groups having an"45%shorter TTF.Notably,there was~100%greater antagonist activation in the female group during the sustained isometric contraction following exercise-induced weakness as compared to the males.Conclusion:This increase in antagonist activation disadvantaged females by decreasing their TTF,resulting in a blunting of their typical fatigability advantage over males.

Gorilla Troops Optimizer Based Fault Tolerant Aware Scheduling Scheme for Cloud Environment

In cloud computing(CC),resources are allocated and offered to the cli-ents transparently in an on-demand way.Failures can happen in CC environment and the cloud resources are adaptable tofluctuations in the performance delivery.Task execution failure becomes common in the CC environment.Therefore,fault-tolerant scheduling techniques in CC environment are essential for handling performance differences,resourcefluxes,and failures.Recently,several intelli-gent scheduling approaches have been developed for scheduling tasks in CC with no consideration of fault tolerant characteristics.With this motivation,this study focuses on the design of Gorilla Troops Optimizer Based Fault Tolerant Aware Scheduling Scheme(GTO-FTASS)in CC environment.The proposed GTO-FTASS model aims to schedule the tasks and allocate resources by considering fault tolerance into account.The GTO-FTASS algorithm is based on the social intelligence nature of gorilla troops.Besides,the GTO-FTASS model derives afitness function involving two parameters such as expected time of completion(ETC)and failure probability of executing a task.In addition,the presented fault detector can trace the failed tasks or VMs and then schedule heal submodule in sequence with a remedial or retrieval scheduling model.The experimental vali-dation of the GTO-FTASS model has been performed and the results are inspected under several aspects.Extensive comparative analysis reported the better outcomes of the GTO-FTASS model over the recent approaches.

A Theory for the Initial Allocating of Real Time Tasks in Distributed Systems

Referring to a set of real time tasks with arriving time,executing time and deadline,this paperdiscusses the problem of polynomial time initial-allocating approximation algorithms in a distributedsystem and five new results are gained which provide a theory for the designing of initial-allocating algorithmsof real time tasks.

Partitioning of Independent Tasks for Minimizing Completion Time and Total Waiting Time

Parallel processors provide fast computing environments for various users.But the real efficiencies ofparallel processors intensively depend on the partitioning strategies of tasks over the processors.In thispaper,the partitioning problems of independent tasks for homogeneous system of parallel processors arequantitatively studied.We adopt two criteria,minimizing the completion time and the total waiting time,to determine the optimal partitioning strategy.