An Alaskan high school exchange program works to promote understanding between the state's urban centers and its remote Native Villages and communities.

A group of high school students from Anchorage spent spring break at a remote Native Village as part of an unusual cultural exchange program in Alaska. See what they learned.

Alaskan schooling developed on many fronts. An illustrated timeline adds historical context for the growth of the state's education system, from the territory’s earliest Native inhabitants to today.

Recruiters already are offering bonuses, free housing, and airfare to entice teachers to their remote districts—and the competition is about to get worse.

When it comes to education, the 49th state faces its own challenges, some of which are unique to Alaska and some that it shares with other rural states. This series explores how cultural and geographic barriers, teacher shortages, historical developments, and more have shaped schooling in Alaska.

Rural schools everywhere struggle to maintain adequate buildings, but the quest for a new school has been especially long and fraught for this remote Old Believer village.

This Quality Counts 2020 Highlights Report captures all the data you need to assess your state's performance on key educational outcomes.

[Paris] : [publisher not identified], 1782.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Texas dismissed women's basketball coach Karen Aston on Friday, ending an eight-year stint that included four straight trips to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 from 2015-2018.

Kobe Bryant was already immortal. Bryant and fellow NBA greats Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett headlined a nine-person group announced Saturday as this year’s class of enshrinees into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Two-time NBA champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich finally got his call, as did longtime Baylor women’s coach Kim Mulkey, 1,000-game winner Barbara Stevens of Bentley and three-time Final Four coach Eddie Sutton.

A look at the newest members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, announced on Saturday:

Ruthy Hebard and Sabrina Ionescu have had a remarkable four years together in Eugene, rewriting the history books and pushing the Ducks into the national spotlight. Catch the debut of "Our Stories Unfinished Business: Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard" at Wednesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. PT/ 8 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Network.

CHICAGO (AP) -- Chicago State women’s coach Misty Opat resigned Thursday after two seasons and a 3-55 record.

DETROIT (AP) -- Detroit Mercy hired AnnMarie Gilbert as women’s basketball coach.

Pac-12 Networks' Mike Yam has a conversation with UCLA's Natalie Chou during Wednesday's "Pac-12 Perspective" podcast. Chou reflects on her role models, passion for basketball and how her mom has made a big impact on her hoops career.

On the day Kobe Bryant suddenly passed away, the Beavers embraced their rivals at midcourt in a moment of strength to support the Ducks, many of whom had personal connections to Bryant and his daughter, Gigi. For this, Oregon State is the 2020 recipient of the Pac-12 Sportsmanship Award.

Pac-12 student-athletes give shout-outs to their moms ahead of Mother's Day on May 10th, 2020 including UCLA's Michaela Onyenwere, Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally, Arizona's Aari McDonald, Cate Reese, and Lacie Hull, Stanford's Kiana Williams, USC's Endyia Rogers, and Aliyah Jeune, and Utah's Brynna Maxwell.

R Shadmehr
May 1, 1994; 14:3208-3224
Articles

Jamie D. Roitman
Nov 1, 2002; 22:9475-9489
Behavioral

Traditional views of sensorimotor adaptation (i.e., adaptation of movements to perturbed sensory feedback) emphasize the role of automatic, implicit correction of sensory prediction errors. However, latent memories formed during sensorimotor adaptation, manifest as improved relearning (e.g., savings), have recently been attributed to strategic corrections of task errors (failures to achieve task goals). To dissociate contributions of task errors and sensory prediction errors to latent sensorimotor memories, we perturbed target locations to remove or enforce task errors during learning and/or test, with male/female human participants. Adaptation improved after learning in all conditions where participants were permitted to correct task errors, and did not improve whenever we prevented correction of task errors. Thus, previous correction of task errors was both necessary and sufficient to improve adaptation. In contrast, a history of sensory prediction errors was neither sufficient nor obligatory for improved adaptation. Limiting movement preparation time showed that the latent memories driven by learning to correct task errors take at least two forms: a time-consuming but flexible component, and a rapidly expressible, inflexible component. The results provide strong support for the idea that movement corrections driven by a failure to successfully achieve movement goals underpin motor memories that manifest as savings. Such persistent memories are not exclusively mediated by time-consuming strategic processes but also comprise a rapidly expressible but inflexible component. The distinct characteristics of these putative processes suggest dissociable underlying mechanisms, and imply that identification of the neural basis for adaptation and savings will require methods that allow such dissociations.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Latent motor memories formed during sensorimotor adaptation manifest as improved adaptation when sensorimotor perturbations are reencountered. Conflicting theories suggest that this "savings" is underpinned by different mechanisms, including a memory of successful actions, a memory of errors, or an aiming strategy to correct task errors. Here we show that learning to correct task errors is sufficient to show improved subsequent adaptation with respect to naive performance, even when tested in the absence of task errors. In contrast, a history of sensory prediction errors is neither sufficient nor obligatory for improved adaptation. Finally, we show that latent sensorimotor memories driven by task errors comprise at least two distinct components: a time-consuming, flexible component, and a rapidly expressible, inflexible component.

Investment of cognitive effort is required in everyday life and has received ample attention in recent neurocognitive frameworks. The neural mechanism of effort investment is thought to be structured hierarchically, with dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) at the highest level, recruiting task-specific upstream areas. In the current fMRI study, we tested whether dACC is generally active when effort demand is high across tasks with different stimuli, and whether connectivity between dACC and task-specific areas is increased depending on the task requirements and effort level at hand. For that purpose, a perceptual detection task was administered that required male and female human participants to detect either a face or a house in a noisy image. Effort demand was manipulated by adding little (low effort) or much (high effort) noise to the images. Results showed a network of dACC, anterior insula (AI), and intraparietal sulcus (IPS) to be more active when effort demand was high, independent of the performed task (face or house detection). Importantly, effort demand modulated functional connectivity between dACC and face-responsive or house-responsive perceptual areas, depending on the task at hand. This shows that dACC, AI, and IPS constitute a general effort-responsive network and suggests that the neural implementation of cognitive effort involves dACC-initiated sensitization of task-relevant areas.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Although cognitive effort is generally perceived as aversive, its investment is inevitable when navigating an increasingly complex society. In this study, we demonstrate how the human brain tailors the implementation of effort to the requirements of the task at hand. We show increased effort-related activity in a network of brain areas consisting of dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), anterior insula, and intraparietal sulcus, independent of task specifics. Crucially, we also show that effort-induced functional connectivity between dACC and task-relevant areas tracks specific task demands. These results demonstrate how brain regions specialized to solve a task may be energized by dACC when effort demand is high.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized partly by atypical attentional engagement, reflected in exaggerated and variable responses to sensory stimuli. Attentional engagement is known to be regulated by the locus ceruleus (LC). Moderate baseline LC activity globally dampens neural responsivity and is associated with adaptive deployment and narrowing of attention to task-relevant stimuli. In contrast, increased baseline LC activity enhances neural responsivity across cortex and widening of attention to environmental stimuli regardless of their task relevance. Given attentional atypicalities in ASD, this study is the first to evaluate whether, under different attentional task demands, individuals with ASD exhibit a different profile of LC activity compared with typically developing controls. Males and females with ASD and age- and gender-matched controls participated in a one-back letter detection test while task-evoked pupillary responses, an established correlate for LC activity, were recorded. Participants completed this task in two conditions, either in the absence or presence of distractor auditory tones. Compared with controls, individuals with ASD evinced atypical pupillary responses in the presence versus absence of distractors. Notably, this atypical pupillary profile was evident despite the fact that both groups exhibited equivalent task performance. Moreover, between-group differences in pupillary responses were observed specifically in response to task-relevant events, providing confirmation that the group differences most likely were specifically associated with distinctions in LC activity. These findings suggest that individuals with ASD show atypical modulation of LC activity with changes in attentional demands, offering a possible mechanistic and neurobiological account for attentional atypicalities in ASD.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit atypical attentional behaviors, including altered sensory responses and atypical fixedness, but the neural mechanism underlying these behaviors remains elusive. One candidate mechanism is atypical locus ceruleus (LC) activity, as the LC plays a critical role in attentional modulation. Specifically, LC activity is involved in regulating the trade-off between environmental exploration and focused attention. This study shows that, under tightly controlled conditions, task-evoked pupil responses, an LC activity proxy, are lower in individuals with ASD than in controls, but only in the presence of task-irrelevant stimuli. This suggests that individuals with ASD evince atypical modulation of LC activity in accordance with changes in attentional demands, offering a mechanistic account for attentional atypicalities in ASD.

New research reveals a Tang Dynasty woman's love for sports—and big-eared, braying equids

The Getty Museum hopes its social media challenge will spark inspiration amid the COVID-19 pandemic

The CDC recommends wearing a fabric mask in public where social distancing is difficult, like at the grocery store

Called "Social Distancing, Haiku and You," Alan Nakagawa's project will result in a sound collage that interweaves a multitude of voices

Armchair travelers can also enjoy 360-degree views of the city's famed Northern Lights

In New York City, a desperate need among healthcare workers has pushed to the forefront the question: Is homemade equipment safe to use?

In the hours after disaster struck Anchorage, an unexpected figure named Genie Chance came to the rescue

Fire scientist say that Saskatchewan say Canadian Forest Service is updating their interactive maps every month from May to September this year so people can check the fire map in their region. Saskatchewan is one of the highest chances of fire this year.

Some farmers across the province are worried about getting their fuel in time for spring seeding. The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan says it has been fielding complaints this week about delays at the Co-op cardlock near Moose Jaw.

As the Montreal area continues to be the Canadian epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak, anyone showing symptoms of the virus is being asked to get tested.

While the STM is strongly urging passengers to wear a face mask or face covering at all times, it won't be mandatory, said chair Philippe Schnobb.

Notre Dame women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw is retiring after winning two national championships in 33 years with the Irish.

It’s been 20 years since his last NBA game, but Dennis Rodman is a hot topic again. The featured character in a new episode of The Last Dance was many things to many people — and a genuine trailblazer.

Canadian basketball players Dylan Ennis and Kevin Pangos, who both play in Liga ACB, opted to stay and weather the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain.

1. Some White House staff to wear masks after valet tests positive: Trump  Times of India
2. U.S. President Trump says will be tested for coronavirus daily  The Hindu
3. US VP Mike Pence’s staffer, married to a Trump aide, tests positive for Covid-19  Livemint
4. Trump's U-turn on the coronavirus task force wasn't really a U-turn at all  The Independent
5. Aide to Vice President Pence tests positive for coronavirus  Times of India
6. View Full coverage on Google News

"This video footage clearly shows why La Loche Saskatchewan won't be opening up so soon," says Rita Briggs.

"We don't have the big hospitals and specialized care. Should COVID-19 spread, we don't have the capacity or the resources to deal with it," said Cree Grand Chief Abel Bosum.

One of the two grocery stores in La Loche, Sask., has shut temporarily after one of its employees tested positive for COVID-19, according to an executive at the North West Company. 

Restrictions on public gatherings and visiting family in long-term care homes are not likely to be lifted for a while, Premier Scott Moe said.

The Canadian Football League is asking the federal government for up to $150 million in financial assistance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NDP wants the Saskatchewan government to delay Phase 2 of its reopening plan, currently scheduled for May 19.