Trier University of Applied Sciences

Top-down control in choosing appropriate actions is a key ability of human cognition. While target-related foreknowledge has long been studied, recent research in various domains has focused on our ability to use foreknowledge about distractions stored in working memory. However, previous research has exclusively investigated distractor foreknowledge derived from stimulus features such as location or color. The present study examined whether the effective use of distractor foreknowledge can also be achieved when it is based solely on response-related information. We tested the effectiveness of distractor foreknowledge in a Flanker task by varying the type of foreknowledge cue. In two experiments (N₁ = 117, N₂ = 119), participants received either stimulus-related cues (i.e., the shape of the distractors was presented before the Flanker display) or response-related cues (i.e., the associated response of the distractors was cued before the Flanker display), both with 100% validity. Performance was compared with a control condition with no foreknowledge. We found that Flanker effects related to response interference were reduced irrespective of the foreknowledge cue type across both experiments. These results extend prior work on distractor templates, which have traditionally focused on stimulus features, by showing that response-related distractor representations can benefit response selection. We interpret the results against the background of the common coding principle. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

The rapid growth of orbital debris in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) poses an escalating risk to space operations, with existing mitigation proving insufficient to prevent long-term instability. This study models debris population dynamics in the 500–600 km LEO under current FCC 5-year deorbit rules and varying levels of Active Debris Removal (ADR). Using publicly available orbital catalogs and a collision-risk proxy based on object density, cross-section, and relative velocity, simulations depict debris growth and collision risk trajectories under a 30-year period and various scenarios. Results indicate that removal of ∼60 large objects (>10 cm) per year is the threshold at which debris growth becomes negative and collision risk declines. This value is scenario-dependent and is presented as an illustrative threshold under controlled assumptions rather than a robust or universal quantitative value. The primary contribution of this study is to demonstrate the existence of a minimum viable ADR regime, which can provide conceptual guidance for debris mitigation policy.

Augmented Virtuality integrates physical content into virtual environments, but the occlusion of physical by virtual content is a challenge. This unwanted occlusion may disrupt user interactions with physical devices and compromise safety and usability. This paper investigates two resolution strategies to address this issue: Redirected Walking, which subtly adjusts the user’s movement to maintain physical-virtual alignment, and Automatic Teleport Rotation, which realigns the virtual environment during travel. A user study set in a virtual forest demonstrates that both methods effectively reduce occlusion. While in our testbed, Automatic Teleport Rotation achieves higher occlusion resolution, it is suspected to increase cybersickness compared to the less intrusive Redirected Walking approach.

Sleep problems are frequently observed in breast cancer patients. However, the relationship between sleep quality and overall quality of life (QoL) and the specificity of different sleep-related questionnaires have not yet been adequately studied in breast cancer patients. The sample of this cross-sectional study consisted of 533 breast cancer patients, recruited in a German rehabilitation clinic, with a mean age of 52.3 years (SD = 12.5 years). The following three sleep-related questionnaires were used: the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the Jenkins Sleep Scale (JSS). In addition, we used the QoL instrument EORTC QLQ-C30. Sleep quality was poor in this sample of breast cancer patients. The effect sizes d, indicating the difference in sleep quality between the patient sample and the general population, were between 0.97 and 1.76 (p < 0.001). QoL was impaired in all components (p < 0.001); the impairment in the dimension of sleep quality (d = 1.70) was among the highest. Sleep quality was correlated with all components of QoL. The comparison of the three sleep-related questionnaires showed that the results obtained in oncological studies partly depend on the instrument used. As the burden of sleep problems is high, screening for sleep problems in breast cancer patients is important.

ABSTRACT Working from home (WFH) reduces real‐time visibility of employees within the physical space of the workplace. This makes it difficult to monitor employees’ work behaviour. Employers may instead monitor employees’ outputs and provide incentives through performance pay. The crucial question is what type of performance pay employers provide to incentivize employees who work from home. Using British panel data, we find that WFH decreases the likelihood of solely receiving individual performance pay. It increases the likelihood of receiving collective performance pay—with or without individual performance pay. This pattern also holds in instrumental variable estimations accounting for endogeneity. Our findings fit theoretical considerations. WFH means that employees have less opportunities to socialize at work entailing the tendency that they focus on personal achievement and neglect collaboration. Solely rewarding individual performance may reinforce this tendency. By contrast, employers reward collective performance as it counteracts the adverse effects of WFH by providing incentives for collaboration, helping on the job and information sharing.

AbstraktIm vorliegenden Beitrag werden die wesentlichen Inhalte der neuen Technischen Spezifikation CEN/TS 1994‐1‐102 zur Bemessung von Verbunddübelleisten im Vergleich zu den bisherigen allgemeinen Bauartgenehmigungen vorgestellt. Diese Technische Spezifikation baut auf den Regelungen des Eurocodes 4 der zweiten Generation auf und ermöglicht die wirtschaftliche Anwendung von Verbunddübelleisten verschiedener Geometrien. Neben der Darstellung neuer Konstruktionsmöglichkeiten mit Verbunddübelleisten werden auch die potenziellen Versagensarten sowie die entsprechenden Bemessungsgleichungen vorgestellt und beschrieben. Darüber hinaus wird ein Ausblick über die weiteren bevorstehenden Entwicklungen gegeben.