It is debated whether perceptual expertise of nonface objects, such as visual words, is indicated by holistic processing, which is regarded as a marker of perceptual expertise of faces. We address this question by frequency-tagged electroencephalography. Different parts of real or pseudo Chinese characters are presented at distinctive frequencies (6 or 7.2 Hz), which induce frequency-tagged steady-state visual-evoked potentials at occipital brain areas. The intermodulation response (e.g., 6 + 7.2 = 13.2 Hz) would emerge when holistic integration takes place. Our results suggest that the intermodulation response to the real characters is left lateralized, which is contralateral to previous findings with faces. Furthermore, at the left occipital area, the intermodulation response to real characters is more prominent than pseudo characters, suggesting that holistic integration is enhanced for real characters than for pseudo ones. Taken together, our findings suggest that holistic integration is potentially a general expertise marker for both faces and non-face objects.

Understanding the direct and indirect impact of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans on precipitation in the region of Northeast Brazil (NEB) is crucial for monitoring unprecedented drought events. We propose nonlinear methods of phase coherence and generalized event synchronization analysis to understand the underlying mechanism. In particular, the relationships between sea surface temperature (SST) variability and the standard precipitation index are interpreted as direct interactions, while the relationships between surrounding oceans are interpreted as indirect effects on the precipitation. Our results reveal a dominant role of tropical North Atlantic for precipitation deficit and droughts, particularly in recent decades. Meanwhile, the indirect Pacific‐North Atlantic phase synchronizations have significant influence on and reinforcement of the droughts in NEB. Furthermore, we find that the instantaneous angular frequencies of precipitation and SST are drastically changed after very strong El Niño and La Niña events, therefore resulting in a higher probability of phase coherence.

Tablet-mediated interventions have shown promise in improving the mathematical skills of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or intellectual disability (ID). This meta-analysis aims to provide a quantitative synthesis of single-case experimental studies of using tablet-mediated interventions to teach mathematics to individuals with ASD and/or ID. Twenty-seven published studies between 2012 and 2022 were included. The Tau-U effect size index was used to gauge the overall effect size of tablet-mediated interventions. The obtained effect size (Tau-U = 0.98, 95% CI 0.92–1.00) indicated large improvements in mathematics performance after using tablet-mediated interventions. The analysis of potential moderating variables, including participant characteristics, intervention components, and target mathematical skills found no statistically significant moderators. Implications for researchers and practitioners who use tablet-mediated interventions to teach mathematics to individuals with ASD and/or ID are also discussed.