The effect of anesthetic technique on post-operative outcomes remains in question. This systematic review compares the role of regional versus general anesthesia, with a particular focus on post-operative cognitive function. Potentially relevant articles were identified by searching publicly available computerized databases for this systematic review. Any surgical procedure was accepted with the exception of cardiac, carotid, and neurosurgical procedures. Any regional anesthetic technique was accepted unless combined with a general anesthetic or in conjunction with propofol as a sedative. Any measure of post-operative cognitive function was accepted as long as it was performed no sooner than seven days post-operatively. Sixteen studies met inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. Three studies showed some difference in cognitive function between regional and general anesthesia, while the remaining thirteen showed no difference between regional and general anesthesia on postoperative cognitive function.

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This paper reports on the design and evaluation of a cocreative drawing partner called the Drawing Apprentice, which was designed to improvise and collaborate on abstract sketches with users in real time. The system qualifies as a new genre of creative technologies termed "casual creators" that are meant to creatively engage users and provide enjoyable creative experiences rather than necessarily helping users make a higher quality creative product. We introduce the conceptual framework of participatory sense-making and describe how it can help model and understand open-ended collaboration. We report the results of a user study comparing human-human collaboration to human-computer collaboration using the Drawing Apprentice system. Based on insights from the user study, we present a set of design recommendations for co-creative agents.

Increased regular physical activity is associated with a small and measurable, improvement in neuropsychological tests of executive functions, specifically inhibitory control. Executive functions play an important role in complex behavior, and may contribute to academic and career achievement as well as success in social interaction. This finding provides support for the important interaction between exercise and cognitive functioning.

Context: People with CHD are at increased risk for executive functioning deficits. Meta-analyses of these measures in CHD patients compared to healthy controls have not been reported. Objective: To examine differences in executive functions in individuals with CHD compared to healthy controls. Data sources: We performed a systematic review of publications from 1 January, 1986 to 15 June, 2020 indexed in PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycInfo, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Study selection: Inclusion criteria were (1) studies containing at least one executive function measure; (2) participants were over the age of three. Data extraction: Data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by two authors. We used a shifting unit-of-analysis approach and pooled data using a random effects model. Results: The search yielded 61,217 results. Twenty-eight studies met criteria. A total of 7789 people with CHD were compared with 8187 healthy controls. We found the following standardised mean differences: −0.628 (−0.726, −0.531) for cognitive flexibility and set shifting, −0.469 (−0.606, −0.333) for inhibition, −0.369 (−0.466, −0.273) for working memory, −0.334 (−0.546, −0.121) for planning/problem solving, −0.361 (−0.576, −0.147) for summary measures, and −0.444 (−0.614, −0.274) for reporter-based measures (p < 0.001). Limitations: Our analysis consisted of cross-sectional and observational studies. We could not quantify the effect of collinearity. Conclusions: Individuals with CHD appear to have at least moderate deficits in executive functions. Given the growing population of people with CHD, more attention should be devoted to identifying executive dysfunction in this vulnerable group.