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The final fate of massive stars, and the nature of the compact remnants they leave behind (black holes and neutron stars), are open questions in astrophysics. Many massive stars are stripped of their outer hydrogen envelopes as they evolve. Such Wolf–Rayet stars 1 emit strong and rapidly expanding winds with speeds greater than 1,000 kilometres per second. A fraction of this population is also helium-depleted, with spectra dominated by highly ionized emission lines of carbon and oxygen (types WC/WO). Evidence indicates that the most commonly observed supernova explosions that lack hydrogen and helium (types Ib/Ic) cannot result from massive WC/WO stars 2 , 3 , leading some to suggest that most such stars collapse directly into black holes without a visible supernova explosion 4 . Here we report observations of SN 2019hgp, beginning about a day after the explosion. Its short rise time and rapid decline place it among an emerging population of rapidly evolving transients 5 – 8 . Spectroscopy reveals a rich set of emission lines indicating that the explosion occurred within a nebula composed of carbon, oxygen and neon. Narrow absorption features show that this material is expanding at high velocities (greater than 1,500 kilometres per second), requiring a compact progenitor. Our observations are consistent with an explosion of a massive WC/WO star, and suggest that massive Wolf–Rayet stars may be the progenitors of some rapidly evolving transients. Observations of the supernova SN 2019hgp, identified about a day after its explosion, show that it occurred within a nebula of carbon, oxygen and neon, and was probably the explosion of a massive WC/WO star.

The early evolution of a supernova (SN) can reveal information about the environment and the progenitor star. When a star explodes in vacuum, the first photons to escape from its surface appear as a brief, hours-long shock-breakout flare 1 , 2 , followed by a cooling phase of emission. However, for stars exploding within a distribution of dense, optically thick circumstellar material (CSM), the first photons escape from the material beyond the stellar edge and the duration of the initial flare can extend to several days, during which the escaping emission indicates photospheric heating 3 . Early serendipitous observations 2 , 4 that lacked ultraviolet (UV) data were unable to determine whether the early emission is heating or cooling and hence the nature of the early explosion event. Here we report UV spectra of the nearby SN 2023ixf in the galaxy Messier 101 (M101). Using the UV data as well as a comprehensive set of further multiwavelength observations, we temporally resolve the emergence of the explosion shock from a thick medium heated by the SN emission. We derive a reliable bolometric light curve that indicates that the shock breaks out from a dense layer with a radius substantially larger than typical supergiants. Using ultraviolet data as well as a comprehensive set of further multiwavelength observations of the supernova 2023ixf, a reliable bolometric light curve is derived that indicates the heating nature of the early emission.

The current work examines the effect of trial-by-trial feedback about correct and error responding on performance in two basic cognitive tasks: a classic Stroop task ( = 40) and a color-word matching task ( = 30). Standard measures of both RT and accuracy were examined in addition to measures obtained from fitting the ex-Gaussian distributional model to the correct RTs. For both tasks, RTs were faster in blocks of trials with feedback than in blocks without feedback, but this difference was not significant. On the other hand, with respect to the distributional analyses, providing feedback served to significantly reduce the size of the tails of the RT distributions. Such results suggest that, for conditions in which accuracy is fairly high, the effect of corrective feedback might either be to reduce the tendency to double-check before responding or to decrease the amount of attentional lapsing.

Aging is commonly associated to cognitive decline and loss of other abilities, which leads to the need of researching elements that may contribute to preventive cognitive rehabilitation interventions aiming to guarantee the elderly quality of life. The objective of this study is to characterize elderly who enrolled in this intervention, to measure the effects of cognitive training with emphasis on executive functions, by comparing an Experimental to a Control group. This is a quantitative research that used a quasi-experimental design; it is correlational and comparative, involving pre- and post-testing and intervention. The sample was formed by 83 elders, split into an Experimental Group (EG) (45 people) and a Control Group (GC) (38 people). The instruments used were the following: a neuropsychological semi-structured interview about sociodemographic characteristics; Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE); Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI); Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS); WAIS-III subtests: Digit Span, Vocabulary, Block Design, Coding, Letter-Number Sequencing (LNS), and Symbol Search; Trail Making Test (TMT); Ray Complex Figures; Sternberg Paradigm; verbal fluency tasks about semantics (animals) and phonemes (F-A-S); Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (RVLT); Stroop Test: colors and words; go/no go tasks; and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The results from the comparison between groups showed that there was a significant difference regarding the number of errors in the Sternberg Paradigm and Completed Categories of the WCST. Intragroup comparisons showed that the EG had better results after the intervention on the following tests: GDS, RAVLT, Rey Complex Figures (memory), Digit Span and Vocabulary.

Aging is commonly associated to cognitive decline and loss of other abilities, which leads to the need of researching elements that may contribute to preventive cognitive rehabilitation interventions aiming to guarantee the elderly quality of life. The objective of this study is to characterize elderly who enrolled in this intervention, to measure the effects of cognitive training with emphasis on executive functions, by comparing an Experimental to a Control group. This is a quantitative research that used a quasi-experimental design; it is correlational and comparative, involving pre- and post-testing and intervention. The sample was formed by 83 elders, split into an Experimental Group (EG) (45 people) and a Control Group (GC) (38 people). The instruments used were the following: a neuropsychological semi- structured interview about sociodemographic characteristics; Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE); Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI); Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS); WAIS-III subtests: Digit Span, Vocabulary, Block Design, Coding, Letter-Number Sequencing (LNS), and Symbol Search; Trail Making Test (TMT); Ray Complex Figures; Sternberg Paradigm; verbal fluency tasks about semantics (animals) and phonemes (F-A-S); Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (RVLT); Stroop Test: colors and words; go/no go tasks; and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The results from the comparison between groups showed that there was a significant difference regarding the number of errors in the Sternberg Paradigm and Completed Categories of the WCST. Intragroup comparisons showed that the EG had better results after the intervention on the following tests: GDS, RAVLT, Rey Complex Figures (memory), Digit Span and Vocabulary.

Throughout the life cycle, there is a tendency for individuals to increase and/or decrease some personality traits. The present study aimed to compare the magnitude of the Big Five personality traits among adults and the elderly, and to identify the role of socio-demographic variables (age, schooling, sex and marital status) in their personality traits. This cross-sectional study analyzed 151 participants divided into two groups by age. The elderly group was composed of 78 participants between the ages of 60 and 85 yeas, and the adult group included 73 participants between 30 and 59 years of age. Participants completed a socio-demographic data sheet and the Five-Factor Inventory-short form (NEO-FFI-R). Results revealed significant differences between the groups associated with the factors Neuroticism, Openness, and Conscientiousness. The adult group showed a significantly greater tendency for higher scores in Neuroticism, Extraversion and Openness. In the elderly group, in turn, there was a greater tendency for individuals to score higher on Conscientiousness. In conclusion, adults tended to present elevated levels of factors such as Neuroticism, Openness, and Conscientiousness, while the elderly presented higher Conscientiousness. These results suggest that personality factors are adjusted according to age group and life events.

The aim of this work is to evaluate the roles of age and emotional valence in word recognition in terms of ex-Gaussian distribution components. In order to do that, a word recognition task was carried out with two age groups, in which emotional valence was manipulated. Older participants did not present a clear trend for reaction times. The younger participants showed significant statistical differences in negative words for target and distracting conditions. Addressing the ex-Gaussian τ parameter, often related to attentional demands in the literature, age-related differences in emotional valence seem not to have an effect for negative words. Focusing on emotional valence for each group, the younger participants only showed an effect on negative distracting words. The older participants showed an effect regarding negative and positive target words, and negative distracting words. This suggests that the attentional demand is higher for emotional words, in particular, for the older participants.

The use of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales has entered clinical, psycho-educational and research settings, thus enabling a full assessment of cognitive abilities of children, adolescents and adults. The general intelligence should be considered as a manifestation of personality as a whole. Intellectual skills are measured by psychometric instruments. This research, which focuses on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Adults (WAIS-III), addresses the key features and uses of the scale for the adult population and explores the importance of information about this instrument and its applications, especially with regard to qualitative clinical interpretation. It consists of a literature review about the more classical authors on the subject. The authors draw on a critical review of key aspects related to psychological and neuropsychological testing, addressing the constructs of crystallized intelligence, fluid intelligence and their integration with the study of personality. Finally, the authors discuss the importance of factor indices and their implications for clinical interpretation. O uso das Escalas Wechsler de Inteligência está voltado para contextos clínicos, psicoeducacionais e de pesquisa, possibilitando a avaliação minuciosa das capacidades cognitivas de crianças, adolescentes e adultos. A inteligência geral deve ser considerada como uma manifestação da personalidade como um todo. As habilidades intelectuais são medidas através de instrumentos psicométricos. Para esta pesquisa, com foco na Escala de Inteligência Wechsler para Adultos (WAIS-III), buscou-se abordar as principais características e utilizações da escala para a população adulta, bem como se explorou a importância das informações deste instrumento e suas aplicações, principalmente no que se refere à interpretação clínica qualitativa. Trata-se de uma revisão da literatura dos autores mais clássicos sobre o tema. Os autores recorreram a uma revisão crítica de aspectos essenciais que tangenciam a testagem psicológica e neuropsicológica, abordando os constructos de inteligência cristalizada, fluída e suas integrações com o estudo da personalidade. Finalmente, os autores discutem a importância dos índices fatoriais e suas implicações na interpretação clínica. El uso de la Escala de Inteligencia de Wechsler se enfrenta al ámbito clínico, psicopedagógico y de investigación, lo que permite la evaluación a fondo de las capacidades cognitivas de los niños, adolescentes y adultos. La inteligencia general debe considerarse como una manifestación de la personalidad como un todo. Las habilidades intelectuales se miden a través de instrumentos psicométricos. Esta investigación, cuyo objeto de estudio es la Escala de Inteligencia Wechsler para Adultos (WAIS-III), trata de responder a las características y usos de dicha escala para la población adulta. Así mismo, analiza la importancia de la información sobre este instrumento y sus aplicaciones, especialmente en lo referente a la interpretación clínica cualitativa. Se trata de una revisión bibliográfica de los autores más clásicos sobre el tema. Los autores llevaron a cabo una revisión crítica de los aspectos clave relacionados con las pruebas psicológicas y neuropsicológicas, abordando los constructos de la inteligencia cristalizada, la inteligencia fluída, y su integración con el estudio de la personalidad. Por último, los autores discuten la importancia de los índices factoriales y sus implicaciones para la interpretación clínica.

Observing a supernova explosion shortly after it occurs can reveal important information about the physics of stellar explosions and the nature of the progenitor stars of supernovae (SNe). When a star with a well-defined edge explodes in vacuum, the first photons to escape from its surface appear as a brief shock-breakout flare. The duration of this flare can extend to at most a few hours even for nonspherical breakouts from supergiant stars, after which the explosion ejecta should expand and cool. Alternatively, for stars exploding within a distribution of sufficiently dense optically thick circumstellar material, the first photons escape from the material beyond the stellar edge, and the duration of the initial flare can extend to several days, during which the escaping emission indicates photospheric heating. The difficulty in detecting SN explosions promptly after the event has so far limited data regarding supergiant stellar explosions mostly to serendipitous observations that, owing to the lack of ultraviolet (UV) data, were unable to determine whether the early emission is heating or cooling, and hence the nature of the early explosion event. Here, we report observations of SN 2023ixf in the nearby galaxy M101, covering the early days of the event. Using UV spectroscopy from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) as well as a comprehensive set of additional multiwavelength observations, we trace the photometric and spectroscopic evolution of the event and are able to temporally resolve the emergence and evolution of the SN emission.