The gray matter volume of the amygdala is correlated with the perception of melodic intervals: a voxel-based morphometry study

Music is not simply a series of organized pitches, rhythms, and timbres, it is capable of evoking emotions. In the present study, voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was employed to explore the neural basis that may link music to emotion. To do this, we identified the neuroanatomical correlates of the ability to extract pitch interval size in a music segment (i.e., interval perception) in a large population of healthy young adults (N = 264). Behaviorally, we found that interval perception was correlated with daily emotional experiences, indicating the intrinsic link between music and emotion. Neurally, and as expected, we found that interval perception was positively correlated with the gray matter volume (GMV) of the bilateral temporal cortex. More important, a larger GMV of the bilateral amygdala was associated with better interval perception, suggesting that the amygdala, which is the neural substrate of emotional processing, is also involved in music processing. In sum, our study provides one of first neuroanatomical evidence on the association between the amygdala and music, which contributes to our understanding of exactly how music evokes emotional responses

Effects of the California High School Exit Exam on Student Persistence, Achievement, and Graduation

Analyzes the impact of the exit exam requirement on student persistence, achievement, and graduation by race/ethnicity and gender and the factors behind the differential effects. Considers implications for the fairness and effectiveness of the exams

ILR School Ph.D. Dissertations

Compiled by Susan LaCette.ILRSchoolPhD.pdf: 4022 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

The Five Factor Model of personality and evaluation of drug consumption risk

The problem of evaluating an individual's risk of drug consumption and misuse is highly important. An online survey methodology was employed to collect data including Big Five personality traits (NEO-FFI-R), impulsivity (BIS-11), sensation seeking (ImpSS), and demographic information. The data set contained information on the consumption of 18 central nervous system psychoactive drugs. Correlation analysis demonstrated the existence of groups of drugs with strongly correlated consumption patterns. Three correlation pleiades were identified, named by the central drug in the pleiade: ecstasy, heroin, and benzodiazepines pleiades. An exhaustive search was performed to select the most effective subset of input features and data mining methods to classify users and non-users for each drug and pleiad. A number of classification methods were employed (decision tree, random forest, $k$-nearest neighbors, linear discriminant analysis, Gaussian mixture, probability density function estimation, logistic regression and na{\"i}ve Bayes) and the most effective classifier was selected for each drug. The quality of classification was surprisingly high with sensitivity and specificity (evaluated by leave-one-out cross-validation) being greater than 70\% for almost all classification tasks. The best results with sensitivity and specificity being greater than 75\% were achieved for cannabis, crack, ecstasy, legal highs, LSD, and volatile substance abuse (VSA).Comment: Significantly extended report with 67 pages, 27 tables, 21 figure

The global ecology of differentiation between us and them

Humans distinguish between we-groups and they-groups, such as relatives versus strangers and higher-ups versus lowerdowns, thereby creating crucial preconditions for favouring their own groups while discriminating against others. Reported here is the finding that the extent of differentiation between us and them varies along latitude rather than longitude. In geographically isolated preindustrial societies, intergroup differentiation already peaked at the equator and tapered off towards the poles, while being negligibly related to longitude (observation study 1). Contemporary societies have evolved even stronger latitudinal gradients of intergroup differentiation (survey study 2 around 1970) and discrimination (mixed-method study 3 around 2010). The geography of contemporary differentiation and discrimination can be partially predicted by tropical climate stress (warm winters, hot summers and irregular rainfall), largely mediated by the interplay of pathogen stress and Agricultural subsistence (explanatory study 4). The findings accumulate into an index of intergroup discrimination by inhabitants of 222 countries (integrative study 5)

Predicting Health Impacts of the World Trade Center Disaster: 1. Halogenated hydrocarbons, symptom syndromes, secondary victimization, and the burdens of history

The recent attack on the World Trade Center, in addition to direct injury and psychological trauma, has exposed a vast population to dioxins, dibenzofurans, related endocrine disruptors, and a multitude of other physiologically active chemicals arising from the decomposition of the massive quantities of halogenated hydrocarbons and other plastics within the affected buildings. The impacts of these chemical species have been compounded by exposure to asbestos, fiberglass, crushed glass, concrete, plastic, and other irritating dusts. To address the manifold complexities of this incident we combine recent theoretical perspectives on immune, CNS, and sociocultural cognition with empirical studies on survivors of past large toxic fires, other community-scale chemical exposure incidents, and the aftereffects of war. Our analysis suggests the appearance of complex, but distinct and characteristic, spectra of synergistically linked social, psychosocial, psychological and physical symptoms among the 100,000 or so persons most directly affected by the WTC attack. The different 'eigenpatterns' should become increasingly comorbid as a function of exposure. The expected outcome greatly transcends a simple 'Post Traumatic Stress Disorder' model, and may resemble a particularly acute form of Gulf War Syndrome. We explore the role of external social factors in subsequent exacerbation of the syndrome -- secondary victimization -- and study the path-dependent influence of individual and community-level historical patterns of stress. We suggest that workplace and other organizations can act as ameliorating intermediaries. Those without acess to such buffering structures appear to face a particularly bleak future

Effect of Poverty Level on the Relationship Between Hyperlipidemia and Cardiorenal Syndrome

Purpose. Elevated cholesterol is known to be associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) independently. Cardiorenal syndrome (CRS), a recently defined syndrome, is characterized by renal failure that is closely interrelated to cardiac dysfunction. The effect of socioeconomic status on cardiorenal syndrome has not been explored in a multi-ethnic population. In this retrospective secondary analysis, the hypothesis was tested if socioeconomic status modifies the effect of hyperlipidemia on CRS. Methods. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a cross sectional survey done on the non-institutionalized population of the United States. All patients from the NHANES study, 20 years and older between the years 1999-2010 were included in the analysis. CRS was determined using a standard GFR equation and history of CVD. Analysis was performed using complex samples logistic regression to determine the relationship of hyperlipidemia on CRS. Results. Data on CRS status was available for 24,625 individuals (48.9% males & 51.1% females) and was representative of 173,805,863 individuals. The overall unadjusted odds ratio of CRS for hyperlipidemia to no hyperlipidemia was 3.01 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.62-3.47, p \u3c 0.001). The adjusted OR was elevated, 2.20 (CI 1.20-4.05, p \u3c 0.01), among individuals living below poverty threshold but close to 1.0 (1.63 CI 1.31-2.03, p \u3c 0.001) among patients above poverty threshold, after the results were controlled for medical risk factors and demographic risk factors. Conclusions. Hyperlipidemia is strongly associated with CRS in a nationally representative multi-ethnic population and must be taken into special consideration when treating underprivileged patients. Longitudinal studies should further examine this association and demonstrate how socioeconomic status plays a role