Stress and streets: How the network structure of streets is associated with stress-related brain activation

Previous research has examined the relation between urban design factors and mental health, but the impact of street networks is underrepresented. This exploratory, cross-sectional study examines the association between street network variables based on the Space Syntax theory and whole-brain activation during a social stress paradigm. Forty-two individuals who lived in Berlin participated in an fMRI study during which acute social stress was induced. Saliva cortisol concentrations, subjective stress ratings, and mean heart rate were assessed as proxies for a successful stress induction. Space Syntax was used as a tool to objectively measure street network characteristics including global integration (‘proximity’ of a street to all the other streets in a network), local integration (‘proximity’ of a street to a certain number of streets within a walkable area), connectivity (‘direct street connections’ a street has), and normalized angular choice (NACH) (‘straightest and shortest’ route for a street in a street network). They were analyzed within a 1500 m radius of participants' address (i.e., neighborhood) as well as for the street closest to their address (i.e., point address). Higher mean neighborhood global and local integration, which equate to better integrated streets in the network, were associated with less activation during stress provocation in several brain regions, including dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and thalamus, which play a role in the detection of salient stimuli and threats. No association was found between brain activity and global and local integration for the point address. There was also no association between brain activity and connectivity or NACH for any conditions. The study indicates that Space Syntax is a useful tool for measuring macro-scale urban space (e.g., street networks) in neuro-urbanistic studies. The results underline the need to explore the potential of optimizing street networks to better understand pathways to urban mental health.</p

Residential green space and air pollution are associated with brain activation in a social-stress paradigm

We examined the influence of three major environmental variables at the place of residence as potential moderating variables for neurofunctional activation during a social-stress paradigm. Data from functional magnetic resonance imaging of 42 male participants were linked to publicly accessible governmental databases providing information on amount of green space, air pollution, and noise pollution. We hypothesized that stress-related brain activation in regions important for emotion regulation were associated positively with green space and associated negatively with air pollution and noise pollution. A higher percentage of green space was associated with stronger parietal and insular activation during stress compared with that in the control condition. More air pollution was associated with weaker activation in the same (but also extended) brain regions. These findings may serve as an important reference for future studies in the emerging field of “neuro-urbanism” and emphasize the importance of environmental factors in urban planning

Halo and tail simulations with applications to the CLIC drive beam

We report about generic halo and tail simulations and estimates. Previous studies weremainly focused on very high energies as relevant for the beam delivery systems of linear colliders. We have now studied, applied and extended these simulations to lower energies as relevant for the CLIC drive beam

Do Stressed Women have Abnormal Glucose Level?

Stress is a physical, mental and emotional response to a challenging event and is a normal part of everyone's life.  It has been linked to suppression of the immune system and could increase the risk of getting ill or alter the course of existing illness.  Studies show that stress is associated with increased HBA1c, especially in females.  Therefore the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of stress with abnormal glucose value among the women community.  A cross-sectional study was conducted among 168 residents of Mukim Sg. Pelek, Sepang, Selangor.  Participants were selected through a simple random sampling and were asked to answer questionnaires provided.  The Depression, Stress and Anxiety (DASS-21) scale was used to determine the prevalence of stress and random blood sugar (RBS) for measurement of the glucose level.  Data was analyzed using Statistical Package Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 and Chi-square analyses for determining the association between variables.  The study found that 58.3% of the stressed women in the community have abnormal blood glucose level, which indicated that the risk of getting diabetes is slightly high.  This finding has important implication for designing strategic plans for intervention program on awareness towards coping with stress positively

Microbial Integration on Player Experience of Hybrid Bio-digital Games

© ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering 2019. Hybrid bio-digital games physically integrate non-human, living organisms into computer gaming hardware and software. Whilst such type of game can add novelty value, the positive impact of the added biological element on player experience has not yet been verified quantitatively. We conducted a study involving two groups of 20 participants, to compare player experiences of two versions of a video game called Mould Rush, which relies on the growth patterns of micro-organisms commonly known as ‘mould’. Results from self-reporting Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) showed that the group who played the version of Mould Rush that integrated real mould, had produced significantly higher mean GEQ scores (p <.001) on the following dimensions: Positive Affect; Sensory and Imaginative Immersion; Positive Experience; and Returning to Reality. Furthermore, results from participant interviews indicated that the slowness of mould growth was enjoyed by those who played real-mould-integrated version of Mould Rush. Contrastingly, the slowness was perceived as a negative feature for those who played the game without integrated mould. We discuss the implications and limitations of all of our findings