A short cist burial at Kilkeddan Farm, Campbeltown, Argyll & Bute

AOC Archaeology Group undertook the excavation of a previously unknown Bronze Age cist, located in a field close to Kilkeddan Farm, Argyll & Bute, during September 2005 under the Historic Scotland call-off contract for human remains. The cist was found to contain poorly surviving unburnt human skeletal remains along with a finely decorated tripartite Food Vessel and a flint knife. The incomplete and fragmentary condition of the skeleton suggests that the human remains were disarticulated at the time of deposition. Radiocarbon dates obtained from the human bone and associated charcoal confirms an early Bronze Age date for the burial

Differential psychophysiological interactions of insular subdivisions during varied oropharyngeal swallowing tasks

Abstract The insula is a highly integrated cortical region both anatomically and functionally. It has been shown to have cognitive, social–emotional, gustatory, and sensorimotor functions. Insular involvement in both normal and abnormal swallowing behavior is well established, yet its functional connectivity is unclear. Studies of context‐dependent connectivity, or the connectivity during different task conditions, have the potential to reveal information about synaptic function of the insula. The goal of this study was to examine the functional connectivity of specific insular regions (ventral anterior, dorsal anterior, and posterior) with distant cortical regions during four swallowing conditions (water, sour, e‐stim, and visual biofeedback) using generalized psychophysiological interactions (gPPI). In 19 healthy adults, we found that the visual biofeedback condition was associated with the most and strongest increases in functional connectivity. The posterior insula/rolandic operculum regions had the largest clusters of increases in functional connectivity, but the ventral anterior insula was functionally connected to a more diverse array of cortical regions. Also, laterality assessments showed left lateralized increases in swallowing functional connectivity. Our results are aligned with reports about the insula's interconnectivity and extensive involvement in multisensory and cognitive tasks

The Effects of Methylphenidate on Cognitive Control in Active Methamphetamine Dependence Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Methamphetamine (MA) dependence is associated with cognitive deficits. Methylphenidate (MPH) has been shown to improve inhibitory control in healthy and cocaine-dependent subjects. This study aimed to understand the neurophysiological effects before and after acute MPH administration in active MA-dependent and control subjects. Fifteen MA-dependent and 18 control subjects aged 18–46 years were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging before and after either a single oral dose of MPH (18 mg) or placebo while performing a color-word Stroop task. Baseline accuracy was lower (p = 0.026) and response time (RT) was longer (p < 0.0001) for the incongruent compared to congruent condition, demonstrating the task probed cognitive control. Increased activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and parietal cortex during the incongruent and Stroop effect conditions, respectively was observed in MA-dependent compared to control subjects (p < 0.05), suggesting the need to recruit neural resources within these regions for conflict resolution. Post- compared to pre-MPH treatment, increased RT and DLPFC activation for the Stroop effect were observed in MA-dependent subjects (p < 0.05). In comparison to MPH-treated controls and placebo-treated MA-dependent subjects, MPH-treated MA-dependent subjects showed decreased activation of parietal and occipital regions during the incongruent and Stroop effect conditions (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that in MA-dependent subjects, MPH facilitated increased recruitment of the DLPFC for Stroop conflict resolution, and a decreased need for recruitment of neural resources in parietal and occipital regions compared to the other groups, while maintaining a comparable level of task performance to that achieved pre-drug administration. Due to the small sample size, the results from this study are preliminary; however, they inform us about the effects of MPH on the neural correlates of cognitive control in active MA-dependent subjects

Nutritional Blindness

It is a tragic fact that in large areas of the world today despite the continuing advances in medical science many thousands of people, the majority young children, are going blind every year as a result of malnutrition. As will become apparent as this subject unfolds, we know enough about the ways in which deficiency of vitamin A and vitamins of the B complex destroy vision to be in a position to prevent much of the needless suffering. It will also be shown that there are important areas in this field where we are still ignorant, especially of the long term effects of malnutrition acting very early in life on certain parts of the eye.Due not only to lack of time but also to the dearth of reliable data and information upon which to base an appraisal I shall not deal with certain aspects of this subject. For example, we do not yet know whether or not malnutrition plays any part in the disease process of trachoma or in the development of pterygium. We are also ignorant of the importance of an underlying deficiency of nutrients in making the conjunctiva and cornea more susceptible to infectious processes.Leaving such speculations strictly aside my purpose is to summarize present knowledge of certain nutritional eye conditions and also perhaps to enlarge the horizon of your thinking by introducing you to some fresh problems and new concepts

21st Century hydrological modeling for optimizing ancient water harvesting techniques

In order to increase dryland productivity, water harvesting techniques (WHT) have received renewed attention, leading to their massive implementation in marginal drylands. However, versatile tools to evaluate their efficiency under a wide range of conditions are often lacking. For two case studies in the arid and semi-arid central-northern zone of Chile, a fully coupled 3D surface-subsurface hydrological model based on the Richards’ and the Saint Venant equations was used to evaluate and improve existing water harvesting techniques using infiltration trenches (locally called ‘zanjas’). The model was parameterized with detailed runoff and soil-water content data collected during simulated rainfall from a 6 x 2 m experimental plot including a catchment area and infiltration trench at the arid site. Using seven responsive parameters identified by a global sensitivity analysis, surface and subsurface flow processes were calibrated simultaneously. The calibrated model accurately reproduced observed soil moisture contents (R2 0.92) and runoff amounts (R2 0.97), and represented the overflowing infiltration trench, which is a clear improvement over existing frameworks. A comparative analysis with a natural slope demonstrated that the trench was efficient in capturing runoff under high rainfall intensities, such as the one simulated, resulting in a significant decrease (46%) of runoff. However, when extended to natural rainfall seasons, runoff water harvesting was insufficient in dry, normal and wet years, while only under very wet conditions 55% of the potential runoff was effectively harvested and stored in the soil profile. As such, this test case shows the importance of correct water harvesting design to become an effective tool in dryland management, taking both soil physical and climatic constraints into account. The model was further tested on a much larger scale of two ca. 3 ha large watersheds at the semi-arid site, one with infiltration trenches and one without. Good agreement was observed between measured and simulated runoff at the watershed outlet

Controllability Modulates the Anticipatory Response in the Human Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex

Research has consistently shown that control is critical to psychological functioning, with perceived lack of control considered to play a crucial role in the manifestation of symptoms in psychiatric disorders. In a model of behavioral control based on non-human animal work, Maier et al. (2006) posited that the presence of control activates areas of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), which in turn inhibit the normative stress response in the dorsal raphe nucleus and amygdala. To test Maier’s model in humans, we investigated the effects of control over potent aversive stimuli by presenting video clips of snakes to 21 snake phobics who were otherwise healthy with no comorbid psychopathologies. Based on prior research documenting that disrupted neural processing during the anticipation of adverse events can be influenced by different forms of cognitive processing such as perceptions of control, analyses focused on the anticipatory activity preceding the videos. We found that phobics exhibited greater vmPFC activity during the anticipation of snake videos when they had control over whether the videos were presented as compared to when they had no control over the presentation of the videos. In addition, observed functional connectivity between the vmPFC and the amygdala is consistent with previous work documenting vmPFC inhibition of the amygdala. Our results provide evidence to support the extension of Maier’s model of behavioral control to include anticipatory function in humans

The 25 November 1988 Saguenay, Quebec, Earthquake: Source Parameters and the Attenuation of Strong Ground Motion

The Saguenay earthquake of 25 November 1988 occurred close to the southern margin of the Saguenay Graben in southern Quebec. It was caused by almost purely dip-slip faulting centered at a depth of 26 km with a P axis oriented northeast-southwest. This faulting mechanism is similar to those of the larger historical earthquakes in eastern North America, but the focal depth is substantially greater than all but one of these events. The seismic moment estimated from regional PnI waves and teleseismic long-period body waves is 5 × 10^(24) dyne-cm., corresponding to a moment magnitude of 5.8. The source duration of the earthquake is estimated to be 1.8 sec, corresponding to a stress drop of 160 bars, which is not significantly higher than the average stress drop of 120 bars estimated from previous large earthquakes in eastern North America. In order to simultaneously match the recorded ground motion amplitudes of strong-motion acceleration, strong-motion velocity, and teleseismic short-period and long-period body waves, it is necessary to use a source function having a complex shape that implies the presence of asperities and larger local stress drops. The large set of strong-motion recordings of the Saguenay earthquake has been used to validate a procedure for estimating strong ground motion attenuation based on a simple wave propagation model. The most important feature of the recorded strong motions is that their peak amplitudes do not decay significantly with distance inside 120 km, but then decay abruptly beyond 120 km. Profiles of recorded accelerograms with absolute times indicate that at distances beyond 64 km the peak ground motions are due to strong postcritical reflections from velocity gradients in the lower crust. The principal shear-wave arrivals and the variation of their peak amplitudes with distance were reproduced in synthetic seismograms generated using a regional crustal structure model. The critical distances for the postcritical reflections were short because of the deep focal depth of the event, causing the elevation of ground motion amplitudes out to 120 km. Similar studies of earthquakes in other regions of eastern North America indicate that the strength of the postcritical reflections, and the distance ranges over which they are dominant, are controlled by the focal depth and crustal structure. Regional variations in crustal structure thus give rise to predictable regional variations in strong ground motion attenuation

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Low HDL Cholesterol is Associated with Lower Gray Matter Volume in Cognitively Healthy Adults

Dyslipidemia is common in adults and contributes to high rates of cardiovascular disease and may be linked to subsequent neurodegenerative and neurovascular diseases. This study examined whether lower brain volumes and cognition associated with dyslipidemia could be observed in cognitively healthy adults, and whether apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype or family history of Alzheimer's disease (FHAD) alters this effect. T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine regional brain gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) in 183 individuals (58.4 ± 8.0 years) using voxel-based morphometry. A non-parametric multiple linear regression model was used to assess the effect of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and non-HDL cholesterol, APOE, and FHAD on regional GM and WM volume. A post hoc analysis was used to assess whether any significant correlations found within the volumetric analysis had an effect on cognition. HDL was positively correlated with GM volume in the bilateral temporal poles, middle temporal gyri, temporo-occipital gyri, and left superior temporal gyrus and parahippocampal region. This effect was independent of APOE and FHAD. A significant association between HDL and the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test was found. Additionally, GM volume within the right middle temporal gyrus, the region most affected by HDL, was significantly associated with the Controlled Oral Word Association Test and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. These findings suggest that adults with decreased levels of HDL cholesterol may be experiencing cognitive changes and GM reductions in regions associated with neurodegenerative disease and therefore, may be at greater risk for future cognitive decline

Associations between diabetes and both cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality are modified by grip strength: evidence from UK Biobank, a prospective population-based cohort study

OBJECTIVE Grip strength and diabetes are predictors of mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD), but whether these risk factors interact to predispose to adverse health outcomes is unknown. This study determined the interactions between diabetes and grip strength and their association with health outcomes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We undertook a prospective, general population cohort study by using UK Biobank. Cox proportional hazards models were used to explore the associations between both grip strength and diabetes and the outcomes of all-cause mortality and CVD incidence/mortality as well as to test for interactions between diabetes and grip strength. RESULTS 347,130 UK Biobank participants with full data available (mean age 55.9 years, BMI 27.2 kg/m2, 54.2% women) were included in the analysis, of which 13,373 (4.0%) had diabetes. Over a median follow-up of 4.9 years (range 3.3–7.8 years), 6,209 died (594 as a result of CVD), and 4,301 developed CVD. Participants with diabetes were at higher risk of all-cause and CVD mortality and CVD incidence. Significant interactions (P &lt; 0.05) existed whereby the risk of CVD mortality was higher in participants with diabetes with low (hazard ratio [HR] 4.05 [95% CI 2.72, 5.80]) versus high (HR 1.46 [0.87, 2.46]) grip strength. Similar results were observed for all-cause mortality and CVD incidence. CONCLUSIONS Risk of adverse health outcomes among people with diabetes is lower in those with high grip strength. Low grip strength may be useful to identify a higher-risk subgroup of patients with diabetes. Intervention studies are required to determine whether resistance exercise can reduce risk