Sustained vigilance is negatively affected by mild and acute sleep loss reflected by reduced capacity for decision making, motor preparation, and execution

© 2018 Sleep Research Society. Study Objectives The behavioral and cognitive consequences of severe sleep deprivation are well understood. Surprisingly, relatively little is known about the neural correlates of mild and acute sleep restriction on tasks that require sustained vigilance for prolonged periods of time during the day. Methods and Results Event-related potential (ERP) paradigms can reveal insight into the neural correlates underlying visual processing and behavioral responding that is impaired with reduced alertness, as a consequence of sleep loss. Here, we investigated the impact of reduced vigilance following at-home mild sleep restriction to better understand the associated behavioral consequences and changes in information processing revealed by ERPs. As expected, vigilance was reduced (e.g. increased lapses and response slowing) that increased over the course of the experiment in the sleep restricted (5 hr sleep) compared with the sleep-extension (9 hr sleep) condition. Corresponding to these lapses, we found decreased positivity of visually evoked potentials in the Sleep Restriction vs. Sleep Extension condition emerging from 316 to 449 ms, maximal over parietal/occipital cortex. We also investigated electrophysiological signs of motor-related processing by comparing lateralized readiness potentials (LRPs) and found reduced positivity of LRPs in the Sleep Restriction vs. Sleep Extension condition at 70-40 ms before, and 115-158 ms after a response was made. Conclusions These results suggest that even a single night of mild sleep restriction can negatively affect vigilance, reflected by reduced processing capacity for decision making, and dulls motor preparation and execution

Denial of long-term issues with agriculture on tropical peatlands will have devastating consequences

Non peer reviewe

Reducing the incidence of impaired driving through globally effective countermeasures

Road traffic injuries and fatalities are a global public health concern, and the leading cause of death, worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, 47% of all countries do not have drink-driving laws based on best practices. Stricter impaired driving legislation is a start, but associated countermeasures such as increased public awareness and social support, random roadside sobriety testing, and remedial support for the convicted driver, have been proven to make these laws more effective in reducing traffic fatalities and recidivism. Bloomberg Philanthropies funded a consortium of partners to improve road safety in 10 coun­tries over 5 years spanning 2010 - 2014. Brazil was one of the countries chosen for this initial phase of the Global Road Safety Partnership as it has one of the highest rates of traffic fatalities in the world. Building on their initial success, this year began the start of the next five-year phase, spanning 2015 - 2019. During this phase, 10 cities and 5 countries were chosen to re­ceive support and intervention. Three of the ten cities are in South America, indicating their commitment to improve road safety. Education is key for a successful road safety initiative. Education of the judges regarding the sanctions and efficacy of the technology utilized, viz, roadside (portable) breath tester, alcohol interlocks, continuous alcohol monitoring, and oral fluid drug testers. Areas where there is doubt about the reliability of a technology used for detection, or a lack of knowledge regarding the technology, show a reduction in conviction rates. Judges who are familiar with and trust the results of the technology are more likely to convict offenders and support an integrated ap­proach to dealing with drink-driving

The journey to legalize cannabis in Canada

Drawing on current research and available technology, as well as best practices from around the world, Canada's goal of reducing traffic fatalities due to drug impaired driving will incorporate effective legislation, enforcement based on proven methods of detection paired with increased use of Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, and increased public education and awareness of the effects of Cannabis on driving.  Canada has taken a proactive approach to this by forming a federal Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation, which submitted its final report (A Framework for the Legalization and Regulation of Cannabis in Canada) to the Government of Canada on November 30, 2016.

Climate Sensitive Growth Models for Predicting Diameter Growth of Western Canadian Boreal Tree Species

In the face of anticipated climate change, growth models require modifications to effectively model likely future growth and survival of trees and stands. To support incorporation of climate effects in the Mixedwood Growth Model (MGM), we developed climate-sensitive mixed effects models for lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon), jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera L.) and white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), and examined how tree size, intra- and interspecific competition and climate will influence individual-tree diameter growth. Remeasurement data from permanent growth and yield sample plots from across the western Canadian boreal forest were used for this study. Based on the model that we developed, tree size, competition and climate had varying effects on growth, among tree species. Although intraspecific competition had a stronger negative effect on growth for deciduous and white spruce trees, interspecific competition had a stronger negative effect on the growth of pine. Deciduous trees growing in stands having longer frost-free period experienced an increase in growth but a negative effect of frost-free period was observed for conifers. In addition, higher moisture was found to increase tree growth, but the influence of available moisture on growth was dependent on competition. Overall, these results suggest that, under climate warming, between-species differences in growth responses will contribute to our understanding of the stand dynamics in the western boreal region of Canada. Climate sensitive growth models developed in this study will be useful in the recalibration of MGM and other individual-tree models, and predictions will contribute to better-informed decisions about silvicultural treatments for these economically important boreal tree species

The interactive effect of competition and climate on growth of boreal tree species in western Canada and Alaska

Understanding interactions between competition and climate in relation to their effects on individual tree growth is crucial to the development of climate-sensitive growth models required for modelling boreal forest succession in a changing climate. We used data from permanent growth and yield sample plots in western Canada and Alaska to investigate the impact of competition within a regional gradient of climatic conditions for lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon), jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera L.), white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), and black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb.). We characterized the effects of competition (basal area of spruce–fir, deciduous, and pine trees larger than the focal tree) and climate (mean annual temperature and precipitation) and their interactions on basal area growth of individual trees using linear mixed-effects models. Our results indicated that intraspecific competition had stronger effects on growth than interspecific competition and climate. Moreover, significant interactions between intraspecific competition and climate suggest that an increase in intraspecific competition will lead to a reduction in tree growth for warmer regions (lodgepole pine, trembling aspen, balsam poplar, and white spruce) and wetter regions (jack pine). The manner in which interspecific competition altered tree growth responses to climate was variable, depending on tree species and competition type. These results indicate that the relationships between growth and climate may differ according to the degree of competition and the structure of the stand.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author