University of Illinois Year of Cyberinfrastructure Final Report

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a leader in computing and information technology (IT). Our leadership role has both produced and been produced by a culture of innovation. Many efforts have arisen over the years that have been the product of this culture. While the university’s commitment to developing digital infrastructure, resources, and support services has served campus researchers well, it has become clear that a more coherent and unified approach to assessing and addressing the IT services and support needs of campus researchers is imperative. With the support of the Vice Chancellor for Research and the Chief Information Officer, we embarked on the Year of Cyberinfrastructure (Year of CI). Through this effort, we engaged researchers across disciplines to gain an understanding of the challenges they face in order to inform how we, as a campus, should move together to address these needs. We confirmed that researchers tend to assemble needed resources and services on their own, often out of necessity. While this practice has allowed those with the ambition or, more frequently, the absolute need, to advance their fields, it has primarily benefitted only those researchers and their collaborators. Providers of resources and services have brought value to the research process, but this value has been accrued in a largely disjointed manner that has tended to favor the power users of technology. The Year of CI effort has made clear that our research support landscape is not only lacking coherence but is also very uneven across academic and research units. To support modern research practices and to be competitive and preeminent in the academic community and the world, the 21st century research university must provide a foundation of research IT infrastructure and services that are accessible by all disciplines. Our campus needs a strong vision for how IT supports research, along with the ability to realize and evolve that vision in lockstep with the changing needs of the research community and the technologies available to meet those needs. Though Illinois faces significant financial challenges, it is time to be bold and make an investment to allow the university to emerge from these challenges as the premier destination for faculty, postdocs, graduate students, undergraduate students, and research staff who seek to work in a world-class modern research environment. It is time to provide the infrastructure that will grow the campus research portfolio to new heights. The Year of CI has provided the initial assessment of the campus and indicates the steps we must take to develop the digital support ecosystem that will allow the campus to realize its vision of preeminence in research.Ope

Correcting for Demographic Variables on the Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status

ObjectiveTo examine the effect of demographic variables on scores on the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (mTICS) in a healthy cohort and develop demographically corrected normative data.DesignObservational.SettingPrimarily academic medical centers.Participants576 healthy older adults.MeasurementsmTICS.ResultsAge and education significantly correlated with mTICS score, and sex differences were also observed on this score. Ethnicity differences were not observed. Using regression equations, age, education, and sex significantly predicted mTICS total score.ConclusionsBy using these corrections, an individual's cognitive status may be more accurately predicted with this telephone screening instrument, although clinical validation is needed

Single-molecule tracking of Nodal and Lefty in live zebrafish embryos supports hindered diffusion model

The hindered diffusion model postulates that the movement of a signaling molecule through an embryo is affected by tissue geometry and binding-mediated hindrance, but these effects have not been directly demonstrated in vivo. Here, we visualize extracellular movement and binding of individual molecules of the activator-inhibitor signaling pair Nodal and Lefty in live developing zebrafish embryos using reflected light-sheet microscopy. We observe that diffusion coefficients of molecules are high in extracellular cavities, whereas mobility is reduced and bound fractions are high within cell-cell interfaces. Counterintuitively, molecules nevertheless accumulate in cavities, which we attribute to the geometry of the extracellular space by agent-based simulations. We further find that Nodal has a larger bound fraction than Lefty and shows a binding time of tens of seconds. Together, our measurements and simulations provide direct support for the hindered diffusion model and yield insights into the nanometer-to-micrometer-scale mechanisms that lead to macroscopic signal dispersal.publishe

Predictors of Cognitive Change in Parkinson Disease: A 2-year Follow-up Study.

BackgroundMild cognitive impairment is common in Parkinson disease (PD-MCI). However, instability in this clinical diagnosis and variability in rates of progression to dementia raises questions regarding its utility for longitudinal tracking and prediction of cognitive change in PD. We examined baseline neuropsychological test and cognitive diagnosis predictors of cognitive change in PD.MethodsPersons with PD, without dementia PD (N=138) underwent comprehensive neuropsychological assessment at baseline and were followed up to 2 years. Level II Movement Disorder Society criteria for PD-MCI and PD dementia (PDD) were applied annually. Composite global and domain cognitive z-scores were calculated based on a 10-test neuropsychological battery.ResultsBaseline diagnosis of PD-MCI was not associated with a change in global cognitive z-scores. Lower baseline attention and higher executive domain z-scores were associated with greater global cognitive z-score worsening regardless of cognitive diagnosis. Worse baseline domain z-scores in the attention and language domains were associated with progression to MCI or PDD, whereas higher baseline scores in all cognitive domains except executive function were associated with clinical and psychometric reversion to "normal" cognition.ConclusionsLower scores on cognitive tests of attention were predictive of worse global cognition over 2 years of follow-up in PD, and lower baseline attention and language scores were associated with progression to MCI or PDD. However, PD-MCI diagnosis per se was not predictive of cognitive decline over 2 years. The association between higher executive domain z-scores and greater global cognitive worsening is probably a spurious result

Correcting for Demographic Variables on the Modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status

OBJECTIVE: Examine the effect of demographic variables on scores on the modified Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (mTICS) in a healthy cohort and develop demographically-corrected normative data. DESIGN: Observational. SETTING: Primarily academic medical centers. PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred seventy-six healthy older adults. MEASUREMENTS: mTICS. RESULTS: Age and education significantly correlated with mTICS score, and gender differences were also observed on this score. Ethnicity differences were not observed. Using regression equations, age, education, and gender significantly predicted mTICS total score. CONCLUSIONS: By using these corrections, an individual’s cognitive status may be more accurately predicted with this telephone screening instrument, although clinical validation is needed

Predictors of Cognitive Change in Parkinson Disease: A 2-year Follow-up Study

BACKGROUND: Mild cognitive impairment is common in Parkinson disease (PD-MCI). However, instability in this clinical diagnosis and variability in rates of progression to dementia raises questions regarding its utility for longitudinal tracking and prediction of cognitive change in PD. We examined baseline neuropsychological test and cognitive diagnosis predictors of cognitive change in PD. METHODS: Persons with PD, without dementia PD (N=138) underwent comprehensive neuropsychological assessment at baseline and were followed up to 2 years. Level II Movement Disorder Society criteria for PD-MCI and PD dementia (PDD) were applied annually. Composite global and domain cognitive z -scores were calculated based on a 10-test neuropsychological battery. RESULTS: Baseline diagnosis of PD-MCI was not associated with a change in global cognitive z -scores. Lower baseline attention and higher executive domain z -scores were associated with greater global cognitive z -score worsening regardless of cognitive diagnosis. Worse baseline domain z -scores in the attention and language domains were associated with progression to MCI or PDD, whereas higher baseline scores in all cognitive domains except executive function were associated with clinical and psychometric reversion to normal cognition. CONCLUSIONS: Lower scores on cognitive tests of attention were predictive of worse global cognition over 2 years of follow-up in PD, and lower baseline attention and language scores were associated with progression to MCI or PDD. However, PD-MCI diagnosis per se was not predictive of cognitive decline over 2 years. The association between higher executive domain z -scores and greater global cognitive worsening is probably a spurious result

Association of Performance on the Financial Capacity Instrument-Short Form With Brain Amyloid Load and Cortical Thickness in Older Adults

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association of the Financial Capacity Instrument-Short Form (FCI-SF) performance and timing total scores with brain β-amyloid and cortical thickness in cognitively unimpaired (CU) (at baseline) older adults. METHODS: A total of 309 participants (aged 70 years or older) of the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging underwent C-Pittsburgh compound B PET amyloid imaging and MRI, and completed the FCI-SF. Abnormal amyloid PET was defined as standardized uptake value ratio ≥1.48 in an Alzheimer disease (AD)-related region of interest and reduced AD signature cortical thickness as ≤2.68 mm (neurodegeneration). A cohort of 218 (of the 309) participants had follow-up visits (every 15 months) with FCI-SF data for longitudinal analysis (number of visits including baseline, median [range]: 2 [2-4]). In the analysis, we used linear regression and mixed-effects models adjusted for age, sex, education, apolipoprotein E ε4 allele status, global cognitive score, and previous FCI-SF testing. RESULTS: Participants\u27 mean age (SD) was 80.2 (4.8) years (56.3% male individuals). In cross-sectional analysis, abnormal amyloid PET (vs normal) was associated with a lower FCI-SF total score and slower total composite time. In longitudinal analysis, FCI-SF total score declined faster (difference in annualized rate of change, beta coefficient [β] [95% confidence interval (CI)] = -1.123 [-2.086 to -0.161]) and FCI-SF total composite time increased faster (difference in annualized rate of change, β [95% CI] = 16.274 [5.951 to 26.597]) for participants with neurodegeneration at baseline (vs those without). Participants who exhibited both abnormal amyloid PET and neurodegeneration at baseline had a greater increase in total composite time when compared with the group without abnormal amyloid and without neurodegeneration (difference in annualized rate of change, β [95% CI] = 16.750 [3.193 to 30.307]). DISCUSSION: Performance and processing speed on the FCI-SF were associated with imaging biomarkers of AD pathophysiology in CU (at baseline) older adults. Higher burdens of imaging biomarkers were associated with longitudinal worsening on FCI-SF performance. Additional research is needed to delineate further these associations and their predictive utility at the individual person level

Responsiveness to Change of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Mini-Mental State Examination, and SCOPA-Cog in Non-Demented Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

BackgroundClinical monitoring of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) for cognitive decline is an important element of care. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) has been proposed to be a sensitive tool for assessing cognitive impairment in PD. The aim of our study was to compare the responsiveness of the MoCA to decline in cognition to the responsiveness of the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Scales for Outcomes of Parkinson's disease-cognition (SCOPA-Cog).MethodsPD patients without dementia were enrolled at 6 North American movement disorders centers between 2008 and 2011. Participants received annual evaluations including the MoCA, MMSE, and SCOPA-Cog followed by formal neuropsychological testing. The gold standard for change in cognition was defined as the change on the neuropsychological test scores over the annual assessments. The Reliable Change Method was used to provide an estimate of the probability that a given difference score would be obtained by chance. The sensitivity of the MoCA, MMSE, and SCOPA-Cog to change was quantified using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves.ResultsOne hundred seventeen patients were included in the analysis. Participants were followed at mean intervals of 11 ± 2 months for a median of 2 (maximum 5) visits. According to the reliable change index, 56 intervals of cognitive testing showed a decline in global cognition. ROC analysis of change in MoCA, MMSE, and SCOPA-Cog global scores compared to gold standard testing found an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.55 (95% CI 0.48-0.62), 0.56 (0.48-0.63), and 0.63 (0.55-0.70) respectively. There were no significant differences in the AUCs across the tests. The sensitivity of the MoCA, MMSE, and SCOPA-Cog to change at various thresholds for decline in scores reached a maximum of 71% for a cut-off of 1 point change on the SCOPA-Cog.ConclusionUsing neuropsychological testing as a gold standard comparator, the performance of the MoCA, MMSE, and SCOPA-Cog for detecting decline in non-demented PD patients over a 1-year interval is poor. This has implications for clinical practice; stable scores may not be taken as reassurance of the absence of cognitive decline

Responsiveness to Change of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Mini-Mental State Examination, and SCOPA-Cog in Non-Demented Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

BackgroundClinical monitoring of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) for cognitive decline is an important element of care. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) has been proposed to be a sensitive tool for assessing cognitive impairment in PD. The aim of our study was to compare the responsiveness of the MoCA to decline in cognition to the responsiveness of the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Scales for Outcomes of Parkinson's disease-cognition (SCOPA-Cog).MethodsPD patients without dementia were enrolled at 6 North American movement disorders centers between 2008 and 2011. Participants received annual evaluations including the MoCA, MMSE, and SCOPA-Cog followed by formal neuropsychological testing. The gold standard for change in cognition was defined as the change on the neuropsychological test scores over the annual assessments. The Reliable Change Method was used to provide an estimate of the probability that a given difference score would be obtained by chance. The sensitivity of the MoCA, MMSE, and SCOPA-Cog to change was quantified using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves.ResultsOne hundred seventeen patients were included in the analysis. Participants were followed at mean intervals of 11 ± 2 months for a median of 2 (maximum 5) visits. According to the reliable change index, 56 intervals of cognitive testing showed a decline in global cognition. ROC analysis of change in MoCA, MMSE, and SCOPA-Cog global scores compared to gold standard testing found an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.55 (95% CI 0.48-0.62), 0.56 (0.48-0.63), and 0.63 (0.55-0.70) respectively. There were no significant differences in the AUCs across the tests. The sensitivity of the MoCA, MMSE, and SCOPA-Cog to change at various thresholds for decline in scores reached a maximum of 71% for a cut-off of 1 point change on the SCOPA-Cog.ConclusionUsing neuropsychological testing as a gold standard comparator, the performance of the MoCA, MMSE, and SCOPA-Cog for detecting decline in non-demented PD patients over a 1-year interval is poor. This has implications for clinical practice; stable scores may not be taken as reassurance of the absence of cognitive decline