The envirome and the connectome: exploring the structural noise in the human brain associated with socioeconomic deprivation

Complex cognitive functions are widely recognized to be the result of a number of brain regions working together as large-scale networks. Recently, complex network analysis has been used to characterize various structural properties of the large scale network organization of the brain. For example, the human brain has been found to have a modular architecture i.e. regions within the network form communities (modules) with more connections between regions within the community compared to regions outside it. The aim of this study was to examine the modular and overlapping modular architecture of the brain networks using complex network analysis. We also examined the association between neighborhood level deprivation and brain network structure – modularity and grey nodes. We compared network structure derived from anatomical MRI scans of 42 middle-aged neurologically healthy men from the least (LD) and the most deprived (MD) neighborhoods of Glasgow with their corresponding random networks. Cortical morphological covariance networks were constructed from the cortical thickness derived from the MRI scans of the brain. For a given modularity threshold, networks derived from the MD group showed similar number of modules compared to their corresponding random networks, while networks derived from the LD group had more modules compared to their corresponding random networks. The MD group also had fewer grey nodes – a measure of overlapping modular structure. These results suggest that apparent structural difference in brain networks may be driven by differences in cortical thicknesses between groups. This demonstrates a structural organization that is consistent with a system that is less robust and less efficient in information processing. These findings provide some evidence of the relationship between socioeconomic deprivation and brain network topology

Hortus Fluminensis: The Botanic Gardens of Rio De Janeiro.

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A salt-reduction smartphone app supports lower-salt food purchases for people with cardiovascular disease: Findings from the SaltSwitch randomised controlled trial

Background SaltSwitch is an innovative smartphone application (app) that enables shoppers to scan the barcode of a packaged food and receive an immediate, interpretive, traffic light nutrition label on the screen, along with suggestions for lower salt alternatives. Our aim was to determine the effectiveness of SaltSwitch to support people with cardiovascular disease to make lower salt food choices. Design Six-week, two-arm, parallel, randomised controlled trial in Auckland, New Zealand (2 weeks baseline and 4 weeks intervention). Methods Sixty-six adults with diagnosed cardiovascular disease (mean (SD) age 64 (7) years) were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to either the SaltSwitch smartphone app or control (usual care). The primary outcome was the salt content of household packaged food purchases during the 4-week intervention (g/MJ). Secondary outcomes were the saturated fat content (g/MJ), energy content (kJ/kg) and expenditure (NZ$) of household food purchases; systolic blood pressure (mmHg), urinary sodium (mg) and use and acceptability of the SaltSwitch app. Results Thirty-three participants with cardiovascular disease were allocated to the SaltSwitch intervention, and 33 to the control group. A significant reduction in mean household purchases of salt was observed (mean difference (95% confidence interval), -0.30 (-0.58 to -0.03) g/MJ), equating to a reduction of ∼0.7 g of salt per person per day during the 4-week intervention phase. There were no significant between-group differences in any secondary outcomes (all P > 0.05). Conclusions The SaltSwitch smartphone app is effective in supporting people with cardiovascular disease to make lower salt food purchases. A larger trial with longer follow-up is warranted to determine the effects on blood pressure. Trial registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=365784&isReview=true ACTRN12614000206628

Choice of licensing method and crashes of young drivers

Five years of data (1998-2002) were used to examine whether there was a relationship between the method of driver licensing - Competency Based Training (CBTA) or Vehicle On-Road Test (VORT) - and the subsequent crash experience of young drivers, using logistic regression analysis.Robert Anderson, Craig Kloeden, TP Hutchinson and AJ McLea

Retrospective Barrier Placements for a Skunk Rabies Epizootic in NW Wyoming

Striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) are the most important reservoir of rabies on the Great Plains. In August, 1988 a skunk rabies epizootic proceeded from the index case west of Cowley, WY. By 1991, epizootic had reached nearly all areas in the Shoshone River Basin (SRB), and it ended in 1993. This area and the remainder of the SRB had been previously considered rabies-free. The USDA\u27s Wildlife Services (WS) cooperated with state and local officials in a rabies monitoring and control program starting in 1990. Using information from the literature, signs, tracks, and radio-telemetry of normal and rabid skunks, WS decided to trap mainly riparian and irrigated agricultural habitats in the valley\u27s floor. Here, a mosaic of irrigation ditches (e.g., Buffalo Bill Cody\u27s circa 1908) was shown to be travel corridors for skunks. Trapped species (\u3e1,000 skunks) were sent to the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory for rabies testing using immuno-fluorescent of brain tissues. The study area extended from the Bighorn Canyon and Lake on the east up river to Buffalo Bill Reservoir on the west. The study area and subsequent epizootic encompassed a portion of the Shoshone River ~90 km in length and an area of ~ 85,000 ha (54 mi2). Traditional surveillance data composed \u3c10% of the sample -public referrals of suspiciously acting wildlife and road kills. We analyzed 215 rabid skunk locations and dates together with GIS hydrology and land use information. Hypothetical barriers were modeled using potential synergisms formed among restricted habitat, depopulation, and vaccine (if one had been available), combined with the natural epizootiology of this rabies strain with high virulence. Two dates for barrier locations were identified that may have halted the spreading epizootic: 1) before April 1989, when the rabies epizootic might have been limited to Polecat and Sage Creeks, and 2) June 1989, when the epizootic may have been stopped before it entered the majority of SRB including the larger population centers of Byron, Powell, and Cody

Retrospective Barrier Placements for a Skunk Rabies Epizootic in NW Wyoming

Striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) are the most important reservoir of rabies on the Great Plains. In August, 1988 a skunk rabies epizootic proceeded from the index case west of Cowley, WY. By 1991, epizootic had reached nearly all areas in the Shoshone River Basin (SRB), and it ended in 1993. This area and the remainder of the SRB had been previously considered rabies-free. The USDA\u27s Wildlife Services (WS) cooperated with state and local officials in a rabies monitoring and control program starting in 1990. Using information from the literature, signs, tracks, and radio-telemetry of normal and rabid skunks, WS decided to trap mainly riparian and irrigated agricultural habitats in the valley\u27s floor. Here, a mosaic of irrigation ditches (e.g., Buffalo Bill Cody\u27s circa 1908) was shown to be travel corridors for skunks. Trapped species (\u3e1,000 skunks) were sent to the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory for rabies testing using immuno-fluorescent of brain tissues. The study area extended from the Bighorn Canyon and Lake on the east up river to Buffalo Bill Reservoir on the west. The study area and subsequent epizootic encompassed a portion of the Shoshone River ~90 km in length and an area of ~ 85,000 ha (54 mi2). Traditional surveillance data composed \u3c10% of the sample -public referrals of suspiciously acting wildlife and road kills. We analyzed 215 rabid skunk locations and dates together with GIS hydrology and land use information. Hypothetical barriers were modeled using potential synergisms formed among restricted habitat, depopulation, and vaccine (if one had been available), combined with the natural epizootiology of this rabies strain with high virulence. Two dates for barrier locations were identified that may have halted the spreading epizootic: 1) before April 1989, when the rabies epizootic might have been limited to Polecat and Sage Creeks, and 2) June 1989, when the epizootic may have been stopped before it entered the majority of SRB including the larger population centers of Byron, Powell, and Cody

Performance of the HgCdTe detector for MOSFIRE, an imager and multi-object spectrometer for Keck Observatory

MOSFIRE is a new multi-object near-infrared spectrometer for the Keck 1 telescope with a spectral resolving power of R~3500 for a 0.7″ slit (2.9 pixels). The detector is a substrate-removed 2K × 2K HAWAII 2-RG HgCdTe array from Teledyne Imaging Sensors with a cut-off wavelength of 2.5 μm and an operational temperature of 77K. Spectroscopy of faint objects sets the requirement for low dark current and low noise. MOSFIRE is also an infrared camera with a 6.9′ field of view projected onto the detector with 0.18″ pixel sampling. Broad-band imaging drives the requirement for 32-channel readout and MOSFIREs fast camera optics implies the need for a very at detector. In this paper we report the final performance of the detector selected for MOSFIRE. The array is operated using the SIDECAR ASIC chip inside the MOSFIRE dewar and v2.3 of the HxRG software. Dark current plus instrument background is measured at <0.008 ē s^(−1) pixel^−1 on average. Multiple Correlated Double Sampling (MCDS) and Up-The-Ramp (UTR) sampling are both available. A read noise of <5ē rms is achieved with MCDS 16 and the lowest noise of 3ē rms occurs for 64 samples. Charge persistence depends on exposure level and shows a large gradient across this detector. However, the decay time constant is always ~660 seconds. Linearity and stability are also discussed

Using AI/expert system technology to automate planning and replanning for the HST servicing missions

This paper describes a knowledge-based system that has been developed to automate planning and scheduling for the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Servicing Missions. This new system is the Servicing Mission Planning and Replanning Tool (SM/PART). SM/PART has been delivered to the HST Flight Operations Team (FOT) at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) where it is being used to build integrated time lines and command plans to control the activities of the HST, Shuttle, Crew and ground systems for the next HST Servicing Mission. SM/PART reuses and extends AI/expert system technology from Interactive Experimenter Planning System (IEPS) systems to build or rebuild time lines and command plans more rapidly than was possible for previous missions where they were built manually. This capability provides an important safety factor for the HST, Shuttle and Crew in case unexpected events occur during the mission