The Impact Of Time Of Day, Sleep, And Nutrition On Age-Related Changes In Cognitive Performance

The present study examined how sleep, nutritional intake, and time of day moderate age-related cognitive changes. Research indicates there are cognitive changes associated with healthy aging. Many studies comparing young and older adults have tested participants at the same time of day. More recently, research has revealed certain cognitive tasks produce a synchrony effect, in which participants perform better during their preferred time of day. Older adults tend to prefer morning activities while younger adults prefer afternoon or evening. Forty-eight young adults, ages 18-35 (M = 20.7) and 25 older adults, ages 60-84 (M= 71.4) completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Block 2005 Brief Food Questionnaire, the Repeatable Battery for Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), and prose passage recall. Synchrony effects were supported for RBANS List Recognition, Figure Copy, and Figure Recall. No synchrony effect was observed for prose recall. Additionally, sleep indices and nutritional intake did not significantly account for age-related differences in cognitive performance

The Impact Of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) On Cognition: Evaluating The Relationship Between Changes In Cognitive Function, Cerebral Injury, Physical Ability, And Mood

Aortic stenosis is a cardiovascular disease affecting 2 to 4% of U.S. adults over age 65 years old (Freeman & Otto, 2006). Aortic stenosis causes angina and syncope eventually leading to heart failure and death (Otto, 2006). Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement in patients with high surgical mortality risk (Kappetein, 2013). The TAVI is associated with increased cerebral injury, with silent ischemia reported in up to 90% of TAVI patients (Samim et al., 2015). The present study examines the relationship between cerebral injury, cognitive changes, and quality of life in TAVI patients. Participants (n = 40) completed a cognitive assessment one day before the TAVI and at one-month post-TAVI. The primary cognitive measure was the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Additional tests (letter fluency, Trail Making Test, Digit Span Backward and Stroop) were included as measures of executive function and working memory. Measures of functional ability (Physical Self-Maintenance Questionnaire, Functional Activities Questionnaire, Dementia Severity Rating Scale), mood (GDS), and quality of life (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire) were also included. Baseline and follow-up MRIs were completed for 22 participants. Baseline RBANS Total Index scores (M = 85.26, SD = 14.69) evidenced mild cognitive decline prior to the TAVI. At one month, there was significant improvement on RBANS Language Index (p = 0.014), RBANS Fluency (p = 0.023), RBANS Figure Recall (p = 0.027), GDS (p = 0.018), and KCCQ (p \u3c 0.001). There was a significant decline on RBANS List Recall (p = 0.001). Six participants (27%) obtained new cerebral lesions at one month. Participants with neuronal injury did not differ from those without at one month (RBANS Total Score, p = 0.45). TAVI is related to overall stable cognitive performance and improved quality of life. The relationship between cerebral ischemia following TAVI and negative cognitive consequences is not supported. Further research is required in the cognitive implications following TAVI

Prevención de abuso sexual taller de sexualidad con niños de 8 a 10 años

Background: Sexual predators know no boundaries when it comes to finding their next victim. This is why prevention is extremely important, especially with children. A workshop was designed to make them understand the risks and make intelligent choices when it comes to their sexuality. Method: The participants of the workshop were third grade students. All seventeen children go to Fray Jodoco Ricke elementary school in Lumbusí, Ecuador. Tests were administered before and after the workshop to measure the children’s knowledge about sexual abuse. Results: The results were not significant after analyzing the data with a paired T-test (p-value = 0,077) and a Chi squared; therefore, the hypothesis is rejected. Conclusions: Despite the results, the children learned valuable information they would not have been able to acquire otherwise. The present study seeks to show the importance of teaching children how to take care of their bodies and know the difference between right and wrong when it comes to the subject of sexuality.Antecedentes: El abuso sexual es un problema y una realidad que existe en todo el mundo y rompe barreras entre estratos sociales y razas. Cualquier persona puede ser víctima, por lo que es importante que los niños, en especial de sectores marginales, puedan acceder a una educación sexual que sea apta para su edad. Método: Se trabajó con 17 niños de la escuela Fray Jodoco Ricke de Lumbisí. Se impartió un taller de prevención de abuso sexual, antes y después del cual los niños rindieron una prueba de conocimientos sobre el tema.Resultados: Después de aplicar un T-test emparejado (p-value = 0,077) y un Chi cuadrado, los resultados no fueron significativos, por lo que la hipótesis es rechazada. Conclusiones: A pesar de que los resultados no fueron significativos, los niños aprendieron información que probablemente les será útil en el futuro. El presente estudio servirá para demostrar la importancia de la educación sexual, especialmente desde temprana edad y en sectores menos favorecidos, ya que son dos segmentos de la población que son especialmente vulnerables al abuso sexual y a creer en mitos que los hace potenciales víctimas

Das ’Crucifixum in carne’ in P1 (Ms. E, 70’ /71)

Dokument enthält auch die nachfolgende Diskussion

Strategien Russlands auf dem Erdgas- und Klimaschutzzertifikatemarkt

Zur Zeit entwickelt sich auf Grundlage des Kyoto-Protokolls ein internationaler Markt für Klimaschutzzertifikate, die von den sogenannten Annex-B-Ländern für die Erfüllung ihrer Klimaschutzziele benötigt werden. Russland ist der größte potentielle Anbieter von Kyoto-Klimaschutzzertifikaten und gleichzeitig der dominante Anbieter auf dem europäischen Erdgasmarkt. Da die Erdgasverbrennung zu Emissionen des Treibhausgases CO2 führt, existieren Wechselwirkungen zwischen den beiden Märkten, die von Russland im Rahmen eines simultanen Optimierungskalküls genutzt werden können und zu interdependenten Strategien auf dem Erdgas- und Klimaschutzzertifikatemarkt führen. Die Untersuchung dieser Strategien bildet den Schwerpunkt der Arbeit. Es wird eine modellgestützte Analyse durchgeführt, die sich auf die Erdgasnachfrage des europäischen Elektrizitätssektors als Ausgangspunkt für die Entwicklung der interdependenten Strategien Russlands konzentriert

”Peripherie” und ”Zentrum” aus der Perspektive der mittelalterlichen Musiklehre

(I) Überlegungen zu einer Fehlanzeige: Peripheres und zentrales nur mittelbar aufeinander bezogen; keine gleichgewichtigen Sphären; Peripherie wird aus der Perspektive der 'ars' kein Problem - (II) usuell/ peripher und artifiziell/zentral als Kategorien der modernen Wissenschaft im Verhältnis zu den Begriffen 'usus' und 'ars' des Mittelalters. Dokument enthält auch die nachfolgende Diskussion

Segmentation of Multi-Isotope Imaging Mass Spectrometry Data for Semi-Automatic Detection of Regions of Interest

Multi-isotope imaging mass spectrometry (MIMS) associates secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) with detection of several atomic masses, the use of stable isotopes as labels, and affiliated quantitative image-analysis software. By associating image and measure, MIMS allows one to obtain quantitative information about biological processes in sub-cellular domains. MIMS can be applied to a wide range of biomedical problems, in particular metabolism and cell fate [1], [2], [3]. In order to obtain morphologically pertinent data from MIMS images, we have to define regions of interest (ROIs). ROIs are drawn by hand, a tedious and time-consuming process. We have developed and successfully applied a support vector machine (SVM) for segmentation of MIMS images that allows fast, semi-automatic boundary detection of regions of interests. Using the SVM, high-quality ROIs (as compared to an expert's manual delineation) were obtained for 2 types of images derived from unrelated data sets. This automation simplifies, accelerates and improves the post-processing analysis of MIMS images. This approach has been integrated into “Open MIMS,” an ImageJ-plugin for comprehensive analysis of MIMS images that is available online at http://www.nrims.hms.harvard.edu/NRIMS_ImageJ.php