Structural Neuroimaging of Anorexia Nervosa: Future Directions in the Quest for Mechanisms Underlying Dynamic Alterations.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious eating disorder characterized by self-starvation and extreme weight loss. Pseudoatrophic brain changes are often readily visible in individual brain scans, and AN may be a valuable model disorder to study structural neuroplasticity. Structural magnetic resonance imaging studies have found reduced gray matter volume and cortical thinning in acutely underweight patients to normalize following successful treatment. However, some well-controlled studies have found regionally greater gray matter and persistence of structural alterations following long-term recovery. Findings from diffusion tensor imaging studies of white matter integrity and connectivity are also inconsistent. Furthermore, despite the severity of AN, the number of existing structural neuroimaging studies is still relatively low, and our knowledge of the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms for macrostructural brain changes is rudimentary. We critically review the current state of structural neuroimaging in AN and discuss the potential neurobiological basis of structural brain alterations in the disorder, highlighting impediments to progress, recent developments, and promising future directions. In particular, we argue for the utility of more standardized data collection, adopting a connectomics approach to understanding brain network architecture, employing advanced magnetic resonance imaging methods that quantify biomarkers of brain tissue microstructure, integrating data from multiple imaging modalities, strategic longitudinal observation during weight restoration, and large-scale data pooling. Our overarching objective is to motivate carefully controlled research of brain structure in eating disorders, which will ultimately help predict therapeutic response and improve treatment

Towards a Classifier to Recognize Emotions Using Voice to Improve Recommendations

[EN] The recognition of emotions in tone voice is currently a tool with a high potential when it comes to making recommendations, since it allows to personalize recommendations using the mood of the users as information. However, recognizing emotions using tone of voice is a complex task since it is necessary to pre-process the signal and subsequently recognize the emotion. Most of the current proposals use recurrent networks based on sequences with a temporal relationship. The disadvantage of these networks is that they have a high runtime, which makes it difficult to use in real-time applications. On the other hand, when defining this type of classifier, culture and language must be taken into account, since the tone of voice for the same emotion can vary depending on these cultural factors. In this work we propose a culturally adapted model for recognizing emotions from the voice tone using convolutional neural networks. This type of network has a relatively short execution time allowing its use in real time applications. The results we have obtained improve the current state of the art, reaching 93.6% success over the validation set.This work is partially supported by the Spanish Government project TIN2017-89156-R, GVA-CEICE project PROMETEO/2018/002, Generalitat Valenciana and European Social Fund FPI grant ACIF/2017/085, Universitat Politecnica de Valencia research grant (PAID-10-19), and by the Spanish Government (RTI2018-095390-B-C31).Fuentes-López, JM.; Taverner-Aparicio, JJ.; Rincón Arango, JA.; Botti Navarro, VJ. (2020). Towards a Classifier to Recognize Emotions Using Voice to Improve Recommendations. Springer. 218-225. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51999-5_18S218225Balakrishnan, A., Rege, A.: Reading emotions from speech using deep neural networks. Technical report, Stanford University, Computer Science Department (2017)Hochreiter, S., Schmidhuber, J.: Long short-term memory. Neural Comput. 9, 1735–1780 (1997)Kerkeni, L., Serrestou, Y., Mbarki, M., Raoof, K., Mahjoub, M.: Speech emotion recognition: methods and cases study, pp. 175–182 (2018)McCluskey, K.W., Albas, D.C., Niemi, R.R., Cuevas, C., Ferrer, C.: Cross-cultural differences in the perception of the emotional content of speech: a study of the development of sensitivity in Canadian and Mexican children. Dev. Psychol. 11(5), 551 (1975)Paliwal, K.K.: Spectral subband centroid features for speech recognition. In: Proceedings of the 1998 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing. ICASSP 1998 (Cat. No. 98CH36181), vol. 2, pp. 617–620. IEEE (1998)Paulmann, S., Uskul, A.K.: Cross-cultural emotional prosody recognition: evidence from Chinese and British listeners. Cogn. Emot. 28(2), 230–244 (2014)Pépiot, E.: Voice, speech and gender: male-female acoustic differences and cross-language variation in English and French speakers. Corela Cogn. Représent. Lang. (HS-16) (2015)Picard, R.W., et al.: Affective computing. Perceptual Computing Section, Media Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1995)Rincon, J., de la Prieta, F., Zanardini, D., Julian, V., Carrascosa, C.: Influencing over people with a social emotional model. Neurocomputing 231, 47–54 (2017)Russell, J.A., Lewicka, M., Niit, T.: A cross-cultural study of a circumplex model of affect. J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 57(5), 848 (1989)Schuller, B., Rigoll, G., Lang, M.: Hidden Markov model-based speech emotion recognition, vol. 2, pp. 401–404 (2003)Schuller, B., Villar, R., Rigoll, G., Lang, M.: Meta-classifiers in acoustic and linguistic feature fusion-based affect recognition, vol. 1, pp. 325–328 (2005)Thompson, W., Balkwill, L.-L.: Decoding speech prosody in five languages. Semiotica 2006, 407–424 (2006)Tyagi, V., Wellekens, C.: On desensitizing the Mel-cepstrum to spurious spectral components for robust speech recognition. In: Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing. ICASSP 2005, vol. 1, pp. I–529. IEEE (2005)Ueda, M., Morishita, Y., Nakamura, T., Takata, N., Nakajima, S.: A recipe recommendation system that considers user’s mood. In: Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Information Integration and Web-based Applications and Services, pp. 472–476. ACM (2016)Zhang, B., Quan, C., Ren, F.: Study on CNN in the recognition of emotion in audio and images. In: 2016 IEEE/ACIS 15th International Conference on Computer and Information Science (ICIS), pp. 1–5, June 201

Subregional hippocampal morphology and psychiatric outcome in adolescents who were born very preterm and at term

Background: The hippocampus has been reported to be structurally and functionally altered as a sequel of very preterm birth ( < 33 weeks gestation), possibly due its vulnerability to hypoxic-ischemic damage in the neonatal period. We examined hippocampal volumes and subregional morphology in very preterm born individuals in mid- and late adolescence and their association with psychiatric outcome. Methods: Structural brain magnetic resonance images were acquired at two time points (baseline and follow-up) from 65 ex-preterm adolescents (mean age = 15.5 and 19.6 years) and 36 termborn controls (mean age=15.0 and 19.0 years). Hippocampal volumes and subregional morphometric differences were measured from manual tracings and with three-dimensional shape analysis. Psychiatric outcome was assessed with the Rutter Parents' Scale at baseline, the General Health Questionnaire at follow-up and the Peters Delusional Inventory at both time points. Results: In contrast to previous studies we did not find significant difference in the cross-sectional or longitudinal hippocampal volumes between individuals born preterm and controls, despite preterm individual having significantly smaller whole brain volumes. Shape analysis at baseline revealed subregional deformations in 28% of total bilateral hippocampal surface, reflecting atrophy, in ex-preterm individuals compared to controls, and in 22% at follow-up. In ex-preterm individuals, longitudinal changes in hippocampal shape accounted for 11% of the total surface, while in controls they reached 20%. In the whole sample (both groups) larger right hippocampal volume and bilateral anterior surface deformations at baseline were associated with delusional ideation scores at follow-up. Conclusions: This study suggests a dynamic association between cross-sectional hippocampal volumes, longitudinal changes and surface deformations and psychosis proneness. Copyright

Born to yawn? Understanding yawning as a warning of the rise in cortisol levels: Randomized trial

Background: Yawning consistently poses a conundrum to the medical profession and neuroscientists. Despite neurological evidence such as parakinesia brachialis oscitans in stroke patients and thermo-irregulation in multiple sclerosis patients, there is considerable debate over the reasons for yawning with the mechanisms and hormonal pathways still not fully understood. Cortisol is implicated during yawning and may link many neurological disorders. Evidence was found in support of the Thompson cortisol hypothesis that proposes cortisol levels are elevated during yawning just as they tend to rise during stress and fatigue. Objectives: To investigate whether saliva cortisol levels rise during yawning and, therefore, support the Thompson cortisol hypothesis. Methods: We exposed 20 male and female volunteers aged between 18 and 53 years to conditions that provoked a yawning response in a randomized controlled trial. Saliva samples were collected at the start and again after the yawning response, or at the end of the stimuli presentations if the participant did not yawn. In addition, we collected electromyographic data of the jaw muscles to determine rest and yawning phases of neural activity. Yawning susceptibility scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, General Health Questionnaire, and demographic and health details were also collected from each participant. A comprehensive data set allowed comparison between yawners and nonyawners, as well as between rest and yawning phases. Collecting electromyographic data from the yawning phase is novel, and we hope this will provide new information about neuromuscular activity related to cortisol levels. Exclusion criteria included chronic fatigue, diabetes, fibromyalgia, heart conditions, high blood pressure, hormone replacement therapy, multiple sclerosis, and stroke. We compared data between and within participants. Results: In the yawning group, there was a significant difference between saliva cortisol samples (t = -3.071, P = .01). Power and effect size were computed based on repeated-measures t tests for both the yawning and nonyawning groups. There was a medium effect size for the nonyawners group (r = .467) but low power (36%). Results were similar for the yawners group: medium effect size (r = .440) and low power (33%). Conclusions: There was significant evidence in support of the Thompson cortisol hypothesis that suggests cortisol levels are elevated during yawning. A further longitudinal study is planned to test neurological patients. We intend to devise a diagnostic tool based on changes in cortisol levels that may assist in the early diagnosis of neurological disorders based on the data collected. Trial Registration: International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN): 61942768; http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN61942768/61942768 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6A75ZNYvr)

Lack of trust in maternal support is associated with negative interpretations of ambiguous maternal behavior

Attachment theory assumes that children who lack trust in maternal availability for support are more inclined to interpret maternal behavior in congruence with their expectation that mother will remain unavailable for support. To provide the first test of this assumption, early adolescents (9-13 years old) were asked to assess whether ambiguous interactions with mother should be interpreted in a positive or a negative way. In our sample (n = 322), results showed that early adolescents' lack of trust in their mother's availability for support was related to more negative interpretations of maternal behavior. The associations remained significant after controlling for depressive mood. The importance of these findings for our understanding of attachment theory, attachment stability, and clinical practice are discussed

Escherichia coli induces apoptosis and proliferation of mammary cells

Mammary cell apoptosis and proliferation were assessed after injection of Escherichia coli into the left mammary quarters of six cows. Bacteriological analysis of foremilk samples revealed coliform infection in the injected quarters of four cows. Milk somatic cell counts increased in these quarters and peaked at 24 h after bacterial injection. Body temperature also increased, peaking at 12 h postinjection, The number of apoptotic cells was significantly higher in the mastitic tissue than in the uninfected control. Expression of Bax and interleukin-1 beta converting enzyme increased in the mastitic tissue at 24 h and 72 h postinfection, whereas Bcl-2 expression decreased at 24 h but did not differ significantly from the control at 72 h postinfection, Induction of matrix metalloproteinase-g, stromelysin-1 and urokinase-type plasminogen activator was also observed in the mastitic tissue. Moreover, cell proliferation increased in the infected tissue, These results demonstrate that Escherichia coli-induced mastitis promotes apoptosis and cell proliferation

Diffusion of e-health innovations in 'post-conflict' settings: a qualitative study on the personal experiences of health workers.

BACKGROUND: Technological innovations have the potential to strengthen human resources for health and improve access and quality of care in challenging 'post-conflict' contexts. However, analyses on the adoption of technology for health (that is, 'e-health') and whether and how e-health can strengthen a health workforce in these settings have been limited so far. This study explores the personal experiences of health workers using e-health innovations in selected post-conflict situations. METHODS: This study had a cross-sectional qualitative design. Telephone interviews were conducted with 12 health workers, from a variety of cadres and stages in their careers, from four post-conflict settings (Liberia, West Bank and Gaza, Sierra Leone and Somaliland) in 2012. Everett Roger's diffusion of innovation-decision model (that is, knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, contemplation) guided the thematic analysis. RESULTS: All health workers interviewed held positive perceptions of e-health, related to their beliefs that e-health can help them to access information and communicate with other health workers. However, understanding of the scope of e-health was generally limited, and often based on innovations that health workers have been introduced through by their international partners. Health workers reported a range of engagement with e-health innovations, mostly for communication (for example, email) and educational purposes (for example, online learning platforms). Poor, unreliable and unaffordable Internet was a commonly mentioned barrier to e-health use. Scaling-up existing e-health partnerships and innovations were suggested starting points to increase e-health innovation dissemination. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study showed ICT based e-health innovations can relieve information and communication needs of health workers in post-conflict settings. However, more efforts and investments, preferably driven by healthcare workers within the post-conflict context, are needed to make e-health more widespread and sustainable. Increased awareness is necessary among health professionals, even among current e-health users, and physical and financial access barriers need to be addressed. Future e-health initiatives are likely to increase their impact if based on perceived health information needs of intended users

International journalism and the emergence of transnational publics: between cosmopolitan norms, the affirmation of identity and market forces

Much has been written about transnational public spheres, though our understanding of their shape and nature remains limited. Drawing on three alternative conceptions of newswork as public communication, this article explores the role of international journalists in shaping transnational publics. Based on a series of original interviews, it asks how journalists are oriented in their newswork (e.g. are they cosmopolitan or parochial in their orientation) and how they ‘imagine’ the public. It finds that interviewees imagine a polycentric transnational public and variously frame their work as giving voice to those affected by an issue (imagining the public as a cosmopolitan community of fate), performing and reaffirming a particular kind of identity and belonging (imagining the public as a nation) or pursuing audiences wherever they may be (imagining the public as the de facto audience)

SimHap GUI: An intuitive graphical user interface for genetic association analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Researchers wishing to conduct genetic association analysis involving single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or haplotypes are often confronted with the lack of user-friendly graphical analysis tools, requiring sophisticated statistical and informatics expertise to perform relatively straightforward tasks. Tools, such as the <it>SimHap </it>package for the R statistics language, provide the necessary statistical operations to conduct sophisticated genetic analysis, but lacks a graphical user interface that allows anyone but a professional statistician to effectively utilise the tool.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have developed SimHap GUI, a cross-platform integrated graphical analysis tool for conducting epidemiological, single SNP and haplotype-based association analysis. SimHap GUI features a novel workflow interface that guides the user through each logical step of the analysis process, making it accessible to both novice and advanced users. This tool provides a seamless interface to the <it>SimHap </it>R package, while providing enhanced functionality such as sophisticated data checking, automated data conversion, and real-time estimations of haplotype simulation progress.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>SimHap GUI provides a novel, easy-to-use, cross-platform solution for conducting a range of genetic and non-genetic association analyses. This provides a free alternative to commercial statistics packages that is specifically designed for genetic association analysis.</p