Country-level gender inequality is associated with structural differences in the brains of women and men

Gender inequality across the world has been associated with a higher risk to mental health problems and lower academic achievement in women compared to men. We also know that the brain is shaped by nurturing and adverse socio-environmental experiences. Therefore, unequal exposure to harsher conditions for women compared to men in gender-unequal countries might be reflected in differences in their brain structure, and this could be the neural mechanism partly explaining women's worse outcomes in gender-unequal countries. We examined this through a random-effects meta-analysis on cortical thickness and surface area differences between adult healthy men and women, including a meta-regression in which country-level gender inequality acted as an explanatory variable for the observed differences. A total of 139 samples from 29 different countries, totaling 7,876 MRI scans, were included. Thickness of the right hemisphere, and particularly the right caudal anterior cingulate, right medial orbitofrontal, and left lateral occipital cortex, presented no differences or even thicker regional cortices in women compared to men in gender-equal countries, reversing to thinner cortices in countries with greater gender inequality. These results point to the potentially hazardous effect of gender inequality on women's brains and provide initial evidence for neuroscience-informed policies for gender equality

Espacio y territorios: razón, pasión e imaginarios

En este caleidoscopio de acercamientos hacia lo espacial y territorial, las visiones se mueven desde aquellas románticas y existencialistas, pasando por aquellas objetivistas y positivistas, hasta las estructuralistas y postestructuralistas. Por el espacio y el territorio se interesan con enfoques diversos numerosas disciplinas, desde la psicología, la etología o la literatura, y las ciencias naturales como la biología o la ecología, hasta las ciencias sociales y políticas, como la geografía, la antropología, la economía y la sociología. Este interés multidisciplinario demuestra la importancia y la complejidad del tema espacial y territorial, y reclama la necesidad de su estudio y comprensión interdisciplinarios, como se intenta con esta publicación

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Analysis of optomechanicalMethod for materials selection in optical design

We present a technique to determine the wavefront error and polarization changes introduced by a loaded optical material based on its optical, thermal and mechanical properties through an integrated optomechanical simulation process. © OSA 2016

Influence of the acid type in the production of chitosan films reinforced with bacterial nanocellulose

International audienc

Sucesión regeneración del páramo después de quemas y pastoreo

IP 1101-13-607-96Incluye anexos.v.1. Informe final. -- v.2. Publicaciones.LIBRO(S): El Parque Nacional Chingaza / Orlando Vargas Rios, Paola Pedraza. -- Bogotá : Universidad Nacional;de Colombia, 2003. -- 227 p. : il. ; 27 cm. -- PONENCIA(S)ENCONGRESO: Sucesion regeneracion del paramo;andino despues de quemas y pastoreo (Parque Nacional Chingaza).Colombia /Orlando Vargas Rios, Marcela;Zalamea y Julia Premauer -- En: Simposio Internacional deDesarrollo Sustentable en Los Andes (4 : 2001 nov.25;-dic.2 : Merida, Venezuela) -- Impacto de fuego y ganaderia sobre la vegetacion de paramo / O. Vargas -- En:;Congreso Mundial de Paramos (2002 may. 13-18 : Paipa, Colombia)'-- Interacciones biologicas en habitats;andinos 1 : Un estudio de caso en el paramo de Palacio. ParqueNacional Natural Chingaza, Colombia / Diego;Mauricio Trujillo, Orlando Vargas Rios -- En: Congreso Latinoamericano y Colombiano de Botanica (8, 2 : 2002;oct. 13-18 : Cartagena, Colombia) -- Dinamica de la vegetacionen paramos/ Orlando Vargas Rios, Julia;Premauer, Marcela Zalamea -- En: Congreso Latinoamericanoy Colombiano deBotanica (8, 2 : 2002 oct. 13-18 :;Cartagena, Colombia) -- Sucesion-regeneracion del paramo despuesde quemasy pastoreo : estrategia de;investigacion / Orlando Vargas R. -- En: Congreso Colombiano deBotanica (1 : 1999 abr. 26-30 : Bogotá) --;Estrategias de historias de vida de especies vegetales encomunidades de paramo sometidas a quema y pastoreo;(Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza) / Gladys Cardenas A., OrlandoVargas R.'-- en: Congreso colombiano de;Botanica (1 : 1999 abr. 26-30 : Bogotá) -- Ecologia de losbancos de semillas en una comunidad vegetal de;paramo sometida a disturbios por quema y pastoreo / CamiloA.Cardenas, Catalina Posada V., Orlando Vargas R.; En: Congreso Colombiano de Botanica (1 : 1999 abr. 26-30Bogotá) -- Un modelo individualista de;sucesion-regeneracion temprana de vegetacion de paramo sometidaa disturbios por fuego / Zaba S. Espinosa P.,;Orlando Vargas R. -- En: Congreso Colombiano de Botanica (0,04166666666666671999 abr. 26-30 : Bogotá) -- Patrones de;abundancia y estructura vertical de parches de vegetacionen ungradientede disturbio por fuego y pastoreo;disturbadas por fuego y pastoreo (Parque Nacional NaturalChingaza) / Vladimir Paez F., Orlando Vargas R. --;En: Congreso Colombiano de Botanica (1 : 1999 abr. 26-30 :Bogotá) -- ARTICULO(S) EN REVISTA: Efecto del;pastoreo sobre la estructura de la vegetacion en un paramohumedo de Colombia / Orlando Vargas Rios, Julia;Premauer, Camilo de los angeles Cardenas. -- En: Ecotropicos.--vol. 15,no. 1 (2002); p. 1-9. -- ISSN;10121692 -- Banco de semillas germinable de una comunidadvegetal de paramo humedo sometida a quema y pastoreo;(Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza, Colombia) / Orlando VargasRios, Catalina Posada Vergara, Camilo de los;Angeles Cardenas. -- En: Ecotropicos. -- vol. 15, no. 1 (2002);p. 10-15.-- ISSN 10121692. -- Un modelo de;(Paramo de Palacio. Parque Nacional Natural Chingaza) / JuliaM.Premauer,Orlando Vargas R. -- En: Congreso;Colombiano de Botanica (1 : 1999 abr. 26-30 : Bogotá) -- Patrones espaciales de sucesion-regeneracion en areas;sucesion regeneracion de los paramos despues de quemas / Orlandovargas Rios. -- En: Caldasia. -- vol. 19,;nos. 1-2 (1997); p. 331-345. -- ISSN 03665232

Estudio de la formación de contaminantes fotoquímicos mediante la modelación matemática y sus efectos en la salud en el Valle de Aburra

IP 1210-13-234-98PONENCIA(S) EN CONGRESO: Numeral investigation of meteorologicalconditions leading to elevated ozone;concentrations in Medellin, Colombia / P. Sahm ... [et al.]. --En: International Conference on Urban Air;Quality and Saturn Workshop (3, 5 : 2001 Mar. 19-23 : Loutraki,Grecia). -- [s.l. : s.n.], 2001. -- p. ; 28;cm. -- Emission inventory in Medellin (Colombia) city : anaproximation /M.V. Toro ... [et al.]. -- En:;contaminantes atmosfericos en la ciudad de Medellin mediante factores de emision Corinar / M. Victoria Toro G.;... [et al.] -- En: Acodal -- Vol. 191 (2002); p. -- ISSN120798 -- Diagnostico de la calidad del aire en el;ancon sur del valle de Aburra / Maria Victoria Toro ... [et al.]'-- en: Contaminacion ambiental. -- Vol. 17,;no. 30-31 (2000); p. 93-103. -- ISSN 01200674.;International Conference on Urban Air Quality and Saturn Workshop (3, 5 :2001 Mar. 19-23 : Loutraki, Grecia).; [s.l. : s.n.], 2001. -- p. ; 28 cm. -- ARTICULO(S) EN REVISTA: Calculode la emision vehicular d

Habitability Models for Astrobiology

Habitability has been generally defined as the capability of an environment to support life. Ecologists have been using Habitat Suitability Models (HSMs) for more than four decades to study the habitability of Earth from local to global scales. Astrobiologists have been proposing different habitability models for some time, with little integration and consistency among them, being different in function to those used by ecologists. Habitability models are not only used to determine whether environments are habitable, but they also are used to characterize what key factors are responsible for the gradual transition from low to high habitability states. Here we review and compare some of the different models used by ecologists and astrobiologists and suggest how they could be integrated into new habitability standards. Such standards will help improve the comparison and characterization of potentially habitable environments, prioritize target selections, and study correlations between habitability and biosignatures. Habitability models are the foundation of planetary habitability science, and the synergy between ecologists and astrobiologists is necessary to expand our understanding of the habitability of Earth, the Solar System, and extrasolar planets