Capitalizing on the G7 Research Compact Rules for S&T collaboration should be integrated with trade and investment agreements

At the close of their June 2021 summit in Cornwall, the heads of state of the G7 nations issued a blueprint for developing potentially pivotal sovereign-to-sovereign science and technology (S&T) agreements for robust collective action in research and development (R&D): the G7 Research Compact (1). If such agreements can be properly focused and executed—and broadened over time to include other democracies—it could unlock solutions to a class of pressing global problems that can only be effectively addressed by multilateral, public-private applied R&D collaboration. Yet, an uneven track record of such collaboration thus far suggests that the G7 must modernize their international S&T agreements to generate more dexterity in establishing and managing cross-border R&D relationships, especially to enhance their economic growth and global competitiveness. To do this, the G7 must redesign their approach so that R&D collaboration is integrated into their international trade and investment agreements

Three dimensional optical imaging of blood volume and oxygenation in the neonatal brain

Optical methods provide a means of monitoring cerebral oxygenation in newborn infants at risk of brain injury. A 32-channel optical imaging system has been developed with the aim of reconstructing three-dimensional images of regional blood volume and oxygenation. Full image data sets were acquired from 14 out of 24 infants studied; successful images have been reconstructed in 8 of these infants. Regional variations in cerebral blood volume and tissue oxygen saturation are present in healthy preterm infants. In an infant with a large unilateral intraventricular haemorrhage, a corresponding region of low oxygen saturation was detected. These results suggest that optical tomography may provide an appropriate technique for investigating regional cerebral haemodynamics and oxygenation at the cotside. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Theoretical investigation of measuring cerebral blood flow in the adult human head using bolus Indocyanine Green injection and near-infrared spectroscopy

To investigate the accuracy of measuring cerebral blood flow (CBF) using a bolus injection of Indocyanine Green (ICG) detected by near-infrared spectroscopy in adult human heads, simulations were performed using a two-layered model representing the extracerebral and intracerebral layers. Modeled optical data were converted into tissue ICG concentration using either the one-detector modified Beer-Lambert law (MBLL) method, or the two-detector partial path-length (PPL) method. The CBFs were estimated using deconvolution and blood flow index techniques. Using the MBLL method, the CBFs were significantly underestimated but the PPL method improved their accuracy and robustness, especially when used as relative measures. The dispersion of the arterial input function also affected the CBF estimates. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America

Hyperspectral Imaging of the Hemodynamic and Metabolic States of the Exposed Cortex: Investigating a Commercial Snapshot Solution

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) systems have the potential to retrieve in vivo hemodynamic and metabolic signals from the exposed cerebral cortex. The use of multiple narrow wavelength bands in the near infrared (NIR) range theoretically allows not only to image brain tissue oxygenation and hemodynamics via mapping of hemoglobin concentration changes, but also to directly quantify cerebral metabolism via measurement of the redox states of mitochondrial cytochrome-c-oxidase (CCO). The aim of this study is to assess the possibility of performing hyperspectral imaging of in vivo cerebral oxyhemoglobin (HbO2), deoxyhemoglobin (HHb) and oxidized CCO (oxCCO) using commercially available HSI devices. For this reason, a hyperspectral snapshot solution based on Cubert GmbH technology (S185 FireflEYE camera) has been tested on the exposed cortex of mice during normoxic, hypoxic and hyperoxic conditions. The system allows simultaneous acquisition of 138 wavelength bands between 450 and 998 nm, with spectral sampling and resolution of ~4 to 8 nm. From the hyperspectral data, relative changes in concentration of hemoglobin and oxCCO are estimated and hemodynamic and metabolic maps of the imaged cortex are calculated for two different NIR spectral ranges. Spectroscopic analysis at particular regions of interest is also performed, showing typical oxygen-dependent hemodynamic responses. The results highlight some of the potentials of the technology, but also the limitations of the tested commercial solution for such specific application, in particular regarding spatial resolution

Infant cortex responds to other humans from shortly after birth

A significant feature of the adult human brain is its ability to selectively process information about conspecifics. Much debate has centred on whether this specialization is primarily a result of phylogenetic adaptation, or whether the brain acquires expertise in processing social stimuli as a result of its being born into an intensely social environment. Here we study the haemodynamic response in cortical areas of newborns (1–5 days old) while they passively viewed dynamic human or mechanical action videos. We observed activation selective to a dynamic face stimulus over bilateral posterior temporal cortex, but no activation in response to a moving human arm. This selective activation to the social stimulus correlated with age in hours over the first few days post partum. Thus, even very limited experience of face-to-face interaction with other humans may be sufficient to elicit social stimulus activation of relevant cortical regions

Development of a Near Infrared Multi-Wavelength, Multi-Channel, Time-Resolved Spectrometer for Measuring Brain Tissue Haemodynamics and Metabolism

We present a novel time domain functional near infrared spectroscopy system using a supercontinuum laser allowing us to measure the coefficient of absorption and scattering of up to 16 multiplexed wavelengths in the near infrared region. This is a four detector system that generates up to 3 mW of light for each wavelength with a narrow 2-3 nm FWHM bandwidth between 650 and 890 nm; each measurement of 16 wavelengths per channel can be performed up to a rate of 1 Hz. We can therefore quantify absolute haemoglobin changes in tissue and are currently investigating which and how many wavelengths are needed to resolve additional chromophores in tissue, such as water and the oxidation state of cytochrome-c-oxidase