Patterns and pathways:Indicators for potential improvements of dementia care

“Patterns & Pathways: indicators for potential improvements of dementia care” comprises several explorative studies that focused on 1) investigating profiles of care needs in people with dementia, 2) examining the consequences of untimely access to formal care in people with dementia, 3) examining care use combinations and 4) care use over time in people with mild cognitive impairment and dementia, and last 5) the relation between cognition and health related quality of life and care costs in people without dementia. Findings, for example, showed that untimely access is associated with a lower Health-related quality of life, highlighting the importance of providing timely access to care. In general, results provide directions and indicators for further investigation and potential improvements that can be made to dementia care

Improving the signal detection accuracy of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Available online 12 April 2018A major drawback of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) concerns the lack of detection accuracy of the measured signal. Although this limitation stems in part from the neuro-vascular nature of the fMRI signal, it also reflects particular methodological decisions in the fMRI data analysis pathway. Here we show that the signal detection accuracy of fMRI is affected by the specific way in which whole-brain volumes are created from individually acquired brain slices, and by the method of statistically extracting signals from the sampled data. To address these limitations, we propose a new framework for fMRI data analysis. The new framework creates whole-brain volumes from individual brain slices that are all acquired at the same point in time relative to a presented stimulus. These whole-brain volumes contain minimal temporal distortions, and are available at a high temporal resolution. In addition, statistical signal extraction occurred on the basis of a non-standard time point-by-time point approach. We evaluated the detection accuracy of the extracted signal in the standard and new framework with simulated and real-world fMRI data. The new slice-based data-analytic framework yields greatly improved signal detection accuracy of fMRI signals.See https://github.com/iamnielsjanssen/slice-based for a full analysis script using the Slice-Based method. This work was supported by The Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (RYC2011-08433 and PSI2013-46334 to NJ)

Response-Locked Brain Dynamics of Word Production

International audienceThe cortical regions involved in the different stages of speech production are relatively well-established, but their spatio-temporal dynamics remain poorly understood. In particular, the available studies have characterized neural events with respect to the onset of the stimulus triggering a verbal response. The core aspect of language production, however, is not perception but action. In this context, the most relevant question may not be how long after a stimulus brain events happen, but rather how long before the production act do they occur. We investigated speech production-related brain activity time-locked to vocal onset, in addition to the common stimulus-locked approach. We report the detailed temporal interplay between medial and left frontal activities occurring shortly before vocal onset. We interpret those as reflections of, respectively, word selection and word production processes. This medial-lateral organization is in line with that described in non-linguistic action control, suggesting that similar processes are at play in word production and non-linguistic action production. This novel view of the brain dynamics underlying word production provides a useful background for future investigations of the spatio-temporal brain dynamics that lead to the production of verbal responses. Citation: Riès S, Janssen N, Burle B, Alario F-X (2013) Response-Locked Brain Dynamics of Word Production. PLoS ONE 8(3): e58197

General-Purpose Monitoring during Speech Production

WOS:000289063000012International audienceThe concept of "monitoring" refers to our ability to control our actions on-line. Monitoring involved in speech production is often described in psycholinguistic models as an inherent part of the language system. We probed the specificity of speech monitoring in two psycholinguistic experiments where electro-encephalographic activities were recorded. Our focus was on a component previously reported in nonlinguistic manual tasks and interpreted as a marker of monitoring processes. The error negativity (Ne, or error-related negativity), thought to originate in medial frontal areas, peaks shortly after erroneous responses. A component of seemingly comparable properties has been reported, after errors, in tasks requiring access to linguistic knowledge (e.g., speech production), compatible with a generic error-detection process. However, in contrast to its original name, advanced processing methods later revealed that this component is also present after correct responses in visuomotor tasks. Here, we reported the observation of the same negativity after correct responses across output modalities (manual and vocal responses). This indicates that, in language production too, the Ne reflects on-line response monitoring rather than error detection specifically. Furthermore, the temporal properties of the Ne suggest that this monitoring mechanism is engaged before any auditory feedback. The convergence of our findings with those obtained with nonlinguistic tasks suggests that at least part of the monitoring involved in speech production is subtended by a general-purpose mechanism

Archeologische prospectie met ingreep in de bodem Merchtem, Wolvertemsesteenweg

Dit rapport werd ingediend bij het agentschap samen met een aantal afzonderlijke digitale bijlagen. Een aantal van deze bijlagen zijn niet inbegrepen in dit pdf document en zijn niet online beschikbaar. Sommige bijlagen (grondplannen, fotos, spoorbeschrijvingen, enz.) kunnen van belang zijn voor een betere lezing en interpretatie van dit rapport. Indien u deze bijlagen wenst te raadplegen kan u daarvoor contact opnemen met: [email protected]

Functional connectivity of the hippocampus and its subfields in resting-state networks

First published: 30 March 2021Many neuroimaging studies have shown that the hippocampus participates in a resting-state network called the default mode network. However, how the hippocampus connects to the default mode network, whether the hippocampus connects to other resting-state networks and how the different hippocampal subfields take part in resting-state networks remains poorly understood. Here, we examined these issues using the high spatial-resolution 7T resting-state fMRI dataset from the Human Connectome Project. We used data-driven techniques that relied on spatially-restricted Independent Component Analysis, Dual Regression and linear mixed-effect group-analyses based on participant-specific brain morphology. The results revealed two main activity hotspots inside the hippocampus. The first hotspot was located in an anterior location and was correlated with the somatomotor network. This network was subserved by co-activity in the CA1, CA3, CA4 and Dentate Gyrus fields. In addition, there was an activity hotspot that extended from middle to posterior locations along the hippocampal long-axis and correlated with the default mode network. This network reflected activity in the Subiculum, CA4 and Dentate Gyrus fields. These results show how different sections of the hippocampus participate in two known resting-state networks and how these two resting-state networks depend on different configurations of hippocampal subfield co-activity.Agencia Canaria de Investigación, Innovación y Sociedad de la Información; Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Grant/Award Number: PSI2017-84933- P, PSI2017-91955- EXP and TEC2016-80063- C3- 2- R; NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research, Grant/Award Number: 1U54MH091657; McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience; European Social Fund (ESF

Wave attenuation in mangrove forests; field data obtained in Trang, Thailand

Mangroves thrive in sheltered intertidal areas in the tropics and sub-tropics. Due to this position at the interface between land and sea, mangroves play an important role in the attenuation of waves. Dissipation of wave energy in mangrove forests is an interesting feature from the viewpoint of coastal protection. Nevertheless, field data are sparse and modeling attempts reveal the need for additional data. This paper presents the results of an extensive field campaign, lasting 6 months, in mangroves along the Andaman coast of Trang Province in southern Thailand. Wave attenuation has been studied along two contrasting transects with different elevation and vegetation characteristics and different orientations towards the Andaman Sea. Along the Kantang transect, which is mostly exposed to swell waves, vegetation densities increased from 4.5 to 9.3 volume-‰ along the transect and on average 63% of the incident wave energy was attenuated over a distance of 246 m. Along the Palian transect, mostly exposed to sea waves instead, vegetation increased from 4.3 to 19 volume-‰ and 72% of the incident wave energy was attenuated over this 98 m transect. It was found that standardized wave attenuation correlates well with incident wave energy, when attenuation is analyzed per vegetation zone. Energy reduction rates of these zones, defined by the gradient of the correlations between the standardized wave attenuation and incident wave energy, are found to increase significantly with vegetation density. Consistently, wave reduction rates, expressing the gradient of the correlation between wave height reduction and incident wave heights, are found to be 0.001-0.014 for the study sites and also show a significant and increasing trend with vegetation densities

Exploring the temporal dynamics of speech production with EEG and group ICA

Speech production is a complex skill whose neural implementation relies on a large number of different regions in the brain. How neural activity in these different regions varies as a function of time during the production of speech remains poorly understood. Previous MEG studies on this topic have concluded that activity proceeds from posterior to anterior regions of the brain in a sequential manner. Here we tested this claim using the EEG technique. Specifically, participants performed a picture naming task while their naming latencies and scalp potentials were recorded. We performed group temporal Independent Component Analysis (group tICA) to obtain temporally independent component timecourses and their corresponding topographic maps. We identified fifteen components whose estimated neural sources were located in various areas of the brain. The trial-by-trial component timecourses were predictive of the naming latency, implying their involvement in the task. Crucially, we computed the degree of concurrent activity of each component timecourse to test whether activity was sequential or parallel. Our results revealed that these fifteen distinct neural sources exhibit largely concurrent activity during speech production. These results suggest that speech production relies on neural activity that takes place in parallel networks of distributed neural sources

Experimental and simulation study on heat transfer in fluidized beds with heat production: An integrated DIA/PIV/IR technique and CFD-DEM

As a result of highly exothermic reactions taking place in gas-phase olefin polymerization fluidized bed reactors, difficulties concerning the heat management play an important role in the optimization of these reactors. To get a better understanding of the particle temperature distribution in fluidized beds, a high speed infrared (IR) camera and a visual camera have been coupled to obtain the hydrodynamics and thermal aspects of a pseudo-2D fluidized bed (1), as shown in figure 1. The hydrodynamics are characterized by digital image analysis and particle image velocimetry (DIA/PIV) and the heat properties by IR. The experimental data is used to validate an in-house developed computational fluid dynamics and discrete element model (CFD-DEM). In order to mimic the heat effect due to the exothermic polymerization reaction in the pseudo-2D fluidized bed reactor, a model system was used. In this model system, heat is released in zeolite 13X particles (1.8~2.0 mm) due the adsorption of CO­2. Characteristics of the adsorption kinetics, isotherm and reaction enthalpy have been achieved by performing Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Simultaneous Thermal Analysis (STA). By feeding gas mixtures of CO­2 and N2 uniformly to the reactor, the rate of adsorption can be controlled in order to obtain a pseudo-steady state of heat production in the bed. The combined technique provides insightful information on the particle temperature distribution for different CO2 concentrations, bed aspect ratios and background superficial velocities. Furthermore, the comparison of the spatial and temporal distribution of the particle temperature distribution in fluidized beds with the simulation results of CFD-DEM provides qualitative and quantitative validation of the CFD-DEM, in particular concerning the thermal aspects. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Archeologische prospectie met ingreep in de bodem Deinze, Lijsterweg

Dit rapport werd ingediend bij het agentschap samen met een aantal afzonderlijke digitale bijlagen. Een aantal van deze bijlagen zijn niet inbegrepen in dit pdf document en zijn niet online beschikbaar. Sommige bijlagen (grondplannen, fotos, spoorbeschrijvingen, enz.) kunnen van belang zijn voor een betere lezing en interpretatie van dit rapport. Indien u deze bijlagen wenst te raadplegen kan u daarvoor contact opnemen met: [email protected]