Concert recording 2021-11-10b

[Track 1]. Se pietà di me non senti, giusto ciel / George Frideric Handel -- [Track 2]. Saper vorreste / Guiseppe Verdi -- [Track 3]. 8 Gedichte aus \u27Letzte Blätter, op. 10. No. 1. Zueignung ; [Track 4]. No. 3. Die Nacht / Richard Strauss -- [Track 5]. Der Hölle Rache / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -- [Track 6]. Deux poèmes. C ; Fêtes galantes / Francis Poulenc -- [Track 7]. Les chemins del\u27amour / Poulenc

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Conversion Discriminative Analysis on Mild Cognitive Impairment Using Multiple Cortical Features from MR Images

Neuroimaging measurements derived from magnetic resonance imaging provide important information required for detecting changes related to the progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Cortical features and changes play a crucial role in revealing unique anatomical patterns of brain regions, and further differentiate MCI patients from normal states. Four cortical features, namely, gray matter volume, cortical thickness, surface area, and mean curvature, were explored for discriminative analysis among three groups including the stable MCI (sMCI), the converted MCI (cMCI), and the normal control (NC) groups. In this study, 158 subjects (72 NC, 46 sMCI, and 40 cMCI) were selected from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. A sparse-constrained regression model based on the l2-1-norm was introduced to reduce the feature dimensionality and retrieve essential features for the discrimination of the three groups by using a support vector machine (SVM). An optimized strategy of feature addition based on the weight of each feature was adopted for the SVM classifier in order to achieve the best classification performance. The baseline cortical features combined with the longitudinal measurements for 2 years of follow-up data yielded prominent classification results. In particular, the cortical thickness produced a classification with 98.84% accuracy, 97.5% sensitivity, and 100% specificity for the sMCI–cMCI comparison; 92.37% accuracy, 84.78% sensitivity, and 97.22% specificity for the cMCI–NC comparison; and 93.75% accuracy, 92.5% sensitivity, and 94.44% specificity for the sMCI–NC comparison. The best performances obtained by the SVM classifier using the essential features were 5–40% more than those using all of the retained features. The feasibility of the cortical features for the recognition of anatomical patterns was certified; thus, the proposed method has the potential to improve the clinical diagnosis of sub-types of MCI and predict the risk of its conversion to Alzheimer's disease

Quantitative 18F-AV1451 Brain Tau PET Imaging in Cognitively Normal Older Adults, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer's Disease Patients

Recent developments of tau Positron Emission Tomography (PET) allows assessment of regional neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) deposition in human brain. Among the tau PET molecular probes, 18F-AV1451 is characterized by high selectivity for pathologic tau aggregates over amyloid plaques, limited non-specific binding in white and gray matter, and confined off-target binding. The objectives of the study are (1) to quantitatively characterize regional brain tau deposition measured by 18F-AV1451 PET in cognitively normal older adults (CN), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD participants; (2) to evaluate the correlations between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers or Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and 18F-AV1451 PET standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR); and (3) to evaluate the partial volume effects on 18F-AV1451 brain uptake.Methods: The study included total 115 participants (CN = 49, MCI = 58, and AD = 8) from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Preprocessed 18F-AV1451 PET images, structural MRIs, and demographic and clinical assessments were downloaded from the ADNI database. A reblurred Van Cittertiteration method was used for voxelwise partial volume correction (PVC) on PET images. Structural MRIs were used for PET spatial normalization and region of interest (ROI) definition in standard space. The parametric images of 18F-AV1451 SUVR relative to cerebellum were calculated. The ROI SUVR measurements from PVC and non-PVC SUVR images were compared. The correlation between ROI 18F-AV1451 SUVR and the measurements of MMSE, CSF total tau (t-tau), and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) were also assessed.Results:18F-AV1451 prominently specific binding was found in the amygdala, entorhinal cortex, parahippocampus, fusiform, posterior cingulate, temporal, parietal, and frontal brain regions. Most regional SUVRs showed significantly higher uptake of 18F-AV1451 in AD than MCI and CN participants. SUVRs of small regions like amygdala, entorhinal cortex and parahippocampus were statistically improved by PVC in all groups (p < 0.01). Although there was an increasing tendency of 18F-AV-1451 SUVRs in MCI group compared with CN group, no significant difference of 18F-AV1451 deposition was found between CN and MCI brains with or without PVC (p > 0.05). Declined MMSE score was observed with increasing 18F-AV1451 binding in amygdala, entorhinal cortex, parahippocampus, and fusiform. CSF p-tau was positively correlated with 18F-AV1451 deposition. PVC improved the results of 18F-AV-1451 tau deposition and correlation studies in small brain regions.Conclusion: The typical deposition of 18F-AV1451 tau PET imaging in AD brain was found in amygdala, entorhinal cortex, fusiform and parahippocampus, and these regions were strongly associated with cognitive impairment and CSF biomarkers. Although more deposition was observed in MCI group, the 18F-AV-1451 PET imaging could not differentiate the MCI patients from CN population. More tau deposition related to decreased MMSE score and increased level of CSF p-tau, especially in ROIs of amygdala, entorhinal cortex and parahippocampus. PVC did improve the results of tau deposition and correlation studies in small brain regions and suggest to be routinely used in 18F-AV1451 tau PET quantification

An Ecological View of School Counselor Ratios and Student Academic Outcomes: A National Investigation

The effect of student-to-school-counselor ratios on academic outcomes has been widely studied, yet few researchers have taken a multilevel approach. Using the nationally representative High School Longitudinal Study: 2009 dataset, the authors found ratios were significantly associated with student grade point average (GPA) and graduation. Attending a Title I school also was associated with students’ GPA, advanced placement/international baccalaureate credits earned, and postsecondary course taking. The authors discuss implications for advocacy and practice, contextualizing their findings within an ecological framework

Open and Closed Reduction for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip in New York State: Incidence of Hip Reduction and Rates of Subsequent Surgery.

BackgroundThere are limited data on the incidence and outcomes of open and closed hip reduction in patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). The aims of this study were to determine the incidence of open and closed reduction of the hip using population-level data and to assess the rates of subsequent surgery.MethodsChildren aged 3 years and younger with DDH who underwent open or closed reduction of the hip between 1997 and 2013 were identified in the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) database. Patient age, sex, race, and insurance status as well as concurrent procedures were extracted. Admissions through 2014 were searched for subsequent surgeries, providing a minimum 1-year post-reduction surveillance for all patients. Age-specific incidence rates were calculated using New York State annual population data. The rates of concurrent and subsequent surgeries were calculated. A sensitivity analysis was performed to provide a range for the rates of subsequent surgery. Univariate analyses consisted of chi-square or Fisher exact tests for categorical variables.ResultsIn total, 897 patients (637 who underwent closed reduction and 260 who underwent open reduction) were identified. The age-specific incidence per 100,000 population was 12.5 for closed reduction and 2.6 for open reduction for <1-year-olds, 2.2 for both closed and open reductions for 1-year-olds, 0.4 for closed reduction and 1.0 for open reduction for 2-year-olds, and <0.3 for closed reduction and 0.5 for open reduction for 3-year-olds. Overall, closed reductions were performed more frequently over the study period (p < 0.01). The estimated rate of subsequent ipsilateral surgery was 12.4% (range, 9.4% to 33.1%) after index closed reduction and was 14.2% (range, 8.5% to 40.1%) after index open reduction.ConclusionsWe found that the incidence of closed or open hip reduction for DDH was small and that there was an increase in the number of closed reductions performed over time. The rates of subsequent surgery remained relatively high for patients after index closed or open hip reduction.Level of evidenceTherapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence

More than just a (red) list : Over a decade of using South Africa's threatened ecosystems in policy and practice

One of the stated applications of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems (RLE) is to influence government policy and decision-making. We share 15 years' experience in integrating an independently developed indicator of ecosystem threat status into government policies and practice. South Africa's ecosystem threat status indicator was conceptualised in the early 2000s and progressed from a project-based indicator to listing of threatened ecosystems in terms of national legislation in 2011. We show the range of applications of the indicator, from its use as a headline indicator in the National Biodiversity Assessment to its role as a direct trigger for Environmental Impact Assessment. The strong link between threatened ecosystems and systematic conservation planning in South Africa also enabled ecosystem threat status to inform multi-sectoral development planning and decision-making. We show how bridging products, data availability, persistent mainstreaming and stakeholder engagement have encouraged the use of the indicator in government policy. The advantages and disadvantages of legislative listing are shared. Sound scientific foundations, combined with pragmatism, have provided a policy-relevant tool for focussing management on threatened ecosystems. We make active recommendations that will facilitate the policy uptake of the IUCN RLE in other countries.</p

Practical actions for applied systematic conservation planning

Systematic conservation planning is intended to inform spatially explicit decision making. Doing so requires that it be integrated into complex regulatory and governance processes, and there are limited instances where this has been achieved effectively. South Africa is a global leader in the application of conservation plans, the outputs of which are widely used for spatial planning and decision making in many spheres of government. We aimed to determine how conservation planning in the country progressed from theory to implementation, and to identify practical actions that enabled this transition, by assessing temporal trends in the characteristics of conservation plans (1990–2017, n = 94). Since 2010 conservation planning has entered an operational period characterized by government leadership of plans, administrative rather than ecological planning domains, decreasing size of planning units, increasing emphasis on end-user products, and scheduled revision of plans. Key actions that enabled this progression include transitioning leadership of plans from scientists to practitioners, building capacity within implementing agencies, creating opportunities to integrate plans in legislative processes, establishing a strong community of practice, adopting implementation-focused methods, and balancing standardization with innovation. Learning from this model will allow other countries, particularly those with a similar megadiverse, developing context, to operationalize conservation planning into spatial planning and decision making