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Parents’ perceptions of the Tasmanian School Lunch Project - interim findings
- K.J. Smith, V. Cleland, J. Dunbabin, B. Fraser, M. Reardon, C. Galloway, K. DePaoli, L. Sutton, F. Proudfoot, K. Jose
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- Journal:
- Proceedings of the Nutrition Society / Volume 83 / Issue OCE1 / April 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 07 May 2024, E27
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Most Australian school students take a packed lunch to school(1). However, parents have reported many barriers to packing a healthy lunch(2). Subsequently, foods eaten during school hours are not consistent with the Australian Dietary Guidelines, with discretionary foods providing about 44% of energy consumed during this time(3). In addition, some children go to school without any food for lunch or money to buy lunch. The Tasmanian School Lunch Project provides free nutritious cooked lunches for Kinder to Year 10 students attending 30 government schools (15 commenced 2022, 15 commenced 2023) in areas of high socioeconomic disadvantage. The lunches were provided 1-3 days/week. The menu and recipes were designed by dietitians. This analysis aimed to describe parents’ perceptions of the School Lunch Project during the first year. Six of the 15 schools that commenced in term 2 2022 were invited, and agreed, to participate in the evaluation. During term 3 or 4 2022, parents completed online or written surveys (n = 159) and/or participated in discussion groups (n = 26) to share their thoughts on the menu, their concerns, likes, and willingness to pay. Survey data were analysed descriptively and open-ended survey responses and discussion group data thematically. During 2022, 78,832 nutritious cooked lunches were provided to 1,678 students. Most parents felt there was enough variety on the menu (66%) and the right amount of food was served (69%). Most students (79%) ate the lunches every day they were provided yet 52% of parents continued to provide a packed lunch. Parents enjoyed that their child was having a healthy lunch (66%) and trying new foods (74%). Some parents in the discussion groups indicated positive flow on effects at home with students trying new foods and sitting down together as a family to eat the evening meal. Half the parents (50%) had no concerns about the school providing lunches. The most commonly reported concerns were their child might not like the food (36%) or their child does not try new foods (8.6%). These concerns were also raised in the discussion groups. Most parents (93%) were prepared to pay for the lunches in future (median $3, range $1-$12) and 85% thought there should be a family discount. Parents acknowledged some payment was necessary for the sustainability of the program but some expressed concern for those who may struggle to pay. More direct communication with families about the meals offered, the availability of bread (from term 4 2022) for students who choose not to eat the cooked lunch or want more to eat, and allowing families time to adjust to the new lunch system, may address some of the concerns raised. Further data on parents’ perceptions of the school lunches will be collected during term 3 2023.
A comprehensive hierarchical comparison of structural connectomes in Major Depressive Disorder cases v. controls in two large population samples
- Gladi Thng, Xueyi Shen, Aleks Stolicyn, Mark J. Adams, Hon Wah Yeung, Venia Batziou, Eleanor L. S. Conole, Colin R. Buchanan, Stephen M. Lawrie, Mark E. Bastin, Andrew M. McIntosh, Ian J. Deary, Elliot M. Tucker-Drob, Simon R. Cox, Keith M. Smith, Liana Romaniuk, Heather C. Whalley
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine , First View
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 18 March 2024, pp. 1-12
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Background
The brain can be represented as a network, with nodes as brain regions and edges as region-to-region connections. Nodes with the most connections (hubs) are central to efficient brain function. Current findings on structural differences in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) identified using network approaches remain inconsistent, potentially due to small sample sizes. It is still uncertain at what level of the connectome hierarchy differences may exist, and whether they are concentrated in hubs, disrupting fundamental brain connectivity.
MethodsWe utilized two large cohorts, UK Biobank (UKB, N = 5104) and Generation Scotland (GS, N = 725), to investigate MDD case–control differences in brain network properties. Network analysis was done across four hierarchical levels: (1) global, (2) tier (nodes grouped into four tiers based on degree) and rich club (between-hub connections), (3) nodal, and (4) connection.
ResultsIn UKB, reductions in network efficiency were observed in MDD cases globally (d = −0.076, pFDR = 0.033), across all tiers (d = −0.069 to −0.079, pFDR = 0.020), and in hubs (d = −0.080 to −0.113, pFDR = 0.013–0.035). No differences in rich club organization and region-to-region connections were identified. The effect sizes and direction for these associations were generally consistent in GS, albeit not significant in our lower-N replication sample.
ConclusionOur results suggest that the brain's fundamental rich club structure is similar in MDD cases and controls, but subtle topological differences exist across the brain. Consistent with recent large-scale neuroimaging findings, our findings offer a connectomic perspective on a similar scale and support the idea that minimal differences exist between MDD cases and controls.
Head and Neck Cancer: United Kingdom National Multidisciplinary Guidelines, Sixth Edition
- Jarrod J Homer, Stuart C Winter, Elizabeth C Abbey, Hiba Aga, Reshma Agrawal, Derfel ap Dafydd, Takhar Arunjit, Patrick Axon, Eleanor Aynsley, Izhar N Bagwan, Arun Batra, Donna Begg, Jonathan M Bernstein, Guy Betts, Colin Bicknell, Brian Bisase, Grainne C Brady, Peter Brennan, Aina Brunet, Val Bryant, Linda Cantwell, Ashish Chandra, Preetha Chengot, Melvin L K Chua, Peter Clarke, Gemma Clunie, Margaret Coffey, Clare Conlon, David I Conway, Florence Cook, Matthew R Cooper, Declan Costello, Ben Cosway, Neil J A Cozens, Grant Creaney, Daljit K Gahir, Stephen Damato, Joe Davies, Katharine S Davies, Alina D Dragan, Yong Du, Mark R D Edmond, Stefano Fedele, Harriet Finze, Jason C Fleming, Bernadette H Foran, Beth Fordham, Mohammed M A S Foridi, Lesley Freeman, Katherine E Frew, Pallavi Gaitonde, Victoria Gallyer, Fraser W Gibb, Sinclair M Gore, Mark Gormley, Roganie Govender, J Greedy, Teresa Guerrero Urbano, Dorothy Gujral, David W Hamilton, John C Hardman, Kevin Harrington, Samantha Holmes, Jarrod J Homer, Deborah Howland, Gerald Humphris, Keith D Hunter, Kate Ingarfield, Richard Irving, Kristina Isand, Yatin Jain, Sachin Jauhar, Sarra Jawad, Glyndwr W Jenkins, Anastasios Kanatas, Stephen Keohane, Cyrus J Kerawala, William Keys, Emma V King, Anthony Kong, Fiona Lalloo, Kirsten Laws, Samuel C Leong, Shane Lester, Miles Levy, Ken Lingley, Gitta Madani, Navin Mani, Paolo L Matteucci, Catriona R Mayland, James McCaul, Lorna K McCaul, Pádraig McDonnell, Andrew McPartlin, Valeria Mercadante, Zoe Merchant, Radu Mihai, Mufaddal T Moonim, John Moore, Paul Nankivell, Sonali Natu, A Nelson, Pablo Nenclares, Kate Newbold, Carrie Newland, Ailsa J Nicol, Iain J Nixon, Rupert Obholzer, James T O'Hara, S Orr, Vinidh Paleri, James Palmer, Rachel S Parry, Claire Paterson, Gillian Patterson, Joanne M Patterson, Miranda Payne, L Pearson, David N Poller, Jonathan Pollock, Stephen Ross Porter, Matthew Potter, Robin J D Prestwich, Ruth Price, Mani Ragbir, Meena S Ranka, Max Robinson, Justin W G Roe, Tom Roques, Aleix Rovira, Sajid Sainuddin, I J Salmon, Ann Sandison, Andy Scarsbrook, Andrew G Schache, A Scott, Diane Sellstrom, Cherith J Semple, Jagrit Shah, Praveen Sharma, Richard J Shaw, Somiah Siddiq, Priyamal Silva, Ricard Simo, Rabin P Singh, Maria Smith, Rebekah Smith, Toby Oliver Smith, Sanjai Sood, Francis W Stafford, Neil Steven, Kay Stewart, Lisa Stoner, Steve Sweeney, Andrew Sykes, Carly L Taylor, Selvam Thavaraj, David J Thomson, Jane Thornton, Neil S Tolley, Nancy Turnbull, Sriram Vaidyanathan, Leandros Vassiliou, John Waas, Kelly Wade-McBane, Donna Wakefield, Amy Ward, Laura Warner, Laura-Jayne Watson, H Watts, Christina Wilson, Stuart C Winter, Winson Wong, Chui-Yan Yip, Kent Yip
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- Journal:
- The Journal of Laryngology & Otology / Volume 138 / Issue S1 / April 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 14 March 2024, pp. S1-S224
- Print publication:
- April 2024
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Endocannabinoid levels in plasma and neurotransmitters in the brain: a preliminary report on patients with a psychotic disorder and healthy individuals
- Carmen F. M. van Hooijdonk, Michiel G. J. Balvers, Marieke van der Pluijm, Charlotte L. C. Smith, Lieuwe de Haan, Anouk Schrantee, Maqsood Yaqub, Renger F. Witkamp, Elsmarieke van de Giessen, Therese A. M. J. van Amelsvoort, Jan Booij, Jean-Paul Selten
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine , First View
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 23 February 2024, pp. 1-11
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Background
Interactions between the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and neurotransmitter systems might mediate the risk of developing a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD). Consequently, we investigated in patients with SSD and healthy controls (HC) the relations between (1) plasma concentrations of two prototypical endocannabinoids (N-arachidonoylethanolamine [anandamide] and 2-arachidonoylglycerol [2-AG]) and (2) striatal dopamine synthesis capacity (DSC), and glutamate and y-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). As anandamide and 2-AG might reduce the activity of these neurotransmitters, we hypothesized negative correlations between their plasma levels and the abovementioned neurotransmitters in both groups.
MethodsBlood samples were obtained from 18 patients and 16 HC to measure anandamide and 2-AG plasma concentrations. For all subjects, we acquired proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy scans to assess Glx (i.e. glutamate plus glutamine) and GABA + (i.e. GABA plus macromolecules) concentrations in the ACC. Ten patients and 14 HC also underwent [18F]F-DOPA positron emission tomography for assessment of striatal DSC. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to investigate the relations between the outcome measures.
ResultsA negative association between 2-AG plasma concentration and ACC Glx concentration was found in patients (p = 0.008). We found no evidence of other significant relationships between 2-AG or anandamide plasma concentrations and dopaminergic, glutamatergic, or GABAergic measures in either group.
ConclusionsOur preliminary results suggest an association between peripheral 2-AG and ACC Glx levels in patients.
New Method Using Growth Dynamics to Quantify Microbial Contamination of Kaolinite Slurries
- Christopher W. Smith, Christopher M. Babb, Sara J. Snapp, Glenda B. Kohlhagen, Andrei L. Barkovskii
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- Clays and Clay Minerals / Volume 61 / Issue 6 / December 2013
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 01 January 2024, pp. 517-524
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The early and sensitive detection of microbial contamination of kaolinite slurries is needed for timely treatment to prevent spoilage. The sensitivity, reproducibility, and time required by current methods, such as the dip-slide method, do not meet this challenge. A more sensitive, reproducible, and efficient method is required. The objective of the present study was to develop and validate such a method. The new method is based on the measured growth kinetics of indigenous kaolinite-slurry microorganisms. The microorganisms from kaolinite slurries with different contamination levels were eluted and quantified as colony-forming units (CFUs). Known quantities of E. coli (ATCC 11775) were inoculated into sterilized kaolinite slurries to relate kaolinite-slurry CFUs to true microbial concentrations. The inoculated slurries were subsequently incubated, re-extracted, and microbial concentrations quantified. The ratio of the known inoculated E. coli concentration to the measured concentration was expressed as the recovery efficiency coefficient. Indigenous microbial communities were serially diluted, incubated, and the growth kinetics measured and related to CFUs. Using the new method, greater optical densities (OD) and visible microbial growth were measured for greater dilutions of kaolinite slurries with large microbial-cell concentrations. Growth conditions were optimized to maximize the correlation between contamination level, microbial growth kinetics, and OD value. A Standard Bacterial Unit (SBU) scale with five levels of microbial contamination was designed for kaolinite slurries using the experimental results. The SBU scale was validated using a blind test of 50 unknown slurry samples with various contamination levels provided by the Imerys Company. The validation tests revealed that the new method using the SBU scale was more time efficient, sensitive, and reproducible than the dip-slide method.
Helium as a Surrogate for Deuterium in LPI Studies
- Matthias Geissel, Adam J. Harvey-Thompson, Matthew R. Weis, Jeffrey R. Fein, David Ampleford, David E. Bliss, Aaron M. Hansen, Christopher Jennings, Mark W. Kimmel, Patrick Rambo, Jonathon E. Shores, Ian C. Smith, C. Shane Speas, John L. Porter, Fabrizio Consoli
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- Journal:
- Laser and Particle Beams / Volume 2023 / 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 01 January 2024, e2
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Helium or neopentane can be used as surrogate gas fill for deuterium (D2) or deuterium-tritium (DT) in laser-plasma interaction studies. Surrogates are convenient to avoid flammability hazards or the integration of cryogenics in an experiment. To test the degree of equivalency between deuterium and helium, experiments were conducted in the Pecos target chamber at Sandia National Laboratories. Observables such as laser propagation and signatures of laser-plasma instabilities (LPI) were recorded for multiple laser and target configurations. It was found that some observables can differ significantly despite the apparent similarity of the gases with respect to molecular charge and weight. While a qualitative behaviour of the interaction may very well be studied by finding a suitable compromise of laser absorption, electron density, and LPI cross sections, a quantitative investigation of expected values for deuterium fills at high laser intensities is not likely to succeed with surrogate gases.
Increasing the equitability of data citation in paleontology: capacity building for the big data future
- Jansen A. Smith, Nussaïbah B. Raja, Thomas Clements, Danijela Dimitrijević, Elizabeth M. Dowding, Emma M. Dunne, Bryan M. Gee, Pedro L. Godoy, Elizabeth M. Lombardi, Laura P. A. Mulvey, Paulina S. Nätscher, Carl J. Reddin, Bryan Shirley, Rachel C. M. Warnock, Ádám T. Kocsis
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- Journal:
- Paleobiology , First View
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 28 December 2023, pp. 1-12
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Data compilations expand the scope of research; however, data citation practice lags behind advances in data use. It remains uncommon for data users to credit data producers in professionally meaningful ways. In paleontology, databases like the Paleobiology Database (PBDB) enable assessment of patterns and processes spanning millions of years, up to global scale. The status quo for data citation creates an imbalance wherein publications drawing data from the PBDB receive significantly more citations (median: 4.3 ± 3.5 citations/year) than the publications producing the data (1.4 ± 1.3 citations/year). By accounting for data reuse where citations were neglected, the projected citation rate for data-provisioning publications approached parity (4.2 ± 2.2 citations/year) and the impact factor of paleontological journals (n = 55) increased by an average of 13.4% (maximum increase = 57.8%) in 2019. Without rebalancing the distribution of scientific credit, emerging “big data” research in paleontology—and science in general—is at risk of undercutting itself through a systematic devaluation of the work that is foundational to the discipline.
22 Cordoba Naming Test Performance and Acculturation in a Geriatric Population
- Isabel C.D. Muñoz, Krissy E. Smith, Santiago I. Espinoza, Diana M. R. Maqueda, Adriana C. Cuello, Ana Paula Pena, Carolina Garza, Raymundo Cervantes, Jill Razani, Tara L. Victor, David J. Hardy, Alberto L. Fernandez, Natalia Lozano Acosta, Daniel W. Lopez-Hernandez
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 335-336
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Objective:
A commonly used confrontation naming task used in the United States is The Boston Naming Test (BNT). Performance differences has been found in Caucasian and ethnic minorities on the BNT. The Cordoba Naming Test (CNT) is a 30-item confrontation naming task developed in Argentina. Past research has shown acculturation levels can influence cognitive performance. Furthermore, one study evaluated geriatric gender differences on CNT performance in Spanish. Researchers reported that older male participants outperformed female participants on the CNT. To our knowledge, researchers have not evaluated ethnic differences on the CNT using a geriatric sample. The purpose of the present study was to examined CNT performance and acculturation in a Latinx and Caucasian geriatric sample. It was predicted the Caucasian group would outperform the Latinx group on the CNT. Moreover, the Caucasian group would report higher acculturation levels on the Abbreviated Multidimensional Acculturation Scale (AMAS) compared to the Latinx group.
Participants and Methods:The sample consisted of 9 Latinx and 11 Caucasian participants with a mean age of 66.80 (SD =6.10), with an average of 14.30 (SD = 2.00) years of education. All participants were neurologically and psychologically healthy and completed the CNT and the AMAS in English. Acculturation was measured via the AMAS English subscales (i.e., English Language, United States. Identity, United States, Competency). A series of ANCOVAs, controlling for years of education completed and gender, was used to evaluate CNT performance and acculturation.
Results:The ethnic groups were not well demographically matched (i.e., years of education and gender).We found that the Caucasian group outperformed the Latinx group on CNT performance p = .012, ηp 2 = .34. Furthermore, the Caucasian group reported higher acculturation levels (i.e., English Language, United States, Identity, United States, Competency) compared to the Latinx group p’s < .05, ηps2 = .42-.64.
Conclusions:To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate CNT performance between ethnic groups with a geriatric sample. As expected the Caucasian group outperformed the Latinx group on the CNT. Also, as expected the Caucasian group reported higher English acculturation levels compared to the Latinx group. Our findings are consistent with past studies showing ethnic differences on confrontational naming performance (i.e., The Boston Naming Test), favoring Caucasians. A possible explanation for group differences could have been linguistic factors (e.g., speaking multiple languages) in our Latinx group. Therefore, since our Latinx group reported lower levels of English Language, United States identity, and United States competency the Latinx group assimilation towards United States culture might of influence their CNT performance. Future studies with different ethnic groups (e.g., African-Americans) and a larger sample size should examine if ethnic differences continue to cross-validate in a geriatric sample.
30 Analyzing Spanish Speakers Cordoba Naming Test Performance
- Raymundo Cervantes, Isabel D.C. Munoz, Estefania J. Aguirre, Natalia Lozano Acosta, Mariam Gomez, Adriana C. Cuello, Krissy E. Smith, Diana I. Palacios Mata, Krithika Sivaramakrishnan, Yvette De Jesus, Santiago I. Espinoza, Diana M. R. Maqueda, David J. Hardy, Tara L. Victor, Alberto L. Fernandez, Daniel W. Lopez-Hernandez
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 443-444
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Objective:
A 30-item confrontation naming test was developed in Argentina for Spanish speakers, The Cordoba Naming Test (CNT). The Boston Naming Test is an established confrontation naming task in the United States. Researchers have used the Boston Naming Test to identify individuals with different clinical pathologies (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease). The current literature on how Spanish speakers across various countries perform on confrontational naming tasks is limited. To our knowledge, one study investigated CNT performance across three Spanish-speaking countries (i.e., Argentina, Mexico, and Guatemala). Investigators found that the Guatemalan group underperformed on the CNT compared to the Argentine and Mexican groups. The purpose of this study was to extend the current literature and investigate CNT performance across five Spanish-speaking countries (i.e., Argentina, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, United States). We predicted that the Argentine group would outperform the other Spanish-speaking countries.
Participants and Methods:The present study sample consisted of 502 neurologically and psychologically healthy participants with a mean age of 29.06 (SD = 13.41) with 14.75 years of education completed (SD = 3.01). Participants were divided into five different groups based on their country of birth and current country residency (i.e., United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Argentina, & Colombia). All participants consented to voluntary participation and completed the CNT and a comprehensive background questionnaire in Spanish. The CNT consisted of 30 black and white line drawings, ranging from easy to hard in difficulty. An ANCOVA, controlling for gender, education, and age, was used to evaluate CNT performance between the five Spanish-speaking country groups. Meanwhile, a Bonferroni post-hoc test was utilized to evaluate the significant differences between Spanish-speaking groups. We used a threshold of p < .05 for statistical significance.
Results:Results revealed significant group differences between the five Spanish speaking groups on the CNT, p = .000, np2 = .48. Bonferroni post-hoc test revealed that the United States group significantly underperformed on the CNT compared to all the Spanish-speaking groups. Next, we found the Guatemalan group underperformed on the CNT compared to the Argentinian, Mexican, and Colombian groups. Additionally, we found the Argentinian group outperformed the Mexican, Guatemalan, and United States groups on the CNT. No significant differences were found between the Argentinian group and Colombian group or the Mexican group and Colombian group on the CNT.
Conclusions:As predicted, the Argentinian group outperformed all the Spanish-speaking groups on the CNT except the Colombian group. Additionally, we found that the United States group underperformed on the CNT compared to all the Spanish-speaking groups. A possible explanation is that Spanish is not the official language in the United States compared to the rest of the Spanish-speaking groups. Meanwhile, a possible reason why the Argentinian and Colombian groups demonstrated better CNT performances might have been that it was less culturally sensitive than the United States, Mexican, and Guatemalan groups. Further analysis is needed with bigger sample sizes across other Spanish-speaking countries (e.g., Costa Rica, Chile) to evaluate what variables, if any, are influencing CNT performance.
9 Connecting memory and functional brain networks in older adults: a resting state fMRI study
- Jori L Waner, Hanna K Hausman, Jessica N Kraft, Cheshire Hardcastle, Nicole D Evangelista, Andrew O’Shea, Alejandro Albizu, Emanuel M Boutzoukas, Emily J Van Etten, Pradyumna K Bharadwaj, Hyun Song, Samantha G Smith, Steven T DeKosky, Georg A Hishaw, Samuel S Wu, Michael Marsiske, Ronald Cohen, Gene E Alexander, Eric C Porges, Adam J Woods
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- Journal:
- Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society / Volume 29 / Issue s1 / November 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 21 December 2023, pp. 527-528
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Objective:
Nonpathological aging has been linked to decline in both verbal and visuospatial memory abilities in older adults. Disruptions in resting-state functional connectivity within well-characterized, higherorder cognitive brain networks have also been coupled with poorer memory functioning in healthy older adults and in older adults with dementia. However, there is a paucity of research on the association between higherorder functional connectivity and verbal and visuospatial memory performance in the older adult population. The current study examines the association between resting-state functional connectivity within the cingulo-opercular network (CON), frontoparietal control network (FPCN), and default mode network (DMN) and verbal and visuospatial learning and memory in a large sample of healthy older adults. We hypothesized that greater within-network CON and FPCN functional connectivity would be associated with better immediate verbal and visuospatial memory recall. Additionally, we predicted that within-network DMN functional connectivity would be associated with improvements in delayed verbal and visuospatial memory recall. This study helps to glean insight into whether within-network CON, FPCN, or DMN functional connectivity is associated with verbal and visuospatial memory abilities in later life.
Participants and Methods:330 healthy older adults between 65 and 89 years old (mean age = 71.6 ± 5.2) were recruited at the University of Florida (n = 222) and the University of Arizona (n = 108). Participants underwent resting-state fMRI and completed verbal memory (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test - Revised [HVLT-R]) and visuospatial memory (Brief Visuospatial Memory Test - Revised [BVMT-R]) measures. Immediate (total) and delayed recall scores on the HVLT-R and BVMT-R were calculated using each test manual’s scoring criteria. Learning ratios on the HVLT-R and BVMT-R were quantified by dividing the number of stimuli (verbal or visuospatial) learned between the first and third trials by the number of stimuli not recalled after the first learning trial. CONN Toolbox was used to extract average within-network connectivity values for CON, FPCN, and DMN. Hierarchical regressions were conducted, controlling for sex, race, ethnicity, years of education, number of invalid scans, and scanner site.
Results:Greater CON connectivity was significantly associated with better HVLT-R immediate (total) recall (ß = 0.16, p = 0.01), HVLT-R learning ratio (ß = 0.16, p = 0.01), BVMT-R immediate (total) recall (ß = 0.14, p = 0.02), and BVMT-R delayed recall performance (ß = 0.15, p = 0.01). Greater FPCN connectivity was associated with better BVMT-R learning ratio (ß = 0.13, p = 0.04). HVLT-R delayed recall performance was not associated with connectivity in any network, and DMN connectivity was not significantly related to any measure.
Conclusions:Connectivity within CON demonstrated a robust relationship with different components of memory function as well across verbal and visuospatial domains. In contrast, FPCN only evidenced a relationship with visuospatial learning, and DMN was not significantly associated with memory measures. These data suggest that CON may be a valuable target in longitudinal studies of age-related memory changes, but also a possible target in future non-invasive interventions to attenuate memory decline in older adults.
Detailed characterization of kHz-rate laser-driven fusion at a thin liquid sheet with a neutron detection suite
- Part of
- Benjamin M. Knight, Connor M. Gautam, Colton R. Stoner, Bryan V. Egner, Joseph R. Smith, Chris M. Orban, Juan J. Manfredi, Kyle D. Frische, Michael L. Dexter, Enam A. Chowdhury, Anil K. Patnaik
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- Journal:
- High Power Laser Science and Engineering / Volume 12 / 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 15 November 2023, e2
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We present detailed characterization of laser-driven fusion and neutron production ($\sim {10}^5$/second) using 8 mJ, 40 fs laser pulses on a thin (<1 μm) D${}_2$O liquid sheet employing a measurement suite. At relativistic intensity ($\sim 5\times {10}^{18}$ W/cm${}^2$) and high repetition rate (1 kHz), the system produces deuterium–deuterium (D-D) fusion, allowing for consistent neutron generation. Evidence of D-D fusion neutron production is verified by a measurement suite with three independent detection systems: an EJ-309 organic scintillator with pulse-shape discrimination, a ${}^3\mathrm{He}$ proportional counter and a set of 36 bubble detectors. Time-of-flight analysis of the scintillator data shows the energy of the produced neutrons to be consistent with 2.45 MeV. Particle-in-cell simulations using the WarpX code support significant neutron production from D-D fusion events in the laser–target interaction region. This high-repetition-rate laser-driven neutron source could provide a low-cost, on-demand test bed for radiation hardening and imaging applications.
Using SNP addresses for Salmonella Typhimurium DT104 in routine veterinary outbreak detection
- J. M. Bettridge, L. C. Snow, Y. Tang, L. Petrovska, J. Lawes, R. P. Smith
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- Journal:
- Epidemiology & Infection / Volume 151 / 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 25 October 2023, e187
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SNP addresses are a pathogen typing method based on whole-genome sequences (WGSs), assigning groups at seven different levels of genetic similarity. Public health surveillance uses it for several gastro-intestinal infections; this work trialled its use in veterinary surveillance for salmonella outbreak detection. Comparisons were made between temporal and spatio-temporal cluster detection models that either defined cases by their SNP address or by phage type, using historical data sets. Clusters of SNP incidents were effectively detected by both methods, but spatio-temporal models consistently detected these clusters earlier than the corresponding temporal models. Unlike phage type, SNP addresses appeared spatially and temporally limited, which facilitated the differentiation of novel, stable, or expanding clusters in spatio-temporal models. Furthermore, these models flagged spatio-temporal clusters containing only two to three cases at first detection, compared with a median of seven cases in phage-type models. The large number of SNP addresses will require automated methods to implement these detection models routinely. Further work is required to explore how temporal changes and different host species may impact the sensitivity and specificity of cluster detection. In conclusion, given validation with more sequencing data, SNP addresses are likely to be a valuable addition to early warning systems in veterinary surveillance.
The Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey III: Spectra and Polarisation In Cutouts of Extragalactic Sources (SPICE-RACS) first data release
- Alec J. M. Thomson, David McConnell, Emil Lenc, Timothy J. Galvin, Lawrence Rudnick, George Heald, Catherine L. Hale, Stefan W. Duchesne, Craig S. Anderson, Ettore Carretti, Christoph Federrath, B. M. Gaensler, Lisa Harvey-Smith, Marijke Haverkorn, Aidan W. Hotan, Yik Ki Ma, Tara Murphy, N. M. McClure-Griffiths, Vanessa A. Moss, Shane P. O’Sullivan, Wasim Raja, Amit Seta, Cameron L. Van Eck, Jennifer L. West, Matthew T. Whiting, Mark H. Wieringa
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- Journal:
- Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia / Volume 40 / 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 30 August 2023, e040
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The Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope has carried out a survey of the entire Southern Sky at 887.5 MHz. The wide area, high angular resolution, and broad bandwidth provided by the low-band Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey (RACS-low) allow the production of a next-generation rotation measure (RM) grid across the entire Southern Sky. Here we introduce this project as Spectral and Polarisation in Cutouts of Extragalactic sources from RACS (SPICE-RACS). In our first data release, we image 30 RACS-low fields in Stokes I, Q, U at 25$^{\prime\prime}$ angular resolution, across 744–1032 MHz with 1 MHz spectral resolution. Using a bespoke, highly parallelised, software pipeline we are able to rapidly process wide-area spectro-polarimetric ASKAP observations. Notably, we use ‘postage stamp’ cutouts to assess the polarisation properties of 105912 radio components detected in total intensity. We find that our Stokes Q and U images have an rms noise of $\sim$80 $\unicode{x03BC}$Jy PSF$^{-1}$, and our correction for instrumental polarisation leakage allows us to characterise components with $\gtrsim$1% polarisation fraction over most of the field of view. We produce a broadband polarised radio component catalogue that contains 5818 RM measurements over an area of $\sim$1300 deg$^{2}$ with an average error in RM of $1.6^{+1.1}_{-1.0}$ rad m$^{-2}$, and an average linear polarisation fraction $3.4^{+3.0}_{-1.6}$ %. We determine this subset of components using the conditions that the polarised signal-to-noise ratio is $>$8, the polarisation fraction is above our estimated polarised leakage, and the Stokes I spectrum has a reliable model. Our catalogue provides an areal density of $4\pm2$ RMs deg$^{-2}$; an increase of $\sim$4 times over the previous state-of-the-art (Taylor, Stil, Sunstrum 2009, ApJ, 702, 1230). Meaning that, having used just 3% of the RACS-low sky area, we have produced the 3rd largest RM catalogue to date. This catalogue has broad applications for studying astrophysical magnetic fields; notably revealing remarkable structure in the Galactic RM sky. We will explore this Galactic structure in a follow-up paper. We will also apply the techniques described here to produce an all-Southern-sky RM catalogue from RACS observations. Finally, we make our catalogue, spectra, images, and processing pipeline publicly available.
Advocacy at the Eighth World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery
- Bistra Zheleva, Amy Verstappen, David M. Overman, Farhan Ahmad, Sulafa K.M. Ali, Zohair Y. Al Halees, Joumana Ghandour Atallah, Isabella E. Badhwar, Carissa Baker-Smith, Maria Balestrini, Amy Basken, Jonah S. Bassuk, Lee Benson, Horacio Capelli, Santo Carollo, Devyani Chowdhury, M. Sertaç Çiçek, Mitchell I. Cohen, David S. Cooper, John E. Deanfield, Joseph Dearani, Blanca del Valle, Kathryn M. Dodds, Junbao Du, Frank Edwin, Ekanem Ekure, Nurun Nahar Fatema, Anu Gomanju, Babar Hasan, Lewis Henry, Christopher Hugo-Hamman, Krishna S. Iyer, Marcelo B. Jatene, Kathy J. Jenkins, Tara Karamlou, Tom R. Karl, James K. Kirklin, Christián Kreutzer, Raman Krishna Kumar, Keila N. Lopez, Alexis Palacios Macedo, Bradley S. Marino, Eva M. Marwali, Folkert J. Meijboom, Sandra S. Mattos, Hani Najm, Dan Newlin, William M. Novick, Sir Shakeel A. Qureshi, Budi Rahmat, Robert Raylman, Irfan Levent Saltik, Craig Sable, Nestor Sandoval, Anita Saxena, Emma Scanlan, Gary F. Sholler, Jodi Smith, James D. St Louis, Christo I. Tchervenkov, Koh Ghee Tiong, Vladimiro Vida, Susan Vosloo, Douglas J. “DJ” Weinstein, James L. Wilkinson, Liesl Zuhlke, Jeffrey P. Jacobs
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- Journal:
- Cardiology in the Young / Volume 33 / Issue 8 / August 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 24 August 2023, pp. 1277-1287
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The Eighth World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery (WCPCCS) will be held in Washington DC, USA, from Saturday, 26 August, 2023 to Friday, 1 September, 2023, inclusive. The Eighth World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery will be the largest and most comprehensive scientific meeting dedicated to paediatric and congenital cardiac care ever held. At the time of the writing of this manuscript, The Eighth World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery has 5,037 registered attendees (and rising) from 117 countries, a truly diverse and international faculty of over 925 individuals from 89 countries, over 2,000 individual abstracts and poster presenters from 101 countries, and a Best Abstract Competition featuring 153 oral abstracts from 34 countries. For information about the Eighth World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, please visit the following website: [www.WCPCCS2023.org]. The purpose of this manuscript is to review the activities related to global health and advocacy that will occur at the Eighth World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery.
Acknowledging the need for urgent change, we wanted to take the opportunity to bring a common voice to the global community and issue the Washington DC WCPCCS Call to Action on Addressing the Global Burden of Pediatric and Congenital Heart Diseases. A copy of this Washington DC WCPCCS Call to Action is provided in the Appendix of this manuscript. This Washington DC WCPCCS Call to Action is an initiative aimed at increasing awareness of the global burden, promoting the development of sustainable care systems, and improving access to high quality and equitable healthcare for children with heart disease as well as adults with congenital heart disease worldwide.
Agricultural Research Service Weed Science Research: Past, Present, and Future
- Stephen L. Young, James V. Anderson, Scott R. Baerson, Joanna Bajsa-Hirschel, Dana M. Blumenthal, Chad S. Boyd, Clyde D. Boyette, Eric B. Brennan, Charles L. Cantrell, Wun S. Chao, Joanne C. Chee-Sanford, Charlie D. Clements, F. Allen Dray, Stephen O. Duke, Kayla M. Eason, Reginald S. Fletcher, Michael R. Fulcher, John F. Gaskin, Brenda J. Grewell, Erik P. Hamerlynck, Robert E. Hoagland, David P. Horvath, Eugene P. Law, John D. Madsen, Daniel E. Martin, Clint Mattox, Steven B. Mirsky, William T. Molin, Patrick J. Moran, Rebecca C. Mueller, Vijay K. Nandula, Beth A. Newingham, Zhiqiang Pan, Lauren M. Porensky, Paul D. Pratt, Andrew J. Price, Brian G. Rector, Krishna N. Reddy, Roger L. Sheley, Lincoln Smith, Melissa C. Smith, Keirith A. Snyder, Matthew A. Tancos, Natalie M. West, Gregory S. Wheeler, Martin M. Williams, Julie Wolf, Carissa L. Wonkka, Alice A. Wright, Jing Xi, Lew H. Ziska
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- Journal:
- Weed Science / Volume 71 / Issue 4 / July 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 16 August 2023, pp. 312-327
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) has been a leader in weed science research covering topics ranging from the development and use of integrated weed management (IWM) tactics to basic mechanistic studies, including biotic resistance of desirable plant communities and herbicide resistance. ARS weed scientists have worked in agricultural and natural ecosystems, including agronomic and horticultural crops, pastures, forests, wild lands, aquatic habitats, wetlands, and riparian areas. Through strong partnerships with academia, state agencies, private industry, and numerous federal programs, ARS weed scientists have made contributions to discoveries in the newest fields of robotics and genetics, as well as the traditional and fundamental subjects of weed–crop competition and physiology and integration of weed control tactics and practices. Weed science at ARS is often overshadowed by other research topics; thus, few are aware of the long history of ARS weed science and its important contributions. This review is the result of a symposium held at the Weed Science Society of America’s 62nd Annual Meeting in 2022 that included 10 separate presentations in a virtual Weed Science Webinar Series. The overarching themes of management tactics (IWM, biological control, and automation), basic mechanisms (competition, invasive plant genetics, and herbicide resistance), and ecosystem impacts (invasive plant spread, climate change, conservation, and restoration) represent core ARS weed science research that is dynamic and efficacious and has been a significant component of the agency’s national and international efforts. This review highlights current studies and future directions that exemplify the science and collaborative relationships both within and outside ARS. Given the constraints of weeds and invasive plants on all aspects of food, feed, and fiber systems, there is an acknowledged need to face new challenges, including agriculture and natural resources sustainability, economic resilience and reliability, and societal health and well-being.
The Southern-sky MWA Rapid Two-metre (SMART) pulsar survey—II. Survey status, pulsar census, and first pulsar discoveries – ADDENDUM
- N. D. R. Bhat, N. A. Swainston, S. J. McSweeney, M. Xue, B.W. Meyers, S. Kudale, S. Dai, S. E. Tremblay, W. van Straten, R. M. Shannon, K. R. Smith, M. Sokolowski, S. M. Ord, G. Sleap, A. Williams, P. J. Hancock, R. Lange, J. Tocknell, M. Johnston-Hollitt, D. L. Kaplan, S. J. Tingay, M. Walker
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- Journal:
- Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia / Volume 40 / 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 18 July 2023, e031
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A longitudinal comparison of emotional, behavioral and attention problems in autistic and typically developing children
- N. Wright, V. Courchesne, A. Pickles, R. Bedford, E. Duku, C. M. Kerns, T. Bennett, S. Georgiades, J. Hill, A. Richard, H. Sharp, I. M. Smith, T. Vaillancourt, A. Zaidman-Zait, L. Zwaigenbaum, P. Szatmari, M. Elsabbagh, Pathways Team
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 53 / Issue 16 / December 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 29 June 2023, pp. 7707-7719
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Background
Mental health problems are elevated in autistic individuals but there is limited evidence on the developmental course of problems across childhood. We compare the level and growth of anxious-depressed, behavioral and attention problems in an autistic and typically developing (TD) cohort.
MethodsLatent growth curve models were applied to repeated parent-report Child Behavior Checklist data from age 2–10 years in an inception cohort of autistic children (Pathways, N = 397; 84% boys) and a general population TD cohort (Wirral Child Health and Development Study; WCHADS; N = 884, 49% boys). Percentile plots were generated to quantify the differences between autistic and TD children.
ResultsAutistic children showed elevated levels of mental health problems, but this was substantially reduced by accounting for IQ and sex differences between the autistic and TD samples. There was small differences in growth patterns; anxious-depressed problems were particularly elevated at preschool and attention problems at late childhood. Higher family income predicted lower base-level on all three dimensions, but steeper increase of anxious-depressed problems. Higher IQ predicted lower level of attention problems and faster decline over childhood. Female sex predicted higher level of anxious-depressed and faster decline in behavioral problems. Social-affect autism symptom severity predicted elevated level of attention problems. Autistic girls' problems were particularly elevated relative to their same-sex non-autistic peers.
ConclusionsAutistic children, and especially girls, show elevated mental health problems compared to TD children and there are some differences in predictors. Assessment of mental health should be integrated into clinical practice for autistic children.
WALLABY pilot survey: The diversity of HI structural parameters in nearby galaxies
- T. N. Reynolds, B. Catinella, L. Cortese, N. Deg, H. Dénes, A. Elagali, B.-Q. For, P. Kamphuis, D. Kleiner, B. S. Koribalski, K. Lee-Waddell, C. Murugeshan, W. Raja, J. Rhee, K. Spekkens, L. Staveley-Smith, J. M. van der Hulst, J. Wang, T. Westmeier, O. I. Wong, F. Bigiel, A. Bosma, B. W. Holwerda, D. A. Leahy, M. J. Meyer
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- Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia / Volume 40 / 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 08 June 2023, e032
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We investigate the diversity in the sizes and average surface densities of the neutral atomic hydrogen (H i) gas discs in $\sim$280 nearby galaxies detected by the Widefield ASKAP L-band Legacy All-sky Blind Survey (WALLABY). We combine the uniformly observed, interferometric H i data from pilot observations of the Hydra cluster and NGC 4636 group fields with photometry measured from ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared imaging surveys to investigate the interplay between stellar structure, star formation, and H i structural parameters. We quantify the H i structure by the size of the H i relative to the optical disc and the average H i surface density measured using effective and isodensity radii. For galaxies resolved by $>$$1.3$ beams, we find that galaxies with higher stellar masses and stellar surface densities tend to have less extended H i discs and lower H i surface densities: the isodensity H i structural parameters show a weak negative dependence on stellar mass and stellar mass surface density. These trends strengthen when we limit our sample to galaxies resolved by $>$2 beams. We find that galaxies with higher H i surface densities and more extended H i discs tend to be more star forming: the isodensity H i structural parameters have stronger correlations with star formation. Normalising the H i disc size by the optical effective radius (instead of the isophotal radius) produces positive correlations with stellar masses and stellar surface densities and removes the correlations with star formation. This is due to the effective and isodensity H i radii increasing with mass at similar rates while, in the optical, the effective radius increases slower than the isophotal radius. Our results are in qualitative agreement with previous studies and demonstrate that with WALLABY we can begin to bridge the gap between small galaxy samples with high spatial resolution H i data and large, statistical studies using spatially unresolved, single-dish data.
The Southern-sky MWA Rapid Two-metre (SMART) pulsar survey—II. Survey status, pulsar census, and first pulsar discoveries
- N. D. R. Bhat, N. A. Swainston, S. J. McSweeney, M. Xue, B.W. Meyers, S. Kudale, S. Dai, S. E. Tremblay, W. van Straten, R. M. Shannon, K. R. Smith, M. Sokolowski, S. M. Ord, G. Sleap, A. Williams, P. J. Hancock, R. Lange, J. Tocknell, M. Johnston-Hollitt, D. L. Kaplan, S. J. Tingay, M. Walker
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- Journal:
- Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia / Volume 40 / 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 11 April 2023, e020
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In Paper I, we presented an overview of the Southern-sky MWA Rapid Two-metre (SMART) survey, including the survey design and search pipeline. While the combination of MWA’s large field-of-view and the voltage capture system brings a survey speed of ${\sim} 450\, {\textrm{deg}}^{2}\,\textrm{h}^{-1}$, the progression of the survey relies on the availability of compact configuration of the Phase II array. Over the past few years, by taking advantage of multiple windows of opportunity when the compact configuration was available, we have advanced the survey to 75% of the planned sky coverage. To date, about 10% of the data collected thus far have been processed for a first-pass search, where 10 min of observation is processed for dispersion measures out to 250 ${\textrm{pc cm}}^{-3}$, to realise a shallow survey that is largely sensitive to long-period pulsars. The ongoing analysis has led to two new pulsar discoveries, as well as an independent discovery and a rediscovery of a previously incorrectly characterised pulsar, all from ${\sim} 3\% $ of the data for which candidate scrutiny is completed. In this sequel to Paper I, we describe the strategies for further detailed follow-up including improved sky localisation and convergence to timing solution, and illustrate them using example pulsar discoveries. The processing has also led to re-detection of 120 pulsars in the SMART observing band, bringing the total number of pulsars detected to date with the MWA to 180, and these are used to assess the search sensitivity of current processing pipelines. The planned second-pass (deep survey) processing is expected to yield a three-fold increase in sensitivity for long-period pulsars, and a substantial improvement to millisecond pulsars by adopting optimal de-dispersion plans. The SMART survey will complement the highly successful Parkes High Time Resolution Universe survey at 1.2–1.5 GHz, and inform future large survey efforts such as those planned with the low-frequency Square Kilometre Array (SKA-Low).
The Southern-sky MWA Rapid Two-metre (SMART) pulsar survey—I. Survey design and processing pipeline
- N. D. R. Bhat, N. A. Swainston, S. J. McSweeney, M. Xue, B.W. Meyers, S. Kudale, S. Dai, S. E. Tremblay, W. van Straten, R. M. Shannon, K. R. Smith, M. Sokolowski, S. M. Ord, G. Sleap, A. Williams, P. J. Hancock, R. Lange, J. Tocknell, M. Johnston-Hollitt, D. L. Kaplan, S. J. Tingay, M. Walker
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- Journal:
- Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia / Volume 40 / 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 05 April 2023, e021
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We present an overview of the Southern-sky MWA Rapid Two-metre (SMART) pulsar survey that exploits the Murchison Widefield Array’s large field of view and voltage-capture system to survey the sky south of 30$^{\circ}$ in declination for pulsars and fast transients in the 140–170 MHz band. The survey is enabled by the advent of the Phase II MWA’s compact configuration, which offers an enormous efficiency in beam-forming and processing costs, thereby making an all-sky survey of this magnitude tractable with the MWA. Even with the long dwell times employed for the survey (4800 s), data collection can be completed in $<$100 h of telescope time, while still retaining the ability to reach a limiting sensitivity of $\sim$2–3 mJy (at 150 MHz, near zenith), which is effectively 3–5 times deeper than the previous-generation low-frequency southern-sky pulsar survey, completed in the 1990s. Each observation is processed to generate $\sim$5000–8000 tied-array beams that tessellate the full $\sim 610\, {\textrm{deg}^{2}}$ field of view (at 155 MHz), which are then processed to search for pulsars. The voltage-capture recording of the survey also allows a multitude of post hoc processing options including the reprocessing of data for higher time resolution and even exploring image-based techniques for pulsar candidate identification. Due to the substantial computational cost in pulsar searches at low frequencies, the survey data processing is undertaken in multiple passes: in the first pass, a shallow survey is performed, where 10 min of each observation is processed, reaching about one-third of the full-search sensitivity. Here we present the system overview including details of ongoing processing and initial results. Further details including first pulsar discoveries and a census of low-frequency detections are presented in a companion paper. Future plans include deeper searches to reach the full sensitivity and acceleration searches to target binary and millisecond pulsars. Our simulation analysis forecasts $\sim$300 new pulsars upon the completion of full processing. The SMART survey will also generate a complete digital record of the low-frequency sky, which will serve as a valuable reference for future pulsar searches planned with the low-frequency Square Kilometre Array.