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61 Network Segregation Predicts Processing Speed in the Cognitively Healthy Oldest-old
- Sara A Nolin, Mary E Faulkner, Paul Stewart, Leland Fleming, Stacy Merritt, Roxanne F Rezaei, Pradyumna K Bharadwaj, Mary Kathryn Franchetti, Daniel A Raichlen, Courtney J Jessup, Lloyd Edwards, G Alex Hishaw, Emily J Van Etten, Theodore P Trouard, David S Geldmacher, Virginia G Wadley, Noam Alperin, Eric C Porges, Adam J Woods, Ronald A Cohen, Bonnie E Levin, Tatjana Rundek, Gene E Alexander, Kristina M Visscher
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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. 367-368
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Objective:
Understanding the factors contributing to optimal cognitive function throughout the aging process is essential to better understand successful cognitive aging. Processing speed is an age sensitive cognitive domain that usually declines early in the aging process; however, this cognitive skill is essential for other cognitive tasks and everyday functioning. Evaluating brain network interactions in cognitively healthy older adults can help us understand how brain characteristics variations affect cognitive functioning. Functional connections among groups of brain areas give insight into the brain’s organization, and the cognitive effects of aging may relate to this large-scale organization. To follow-up on our prior work, we sought to replicate our findings regarding network segregation’s relationship with processing speed. In order to address possible influences of node location or network membership we replicated the analysis across 4 different node sets.
Participants and Methods:Data were acquired as part of a multi-center study of 85+ cognitively normal individuals, the McKnight Brain Aging Registry (MBAR). For this analysis, we included 146 community-dwelling, cognitively unimpaired older adults, ages 85-99, who had undergone structural and BOLD resting state MRI scans and a battery of neuropsychological tests. Exploratory factor analysis identified the processing speed factor of interest. We preprocessed BOLD scans using fmriprep, Ciftify, and XCPEngine algorithms. We used 4 different sets of connectivity-based parcellation: 1)MBAR data used to define nodes and Power (2011) atlas used to determine node network membership, 2) Younger adults data used to define nodes (Chan 2014) and Power (2011) atlas used to determine node network membership, 3) Older adults data from a different study (Han 2018) used to define nodes and Power (2011) atlas used to determine node network membership, and 4) MBAR data used to define nodes and MBAR data based community detection used to determine node network membership.
Segregation (balance of within-network and between-network connections) was measured within the association system and three wellcharacterized networks: Default Mode Network (DMN), Cingulo-Opercular Network (CON), and Fronto-Parietal Network (FPN). Correlation between processing speed and association system and networks was performed for all 4 node sets.
Results:We replicated prior work and found the segregation of both the cortical association system, the segregation of FPN and DMN had a consistent relationship with processing speed across all node sets (association system range of correlations: r=.294 to .342, FPN: r=.254 to .272, DMN: r=.263 to .273). Additionally, compared to parcellations created with older adults, the parcellation created based on younger individuals showed attenuated and less robust findings as those with older adults (association system r=.263, FPN r=.255, DMN r=.263).
Conclusions:This study shows that network segregation of the oldest-old brain is closely linked with processing speed and this relationship is replicable across different node sets created with varied datasets. This work adds to the growing body of knowledge about age-related dedifferentiation by demonstrating replicability and consistency of the finding that as essential cognitive skill, processing speed, is associated with differentiated functional networks even in very old individuals experiencing successful cognitive aging.
Semantic 3D city interfaces—Intelligent interactions on dynamic geospatial knowledge graphs
- Arkadiusz Chadzynski, Shiying Li, Ayda Grišiūtė, Jefferson Chua, Markus Hofmeister, Jingya Yan, Huay Yi Tai, Emily Lloyd, Yi Kai Tsai, Mehal Agarwal, Jethro Akroyd, Pieter Herthogs, Markus Kraft
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- Journal:
- Data-Centric Engineering / Volume 4 / 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 06 September 2023, e20
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This article presents a system architecture and a set of interfaces that can build scalable information systems capable of large city modeling based on dynamic geospatial knowledge graphs to avoid pitfalls of Web 2.0 applications while blending artificial and human intelligence during the knowledge enhancement processes. We designed and developed a GeoSpatial Processor, an SQL2SPARQL Transformer, and a geospatial tiles ordering tasks and integrated them into a City Export Agent to visualize and interact with city models on an augmented 3D web client. We designed a Thematic Surface Discovery Agent to automatically upgrade the model’s level of detail to interact with thematic parts of city objects by other agents. We developed a City Information Agent to help retrieve contextual information, provide data concerning city regulations, and work with a City Energy Analyst Agent that automatically estimates the energy demands for city model members. We designed a Distance Agent to track the interactions with the model members on the web, calculate distances between objects of interest, and add new knowledge to the Cities Knowledge Graph. The logical foundations and CityGML-based conceptual schema used to describe cities in terms of the OntoCityGML ontology, together with the system of intelligent autonomous agents based on the J-Park Simulator Agent Framework, make such systems capable of assessing and maintaining ground truths with certainty. This new era of GeoWeb 2.5 systems lowers the risk of deliberate misinformation within geography web systems used for modeling critical infrastructures.
“Decolonising” the University of Edinburgh Medical School Psychiatry Curriculum
- Emily Nelson, Deborah Cooper, Pujit Gandhi, Heather King, Elizabeth Lloyd, Jamie Burrell, Anushka Pathak
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- Journal:
- BJPsych Open / Volume 8 / Issue S1 / June 2022
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 20 June 2022, p. S30
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Aims
The concept of “decolonisation” has gradually evolved within higher education, and can be defined as seeking to discern how historical systems of discrimination have shaped the networks around us, and how to adjust to the perspectives of those who have been oppressed and minoritised by these systems. Our aim was to assess what gaps there are in the Edinburgh Medical School psychiatry curriculum, in order that this might inform our next steps in “decolonising” the curriculum.
MethodsWe reviewed all the teaching materials used for teaching Year 5 Psychiatry at the University of Edinburgh (n = 101). We made a count of the number of people or cases in each resource and the diversity of examples used. We subsequently examined each resource to see if it touched on each of six key areas considered to be representative of a “decolonising” effort. These were the assignment of gender only where necessary, cultural/religious differences, historical context, health inequalities, the patient-doctor relationship and global topics.
ResultsOf the resources where each of the criteria were applicable, 18% only assigned gender where necessary or left gender neutral, 4.35% addressed cultural or religious differences, 5.8% discussed the historical context, 4.35% tackled health inequalities, 1.45% raised the doctor-patient relationship and none introduced global topics. Of all the resources that include a direct reference to a patient or case, only 5.41% were explicitly from a different ethnic group other than “white”.
ConclusionOur results show that all the key areas can be improved on. Addressing these issues has not been a focus for the curriculum before now and our next steps will be to approach each topic in turn and consider how the key areas can be introduced. We are assembling a focus group of psychiatrists and medical students and have designed a survey for students who have completed their psychiatry block.
With time, we hope to cultivate an attitude amongst students and teachers of psychiatry at Edinburgh University that boldly confronts the historical development of our subject, acknowledges those who have suffered for it, picks up on what may be missing or misrepresented, and encourages critical analysis of research. Our teaching materials should include examples which explore stereotypes and challenge prejudices. By broadening our repertoire, confronting the darker parts of our history, listening to those with quieter voices, and paying attention to lived experience, we can foster a culture of teaching and learning which is open, flexible and humble.
An innovative program to provide methodological mentoring and to foster the development of robust research teams for K awardees: RAMP Mentors
- Laura J. Rasmussen-Torvik, Lauren A. Daniels, Keith A. Herzog, Emily J. Traw, Michael F. Fleming, Richard M. Pope, Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, Leah J. Welty
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- Journal:
- Journal of Clinical and Translational Science / Volume 5 / Issue 1 / 2021
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 04 September 2020, e43
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Within the Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) component of the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, we created a mentoring program to complement training provided by the associated Multidisciplinary Career Development Program (KL2). Called Research design Analysis Methods Program (RAMP) Mentors, the program provides each KL2 scholar with individualized, hands-on mentoring in biostatistics, epidemiology, informatics, and related fields, with the goal of building multidisciplinary research teams. From 2015 to 2019, RAMP Mentors paired 8 KL2 scholars with 16 individually selected mentors. Mentors had funded/protected time to meet at least monthly with their scholar to provide advice and instruction on methods for ongoing research, including incorporating novel techniques. RAMP Mentors has been evaluated through focus groups and surveys. KL2 scholars reported high satisfaction with RAMP Mentors and confidence in their ability to establish and maintain methodologic collaborations. Compared with other Northwestern University K awardees, KL2 scholars reported higher confidence in obtaining research funding, including subsequent K or R awards, and selecting appropriate, up-to-date research methods. RAMP Mentors is a promising partnership between a BERD group and KL2 program, promoting methodologic education and building multidisciplinary research teams for junior investigators pursuing clinical and translational research.
STRUCTURED STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT LEADS TO DEVELOPMENT OF MORE DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE AGROFORESTRY OPTIONS
- EMILIE SMITH DUMONT, SUBIRA BONHOMME, TIMOTHY F. PAGELLA, FERGUS LLOYD SINCLAIR
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- Journal:
- Experimental Agriculture / Volume 55 / Issue S1 / June 2019
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 30 January 2017, pp. 252-274
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There is a lot of interest in the contribution that agroforestry can make to reverse land degradation and create resilient multifunctional landscapes that provide a range of socio-economic benefits. The agroforestry research agenda has been characterized by approaches that promote a few priority tree species, within a restricted set of technological packages. These have often not spread widely beyond project sites, because they fail to take account of fine scale variation in farmer circumstances. New methods are needed to generate diverse sets of agroforestry options that can reconcile production and conservation objectives and embrace varying local conditions across large scaling domains. Here, we document a novel approach that couples local knowledge acquisition with structured stakeholder engagement to build an inclusive way of designing agroforestry options. We applied this approach in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where armed conflict, erratic governance and poverty have resulted in severe pressure on forests in the Virunga National Park, a global biodiversity hotspot. Around the park, natural resources and land are severely degraded, whereas most reforestation interventions have consisted of exotic monocultures dominated by Eucalyptus species grown as energy or timber woodlots mainly by male farmers with sufficient land to allocate some exclusively to trees. We found that structured stakeholder engagement led to a quick identification of a much greater diversity of trees (more than 70 species) to be recommended for use within varied field, farm and landscape niches, serving the interests of a much greater diversity of people, including women and marginalized groups. The process also identified key interventions to improve the enabling environment required to scale up the adoption of agroforestry. These included improving access to quality tree planting material, capacity strengthening within the largely non-governmental extension system, and collective action to support value capture from agroforestry products, through processing and market interventions. Integrating local and global scientific knowledge, coupled with facilitating broad-based stakeholder participation, resulted in shifting from reliance on a few priority tree species to promoting tree diversity across the Virunga landscape that could underpin more productive and resilient livelihoods. The approach is relevant for scaling up agroforestry more generally.
Principal contributors
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- By Edward Copley, Anna Pierson, Richard Pierson, Michael Allan, Natish Bindal, Catriona Bentley, Hannah Church, Michael B Clarke, Lloyd Craker, Nicholas Crombie, Neil H Crooks, Hozefa Ebrahim, Ian Ewington, James Geoghegan, Au-Chyun Nicole Goh, Andrew G Haldane, Khalid Hasan, Max Simon Hodges, Eric Hodgson, Asim Iqbal, Paul Jeanrenaud, Emily Johnson, Deepak Joseph, Michael McAlindon, Craig McGrath, Randeep Mullhi, Rebecca Paris, Sachin Rastogi, Simon Smart, Insiya Susnerwalla, Alifia Tameem, Mark Tindall, Laura Tulloch
- Edited by Hozefa Ebrahim, Khalid Hasan, Mark Tindall, Michael Clarke, Natish Bindal
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- Book:
- Practice Single Best Answer Questions for the Final FRCA
- Published online:
- 05 November 2012
- Print publication:
- 11 October 2012, pp vi-vii
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