Prediction of cognitive performance differences in older age from multimodal neuroimaging data.

Differences in brain structure and functional and structural network architecture have been found to partly explain cognitive performance differences in older ages. Thus, they may serve as potential markers for these differences. Initial unimodal studies, however, have reported mixed prediction results of selective cognitive variables based on these brain features using machine learning (ML). Thus, the aim of the current study was to investigate the general validity of cognitive performance prediction from imaging data in healthy older adults. In particular, the focus was with examining whether (1) multimodal information, i.e., region-wise grey matter volume (GMV), resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC), and structural connectivity (SC) estimates, may improve predictability of cognitive targets, (2) predictability differences arise for global cognition and distinct cognitive profiles, and (3) results generalize across different ML approaches in 594 healthy older adults (age range: 55-85 years) from the 1000BRAINS study. Prediction potential was examined for each modality and all multimodal combinations, with and without confound (i.e., age, education, and sex) regression across different analytic options, i.e., variations in algorithms, feature sets, and multimodal approaches (i.e., concatenation vs. stacking). Results showed that prediction performance differed considerably between deconfounding strategies. In the absence of demographic confounder control, successful prediction of cognitive performance could be observed across analytic choices. Combination of different modalities tended to marginally improve predictability of cognitive performance compared to single modalities. Importantly, all previously described effects vanished in the strict confounder control condition. Despite a small trend for a multimodal benefit, developing a biomarker for cognitive aging remains challenging.

Taking stock of an idiom's background assumptions: an alternative relevance theoretic account.

This paper begins by presenting the theoretical background of, and the accompanying psycholinguistic findings on, idiom processing. The paper then widens its lens by comparing the idiom processing literature to that of metaphor and irony. We do so partly to better understand the idiom superiority effect, according to which idiomatic sentences (unlike metaphoric and ironic ones) are generally processed faster than their literal controls; part of our motivation is to reconcile the differences between idiom processing, on the one hand, and metaphor and irony processing on the other. This ultimately leads us to Relevance Theory (RT), which has provided original insights into the processing of figurative language generally, but especially with respect to metaphor and irony. RT has paid less attention to idiomatic expressions (such as break the ice, fan the flames, or spill the beans), where one finds a single RT account that likens idioms to conventional metaphors. Through our overview, we ultimately arrive at an alternative RT account of idioms: We argue that idioms include a procedural meaning that takes into account relevant presuppositional information. For example, an idiomatic string such as break the ice not only asserts initiate social contact, it prompts the recovery of background assumptions such as there exists a social distance that calls for relief. This leads us (a) to apply linguistic-intuition tests of our presuppositional hypothesis, and; (b) to describe the paradigm and results from a pilot experiment. Both provide support for our claims. In doing so, we provide an original explanation for the idiom superiority effect.

Some Learning Theories for Medical Educators.

Perspectives on the nature of learning influence decisions about curriculum design, teaching and learning strategies, and assessment of students. Current literature on medical education suggests that medical teachers have much interest in using theories to inform their practice. This article describes the following learning theories that have been discussed to various degrees in previous literature on medical education: cognitivism, constructivism, experiential learning, adult learning, self-directed learning, community of practice and situated learning, cognitive apprenticeship, and reflective learning. Each theory is explained in sufficient detail to help readers grasp its essence. Then, medical education literature is cited to show how the theory has been used or can be used to guide practice in medical education. Finally, this article analyzes the problem-based learning approach as an example to illustrate how the theories may be reflected in practice. Throughout the introduction of the various theories, this article aims at their application in medical education and attempts to draw connections among the theories rather than represent them as unrelated or competing ideas.

Multi-Component Physical Activity Interventions in the UK Must Consider Determinants of Activity to Increase Effectiveness.

Interventions to increase physical activity in children have adopted broad approaches and achieved varying success. There is a need to adopt approaches underpinned with a theoretical basis. Accordingly, the aim here was to implement and evaluate a 12-week intervention designed using the concepts of the COM-B model to determine the effect this has on physical activity levels. One hundred and forty-seven school-age children (mean age 8.9 ± 1.3 years) took part in a 12-week program delivered in a school setting. Topics included physical activity, healthy eating, sleep quality and reducing screen time/sedentary activities when not in school. A sample of participants wore a wrist-worn accelerometer for seven days pre-and post-intervention (N = 11). The physical activity frequency was unchanged (2.9 ± 1.0 AU) when compared with post-intervention values (3.1 ± 0.8 AU, mean increase 6.8 ± 3.7%, p > 0.05). Changes were observed in the daily consumption of fruit and vegetables (pre-intervention 44.6% vs. post-intervention 60.2%, p < 0.05). Sedentary time, light activity, moderate activity and vigorous activity were unchanged post-intervention (p > 0.05). There is a need to adopt a broader approach that incorporates a theoretical basis and considers the complex ways by which physical activity behaviours are influenced.

Theoretical Matters: On the Need for Hazard and Disaster Theory Developed Through Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration.

Hazard and disaster research requires a willingness to step outside of traditional disciplinary ontological and epistemological assumptions to both accommodate and integrate different perspectives. Moreover, the complex qualities of hazards and disasters necessitate interdisciplinary approaches to inform theory development that encompasses environmental, human, and infrastructure systems at multiple scales and units of analysis. Unfortunately, truly integrative hazard and disaster theory at a scale broad enough to account for the many systems and processes involved is currently limited. In this article, we argue that robust hazard and disaster theory can only arise from interdisciplinary research and collaboration. We examine challenges to the development of interdisciplinary hazard and disaster theory, and discuss the characteristics of theory necessary for the goal-oriented nature of research aimed at reducing disaster impact.

Anticorrosion effect of a green sustainable inhibitor on mild steel in hydrochloric acid.

Green inhibitors are an important way to decrease the corrosion rate of different industrial metals. The present work shows the corrosion behavior of the mild steel medium (MS) in hydrochloric acid 1 M by the aqueous extract of Artemisia Herba Alba (AHA), which is an green sustainable inhibitor to reduce its corrosive action by exploiting a variety of techniques and methods namely: Weight loss, electrochemical techniques [electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization (PDP], SEM-EDX, XPS and theoretical calculations for the majority molecule. Hydrodistillation is the extraction method that has been used to prepare the aqueous extracts. Otherwise, phytochemical screening characterization of different parts of the plant was applied to show the proportions of chemical compounds that exist in the plants. The highest inhibition efficiency obtained is 92% for 0.4 g/L of AHA aqueous extract in 1 M HCl at 303 K. PDP study confirmed that the AHA extract is of mixed-kind inhibitor. A CPE, Q determined by fit and graphical methods plotted by synthetic data, was utilized. To characterize the mild steel surface, scanning electron microscopy was also used; SEM/EDX allowed the investigation of the AHA effect on the surface of mild steel specimens. To comprehend the adsorption mechanism of AHA extract for MS in the 1 M HCl, XPS technique was accomplished. Theoretical approaches based on chemical quantum calculations and molecular dynamics simulation clearly explains the mode of adsorption of the majority molecule on the iron surface.

Altered topological organization of functional brain networks in drug-naive patients with paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia.

BACKGROUND: Previous neuroimaging studies have revealed aberrant basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuit in patients with paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD) with drug treatment. This study aims to investigate the topological organization of functional networks in drug-naive PKD. METHODS: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) was performed in 24 drug-naive PKD patients and 24 age, gender and mean framewise displacement (FD)-matched healthy controls (HCs). The network topological properties (including global and nodal measures) were analyzed between two groups by using graph-based theoretical approaches. Pearson's correlation analysis was performed between significant metrics and duration of disease and the age of onset of patients with PKD. RESULTS: Compare to HCs, the drug-naïve PKD patients showed increased nodal centralities mainly in left precentral gyrus, basal ganglia and limbic regions and decreased nodal centralities in the temporal pole. Our results showed that drug-naïve PKD patients presented the small-world topology and at the global level no significant differences were found between PKD and HCs. In the correlation analysis, the increased nodal efficiency in the left pallidum was positively correlated with the onset of age. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings supported the previous observation of the disruptive cortical-basal ganglia circuitry in PKD patients, but difference in that the prominent change of precentral area and temporal pole were also observed in our study when the potential impact of drug was excluded. These findings may provide a novel insight into further delineation of the pathophysiological genesis and possible target for PKD.

EcoHealth and One Health: A theory-focused review in response to calls for convergence.

BACKGROUND: EcoHealth and One Health are two major approaches broadly aimed at understanding the links between human, animal, and environment health. There have been increasing calls for convergence between the two. If convergence is desired, greater clarity regarding the underlying theoretical assumptions of both approaches is required. This would also support integrated research to effectively address complex health issues at the human, animal and environment interface. To better understand the areas of overlap and alignment, we systematically compared and contrasted the theoretical assumptions of both approaches. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to gain a more in-depth understanding of the ontological, epistemological and methodological underpinnings of EcoHealth and One Health in order to identify areas of difference and overlap, and consider the extent to which closer convergence between the two may be possible. METHODS: We undertook a scoping review of literature about the ontological, epistemological and methodological positions of EcoHealth and One Health, and analyzed these according to Lincoln, Lynham and Guba's paradigm framework. RESULTS: EcoHealth and One Health are both collaborative, systems-focused approaches at the human, animal, and ecosystem health interface. EcoHealth typically leans towards constructivist-leaning assumptions. Many consider this a necessary aspiration for One Health. However, in practice One Health remains dominated by the veterinary and medical disciplines that emphasize positivist-leaning assumptions. DISCUSSION: The aspirations of EcoHealth and One Health appear to overlap at the conceptual level, and may well warrant closer convergence. However, further shared discussions about their epistemological and ontological assumptions are needed to reconcile important theoretical differences, and to better guide scopes of practice. Critical realism may be a crucial theoretical meeting point. Systems thinking methods (with critical realist underpinnings), such as system dynamics modelling, are potentially useful methodologies for supporting convergent practice.

Physically Sufficient Neural Mechanisms of Consciousness.

Neural correlates of consciousness (for brevity NCC) are foundational to the scientific study of consciousness. Chalmers (2000) has provided the most informative and influential definition of NCC, according to which neural correlates are minimally sufficient for consciousness. However, the sense of sufficiency needs further clarification since there are several relevant senses with different entailments. In section one of this article, we give an overview of the desiderata for a good definition of NCC and Chalmers's definition. The second section analyses the merit of understanding the sufficiency of neural correlates for corresponding consciousness according to three relevant types of sufficiency: logical, metaphysical, and physical. In section three, a theoretical approach to consciousness studies is suggested in light of the sense in which NCC are sufficient for consciousness. Section four addresses a concern some might have about this approach. By the end, it will become apparent that our conception of NCC has important implications for research methodology, neuroethics, and the vitality of the search for NCC.

The Conceptualization of Mental Health Service Quality Assessment: Consumer Perspective.

This review synthesises theoretical approaches and methodological considerations in mental health service quality assessment from consumers-perspective. We searched published articles from databases: EMBASE, MEDLINE, CIHNAL, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO. Of the 30 included papers, 16 contained instruments used to mental health quality assessment and 14 focused on theoretical constructs. The review finds that mental health quality assessment is explained and measured using constructs that focus on structure, process and outcome. The methodological issues that need critical consideration are the context and cultural norms of services, outcome perspectives, evaluator, sources of information as well as the selection of consumers and instruments. The review recommends that researchers and clinicians should consider the theoretical constructs and methodological issues in mental health quality assessment.

Reduced hemispheric asymmetry of brain anatomical networks in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Despite many studies reporting a variety of alterations in brain networks in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), alterations in hemispheric anatomical networks are still unclear. In this study, we investigated topology alterations in hemispheric white matter in patients with ADHD and the relationship between these alterations and clinical features of the illness. Weighted hemispheric brain anatomical networks were first constructed for each of 40 right-handed patients with ADHD and 53 matched normal controls. Then, graph theoretical approaches were utilized to compute hemispheric topological properties. The small-world property was preserved in the hemispheric network. Furthermore, a significant group-by-hemisphere interaction was revealed in global efficiency, local efficiency and characteristic path length, attributed to the significantly reduced hemispheric asymmetry of global and local integration in patients with ADHD compared with normal controls. Specifically, reduced asymmetric regional efficiency was found in three regions. Finally, we found that the abnormal asymmetry of hemispheric brain anatomical network topology and regional efficiency were both associated with clinical features (the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale) in patients. Our findings provide new insights into the lateralized nature of hemispheric dysconnectivity and highlight the potential for using brain network measures of hemispheric asymmetry as neural biomarkers for ADHD and its clinical features.

Osteobiography: A Platform for Bioarchaeological Research.

Osteobiography provides a rich basis for understanding the past, but its conceptual framework has not been outlined systematically. It stands in conceptual opposition to a traditional statistical approach to bioarchaeology modeled upon clinical studies in biomedicine, but is interdependent with it. As such, its position mirrors those of clinical case histories as opposed to statistical studies, participant-observation ethnography as opposed to quantitative sociology, and microhistory and biography as opposed to quantitative history. Such disciplinary comparisons provide a framework for exploring the strengths and weaknesses of osteobiography. It is not merely a tool for engagingly illustrating the "typical" life history as established statistically. Rather, it allows us to understand issues that population studies cannot explore. These include both analytical directions (exploring the complexity of deeply layered data, understanding the role of contingency in human lives, integrating osteological and cultural evidence) and philosophical directions (the interaction of material and conceptual factors in the creation of human bodies, embodiment, the experience of time).

Teoría de las representaciones sociales. Una aproximación al estado del arte en América Latina / Approach towards a state of the art on theory of social representations in Latin America

Resumen Objetivo: Realizar una aproximación al estado del arte de las investigaciones en representaciones sociales en América Latina. Método: Investigación de tipo documental que consideró las siguientes fases: preoperatoria, heurística y hermenéutica. La información, correspondiente a 172 artículos de investigación empírica y 102 artículos de naturaleza teórica, fue clasificada mediante la construcción de bases de datos y matrices en la Hoja de Cálculo Excel. Resultados: Los trabajos de investigación más relevantes han sido desarrollados en países como Brasil, México, Venezuela y Argentina, los cuales están principalmente orientados por el enfoque procesual y se enfocan principalmente en áreas temáticas como salud, género, problemáticas sociales, educación, política y cultura. Conclusiones: En América Latina se han realizado aportes significativos en el campo de la Teoría de las Representaciones Sociales como enfoque investigativo de las Ciencias Sociales y Humanas. Con un predo minio del enfoque procesual, los estudios se orientan hacia la comprensión y transformación de la realidad social.

Abstract Objective: this review paper aims to submit an approach towards a state of the art on social representa tions in Latin America. It shows an overview in relation with the Theory of Social Representations' contri bution as a research topic of Social Human Sciences. Method: This research was conducted through a documentary review, classified by the creation of databases and matrices in the Worksheet Excel, as follows: 172 empirical research articles and 102 theoretical articles: considering the following phases: preoperative, heuristic and hermeneutic. Results: The most relevant research projects mainly oriented by the approach process and focus on fields such as health, gender, social problems, education, politics and culture, have been developed in countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela and Argentina. Conclusions: In Latin America, the Theory of Social Representations as a research approach has made signif icant contributions in Social and Human Sciences field. Toward the understanding and transformation of social reality, the studies are conducted suggesting a predominance of the processual approach.

Theoretical models to predict the inhibitory effect of ligands of sphingosine kinase 1 using QTAIM calculations and hydrogen bond dynamic propensity analysis.

We report here the results of two theoretical models to predict the inhibitory effect of inhibitors of sphingosine kinase 1 that stand on different computational basis. The active site of SphK1 is a complex system and the ligands under the study possess a significant conformational flexibility; therefore for our study we performed extended simulations and proper clusterization process. The two theoretical approaches used here, hydrogen bond dynamics propensity analysis and Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) calculations, exhibit excellent correlations with the experimental data. In the case of the hydrogen bond dynamics propensity analysis, it is remarkable that a rather simple methodology with low computational requirements yields results in excellent accord with experimental data. In turn QTAIM calculations are much more computational demanding and are also more complex and tedious for data analysis than the hydrogen bond dynamic propensity analysis. However, this greater computational effort is justified because the QTAIM study, in addition to giving an excellent correlation with the experimental data, also gives us valuable information about which parts or functional groups of the different ligands are those that should be replaced in order to improve the interactions and thereby to increase the affinity for SphK1. Our results indicate that both approaches can be very useful in order to predict the inhibiting effect of new compounds before they are synthesized.

Revealing the Origins of Mechanically Induced Fluorescence Changes in Organic Molecular Crystals.

Mechanofluorochromic molecular materials display a change in fluorescence color through mechanical stress. Complex structure-property relationships in both the crystalline and amorphous phases of these materials govern both the presence and strength of this behavior, which is usually deemed the result of a mechanically induced phase transition. However, the precise nature of the emitting species in each phase is often a matter of speculation, resulting from experimental data that are difficult to interpret, and a lack of an acceptable theoretical model capable of capturing complex environmental effects. With a combined strategy using sophisticated experimental techniques and a new theoretical approach, here the varied mechanofluorochromic behavior of a series of difluoroboron diketonates is shown to be driven by the formation of low-energy exciton traps in the amorphous phase, with a limited number of traps giving rise to the full change in fluorescence color. The results highlight intrinsic structural links between crystalline and amorphous phases, and how these may be exploited for further development of powerful mechanofluorochromic assemblies, in line with modern crystal engineering approaches.

Anxiety and depression: toward overlapping and distinctive features.

This Special Issue of Cognition and Emotion addresses one of the cardinal concerns of affective science, which is overlapping and distinctive features of anxiety and depression. A central finding in the study of anxiety and depression is that they are moderately highly correlated with each other. This leads us to the question: What is behind this co-occurrence? Possible explanations relate to poor discriminant validity of measures; both emotional states are associated with negative affect; stressful life events; impaired cognitive processes; they share a common biological/genetic diathesis. However, despite a set of common (nonspecific) features, anxiety and depression are clearly not identical emotional states. Differences between them might be best viewed, for example, through their heterogeneous and multi-layered nature, adaptive functions and relations with regulatory processes, positive affect, and motivation or complex cognitive processes. In this introduction we consider several approaches (e.g. functional approach; tripartite model and content-specificity hypothesis) to which most research in this Special Issue is relevant. In addition, we have asked contributors to this Special Issue to indicate how their own studies on comparisons between anxiety and depression and models on anxiety and depression move this area of research to more mature science with applicability.

Single cell proteomics in biomedicine: High-dimensional data acquisition, visualization, and analysis.

New insights on cellular heterogeneity in the last decade provoke the development of a variety of single cell omics tools at a lightning pace. The resultant high-dimensional single cell data generated by these tools require new theoretical approaches and analytical algorithms for effective visualization and interpretation. In this review, we briefly survey the state-of-the-art single cell proteomic tools with a particular focus on data acquisition and quantification, followed by an elaboration of a number of statistical and computational approaches developed to date for dissecting the high-dimensional single cell data. The underlying assumptions, unique features, and limitations of the analytical methods with the designated biological questions they seek to answer will be discussed. Particular attention will be given to those information theoretical approaches that are anchored in a set of first principles of physics and can yield detailed (and often surprising) predictions.