Prevalence of cerebral amyloid pathology in persons without dementia: a meta-analysis.

IMPORTANCE: Cerebral amyloid-β aggregation is an early pathological event in Alzheimer disease (AD), starting decades before dementia onset. Estimates of the prevalence of amyloid pathology in persons without dementia are needed to understand the development of AD and to design prevention studies. OBJECTIVE: To use individual participant data meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of amyloid pathology as measured with biomarkers in participants with normal cognition, subjective cognitive impairment (SCI), or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). DATA SOURCES: Relevant biomarker studies identified by searching studies published before April 2015 using the MEDLINE and Web of Science databases and through personal communication with investigators. STUDY SELECTION: Studies were included if they provided individual participant data for participants without dementia and used an a priori defined cutoff for amyloid positivity. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Individual records were provided for 2914 participants with normal cognition, 697 with SCI, and 3972 with MCI aged 18 to 100 years from 55 studies. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Prevalence of amyloid pathology on positron emission tomography or in cerebrospinal fluid according to AD risk factors (age, apolipoprotein E [APOE] genotype, sex, and education) estimated by generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: The prevalence of amyloid pathology increased from age 50 to 90 years from 10% (95% CI, 8%-13%) to 44% (95% CI, 37%-51%) among participants with normal cognition; from 12% (95% CI, 8%-18%) to 43% (95% CI, 32%-55%) among patients with SCI; and from 27% (95% CI, 23%-32%) to 71% (95% CI, 66%-76%) among patients with MCI. APOE-ε4 carriers had 2 to 3 times higher prevalence estimates than noncarriers. The age at which 15% of the participants with normal cognition were amyloid positive was approximately 40 years for APOE ε4ε4 carriers, 50 years for ε2ε4 carriers, 55 years for ε3ε4 carriers, 65 years for ε3ε3 carriers, and 95 years for ε2ε3 carriers. Amyloid positivity was more common in highly educated participants but not associated with sex or biomarker modality. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among persons without dementia, the prevalence of cerebral amyloid pathology as determined by positron emission tomography or cerebrospinal fluid findings was associated with age, APOE genotype, and presence of cognitive impairment. These findings suggest a 20- to 30-year interval between first development of amyloid positivity and onset of dementia.

Lack of support for the association between facial shape and aggression: a reappraisal based on a worldwide population genetics perspective

Antisocial and criminal behaviors are multifactorial traits whose interpretation relies on multiple disciplines. Since these interpretations may have social, moral and legal implications, a constant review of the evidence is necessary before any scientific claim is considered as truth. A recent study proposed that men with wider faces relative to facial height (fWHR) are more likely to develop unethical behaviour mediated by a psychological sense of power. This research was based on reports suggesting that sexual dimorphism and selection would be responsible for a correlation between fWHR and aggression. Here we show that 4,960 individuals from 94 modern human populations belonging to a vast array of genetic and cultural contexts do not display significant amounts of fWHR sexual dimorphism. Further analyses using populations with associated ethnographical records as well as samples of male prisoners of the Mexico City Federal Penitentiary condemned by crimes of variable level of inter-personal aggression (homicide, robbery, and minor faults) did not show significant evidence, suggesting that populations/individuals with higher levels of bellicosity, aggressive behaviour, or power-mediated behaviour display greater fWHR. Finally, a regression analysis of fWHR on individual"s fitness showed no significant correlation between this facial trait and reproductive success. Overall, our results suggest that facial attributes are poor predictors of aggressive behaviour, or at least, that sexual selection was weak enough to leave a signal on patterns of between- and within-sex and population facial variation.

The synchronization of personal information between mobile devices and online services by using SyncML

Monet henkilökohtaiset mobiililaitteet tarjoavat mahdollisuuden tallentaa henkilötietoja ja mahdollisuuden lyhyen kantaman radiotekniikoiden hyödyntämiseen. Vastaavasti henkilötietoja käyttävien tai vaativien verkkopalveluiden määrä on kasvussa. Mobiililaitteisiin tallennetut henkilötiedot tarjoavat potentiaalisen keinon välttää samojen henkilötietojen toistuva käsinsyöttö erilaisiin verkkopalveluihin ja keskitettyyn ajantasallapitoon. Tässä työssä käydään läpi ratkaisumalli henkilökohtaisen mobiililaitteen ja verkkopalveluiden välillä tapahtuvaan henkilötietojen siirtoon ja synkronointiin. Malli pohjautuu selainlaajennukseen, joka voi pyytää sekä selaimessa auki olevalta verkkopalvelun sivulta että mobiililta päätelaitteelta senhetkiset henkilötiedot ja synkronoida ne. Jo olemassaolevia henkilötietojen hallintaa helpottavia ratkaisuja käydään läpi arvioiden käyttökelpoisuutta tämänkaltaisiin tarpeisiin. Ratkaisumallin kannalta olennaiset tekniikat ja standardit, erityisesti Bluetooth ja SyncML, esitellään. Ratkaisumallin arkkitehtuuri käydään korkealla tasolla läpi ja esitellään toteutuksen yksityiskohtia. Tuloksena on periaatteeltaan kelvollinen henkilökohtaisten tietojen synkronointijärjestelmä, jonka toteutusta nykyisten mobiilien päätelaitteiden toiminnallisuus jossain määrin hankaloittaa.

Edad, vulnerabilidad económica y Estado de bienestar. La protección social contra la pobreza de niños y personal mayores

Los riesgos de pobreza se distribuyen de manera desigual en el ciclo vital. En este artículo ofrecemos datos empíricos sobre esta distribución y analizamos el impacto de las transferencias públicas sobre el riesgo de pobreza en dos etapas que tradicionalmente han concentrado situaciones de mayor precariedad: la infancia y la vejez. Se constata que en los últimos años la pobreza infantil ha aumentado significativamente en Europa y ha disminuido el efecto reductor que las rentas públicas ejercen sobre este tipo de pobreza, al tiempo que la situación de las personas mayores ha mejorado. En el último apartado se examinan los componentes de la protección social que influyen sobre el riesgo de pobreza infantil en nuestro país y se contrastan los posibles efectos de iniciativas para combatirla.

Controlling Access to Personal Information

Tässä diplomityössä käsitellään henkilökohtaisen tiedon saannin kontrollointia ja tiedon kuvaamista. Työn käytännön osuudessa suunniteltiin XML –malli henkilökohtaisen tiedon kuvaamiseen. Henkilökohtaisten tietojen käyttäminen mahdollistaa henkilökohtaisen palvelun tarjoamisen ja myös palvelun automatisoinnin käyttäjälle. Henkilökohtaisen tiedon kuvaaminen on hyvin oleellista, jotta palvelut voivat kysellä ja ymmärtää tietoja. Henkilökohtaiseen tietoon vaikuttaa erilaisia tekijöitä, jotka on myös otettava huomioon tietoa kuvattaessa. Henkilökohtaisen tiedon leviäminen eri palveluiden tarjoajille tuo mukanaan myös riskejä. Henkilökohtaisen tiedon joutuminen väärän henkilön käsiin saattaa aiheuttaa vakaviakin ongelmia tiedon omistajalle. Henkilökohtaisen tiedon turvallisen ja luotettavan käytettävyyden kannalta onkin hyvin oleellista, että käyttäjällä on mahdollisuus kontrolloida kenelle hän haluaa luovuttaa mitäkin tietoa.

Tie Strength and Family Formation : which Personal Relationships are Influential ?

Based on the analysis of qualitative interviews in western Germany, we argue that personal relationships have a strong impact on individuals' family formation processes and fertility intentions. We identify persons who influence individuals' fertility choices. Strong ties, such as those among core family members (i.e., parents and siblings), are an important contributing factor, but we are also able to show that weak ties, such as those among colleagues, and acquaintances need to be considered when examining social influence on family formation processes. Apart from single network partners, we have identified influential groups of persons. Such groups serve as a comparative standard regarding the timing of having one's first child and subsequent children.

La documentació personal com a eina docent: ensenyar i aprendre amb els fons personals

L"objectiu de la contribució que presentem és força senzill d"entendre: hem volgut donar forma a una activitat viscuda per recordar-la i per aprofitar-la quan l"haguem de menester. Com ho hem fet?, doncs materialitzant uns fets, uns pensaments i unes idees en forma de document, el qual a hores d"ara ja forma part del nostre fons personal. La finalitat del document, però, va més enllà: volem donar a conèixer la vàlua dels fons personals com a recurs estratègic per a l"aprenentatge de l"Arxivística. Hem volgut compartir la nostra experiència en aquest canal de comunicació professional perquè pensem, modestament, que treballs com aquest poden ser noves formes d"avançar en el progrés teòric de l"Arxivística.

Virtual milgram : empathic concern or personal distress? Evidence from functional MRI and dispositional measures

One motive for behaving as the agent of another"s aggression appears to be anchored in as yet unelucidated mechanisms of obedience to authority. In a recent partial replication of Milgram"s obedience paradigm within an immersive virtual environment, participants administered pain to a female virtual human and observed her suffering. Whether the participants" response to the latter was more akin to other-oriented empathic concern for her well-being or to a self-oriented aversive state of personal distress in response to her distress is unclear. Using the stimuli from that study, this event-related fMRI-based study analysed brain activity during observation of the victim in pain versus not in pain. This contrast revealed activation in pre-defi ned brain areas known to be involved in affective processing but not in those commonly associated with affect sharing (e.g., ACC and insula). We then examined whether different dimensions of dispositional empathy predict activity within the same pre-defi ned brain regions: While personal distress and fantasy (i.e., tendency to transpose oneself into fi ctional situations and characters) predicted brain activity, empathic concern and perspective taking predicted no change in neuronal response associated with pain observation. These exploratory fi ndings suggest that there is a distinct pattern of brain activity associated with observing the pain-related behaviour of the victim within the context of this social dilemma, that this observation evoked a self-oriented aversive state of personal distress, and that the objective"reality" of pain is of secondary importance for this response. These fi ndings provide a starting point for experimentally more rigorous investigation of obedience.

Prestaciones en beneficio de la comunidad y realización de tareas socioeducativas en justicia juvenil

Los jóvenes a los que se les ha impuesto una medida de realización de tareas socioeducativas (RTS) o de prestaciones en beneficio de la comunidad (PBC) presentan un alto fracaso escolar, mayoritariamente con bajo rendimiento y abandono de los estudios en la mitad de los casos. Uno de cada tres jóvenes proviene de una familia con algún tipo de problemática específica o una economía insuficiente. Los resultados indican, sin embargo, que los jóvenes que realizan tareas socioeducativas suelen acumular más problemáticas que a los que se les ha impuesto una PBC, ya sea a nivel personal, familiar o social. En cuanto el perfil penal y criminológico, el 63% de los chicos y chicas de estas dos medidas tiene antecedentes. La tasa de reincidencia de la RTS es del 31,1% y la de PBC del 25,2%. Algunos de los factores que los jóvenes reincidentes muestran en mayor proporción son tener un grupo de iguales disocial, estar en contacto con los servicios sociales o tener antecedentes. Los reincidentes de RTS también presentan mayor proporción de consumo de tóxicos, problemas de salud mental, fracaso escolar y una ocupación del tiempo desestructurada y con conductas de riesgo. Comparando estos resultados con estudios respecto a otros programas y medidas de Justicia juvenil podemos concluir que la tasa de reincidencia global en Cataluña es del 28,9% y la específica de Medio abierto es del 27,8%.

Differential associations of personal and general just-world beliefs with the Five-Factor and HEXACO models of personality.

Recent literature evidences differential associations of personal and general just-world beliefs with constructs in the interpersonal domain. In line with this research, we examine the respective relationships of each just-world belief with the Five-Factor and the HEXACO models of personality in one representative sample of the working population of Switzerland and one sample of the general US population, respectively. One suppressor effect was observed in both samples: Neuroticism and emotionality was positively associated with general just-world belief, but only after controlling for personal just-world belief. In addition, agreeableness was positively and honesty-humility negatively associated with general just-world belief but unrelated to personal just-world belief. Conscientiousness was consistently unrelated to any of the just-world belief and extraversion and openness to experience revealed unstable coefficients across studies. We discuss these points in light of just-world theory and their implications for future research taking both dimensions into account.

Un còctel de records reals i falsos

Un experiment realitzat amb ratolins transgènics per científics nord-americans ha demostrat que la memòria està formada per la combinació de fets ocorreguts i imaginaris

Gestión de información personal: elementos, actividades e integración

La gestión de información personal (personal information management, PIM) estudia cómo organizar y utilizar la información que las personas obtienen para resolver necesidades cotidianas, con el fin de aprovechar al máximo los recursos personales (tiempo, dinero, energía, atención), y así aumentar la productividad y mejorar en consecuencia la calidad de vida. Se presentan los elementos y las actividades en que se articula la PIM, y se expone cómo favorecer la integración de la información personal, en general dispersa en formas, aplicaciones y dispositivos distintos.

First records and potential palaeoecological significance of Dianella (Xanthorrhoeaceae), an extinct representative of the native flora of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

Easter Island, a remote island in the Pacific Ocean, is currently primarily covered by grasslands, but palaeoecological studies have shown the former presence of different vegetation. Much of its original biota has been removed during the last two millennia, most likely by human activities, and little is known about the native flora.Macrofossil and pollen analyses of a sediment core from the Raraku crater lake have revealed the occurrence of a plant that is currently extinct from the island: Dianella cf. intermedia/adenanthera (Xanthorrhoeaceae), which grew and disappeared at the Raraku site long before human arrival. The occurrence of Dianella within the Raraku sedimentary sequence (between 9.4 and 5.4 cal. kyr B.P.) could have been linked to the existence of favorable palaeoenvironmental conditions (peatland rather than the present-day lacustrine environment) during the early to mid Holocene. This finding contributes new knowledge about indigenous plant diversity on Easter Island and reinforces the usefulness of further macrofossil and pollen analyses to identify native species on Easter Island and elsewhere.

Macrofossils in Raraku Lake (Easter Island) integrated with sedimentary and geochemical records towards a palaeoecological synthesis for the last 34,000 years

Macrofossil analysis of a composite 19 m long sediment core from Rano Raraku Lake (Easter Island)was related to litho-sedimentary and geochemical features of the sediment. Strong stratigraphical patterns are shown by indirect gradient analyses of the data. The good correspondence between the stratigraphical patterns derived from macrofossil (Correspondence Analysis) and sedimentary and geochemical data (Principal Component Analysis) shows that macrofossil associations provide sound palaeolimnological information in conjunction with sedimentary data. The main taphonomic factors in fluencing the macrofossil assemblages are run-off from the catchment, the littoral plant belt, and the depositional environment within the basin. Five main stages during the last 34,000 calibrated years BP (cal yr BP) are characterised from the lithological, geochemical, and macrofossil data. From 34 to 14.6 cal kyr BP (last glacial period) the sediments were largely derived from the catchment, indicating a high energy lake environment with much erosion and run-off bringing abundant plant trichomes, lichens, and mosses into the centre of Raraku Lake.

Musiikkivideo musiikin ja laululyriikan näkökulmasta : kappaleen tulkintakeinoja audiovisuaalisen kokonaisuuden saavuttamiseksi musiikkivideoilmaisussa

Opinnäytetyöni on monimuototyö. Sen teososa on Ratas-yhtyeen musiikkivideo Mustavalkoinen maa. Toimin teososassani musiikkivideon käsikirjoittajana, ohjaajana, kuvaajan ja leikkaajana. Olen myös itse säveltänyt ja sanoittanut musiikin sekä soitan mukana yhtyeessä. Työ on hankkeistettu Pajula Records Oy:lle. Opinnäytetyössäni etsin keinoja audiovisuaalisen kokonaisuuden saavuttamiseksi musiikkivideoilmaisussa. Näkemykseni mukaan musiikkivideot ovat usein vain kappaleiden visuaalista täytettä, eivätkä vastaa tunnelmaltaan tai kuvaukseltaan musiikkia. Tilaajan näkökulma on usein kaupallinen, minkä johdosta musiikkivideo tehdään ulkomusiikillisten arvojen sanelemana. Opinnäytetyössäni etsin keinoja kuvan ja musiikin yhteisen sävelen musiikkivideoilmaisussa nimenomaan kappaleen näkökulmasta katsottuna. Tutkin käsitettä lyyrinen kamera, joka kuvaa kameran liikkeitä tekstissä ja käsittelen draaman rakenteen hahmottamista laululyriikassa. Etsin kuvallisia tulkintakeinoja musiikin rakenteista ja tutkin eri musiikkityyleihin yhdistettäviä tunnetiloja ja synestesian color-hearing käsitettä. Esittelen ensin muutamia konkreettisia tulkintakeinoja ja sitten sovellan käytännössä niitä teososani analyysissä. Tutkin myös teososan työprosessin aikana sitä, mitä mahdollisia hyötyjä on siitä, että koko projektista vastaa yksi henkilö.