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Background: Computerised neuropsychological assessments (CNAs) are proposed as more accessible and culturally appropriate alternatives to traditional pencil‐and‐paper neuropsychological assessments (PnPAs) for diagnosing dementia in diverse populations. Whilst some PnPAs have demonstrated cultural and linguistic bias, research investigating the suitability of CNAs for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) individuals is limited, especially outside of the United States. Method: This study compared cognitive performance in a heterogenous sample of older Australian CALD English‐speakers and an L1 English‐speaking background (ESB) sample. Cross‐sectional data were drawn from the ongoing CogSCAN Study. Participants were 212 community‐dwelling individuals aged 60‐95 years without a dementia diagnosis (159 ESB/53 CALD). Participants completed a PnPA and/or CNAs, sessions were counterbalanced accordingly. CNA sessions involved two of four commercially‐available CNAs in a randomised order. Differences in the level and pattern of cognitive performance between groups on two CNAs (CANTAB/Cogstate) and a comprehensive PnPA in English, controlling for sociodemographic and health factors, are reported here. Selection of key variables for examination were based on previous findings (PnPA) and test developer recommendations (CNAs). Result: Sample characteristics are summarised in Table 1. CALD participants' cognitive performance on individual tests (Figure 1) was largely comparable to ESB participants on PnPA and each CNA. Significant differences between groups, after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, were observed for the Boston Naming Test (PnPA; a language test widely criticised for use with CALD populations due to culturally biased stimuli) and Rapid Visual Information Processing (CANTAB; a test of attention/processing speed). Among participants who completed PnPA and Cogstate, a significant interaction between group and assessment type on global cognitive performance was observed; ESB participants outperformed CALD participants on PnPA, but not on Cogstate (Figure 2). No significant main effects or interaction were observed in PnPA versus CANTAB. Conclusion: These results showed fewer and smaller discrepancies across groups and assessment types than has been found in previous literature with other CALD samples, perhaps reflecting higher levels of English proficiency, acculturation, and education in English than previous cohorts. Work in progress is investigating the influence of linguistic and acculturation factors on cognitive performance in a larger and more diverse sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A special‐purpose Committee on DNA Sequences as Types was established at the XIX International Botanical Congress (IBC) in Shenzhen, China, in 2017, with a mandate to report to the XX IBC in Madrid in 2024 with recommendations on a preferred course of action with respect to potential amendments of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants to allow DNA sequences as types. This is the first in an expected series of papers from the Special‐purpose Committee on this issue. We set out the background to the establishment of the Committee, explore key issues around typification that are pertinent to the question of DNA sequences as types, enumerate pros and cons of allowing DNA sequences as types, and foreshadow options for future discussion and potential recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neuromodulatory subcortical system (NSS) nuclei are critical hubs for survival, hedonic tone, and homeostasis. Tau‐associated NSS degeneration occurs early in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis, long before the emergence of pathognomonic memory dysfunction and cortical lesions. Accumulating evidence supports the role of NSS dysfunction and degeneration in the behavioral and neuropsychiatric manifestations featured early in AD. Experimental studies even suggest that AD‐associated NSS degeneration drives brain neuroinflammatory status and contributes to disease progression, including the exacerbation of cortical lesions. Given the important pathophysiologic and etiologic roles that involve the NSS in early AD stages, there is an urgent need to expand our understanding of the mechanisms underlying NSS vulnerability and more precisely detail the clinical progression of NSS changes in AD. Here, the NSS Professional Interest Area of the International Society to Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment highlights knowledge gaps about NSS within AD and provides recommendations for priorities specific to clinical research, biomarker development, modeling, and intervention. Highlights: Neuromodulatory nuclei degenerate in early Alzheimer's disease pathological stages.Alzheimer's pathophysiology is exacerbated by neuromodulatory nuclei degeneration.Neuromodulatory nuclei degeneration drives neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia.Biomarkers of neuromodulatory integrity would be value‐creating for dementia care.Neuromodulatory nuclei present strategic prospects for disease‐modifying therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Human herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) is discussed to induce amyloid‐β (Aβ) accumulation and neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated tau (pTau) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) in cell culture and animal models. Aβ appears to be virostatic. We investigated the association between intrathecal antibodies against HSV or cytomegalovirus (CMV) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AD biomarkers. Methods: Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio, pTau, and tTau were measured in CSF of 117 patients with early AD positive for amyloid pathology (A+) and 30 healthy controls (A‐). CSF‐to‐serum anti‐HSV1/2‐IgG antibody indices (AI‐IgGHSV1/2) and CMV (AI‐IgGCMV) were determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Exclusively in HSV1‐seropositive AD, pTau was positively and significantly predicted by AI‐IgGHSV1/2 and negatively by the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio in both univariate and multivariate regression analyses. Furthermore, a significant and negative interaction between the AI‐IgGHSV1/2 and Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio on pTau was found. Discussion: The results support the hypothesis that HSV infection contributes to AD. Highlights: HSV antibody index is positively associated with tau pathology in patients with AD.HSV antibody index is negatively associated with cerebral FDG metabolism.Amyloid modulates the association of HSV antibody index with CSF‐pTau.HSV in AD offers a pathophysiological model connecting tau and amyloid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early and accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is critical to improve illness management and outcomes, making neuropsychological measures an essential tool for clinicians. Research has demonstrated that proactive semantic interference (PSI) and failure to recover from PSI (frPSI) are sensitive to cognitive changes in early mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and preclinical AD determined by Aβ load using PET (Loewenstein et al., 2018; Matias‐Guiu et al., 2017; Curiel et al., 2019). These novel constructs are assessed by the LASSI‐L (Crocco et al., 2018; Crocco et al., 2020). The aim of the current study was to compare a new computerized version of this measure, the LASSI‐BC, to the standard paper‐and‐pencil version of the test. Method: 110 cognitively unimpaired (CU) older adults and 79 older adults diagnosed with amnestic MCI (aMCI) were administered the paper‐and‐pencil form of the LASSI‐L, whereas 62 CU and 52 aMCI participants were administered the LASSI‐BC. Their performance was compared to assess the validity of the LASSI‐BC to discriminate between different diagnostic groups. Result: To assess the validity of the computerized version, both the aMCI and CU groups were compared using χ2 test for categorical variables and ANOVA for continuous variables, with adjustment for covariates such as degree of initial learning, sex, education, and language of evaluation. The performance of CU and aMCI groups using either form was relatively commensurate. Notably, sensitivity and specificity of measures of PSI and frPSI on both versions were calculated to assess diagnostic validity, yielding the following Results Sensitivity of 86.5%, Specificity of 88.1%, and Overall Classification of 87.4% for the LASSI‐BC relative to a Sensitivity of 65.0%, Specificity of 83.6%, and Overall Classification of 75.8% obtained for the paper‐and‐pencil LASSI‐L. Conclusion: The LASSI‐BC displayed exceptionally high diagnostic validity which was comparable to the well‐established LASSI‐L. Notably, the advantages of the LASSI‐BC include a more standardized administration, suitability for remote assessment, and an automated scoring mechanism that can be verified by a built‐in audio recording of responses. These findings support the LASSI‐BC, a novel computerized assessment, as an exceptional tool for the early identification of individuals at risk of progressing to dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The HABS‐HD study is an epidemiological study of aging in diverse populations and began transitioning from entirely paper‐based charting to electronic data capture (EDC) in 2018. As the study evolved, the team realized that neuropsychological testing, scoring, and quality review consumed many resources and much staff time. This abstract aims to describe how the HABS‐HD study moved from paper‐based capture of neuropsychological data to EDC with a small data team. Method: The HABS‐HD staff recognized the time commitment for scoring and reviewing scores for the neuropsychological assessment, which created a delay between a participant completing the study and the research diagnosis. Senior research assistants worked with internal developers to create an EDC for the neuropsychological assessment. The data core is small and consists of a director, an assistant director, two developers, two data entry personnel, and a clinician. Specific components were completed on paper to prevent an increase in equipment cost and maintain methodological consistency. These components were reviewed post‐assessment, and a senior research assistant directly entered the scores into the EDC. Result: The EDC neuropsychological assessment was tested before going live. The team adapted data capture from the older method into the EDC. The new system allows the research director to obtain statistics of individual testers and provide more training as needed. It also permits more senior personnel to review the paper components and enter them directly into the EDC, which improves throughput. Conclusion: Smaller data core teams can transition larger projects from paper methods to EDC. The change does not need to be entirely paper or electronic, but investigators should evaluate which methodologies function best for their populations. Finally, communication between the personnel capturing the data, reviewing the quality of the capture, and writing the EDC software is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is crucial to develop non‐pharmacological interventions to help people with dementia. Among different types of non‐pharmaceutical interventions for dementia, art therapy interventions have been shown helpful for improving patients' physiological and mental states, in particular their cognitive performances, cognitive functionalities, including emotional states, verbal fluency, and behavioral reactions. We use Interactive Drawing Therapy (IDT), proposed by Russell Withers, as an art therapeutic method for people with dementia and to explore the method's effectiveness, we suggest developing a vocal assessment method. Method: We will recruit participants with mild AD and individuals without dementia and divide them into two groups, an experimental group that will attend the IDT sessions and a control group that won't be offered the IDT sessions. All participants will attend two picture description sessions while they describe the cookie theft picture or the picnic scene. For the experimental group, we will offer attending two IDT sessions between two picture description sessions. During the first IDT session, the art therapist helps participants draw their thoughts about what he is doing during the day and describe their feelings. During the second IDT session, the art therapist shows one of the pictures, "Man changing the bulb" or "The Cat in the Tree," and asks them to describe the picture with drawing and writing words. We collect speeches of participants during picture description and IDT sessions. The cognitive status of each participant will be measured using the Mini‐mental state examination (MMSE) test. Result: We will aim to develop a binary classifier to distinguish patients with improved verbal fluency from patients without any enhancements in verbal fluency. It can be a part of a vocal assessment method to assess improvements in verbal fluency of patients attending IDT sessions which will be designed by combing the picture description. We also expect that such IDT sessions can enhance the verbal fluency of patients with dementia. Conclusion: This study will promise to develop a vocal system to discover the effectiveness of IDT for peoplewith dementia. As a part of this study we aim to identify linguistic and acoustic features that might change during the IDT sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large areas of mine tailings are reclaimed by applying organic amendments such as paper mill sludge (PMS). Although mining industries can use PMS freshly generated by paper mills, operational constraints on paper industries make temporary landfilling of this material an unavoidable alternative for the paper industries, creating the most prominent PMS source for mining industries. This study aimed to quantify soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (N2O, CO2, and CH4) after application of landfilled PMS (LPMS; i.e., excavated from a landfill site at a paper mill) and LPMS combined with a seeding treatment of white clover (Trifolium repens L.) on nonacidic mine tailings site prior to reforestation. Soil N2O, CO2, and CH4 fluxes were measured after applications of 50 and 100 Mg dry LPMS ha-1 during two consecutive snowfree seasons on two adjacent sites; LPMS was applied once in the first season. The LPMS application increased N2O emissions (7.6 to 34.7 kg N2O-N ha-1, comprising 1.04 to 2.43% of applied N) compared with the unamended control during the first season; these emissions were negligible during the second season. The LPMS application increased CO2 emissions (~5800 to 11,400 kg CO2-C ha-1, comprising 7 to 27% of applied C) compared with the unamended control on both sites and in both seasons. Fluxes of CH4 were negligible. White clover combined with LPMS treatments did not affect soil GHG emissions. These new GHG emission factors should be integrated into life-cycle analyses to evaluate the C footprint of potential symbioses between the mining and paper industries. Future research should focus on the effect of PMS applications on soil GHG emissions from a variety of mine tailings under various management practices and climatic conditions to plan responsible and sustainable land reclamation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]